Magnet

Hello Robert, I can well understand your frustration, and I wonder if despite the multi billion communication set up we have these days, whether it fell apart simply due to someone not talking to someone else. I guess you have the name of the person you spoke with on the phone , and no doubt this is where you will level your complaint when you talk with the dealer principal. I don't want to make light of this Rob, but having recently returned from the WW1 war graves and the Menin Gate which lists the names of over 55,000 young men (average age 21?) who gave their lives in action - for us- and have no known graves. It sort of puts (small?) problems in a sort of order of importance in an elderly brain! Is it worth talking nicely but firmly to the dealer principal, saying how disappointed you were, and asking him to personally follow this up for you and arrange another set of test drives, and when this is done, talk nicely over a cup of tea and try to arrange to best deal you can with them. All peace and light and little intolerance for other people's situation. Was/is intolerance the basis of most wars, and are we learning to be more tolerant of one another?? Consider this to be a rant from, let's say "the supposedly mature"! Anyway, Rob, good luck with your test drives and more importantly good luck in sorting it out with Sheffield Audi on an amicable basis. Kind regards. Gareth.

Hello Rob, Thanks for coming back on this. Note your point about your original battery not being an AGM but I just wonder - on a belt and bracers policy- it you were certain the battery that was replaced was the original one fitted to the car when new. I would not have expected a seven year old alternator to give problems, or indeed for it to suffer battery issues quite yet, that's why I wondered if you checked what the battery specification should be, rather than was (swopped?) Just a thought. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rob, Now I'm sticking my toe in waters of unknown depth here, since I'm must quickly say that my personal experience with this "modern" battery technology extends to what I have read ( which I guess may or may not be right) rather than what I have experienced. As I understand it AGM batteries were developed decades ago but were not fitted to our production cars until about 10? years ago. As such, would I be correct in assuming that your 2010 vehicle would have originally been fitted with an AGM battery when new? If so, by what I have read, AGM batteries must only be replaced with another AGM battery, otherwise you will c..k up the 'intelligent" charging capabilities of the alternator. i.e. you alternator will pack up! True or not true? Worth the risk?? Perhaps you will tell me that yours wasn't originally fitted with on of these, or it was, and you have fitted another similar, and there is no connection here between changing batteries and alternator issues. If so - great - and this post ( for what it is worth!) may only serve to perhaps encourage others to check up on what they have before renewing batteries. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Robert, I certainly don't want to excuse the treatment you received, but I wonder if the (valid) criticism of Sheffield's Audi dealer could be levelled at quite a number of main dealers over a busy bank holiday weekend period when staffing levels are likely to be lower. I could be out of touch with car buying at a particular dealer, but would I be wrong in thinking that their preferred and normal car selling/customer buying route would be for a potential customer to come in and view the vehicle and then a test drive is arranged following this face to face contact. If this is the more normal route to test drives, then it would have been good if they could have informed you of this when you arranged ( telephone call arrangement or other?) the appointment. As Steve says, it would be interesting to know what two models you are considering buying, and whether the dealership may be able to re arrange something for you at a more convenient time following a face to face discussion on what you want to buy. I think any open criticism on forums, although most certainly potentially helpful to others, might also be considered as somewhat premature until the dealer has had time to consider your complaint and their response included in the open criticism. Let's hope you are able to buy the car you want at another dealer (more local to you?) or even reconsider Sheffield Audi if they prove to be more accommodating at another time. Be interesting and helpful to know where this goes from there. Could you keep the forum informed? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, I think the answer is in the warranty detail on this, and you may find that it refers to 'through" rust (or a similar term) which means rust which originates say the inside of a panel and perforates through. Being cynical, one could be excused for believing there will usually be some cop out as you indicate - perhaps even " The corrosion check is part of the service sir, and it appears you have missed one," As far as the door handle is concerned Dave, it wouldn't surprise me if these were a type of cast aluminium, and if so, may be suffering from some "white rust" which can be caused by the aluminium oxidising usually due to some localised chipping of the paint and the aluminium being exposed. Well worth a try at a local dealer though. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Piotr, Sorry already have, because you did! Kind regards, Gareth.

90%/10%? - Intersting. Be useful to know where these precise figures come from. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Christie, Thanks for coming back. It's probably me, but I'm a little confused on timing and events here:- " Last Friday, a couple of days after I got the car ......... so I called out the AA...." , but if I read your earlier post correctly, it had already been into a garage days before that and had the oil pressure checked and sensor changed. 0w40? Doubtful. Not sure if your year 1.6 would should run on semi synthetic 10w40, but the later ones run on fully synthetic 5/30. I think I would go with a good quality semi synthetic 10/40 for a start. Oil pressure reading at 2 (I take it that is measuring in bar which is about 30psi in old language). If you have 30psi at idle with the oil hot then I would not be worried, but as I say, it has to be measured with the engine oil hot to be meaningful, so test may not mean anything. AA draining off about 10 litres of engine oil - well as unbelievable as this sounds it must be right. I'm sure you will appreciate that that amounts to over 2 gallons excess! What I would do now - which is what I said:- Have engine oil and filter changed, and I would use a good quality semi synthetic 10w/40 and a good quality oil filter. Oil capacity I'm guessing is around 5litres but you need to confirm. Do I know how much London garages charge to change the oil and filter? Sorry no I don't, but just try your local garage. If you are buying the oil, then Wilkinsons (Wilko) are doing Mobil at £24 for 5 litres, and a good quality filter (say Mann or Audi) should be yours for less than £10. Good luck with it Christie, Gareth.

