Magnet

..I'm getting a little lost here Patrick. "Why doesn't the computer pick up the belt fault..?" What belt fault? I would take some convincing that this is anything to do with the cambelt work, but possibly everything to do with the emission recall work. Simple but important question Patrick:- Did you know they were going to carry out this recall work? It would be well worth reading the posts under Recalls near the top of the forum. Are you saying Audi are going to rectify your current lights-up problem without charge? Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Lesley, Very sorry to hear your now-not-surprising tale of woe. It's intereing from a couple of points:- This 6 year old car shows my ignorance, since I would have thought its age predated the recent 'fiddle' , but obviously not. Anyone know the oldest model year that now requires being subjected to the emissions recall? Second point:- can a dealer carry out this modification without the owner's knowledge or permission? In effect Lesley, were you aware that the recall modifications were going to be carried out on your car at the time of service - I.e. had you been requested to present it for recall? As has been said so many times, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I think the consensus of opinion is to keep these cars well away from a main dealer (particularly where the car is out of warranty), and if for any reason it HAS to go to an Audi dealership then it is wise to inform them in writing that you do not wish the car to be subjected to the recall, and if they do carry it out then you will hold them financially responsible for the rectification of any subsequent defects. As with most other posts on here, I think all that can be said is good luck in trying to get it back to near to where it was. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kieran, It could, and I must stress could, be a dud battery, but you can only confirm or refute that by answering some questions and doing some tests. Anything short of that is pure assumption. I notice the car is now 10 years old, and if it still has its original battery then there is a fair chance that the battery has done its time. If it's not the original, then it's unlikely that a replacement battery for the original will itself be unserviceable. I would ask, why even a battery on a small car would not 'jump' start your car even if your battery was no good. Possible is that your battery is so bad that it will it accept a through voltage from another good battery. But, it is also just possible that the jump leads you used were the cheap variety with so much resistance through them as to render them useless! - very common. Also, did you have the small car running at the time? If not, again not a good way to do it. Are your battery and earth connections serviceable? Do you have a problem with the starter motor or its solenoid?? Parasitic drain with the electrics which has resulted in the battery being run down?? Who knows. The list goes on. All assumptions and questions of course, but important considerations before the correct diagnosis is made. What would I do:- Check your battery connections. Fully charge your battery -at least overnight - and then see if it starts. If it dosnt - then get the battery checked. Halfords will check it (but it must be fully charged at the time of test). Buying a new battery from Halfords?? Um. Only after doing this can you confirm the battery is unserviceable. Pure guess work otherwise! Good luck with it. Gareth.

Hello Khan, As Cliff says, and bear in mind that the mileage is average for the year (based on a now outdated? 12K miles/a). Condition is king, and no doubt we have all seen low mileage examples of all marques which have certainly not been well card for. Price?? You will need to compare with others of a similar age - just do some online checking. Part exchange involved? Amount of warranty offered etc. etc. Service history ? Major work such as Cambelt changes carried out to schedule? How long the last registered keeper has owned it? All cost influencing. It should also be appreciated that this 'Special Edition' is infact the most basic model available. Clever marketing, since there isn't anything special about it! Also this is a diesel, and we all know what bad press (unjustified?) these are getting these days. Hope some of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Think the last one I had for the A3 via. Audi was a bit under £20 from memory. Good to know they are available as aftermarket parts for the A6. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jason, Might be that the heater control is at fault. A might it would have to be, and I can only suggest you now try a trusted local independent. I seriously would not attempt to drain and refill the system. Kind regards, Gareth.

You are very welcome Dragos. "Pedal almost on the floor boards" ? "Will try to replace it as soon as possible". Yesterday would have been great Dragos! Still, we rest peacefully in the knowledge that you are in Italy! I guess we would remiss on this forum if we did not advise you not to use this car at all until this problem is safely sorted. Just covering our bums over here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Susan, Yes, it has to be replaced. The part is not too expensive as I recall, but I believe it is a main dealer part only. Should be available with a bit of discount by talking nicely in Welsh! Yes, these simply painted mild steel parts do rust and bits fall off them. Not uncommon, and it's usually the N/S goes first ad you would expect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dragos, I think you are wise in getting this sorted as soon as possible - knowing how these Italians are supposed to drive! No offence! Main question - no, you should not need to replace the (the large black circular tank) servo. The brake pedal travel could be a master cylinder fault, but it could be other faults in the braking system. Check the braking system carefully at each wheel with an assistant pumping the brake pedal to get as firm a pedal is possible. Look for things like bulging rubber brake hoses , brake pads etc.etc. If you are happy that all is well with everything else then it is likely to the the master cylinder as you say. Kind regards, Gareth,

Please don't give up Paul. Get some assistance from your good mate Percy Verance! Varta - now you are talking. Great positive move. Now Paul, you know what they say about size don't you - it's not everything! Check what it says on the battery you have on the car (assuming no one has fitted a lower replacement). Look at the Ah rating (say around 60Ah or whatever). The other important part of the specification is the cold cranking current (say around in excess of 500 Amps + or whatever). Talk to the nice folks in Tewkesbury again when you are armed with this information, plus the dimensions. Take their advice on what they have listed for your model car, and compare the figures with what your existing battery is rated. Battery output can now be achieved in smaller dimensions, so don't hang your hat solely on the physical size. It could be wise to check the battery tray and the battery securing arrangements to see what alternative high rated battery will fit. You can sometimes get a higher output battery for a very marginal price increase. Then you will have a big one! Good luck, Kind regards, Gareth.

