Magnet

Hello Niall, Can we take it you bought these direct from an Audi dealer? If so, then they should obviously be returnable for a refund and hopefully substituted for the correct ones - perhaps the VIN will be required. Kind regards, Gareth.

It seems the original poster has not returned here since a few days after posting the problem some 8 months ago. Of course opinions vary, and I would certainly go along along with your sound advice Phil to consult a trusted auto electrician if checking and changing the simple components do not solve the problem. Where my opinion would differ in this particular case is that within the bounds of probability, it would be unlikely that a total of 3 batteries ( 2 new) would be unserviceable - particularly when they have been tested by three separate battery-selling outlets. It would have been interesting to know exactly what the problem was caused by. Kind regards, Gareth.

Would an ABS issue prevent the car from starting?

Hello Warris, It very much depends on what this maintenance package actually covers - you will need to read the small print and look for what is excluded. It may for example cover what can be termed ‘routine servicing’ but may (in caps.) is exclude wear and tear components such as brake pads and discs - it would surprise me if it does. Tyres? Personally, I would be surprised if this actually covers replacing your worn out tyres free of charge - but I could be wrong, and again the small print will give you the full story. My feeling is it covers (accidental) damage to the tyres rather than wear and free replacement. If it’s damage only then of course this cover would be dependent on buying your replacement tyres through the main dealer and the actual cover may be on a pro rata pay out for the amount of tread left rather than a full cost reimbursement. It really boils down to sitting down for a half hour and reading through it, and then deciding. Being cynical, the salesman will probably be earning a commission from signing you up to this, but.. Kind regards, Gareth. I appreciate the current culture seems to deal in £s per month, but it might be worth noting that you will be paying £576 for this over the 2 years it covers, so ....

Hello Radek, Sorry to hear of your issues. When you say you replaced the battery, did you have your old one checked first, and was the replacement a brand new battery which was fully charged when fitted? If this were mine, I would be checking the battery connections and the thick ‘main’ earths to the bodywork, then all the large fuses associated with the charging and starting systems, followed by the connections onto the starting motor - of course, observing all safety requirements associated with testing electrics. Unfortunately, if all of this doesn’t get you anywhere then you will need to seek an hour’s services of a trusted mobile auto electrician unless you have a more in-depth knowledge of these systems. Perhpas you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Sorry to hear of your plight. In the absence of alternative suggestions:- If you have breakdown assistance then the answer would be to call them out since they have the ‘tools’ to ‘break’ into your car. If you don’t then it’s likely local locksmiths may be able to offer similar solutions. Kind regards, Gareth.