Although I understand Piotr's point about some grooving on the brake discs (or rotors as they say in the US of A! ) it has to be realised that although this is not ideal, it is a fact of service life, and it is surprising how quickly this now occurs ( anything to do with brake pad compounds and the suggestion some years ago that discs now wear as quickly as pads). Anyway, the simple fact is that it is the pad which causes this wear, and it is not logical that the grooves reduce the braking efficiency since the pads wear in peaks which correspond to the disc groove, so 100% contact. As far as the disc thickness is concerned ( lip on edge) then this can only be assessed by measurement against the specified minimum acceptable thickness. You didn't tell us what make pads were used Andrew. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, I'm even boring myself now by asking posters to answer a couple of questions! Were the repalcement pads genuine VAG or aftermarket ones, and if aftermarket, what make? It seems pretty certain that the disc were not changed at the same time. Dan and Trevor's advice just may well sort this out for you. There is now a school of thought against the use of a smear of copper grease on back faces of the pads - in favour of silicone grease. Good luck in getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Christie, A couple of questions, as is my want! :- What engine do we have here, and can we take it that the mileage on this 16 year old car is now reasonably high? Do you know what oil is being used and when that oil and filter were last changed? I'm from the old school of doing the simplest/ least costly things first, and if it were mine, I would/ would have treated it to an oil change and a good quality oil filter, and see what happens. I would ask the garage what the oil pressure readings actually were, and if they were carried out with the oil at its operating temperature. Incase it helps in the future, any road test should be a minimum of 10 miles to ensure the oil has reached its operating temperature. No good testing oil pressures/ oil lights when the coolant has reached Normal - the oil will need another few miles to get up to temperature, as you have found out. But who road tests cars over this mileage? It's usually fallen-in-love time before this! If this is diesel by any chance, then you may have engine oil diluted by diesel, but we are moving away towards assumptions, before we know the facts. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Charlie, Not sure if this is going to help or hinder, but we had a similar ESP fault light on a 2006'A3 some time ago, and this turned out to be a fault (common at the time) with the actual ABS unit - valve or valves as I recall. Audi were doing a "part ABS" unit, which cured the problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jason, Um? "So I may just have to take a chance...... There aren't any particular problems that I need be aware of are there? Well Jason, as I see it it's the bit "so I may just have to take a chance....." - that's the potential problem. It's always difficult to advise at a distance and it's again its always likely that any advice can be putting a dampener on the pleasurable process of buying. I would guess (due to its age) that this car is being sold by a non franchise dealer, and I take it you have seen the V5 to be able to get the last keeper's name. I just wonder if this owner is localish to where the car is now being sold, and if so then it's reasonable to assume it's come through the local trade channels and been part exchanged possibly through a main dealer. If so, then it should be easy to make contact. If the owner is not local to where it's being sold, then there is a chance that its come through the auction route! Three things Jason:- Have you tried visiting your local Audi dealer armed with the reg. No. and asking them if they will check the history for you.? Wondered if you have tried the good old fashioned BT Directory Enquiries for the keeper's contact number. Wondered if you were going to have this inspected to minimise the ...take a chance..? Good luck with it . Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Take it you have run an MOT history check on this. Advisories like tyres near the limit etc. often give an indication of how careful the owner has been.

Hello David, Many thanks for filling in the detail for us. This is understandable to point, but if Audi are subcontracting the extended warranties then, as I see it, the buck stops at Audi rather than the subcontracted insurer, and any discontents should be laid at Audi's door. Depends on whether you want to do battle with them to give them money to insure your possible mechanical failures. I don't think I would David. Would I personally take out an alternative one year cover on an 18k three year old car? No, I wouldn't. My alternative would be to put my trust in a local garage who come with a good reputation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jason, As an addition to Steve's sound and comprehensive advice, I would also be in touch with the previous keeper, since despite having service history up to the hilt, owners get rid of cars for a reason - which they know, but you won't, unless you enquire. To me, this step is as important as checking the service history and arranging an inspection. The fully story rests with them. Good luck with your impending purchase. Kind regards, Gareth.