Well Robin, sump off may be one way to go - eventually- but any form of tearing things apart before establishing the facts can be a little destructive, and sometimes unnecessary and expensive. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Reasonable assumption that Lucas are/were a good brand. Well that would be true if you were as old as me! , but..... Now just a bought out brand name I'm afraid - to give some degree of respectability. Would I spend well earned £75.80 on one?? Guess the answer. Trevor has it spot on :- you get what you pay for, and batteries are a critical component in this electronic age. I would not buy a battery with less than a 4 year warranty. This minimises the not-so-good end of the market. You could try Battery Warehouse (or similar name) in Tewkesbury - you will find them via. Google. No connection except I have bought from them via mail order and find their quality, prices and service to be very good. No doubt there are others equally as good. Might be worth considering spending your money once and wisely. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, I would go with Dan's advice regarding first approaching the garage you bought it from. It has to be fit for purpose as Dan points out. Personally, I would not do anything with it (not even plug in a code reader) until you have talked with them and notified them in writing (e mail will do) of your discontent. If you do anything, however simple, they could quite reasonably argue that you have been fiddling with it. If you bought it 'as scrap with all faults, whether declared or not' then ignore the above, or of course if they informed you that there was a gearbox issue with it - which I guess they didn't. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, It seems you have done everything reasonable to try to eliminate this issue, and the problem could - but only could - be wiring or connection associated. I think it's wise to be concerned until a correct diagnosis has been carried out. You mention an oil pressure gauge, and of course, this should give you confidence that despite an occasional low pressure light, the oil pressure is indeed OK. Belt and bracers this may be, but I wonder if the gauge is electronic (I would think it is) rather than a "genuine" pressure measuring gauge, and my advice would be to get the operating oil pressure actually checked after a 10 mile run - (no shorter than that) to ensure the pressure is indeed as good as the gauge indicates it is. Once you have had this done, it might well be worth half a day out with a good auto electrician - who should be able to locate the light fault for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jay, I don't want to undo what I think Cliff has rightly advised, but I would question excluding the battery and starter motor simply because they were repalced last year - although appreciating that it's "turning over" as you say. Question is:- how enthusiastically? We don't yet know how enthusiastically this is turning over, and although probably less critical than with petrol engines, I guess this is still a valid point. Pardon my explanation, but there is some really smelly stuff on the market in terms of batteries, and even more so with replacement starter motors! A voltage check under starter motor load/operation may be a good place to start. I feel Cliff's suggestions under (2) and indeed (3) are really where you want to be checking after ensuring the battery/starter motor components are on song. All other things being equal, it might be worth checking the fuel pump relay (those more knowledgeable on diesels will perhaps offer better advice). Fault code reading would then probably be useful, although being old fashioned!, I sometime feel these are taken as the be all and end all of diagnostics, when sometimes the cause-and-effect aspects of the existence of these codes can sometimes be overlooked. If all else fails, then I would be treating this to a half day out with a local trusted diesel specialist rather than an Audi dealer or independent. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, I find that these should I, shouldn't I, debate about these things might eventually boil down to finding opinion which agrees with what we really want to do. If spending on a warranty - which may or may not pay out, and who knows until the claim is raised - eases the mind, then that is the way to go, for that particular individual. It becomes peace of mind for doing something, and no doubt that is important to you, and that is all that matters. A totally different approach is likely from others, who quite rightly point out that the devil may be in the detail. Enjoy the car, Kind regards, Gareth.

Indeed, all good luck to you Gavin. You certainly deserve it. Sorry if I seem to be pinning down with this, but when I look back on your post of 31 Aug., you say the technician (who did a road test with you?) said the noise was something to do with the driver's side rear, and it had to go in for further investigation - and the health check. i just wondered whether the chap who said he thought the nose was coming from the back, was the same one who checked the car when it went in, and if he is the one you have been in touch with again, and will be looking at the car when they have it back in again. Kind regards, Gareth.

The original poster - Rob- has told us that these tyres have covered 34,000 miles on the front of an A4 Sport. Piotr has rightly said over and under inflation can lead to tyres wearing out much quicker. My feeling is to ask, is it reasonable to expect even correctly inflated front tyres to last and be road legal at this mileage on this car? I would believe not, but perhaps others may disagree with this. If someone was to say to me their front tyres on an A4 Sport were through to the canvas in part at this mileage -as this one was, would I be surprised? No, I wouldn't. Perhaps Rob has been fortunate here in avoiding an endorsement for an illegal tyre (maybe even double points for two illegal tyres), and even more fortunate that the car was not involved in an accident - which would likely to lead to an insurer not paying out. Is it reasonable not to notice part of a tyre becoming below the legal tread depth, and then continuing to use the car until the tyre finally (punctures) looses air? Sorry folks, but... Kind regards, Gareth.