It’s born of cost of part, cost of plugging it in to the computer system, and the likelihood of charging the one hour’s minimum labour at c£100/hour + VAT, Cliff. Great isn’t it? In my days (and dare I suggest yours?), life was so simple and dependable, and you just stuck a key in a lock and turned it unlock/lock the door. Once inside you turned a little handle and the window went up and down. Why is everything so complicated by so called automation. Have we become too lazy to carryout these tasks ourselves? The motor manufacturers seem to think so, and they must be right, since owners now go into raptures about owning a car with ‘T line spec. and Pink Edition’! Well you know what I mean. Come back Morris 1000 simplicity, dependability, and ‘fixability’. The opinion of an aging mind Cliff. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alex, Very sorry to hear you have been experienced issues with this brand of tyres, and my opinion - for what it is worth - remains the same as recommended previous affected parties should follow. ‘I’m wondering what my best options are....’. If I was in your situation then I would read through the posts, and in the absence of any alternative advice from forum members, then I would follow my earlier recommended actions. To repeat that advice would bore, but if you are still in doubt after reading, then of course come back. If you just wait for Audi/Dunlop to do something without pressure from yourself, then unfortunately you may not get very far. Perhaps you could let the forum know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dennis, At least you now know the on-cost to you. Re. where is the other key? It is not uncommon for the second key to go astray with secondhand vehicles - particularly where it might previously have been a company car which was simply handed back at the end of the lease,and the leasing company were not too bothered about chasing it. How many owners has this car had? Before committing or collecting the car, it would be worth making contact with the last keeper ( while the dealer still has that information on the current V5). Always worth doing, and the source of valuable information. They might just have the spare key in a draw! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Suhail, More a couple of ‘may be s’ rather than a claim to fixing the problem:- Remove the fuse, then spray some genuine contact cleaner (should be available at your local motor factors) into the fuse socket and wiggle the fuse a few times, in a attempt to ensure the contacts in there are good and clean. Test for continuing problems at this stage. If this doesn’t solve it then peel back the flexible rubber harness covering around the harness linking the body to the tailgate, and inspect each wire for damage or splitting. It is not uncommon for cables to split due to flexing when the hatch is opened and closed - most of the damage actually occurring during the cold winter months when the cables are less flexing. The above are meant as eliminating simpler possibilities before moving on. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, I agree with Tobias - but no doubt you have that in hand/have already registered with some of these agencies. For what it is worth, my experience is that the agencies quote you optimistic ‘return to you figures’ with entice you to register with them. Once registered, they will suggest you pay for advertising in specialist publications etc. I would suggest you set reasonable expectations on what you will be prepared to accept for this number, and this should be based on the (small) percentage of owners which cover the likely market for it. Personally, I would also be advertising it on this forum - under For Sale- but including your asking price rather than leaving it open ended with ‘open to offers’. Good luck with its sale. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Andy, If you are indeed picking up a good earth, then it looks like you may have a voltage stabiliser type set up feeding into these gauges, and this could be giving you your intermittent fault. You will need to find a wiring diagram and check. Enjoy the trip. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Shaun, In the absence of any other replies, my views are that -as with all extended warranties- the devil (exclusions) are in the detail, and when paying a sum of money that many people pay to actually buy a means of transport, I would say it would be well worth spending an hour reading through the terms/conditions/ exclusions before embarking on paying this premium. It would be a great shame if you did ‘invest’ that amount of money for so called peace of mind, only to find your offending problem was not covered by this warranty. Boring to check it out, but it depends on how you see the importance of spending that amount of money. As a matter of interest, does this premium cover the cost of the (annual?) service as well? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Apologies for appearing to be asking more questions and double checking. When you are connecting your meter to the plug connection, can we take it you actually have the plug disconnected from the sender and are are putting the prod of your meter into the disconnected end of the cable that would fit onto the sender unit? Also, could you run a length of wire directly back to the battery earth terminal rather than depend on a separate earthing point for your meter. All a bit pedantic, but need to be clear. Have you managed to find a wiring diagram yet? Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I have a fuel gauge on a MG TF which is reluctant to read over 1/2 full even when full, and I’m really not confident on its ability to read empty when it is! We are off to Brittany in a few weeks, so it’s goung to be regular top ups to ensure it’s full!

Hello Andy, Where are you connecting the earth (-ve) prod of the meter to? Are you sure it’s a good earth? If yes, I take it you are taking the reading with the terminal disconnected from the sender . Kind regards, Gareth.

The original poster doesn’t seem to have been on the forum since March, but it’s interesting to note that these 1.6 engines are notorious for burning oil. Incase it helps anyone, our over 150k miles 2006 -owned from new- doesn’t use any oil between annual oil changes. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Again incase it helps anyone else, white exhaust smoke (petrol engines) from fully up to temperature engines, translates to water vapour being burnt - not oil- in my book. Burning engine oil will result in blue smoke.

