Magnet

To all contributors on here, and the hard working admin folks who keep this forum up and running in an efficient and friendly manner:- May we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year, and trust that your motoring problems will be few and far between in the coming year. Best wishes, Gareth & family.

Hello Derek, I think .....'.loath to upset the running of the car' .......probably sums this up. This coupled with the .' loads of complaints.... ' seems to answer your question. I appreciate that bad news travels faster than good news, but, as you rightly point out, bad news there certainly is! If you are happy with the current running of the car, and if you have any concerns (from what you you have read) about the potential adverse affects of subjecting your car to the emissions recall, then simply do not do it. Personally, I most certainly would not. If you (hopefully) decide not to subject it to the recall, then you must keep it well away from any VAG dealer from this point on, or they are likely to carry out this recall, whether you want it it not, and even possibly if they instruct them not to. Taking the car to an independent in the future? Not so sure on whether they can deal with this recall or not, so again worth steering clear during your ownership. Personally, I would not take a chance on a written statement declining the recall being effective if you do take it to a dealer in the future. As far as I am aware, you have the choice to ignore this action, and you are currently in the advantageous position of seeking advice before you decide - most seek advice from a position of discontent following having it done! Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth.n

Well, Trade Parts Supplies price = same price as quoted by local Audi dealer! So strangly no 'trade' discount there, and cannot I see the point of that source, particularly when Audi dealer is one mile away and TPS is 15 miles. As an aid to others, does anyone know of dealers who are giving discounts? Discounts available to forum members?? I know for example that Volvo forum members enjoy discounts at some dealers. Kind regards, Gareth.

They seem geared to Facebook, Neil - which I don't bother with. Do they actually supply (mechanical) parts at discounts, or are they biased towards 'accessories' at discount? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Bradley, I guess you have/will, check with Audi regarding the costs of buying their pads, and if so, may be wondering if there is a cheaper alternative. I can only advise from experience of having tried aftermarket pads on a humble 1.6 A3, and the braking efficiency was so markedly reduced that we quickly replaced them with genuine VAG ones - expensive experience. If your query relates to trying to improve on the original braking efficiency due to 'enthusiastic' driving then obviously different criteria apply, and you would need to let us know that this is your intention. Kind regards, Garerth,

Hello Evie, For sender, read sensor. Now knowing the full facts regarding the reason for the thermostat change, I would seriously doubt if a genuine VAG part was used, since the car sales garage was paying! Now we need a more experienced input here, but is the thermostat arrangement on this engined model an 'electronic' type? If so it equals expensive (and includes the sensor??). My next step advice here would be to get a price for the part from your Audi main dealer ( have the Reg. No. and VIN to hand) and enquire what type of thermostat type this is - i.e. Includes the full plastic housing and the sensor. You can then check with a local motor factors and get an equivalent price. Perhaps this may then point you in the next direction from which this has come, and where your next move is. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Folks, Wondered if anyone can advise. I need a new thermostat for the 2006 A3 1.6, and want to get a genuine VAG replacement. Having lost my source of discounted parts, TPS has come to mind, but I'm not sure if you have to set up an account with them, or if you can just walk-in or order, or better still, order over the phone. Also wondered if anyone knows of any sources of discount on dealer parts for non-trade account customers? Trusting someone may be able to help. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I know some forums have negotiated discounts for genuine parts at some dealerships. This forum?

