Magnet

Hello Dom, Apologies, but I cannot help you with independents in your area. What might be worth a coat of thinking about is what you are going to achieve in the longer term by not getting this done at the main dealer. This critical application should certainly not be treated as a cost-is-king job. Yes, you may get it done cheaper, but most importantly, what make parts are going to be used. Aftermarket (with the possible exception of Gates) are very much second class options, and I certainly would not use any other pump apart from a VAG dealer one - simply asking for expensive, written off engine possibilities. Having said that, the 'bonus' of 'free' MOTs for life!??? Oh dear! Might be worth looking up posts by Welsh Sue (I think) when she got involved with this 'deal' . Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Do the headlight flicker a bit as well? Starting with the simple, minimum cost investigations first - it might be worth checking all the earthing points associated with these components. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matt, I would suspect the battery, and if so, it might requirer renewing (assuming it hasn't already been renewed, and that the charging system is operating as it should). Paying for what is wrong? Servicing is just that - servicing the items which require servicing. Repairs or replacement of comsumable items is a different thing. Unfortunately, batteries ( if this is indeed the issue) is obviously a comsumable item, but is likely to be cheaper to replace than many other components which could possibly be at fault. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adam, Great, that would seem to be a good result. You may think this to be a over reaction, but some points would remain important if it were mine:- I would get that agreement in writing from the seller, or probably (better) do it 'in reverse' by sending them an e-mail addressed to the dealer principal outlining .......' Further to our contact on (date) re car reg. no.......I wish to confirm my understanding of your agreed actions in relations to issues is that you wish me to arrange the necessary repairs to be carried out at .Audi dealer.............. and you agree to be directly responsible for the full cost of repairs agreed between yourselves and this dealer, who will be conducting the repairs on your behalf - irrespective of your involvement with any third party warranty arrangements' I would be ending the correspondence with .......if I don't hear to the contrary prior to the car being taken for repairs then I am accepting that you are fully in agreement with this action' . As the say, forewarned ....... and it might be worth discussing with Audi dealer who they will be invoicing, and when they will be expecting payment. My belief would be that it is reasonable to expect they will consider you (as the owner of the car) to be responsible for meeting their bill (reasonable from their point of view) and you will be responsible for reclaiming the money back from the seller. I guess you will have to decide if you are comfortable with that. Internet, distant -sight unseen - purchase Adam? Good luck with sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

No Brian, I'm not saying ( and neither is VAG) that it is illegal for a manufacturer to say the warranty is invalid if ...............hasn't been serviced by a franchised dealer. What I am saying that - as with all manufacturers - there are understandably guideline to be followed for the warranty to apply. Courts and challenges? - that's why the guidelines apply, and I guess with all things, challenges can be made - at cost! All cars are bought new, and in the excitement of it all, the necessary servicing costs are either not discussed, or if they are, it could be 'oh yes, we'll come to that when the time comes'. When the time comes, unfortunately the costs are not to be sniffed at. I feel shopping around for best dealer costs may be the route to go down unless you fancy taking a chance and saving a little funds on this occasion. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, ....'which is repairable but not by me' ...... I don't know what your budget is or what your capabilities are, but I might be worth considering how much a secondhand one would be (or a new after market one -if available), and even if you had the right part number, what are your chances are of finding a totally unmarked one in the current colour which you could simply bolt on? These bumpers are often practically repaired by 'plastic welding' and the cost differences may not be that far apart. Main dealers and not giving part numbers where they know the enquirer is not going to buy from them? Not really surprising. Bottom line - they give you a part number, you buy elsewhere and it turns out wrong - you are not going to be very pleased with them, and there never was anything in it for them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, You are into a grey area with this still-under-warranty car, and I think it's a good thing that you questioning whether using your local garage is acceptable. As I see it 'in theory' you can use them- with the stipulation that they are a VAT registered garage, use main dealer parts, the absolutely correct specification oil, and service it according to the manufacturer's service schedule, and in the old days- stamp the service book. Potential problems as you are finding:- VAG (as with most other manufacturers) either do not produce a service schedule, or are reluctant to impart thus information. Generally no service book to stamp now, but the service details have to be entered onto the VAG system- does your garage have access to this? I doubt it. Now servicing under-warranty vehicles away from the main dealer may not be an issue until a warranty claim comes along, and you have to argue your corner that it's nothing to do with the servicing, or lack of it! Good place to be?? Final point:- a high % of car purchases are now under PCP leases, and the cars are obviously inspected at the end if the lease, and there can be instances of 'penalties' being applied where anything differs from the norm. Service costs at your dealer? Checked the cost at other main dealers? Others more directly involved with VAG franchises may obviously offer you different advice. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adam, Sorry to hear of your problems. Oil pressure warning:- you are right to be concerned about this, in fact you need to be very worried about it! This isn't the potential problem that you !Removed! foot about with. Sorry Adam that this may not be what is good to hear, but at the moment , time is on your side, since this problem is manifesting itself (fortunately) so quickly after acquiring the car. This may (just may) be a sensor problem, but it could be a mechanical issue problem. Think the worse and hope for the best. If this were mine, I would be talking with the selling dealer (hoping you didn't buy it privately) and inform them immediately about the issue, and return the car to them - or preferably get them to pick it up from you. Follow this up immediately with an e-mail clearly outlining the faults. I certainly would not ( in caps) use it. I take it you didn't buy this from a main dealer - due to its age. In effect, formally reject the car and request your money back. £600 service by a reputable company? --and contacting them? To my mind, this should only be of secondary background- information importance to you. Your dealings are not with this company. Having said that, if you were told that by the seller (and I take it they showed you an invoice and receipt for this) and you were induced to buy the car on the strength of this, then it certainly has meaning in your claim against the seller. Oil pressure assessment prior to buying:- To a point of boredom, I have always stressed the importance of ensuring the engine oil is hot before deciding to buy. This can only be assured following a test drive of least 5miles. It is surprising how many people assume the engine is fully up to operating temperature once the coolant reaches Normal on the gauge. It isn't, until the oil is up to its operating temperature. Test runs usually run to a couple of miles around the block with just enough time for potential buyers to fall in love with the look of the car, its toys, and it's spec. And we know what is said about falling in love! Anyway Adam, I think you would be wise to start sorting this out without delay. Good luck with a successful outcome. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Local purchase? - rather than via. the Internet? Hard working Admin folks:- alternative word for cat gets !Removed! yet clearly interpreted abbreviations for four letter word phrases are treated as being Ok. Any chance of putting this right and amending Paul's rules.