Long way to go Waheed - it's in Chicago! Apparently. Kind regards, Gareth

OK Jason, I'm not sure where the logic comes from that opening the filler cap while under pressure will cause a vacuum. The system is under pressure, and I guess it is now realised that opening this cap when the coolant is hot is not what you want to do with respect to your safety, but you've done it now, but not the thing to do. Always leave the system cool naturally before opening the cap and adding any coolant. I certainly would not drain and refill the system at this stage. It will only introduce another variable - as well as air! Have you done or do you intend to do as I suggested with the heater hoses? Kind regard, Gareth.

Hello Jason, Is this car new to you, and you've inherited this problem, or has the problem started well Into your ownership, and has previously been OK? If it has happened during your ownership, has the cooling system been drained/partially drained, and refilled for any reason? The first simple thing to do is to squeeze the heater pipes - on a squeeze and release basis- when the coolant is up to temperature and the heater control set to the highest temperature. See if this makes any difference to the temperature of the heater pipes. Of course, observe all the necessary safety requirements when doing this. If it doesn't, then further investigations are needed into the heater controls. Not sure how much this helps, but.... Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Should have mentioned that engine should be running when squeezing.

Hello Nizam, Without specific experience of this model, I'm very much with Steve on this and the logic that this vehicle will be petrol, automatic and used for town driving. Never the recipe for good fuel economy! In fact, the recipe for the worse possible fuel consumption. I'm sure you will appreciate that with the automatics, it is likely that this car will never get into the higher gears with your particular use. Again, it must be appreciated that these cars are far from aerodynamic. Since you are moving from diesel, due to the DPF inconvenience, then the trade off will most certainly be an adverse effect on the wallet. I guess the final choice will be influenced by whether you put up with giving a diesel car a weekly blast, or get used to regularly dipping into your wallet to feed a petrol engined car. If economy is king then it would have to be a manual diesel engined car. If it isn't, then the exact opposite end of the scale would have to be a petrol automatic. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Yakub, I think you will continue to get mixed answers by asking around. The bottom line is that any piece of engineered machinery will benefit longer term by being treated with respect during its initial useage, so why not break it in - which I think is what you would really like to hear. If it can be argued it is unnecessary, but will it do it any harm? My feeling us no, it will be beneficial. Personally, I would restrict the top gear speed to a maximum of 60mph for the first few hundred miles and gradually increase this until you reach 1000 miles. To me, it would be important to restrict the revs to below 3000 max., but equally important not to allow the car to labour at low revs. in too high a gear. Do some mixed driving as well, of course. Enjoy the car Yakub, and I'm sure it will treat you very well, since you certainly seem to be the respectful driver the car deserves. Can't miss the opportunity to say we break in horses in this part of the country, and run-in cars. No offence meant Yakub and thanks for bringing the smile! Kind regards, Gareth.

Really difficult to tell Peter since no one will currently know the full extent of the damage caused by this "belt failure". This will only be evident on dismantling, and dismantling may not be cheap in itself. Almost certain that some of the valves will have bent and may have caused irreparable damage to the cylinder head. The reason the valves bend is that they contact the pistons - which are also likely to become damaged. The action of the valves coming into contact with the opposing travel of the pistons can exert excessive stresses on the piston conrods (which are very often an alloy) and these may become distorted. In severe cases, even camshafts can break. This is a rather long winded way of saying who knows, and the full and pessimistic worse case is that it is likely to take at least a few hours labour to find the extent, before any expenditure on parts and labour to carry out the remedial work. Are repaired engines ever as good as they were following cambelt failure? In my experience, unfortunately no. Others may offer a more rosy picture from their experience. A secondhand engine may be an alternative route (history and mileage known?). The costings on this will be easier to assess since it will equal cost of engine and transport, labour costs to remove yours and refit, plus of course, fitting a good quality cambelt assembly and water pump. Sorry I cannot be more specific Peter, but I'm sure you will appreciate you are talking big bucks here - after following the proper preventative maintenance procedure and getting the belt and associated assemblies changed! Great shame. It might be worth bearing in mind that the cambelt assembly itself did not fail, but its failure was as a result of the failure of some other internal component which caused the belt to fail. Unusual, but...... Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Anyone dipping their toes in the water regarding advice/experience on the guarantee period for cambelt assembly changes. Someone must know or be able to find out for Peter.

Good point Dann, but this car has an open curcuit in the glow plug system rather than a short (to earth). Getting this sorted may be dsirable longer term, but if I recall correctly, the glow plugs only operate when the outside temperature drops to 5 degrees C. Kind regards, Gareth.