Hello Evie, The '..........as I understand it it was a genuine Audi part......' to be frank doesn't instil too much confidence in the answer, but of course it is what you have been told, and you must go with it. Or perhaps it might come to proving that to be correct or incorrect. Air locks? After 12 weeks I would expect this would not be a valid reason for your issue. Thermostat? Could be. Sender unit? Could be. If I were mine, I would be taking the car to another trusted local garage and get them to plug this in and obtain live data on the coolant temperature. This should give you a better idea of the actual running temperature at these apparent 'increased peaks' and allow them to better home in on whether this is a sensor or a thermostat fault. Others on here will be more knowledgeable on whether this live data simply reproduces what the (possibly faulty) sender reads, or if it is an actual temperature. No doubt someone will advise. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Evie, I believe your alternative suggestions are sound. What I would ask is did you have the thermostat changed at an Audi dealership? If not, do you know whether the garage used a genuine Audi part or an aftermarket replacement? If genuine Audi part used then I would suspect the temperature sender. If not, then I would certainly suspect the aftermarket replacement since aftermarket component quality can be highly variable. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mohammed, Sorry I cannot directly help you with your query, but in the absence of any other reply, perhaps some if the follwimg may help to move you in a positive direction. 'I have been told by Audi.......' It would be interesting to know who you asked - and where you asked the question. I have found that answers you get can be one person's opinion and may or may not be accurate. If it were mine, I would wander into the parts section of my local dealer, armed with the VIN and the steps you have bought, and see if you can set up a friendly dialogue with the person there. OK you have bought them secondhand, but an honest approach usually works out. The correct answer will be there and they should be able to tell you (VIN wise) at what point any change was made, and if yours doesn't have any holes - whether steps can be practically fitted or not. I would be tempted to reward a helpful attitude with a box of biscuits at this time of year! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Sorry to hear of your problems. Glow plugs changing and EML light? This confuses a little since I'm not sure why you are making the connection between the two. Do you have a code which points you to this? If so, it may be worth considering that it is possible that fault codes can give the 'effect' rather than the cause. In other words, the glow plug efficiency is being affected by something else. I must confess, that diesels are not my strong point, but as I understand it glow plugs don't 'come into effect' until the outside temperature falls to near to 5 degrees C, and their function is to preheat the cylinders to make the combustion of diesel more efficient at the lower temperature. In effect, if it is starting OK and running well from cold, then it may suggest there isn't anything wrong with the glow plugs. I notice you have this booked in for service on Tuesday - if this were mine, I would be delaying the glow plug change and booking this into a local recommended diesel specialist, rather than a non specialist garage. Taxi drivers are usually a good source of knowledge on trusted local diesel specialists. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, I agree with Trevor's sound advice regarding checking with the servicing dealers if the chain has been changed. We must take it that your decision to sell results from having checked, and it hasn't, and that you have checked through the thick book of receipts - with the same result. If this was mine and I hadn't checked then I would be postponing my decision until I had. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I must start by saying I don't take any comfort from offering advice to actually check components rather that assuming they are serviceable or unserviceable. In this case the battery was 'assumed' to be the culprit, yet the then-untested alternator later proved to be at fault. Unless you are lucky then this experience has cost you the unnecessary purchase of a battery. You need to get your mechanic pal to buy you a drink - at least! Someone once quoted the word Assume as meaning:- 'Making an !Removed! out of you and me!' With apologies for rubbing it in. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, I cannot offer you any experience in regards to which warranty companies to go with or avoid, but I think you are on the right track by deciding one of them is inadequate. The devil is in the detail of exclusion, and it is here that I would be looking before diving in with any from a fair selection which are likely to crop up via. a Google search. I take it this just - still -under -warranty car has a comprehensive Audi service history. If so, you should be starting off from a fair vantage point. If it hasn't been serviced in recent months, then if it were mine, I would be tempted to get it serviced at Audi , and they should be able to advise what would be necessary to get sorted under the 3 year warranty. It could be a little puzzling why this car as been sent for retail at a 'private garage' rather than being retained for sale within the main dealer network. What is its mileage and ownership history? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Callum, If this was last serviced at the main dealer in August, then it sounds good. It might be worth checking what level of service it had then, and I believe they can send you a schedule since you are the registered keeper. Take a note of when the air filter was last changed and if not within say the last 15K miles, then personally I would replace it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Callum, Congratulations on your new car - it looks very nice. Not wanting to rain on your parade, but .....'obviously I booked it in for a remap... ' For me, the first port of call would be a thorough service ( not a pre - sales type service) to ensure all filters etc. are serviceable and that the car is running at its optimum performance before attempting to increase its current performance. Good luck with it and enjoy it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dee, I think there are too many variables here and not enough detail to to be able to offer meaningful advice. It now appears that the car is at a repair garage and it would be reasonable to suggest that if they are competent and can't source the issue with the car at hand, then it doesn't give the rest of us much hope of diagnosing it at a distance. Some questions I would ask:- Checks carried out to confirm the starter motor is getting power? Earths OK? Was the original starter checked for serviceability prior to replacing it? Has the new motor been checked off the car to ensure it is serviceable? ( you can't seem to simply accept that new equals serviceable anymore).When you say it isn't turning over, do you mean the starter motor is not spinning? Flywheel changed - why? Did this non turning over issue coincide with this change? Any possibility the wrong flywheel has been fitted, and the starter is spinning but not engaging? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry Piotr, but I'm confused. Why would Chris want to change this battery for one which isn't compatible with the one he has? Surely volts = 12v , and I take it you are referring to cold cranking current when you refer to amps. Chris, Where are you getting this battery from? If you are buying local then they will usually replace it for you. If not then best to ask your mechanic pal to do it for you. When you use the code saver, you usually need a spare battery to feed the code saver - which gets plugged into the cigar lighter while you remove the old battery and replace with the new one. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Having said all that, as I said before, you are still assuming it is the battery which is at fault until you test it and/or check the alternator output is as Piotr says.