Hello Mike, There is nothing wrong with loyalty, but it can, and very often does, come with a cost penalty, and I recall your original post which indicated a budget conscious approach. I think you will find that most, if not all, tyre retailer now have almost immediate access to any brand and type of your choice. The days of 40 years ago - which I well recall with my had-hair-then era! - when tyre companies carried a range of tyres they thought were popular, are now well behind us, and access to wholesale supplies on demand, of what you want is the way it now works. So the story unfolds :- you walk into any tyre retailer and ask what is the price of ...size... in Brand X and they will give you a price off the screen, and if you want them they will get them in the following, or even the same day, so price and service will dicate where you buy, rather than an 'apparent range in stock'. Having said all of that, I now find I shop around for best price at places where the service is good and polite - I am now fussy about who I give my money to! Kind regards, Gareth.

Blinking heck Mike, you are closer to me than I thought. OK, Celtic, very old established, but very seldom the most competative, if you want to respect your wallet. When you get their price, try King David on the Waterton Estate - ask for Lee, or ETB on the Brynmenin Estate - James. Bridgend Tyres ( Bridgend Ford) often have good prices. There are more - and no connection with any, apart from having bought with each of them with good deals on the decided make at the time. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. with all of them, look at their on-line prices before ringing.

I'm with you on this Dan, but my fellow Welshman, Mike, ends with ..... 'without blowing the budget' - but we we don't know what the budget stretches to. I've followed your logic, but alway then shopped around for the best price for that brand and type. I feel by this means, the best of both worlds are satisfied. Again following your logic, we must not ignore VAG's buyers who will purchase premium brands at the best possible prices, and the whole thing will not depend solely on the 'handling' abilities of the chosen brand. Interestingly, Mercedes Benz appear to be currently supplying some new vehicles with Hankook tyres - now I always believed they were a mid range brand, so perhaps cost is king now! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Maureen, Perhaps some of the following may be worth considering:- Certainly as Graham suggests. If you daughter is unhappy with the attitude of the appointed repairer, then she should notify and record this dissatisfaction with the insurers, and have the car removed to another repairer. She is under no obligation to have the car repaired at the insurer's 'authorised repairer' . Although they are likely to hold her to ransom in relation to providing a courtesy car during the period or repair. In addition to/alternative to Graham's suggestion she could consider taking the car to her local Audi dealer for assessment and estimate for repair. Last resort - Possibly use of the advise of the legal cover provided with the insurance. ( if this option was chosen at the time the insurance was taken out). Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mr. Honey Badger, Welcome to the forum. I think we have all been in a similar situation to yours with vehicles at some point. Boiling this down, I get the impression that you 'fancy a change', and are quite logically setting up some sort of economic justification to buy a car which you fancy more than the one you have. Nothing wrong with that, but I would break your consideration down to go with what you really want to do, if you can afford it. As I see it simple economics point to to spending out more money to do that, so if it's economics, then you will tend to stay with what you want. If it's heart, you will exchange it. Of course, others may possibly have alternative points of view on this. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks June, As you say, it's odd that you cannot get access to readable codes. I think if it were mine I would be getting in touch with a trusted local diesel specialist ( taxi boys normally know who to go to and who to avoid) and invest in an hour's visit to check it out, and identify the fault. Afterthought - nothing daft like fuel cut off switch? Kind regards, Gareth.