Hello Robin, I can understand your concerns, and if the motor factor ones are not for sports suspension -and yours has such suspension- then they are not the correct ones. I have come across this with other marques in the past. Understandably, aftermarket suppliers manufacture replacements to maximise the general demand, and will ignore the lesser variants. Aftermarket vs. dealer original equipment? Again I can understand cost will be an influencing factor, but I would question it being the controlling factor. In my book, if what is desirable cannot be afforded now, then best to wait until it is - safety allowing. It’s generally worth spending once and spending wisely, and if your current shock absorbers have been on the car from new, then the add on cost of buying genuine replacements over aftermarket ones, will be negligible over that number of years to come. Apologies if I’ve got the wrong end of any stick here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Diana, Please do not commit to any further expenditure or testing on this car without having it assessed by a diesel specialist - forget Audi, forget Audi independents, and just depend on a recommended trusted diesel specialist - they know their way around these engines. If it were mine, I would be just getting it recovered there. As I said, I would not worry about the ESP light for now. You could find this is due to nothing more than a now run down battery. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Sorry to hear of your problem with the car. ‘Is this something I should be worried about’? In a nut shell Peter, you (should be in caps) should not be worried about this, but your action should be to worry the supplying dealer with the problem to ensure it’s resolved to your satisfaction without delay while they suplly you with a courtesy car - while they do. This could be associated with a lean fuel mixture, but you really don’t have to concern yourself about the reason, but just making sure it’s resolved to a reliable conclusion. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Diana, Sorry to hear of your ongoing problems. The fact that the issue has now escalated to the vehicle not starting marks a significant point in its diagnosis, and should make it easier to sort out a primary cause of this. I note you refer to ‘dealer’ in your record of what has been done, and can I ask if the work has been carried out at an Audi dealer? In my opinion, the resolution of faults with an 11 year old diesel are best entrusted to a local diesel specialist rather than a main or independent dealer, since the in depth experience rests there. If this were mine, I would be enquiring of the taxi drivers at your local rank as to where the best local-to-you diesel specialist is ( these chaps depend for their living on the services of such specialists) and entrust thevwork to them. Porous cylinder head? I’m with Cliff on his side of the argument, but ‘porous’ can also apply where the coolant chambers become porous - very rare - and in that respect it would be anticipated that the car would lose coolant - does it? I too think this is in effect the result of ‘we don’t know what is wrong with it’. ESP? - electronic stability programme- in effect a loss of ‘traction control’ and is often linked to an ABS braking issue - although not always. This should be subject of a separate investigation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, This might (only just might) be fitted with the much earlier voltage stabiliser which damps the needle movements. If it is, then the symptoms you quote were not untypical of a problem with these small replaceable units which were usually fitted on or near the fuel gauge. Of course, I could be completely wrong and the gauges are the later electronic ones, but worth an investigation of the wiring diagram. Also I would not ignore the possibility of a fuse related issues with intermittent faults. It is often assumed that since the fuse is intact that the circuit is fine, but it is not uncommon to find corrosion around in the fuse contact area, and it’s well worth spraying the fuses with contact cleaner while wiggling the actual fuses - be careful to keep on contact spray away from paintwork. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stephen, Simple things first:- The car is designed such that the wipers/ washers do not work if the bonnet is not closed, so could - just could ( only maybe could) be a false signal that the bonnet is open when it is not. Sorry but not sure where that ‘bonnet closed’ switching is, but you might find it if you look. ABS/ traction control light? Probably sensors as you say and yes replacing them all is an option - currently around £87 per wheel from Audi - um! Aftermarket? You may be lucky with them, but experience has shown that the cheap ones work - sometimes and maybe for not long anyway. My preferred option would be to plug it in and find out which wheels are at fault. Hope some of this helps, or it could be worth investing in an hour’s time with a trusted local autoelectrician. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dennis, I too am very much with Cliff, and never really did like ramps. Annual oil change on the A3 undertaken a couple of months back by the Cliff method, and I can assure you I have long since been classed as too old to to be laying under cars, but...! Metal undertray - that’s a new one on me. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, Sorry to hear of your unfortunate event - must have ended up rather expensive with having to replace a broken window and have the other trim damage to contend with. No doubt they removed the undertray to get at the oil sensor ?? -since they could not have opened the bonnet. As annoying as it is to have to spend even more funds to replace the oil level sensor, it wouldn’t surprise me that the AA will retain their stance that they only disconnected it, and the argument is likely to simply go on. It might just be less frustrating and deal with that ‘damage’ as well as the more costly?- other damage. When you say...it is bust..... are you sure, or is it a question of simply reconnecting but having to now plug the car in to accept the reconnection? Worth enquiring about. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mike, Guessed that would be the considered opinion. I think, as with all marques, and engines within those marques, some use some oil, others don’t, so manufacturers cover their posteriors by quote relatively high consumption figures. Was that Gareth at the Bridgend branch by any chance? Kind regards, Gareth.