This remains an expensive mystery. I understand where Dan is coming from in regard to checking the rear wheel bearings as well, since I have found that noises transmit, and it can sometimes be difficult to determine actually where that transmitted noise originates. Taper roller bearings on the rear are fairly rare in my experience but.... Re. Inner CV joints - I too am of the opinion that these normally cause vibration, but can obviously also cause clonking on taking up the drive. Interesting to see what happens from here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matt, Cutting to the chase and keeping this brief, I would simply return to the dealer and ask them to put in writing what they have told you, and then you can pass this on to Audi Customer Services. Kind regards, Gareth,

Only if he parks next to a BMW! Come on, catch up, think about it! Kind regards, Gareth (for Brad).

Hello David, Steve raises a good point about whether you have already paid for this, or were inticed to buy the car when new because of the option of being able to take this on after the 3 years. I just wonder if you have personally taken this up with Audi Customer Services , or if this is information received via. an IOM dealer. Seems like some dilution of discrimination to me. Might be worth asking them to confirm in writing whether this applies to the Scottish islands as well! An interesting topic David, and one which would be interesting to hear about the follow up. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Piotr, Not really sure what you mean, but possibly something to do with the terminology. I meant "serviceabiliy" to mean what it does mean - it's ability to carryout the function it was designed to do, and nothing to do with being able to pull it apart to fiddle with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig, I'm very much with Piotr on this when he says preparation is more important than spraying. Stonechip is useful for areas which are subject to excessive attack from gravel etc. and it would seem that the area you are treated would be one, but Audi had reason to believe their original paint system didn't need it. Now stonchip is also used by owners to short curcuit the necessary surface preparation which results in a good finish, so it's used as a bodge. One thing I would ask Craig is what are you going to do with the surface which is currently coloured maroon? If you are going to respray this as well, then you should really prepare this properly before putting anything on anywhere, since all the preparation on this is going to run over your stone chip area. I always do all the preparation in one operation first if possible. If the stonechip nozzle has a pinhole rather than a slot (as they often do) then you have to be careful of applying too much, too fast in any one area, and you certainly have to apply it thinly in many coats with a good 10 mins. between coats. My guess is you've applied it too thickly and I bet with the can too Close to the job - yes, I know we have a culture of if all else fails, read the instructions but...! So you are now unfortunately in the pickies a bit here, since stonechip doesn't sand! Careful, and I stress careful, use of cellulose thinners to clean it off (please do not get it near to any paintwork on anything) might help. Then start again and prepare the whole surface properly. It isn't such .s...... to use, but it has to be used with respect for what it was designed for and how it is recommended to be applied. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Finish colour:- I would ensure any aerosol of finish colour (and particularly lacquer) you use, has a slotted nozzle rather than a pinhole - as some of the cheaper one do. Pinhole nozzles are more susceptible to putting too much paint onto an area, and then it runs.

Thanks Gav, I guess you might have to narrow NI down a bit if it would help you to find someone who would be able to recommend a suitable independent to examine and rectify this, but..... I can only repeat that if it were mine, I would be urgently seeking localish experienced hands-on inspection and rectification rather than looking too closely on here, or dealing with your complaint issue with the people who did the work. Dramatic perhaps, but treat tomorrow with the respect that it could be the day that this assembly does something nasty if you are not happy with it - as you aren't. I think you are absolutely correct in being concerned, but I am concerned for you that your concern! - may be getting misplaced rather than acted upon. Good luck, Gareth.

In case it helps Paul, and his wallet, I think I might dilute the statement that "no way a 10 year old battery will be OK". If it's an aftermarket battery then I would most certainly agree, but if it's the original battery then it's certainly worth having it checked for serviceabiliy rather than assuming it's unserviceable. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Battery test sounds like a voltmeter testing the alternator output voltage and the voltage at the battery with lights on etc. Ok, but..... the ultimate tests are if the battery is able to retain the charge which is put into it, and be able to efficiently produce the high current demand placed in it when starting -while maintaining an acceptable voltage. Halfords normally carry out battery testing and are able to give you a % efficiency reading which will firmly point you to whether the battery is as serviceable as it should be. If you do eventually have it tested and if it does need replacing, you can then decide where you will get one from. As you say, you don't want to buy a new battery, and I wouldn't too, so let's hope it all works out in the end. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gav, You will have to excuse me if I've got this all wrong, but I sense this is (or likely to be ) developing into a potential battle between yourself and the dealer you dealt with. To me, the prime objective here is to get this belt assembly inspected by an experienced (Audi independent?) and the necessary adjustments or replacements made without delay, rather than you and us on here - at a distance - trying to analyse the issue. I really don't see the proper and rapid resolution of this should be hampered by trying to work it all out on a DIY basis. As I say, sorry if you don't see the same (urgent) course of action that I do, but I just wondered how you would feel if anything did actually go wrong with this belt assembly while you are trying to work it out on your own. Yes, you might have some redress, but would you really want to be arguing over the resultant scrap car? As a matter of interest. what part of the U.K. are you , incase someone can recommend an independent in your area? Kind regards, Gareth.