As I said Rich, if you are admitting you don't know what to do, then leave well alone. Aerosols of paint, lacquer, fillers, various grades of wet and dry papers, cutting compounds, masking tape etc. - rough idea of material costs? I would estimate at around £30 before you start. Repeating, just get a couple of quotes from the scratch and dent removal chaps before doing anything on a DIY basis. Deduct your £30 material costs, then work out if it's worth you DIYing it and keeping fingers crossed you don't make a mess of it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello June, You will need to let us have more information. When you say it won't start, do you mean the engine does not turn over when you turn the key - or the engine does turn over on the starter, but will not fire up? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rich, Its difficult to know whether this colour is metallic/pearlitic or not, so advice would depend on this, and your ability to correctly use aerosols. It would appear that this is through damage and will either dictate flatting down the surrounding area to blend in the damage, or filling the damage - but more likely a combination of both. Other than simply touching in the damage with paint applied with a suitable brush, then anything else is going to entail spraying in an area greater than the damage - before lacquering the repaired paintwork. I have seen such damage well repaired and painted with an aerosol, but the majority of DIY attempts generally end up looking worse than it started. Options if you are not experienced to carry out the above - and not meaning to sound critical, but if you were you would not be asking:- Insurance, as Steve suggests. Personally, I would run a mile from this, since even if it was proved that the other driver was at fault,and your excess was reimbursed, your premium would rise at the next renewal simply because you had been involved in an accident. Scratch/dent repair specialists. There are usually a selection to choose from covering your locality. I would choose only on recommendation from friends or colleagues. Kind regards, Gareth,

Well Kirt, it seems flushing it you are going to do! .. I wish you success. I think you will find that the days of mechanical levers and controls for heating selection are gone, and have been replaced by electronic controls - that is why I suspect this to be associated with a control problem rather than a heater core circulation issue. Still... Let's hope you are right. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kirt, It is simply an assumption that the heater core is blocked, and if it is, then it would be reasonable to suspect that the main radiator core is also partially blocked, since cores only get restricted following years of 'abuse' via. not renewing the coolant. Personally, I would be wanting to eliminate the heater controls as being the problem before suspecting the heater core. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, Before doing any other part replacements, I would be carefully inspecting all electrical connections near to and feeding the coil packs - no.1 in particular. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Martin, Sounds like the mind has been made up, so all that is now needed is to get it advertised - on here could be a start. Additional advertising:- Classic Car Weekly, Classic Car Buyer, Classic Motor Mart. There is another relatively new publication- name evades at moment, but Modern Classics?? Good luck in finding it a good home. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rick from the Homeland, If it were mine, I would keep it away from mechanics armed with spanners and other wallet emptying devises until you let us know if the car blows out any (generally white) smoke when the engine is revved to around 2000rpm - and held at that for around 2 mins - when hot. Simple things first:- carefully look around the engine and cooling system for any signs of red deposits (assuming OAT coolant is in use). When you have done that and perhaps failed to see any evidence of a leak, remove the undertrsy if possible, and clad the floor where the car is parked with cardboard or similar and leave overnight ( placing the cardboard there as soon as the car is parked up after a run). Any significant leaks will obviously cause damp patches on the cardboard. Also carefully inspect the radiator core for evidence of staining. A worth-a -try 'investment' would be to replace the coolant reservoir cap with a new one - not off E what's it, but from the VAG dealer! If all of the above fail to find the answer then there are other non-dismantling tests which can be carried out to try to find the source of the coolant usage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, If it's one thing I gain from reading your diary is that I'm grateful for retirement - and I'm still trying to find out what that is suppose to be! As I see it, you are going to meet yourself coming back! I find that generally people 'excuse' the words of the more elderly, and think 'he's old, bless him! , so thinking twice about what to say seldom comes into it anymore. Anyway, excuse me if it causes any grief, but wouldn't it be far more polite to refer to your wife/partner/whatever, as her name - Caz - rather than 'She' as in the opening of the last two posts? We used to refer to the definition of 'She', as the cat's mother! Anyway Peter, grizzle over. I just have to resign myself to sitting down after reading your posts now, otherwise I get giddy. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Martin, As you probably realise, 7 years standing means new tyres, renewing brake fluid and checking systems, before any other expenditure and deterioration work is undertaken. Totting that up, probably means there isn't much left for profit, if you bought it to pass on, as I guess was the intention, otherwise it would just be a question of you recommissioning it and enjoying it. If it were mine, I would not be breaking it, since this is hard work, and you are always left to clear the unwanted bits. Of course Martin, we don't know what the condition of this car is, what you paid for it, and what your longer term plan was for it, so it's rather difficult to advise. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, I'm not sure about the detail of your particular model, but it's not uncommon for many makes and models to suffer not-the-best wiper arrangements in right hand drive form. I believe ( and leaving it open to correction) that worldwide, something like 80%? plus of vehicle production is to cater for a left hand drive set up, and as such you may find that if you sit in the passenger seat! the wiper set up may be far more acceptable. Daft I know, but economics matter, and I am pretty sure that all new car design development starts from a LHD concept, and if they can - for example- harmonise the wiper set up, then that is what they will do. Kind regards, Gareth.