Hello Chris, If the battery is the original one then you have done very well indeed. Personally, I would get your mechanic friend to check the alternator output as well - a simple check with a simple tester ( were even available from Lidls at one point) - since nothing should be assumed without testing to confirm the suspicion. I take it he will have the necessary 'code saver' device to ensure your radio code (if it has one) is protected during the battety change. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. It's always worth buying a premium brand battery with at least a 4 year guarantee. These can usually be obtained at very competitive prices on line - often with next day delivery.

Hello Chris, This is obviously a battery or charging system fault , and if you have a multi meter and are handy with it then you can fairly easily find out which. I doubt if your battery is the original after 12 years, but it is possible. If it is, then you have done well, and it would be more likely to be this that is at fault - but you will still need to confirm the alternator output. I would suspect that this car now has insufficient battery power to start the car, but if it does start, a fairly simply test for basic charging is to allow the car to tick over for a few minutes then switch the headlights on, then observe if the headlight brightness increases as you rev the engine. No increase in brightness suggests a charging issue. You should find that Halfords or others will be able to check your charging system quite simply -while you wait . If OK and the battety is a fault then buying a replacement at Halfords?? If it were mine, I would find a trusted local auto electrician and get them to check this out for you. One other basic test you should do, is to check the serviceability of the alternator belt. This may, just may be the cause of the problem, but should be eliminated as the culprit. Suspect alternator belts giving way, wrapping themselves around the crank pulley and causing cam belts to slip are not unheard of. If the car won't start and you need to jump start it then please make sure you know what you are doing before connecting jump leads or you can cause all sorts of expensive problems. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well Chris, Ford? Those who were sensible enough to 'invest' in any classic Ford are now seeing their asset escalating in value beyond any expectation, while the modern Audi de - values as much as the rest of them. Skoda were always maligned by those trying to be comedians, but VAG decided to buy them, and from my working experience, Skoda took on board all the quality control recommendations of VW and quickly overtook them - all at a much cheaper price, so brand snobbery doesn't result in anyone becoming funny anymore. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, I take it you have already established that the heater core is partially blocked, or are you assuming it is since it will only blow a small amount of heat? If you have proved the core is partially blocked then fine to replace it. If not, it would be well worth checking whether the heater controls are working properly first. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, Thanks for the reply, but please do confuse the elderly! If you couldn't find it, how could they lose it !? It either has locking wheel nuts or it doesn't, and you definitely need to know, before you have any need to remove the wheels. If there are locking wheel nuts then the special remover should be identifiable, and available, via. giving the VIN to your Audi dealer. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello A, Thanks for the responses. G12 - Unknown to me but if it's compares with the original spec and you are mixing it 50/50 then all should be well. If you are not using any coolant, then you simply cannot be leaking any coolant into the combustion, which equals no failure of the head gasket from combustion to a waterway. Not sure about your explanation regarding the smoke. If you would like to repeat exactly as I said and video the smoke at 2000 rpm taken over a 2 minute period. No pressure when removing cap after 20 secs. from start up would again suggest no HGF. What is it? Rerun the video under the conditions I suggested. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. It's not a Rover with an Audi badge on it, is it?

Hello Paul, The filter is likely to be a pollen filter. I'm assuming your earlier-than-my A3 has a different location for it, since mine is up under the passenger footwell. Should change this every couple of years. From memory, I don't think you will need to remove the wipers, but simply gently lift where possible and you should be able to locate the drains. Kind regards, Gareth.