Magnet

Hello Gary, Sorry to hear of your problem, and I guess it's now resolved, but incase anyone follows this in the future, I think it would be useful/essential to know what circuit has a short to ground/earth. This short circuit should result in blowing the fuse which protects that circuit. It is unlike a poor earth where the circuit is not completed because of that poor earth - that sort of problem is know as an open circuit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for the helpful photo Bernie. Not sure how long you have had the car to know its history, but i would say someone has already had a go at this before. Others will have more knowledge of this in terms of it being a problem area for rust on this model, but this sort of issue is normally associated with road muck being held behind the wheel arch lip and the the rust starts from there and the edge. Mercedes had this wheel arch issue on mid 90s/early 2000 cars, and it was common to see such cars being fitted with "chrome" wheel arch over covers which hid the rust. Jaguars of the same period were also problematic, so if you want to investigate this as a cheap way out then try searching on these for those makes and see if the suppliers cover Audi as well. Back to the Mercedes - you could go on the Continent and see the same models without rusty arches - even in countries where you had snow! Here, you were lucky to see one without! This leads me to wonder weather it might be worth investigating the supply of sound secondhand wings from the Continent rather than fitting new. I would have thought that the estimate you have had for doing this job is reasonable if it for fitting new rather than repairing yours. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Debbie, Being from the school of worth giving it a try, It could be worth trying this:- Put the key in the ignition and turn the key to the position where the warning lights show, but it does not attempt to start the engine. Leave on for a few seconds then switch off. Repeat this 5 times and on the last time, press the lock and unlock buttons on the fob before switching off. Try to start the car. If its still the same then i would suggest a half day out with an auto electrician as Steve says. There are more in-depth key fob reprogramming suggestions for VAG cars if you Google it, but being pessimistic, I've yet to have luck with any of them. But always worth a try. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Will, I'm with Steve"s idea of checking the wiring first. Problems often arise ( particularly in the cold weather) with the flexible harness into the boot/tailgate getting brittle and wires can actually fracture. Of course, water and electrics should not be on the same recipe sheet, and the first port of call should be to try to find out where this is geting in. New bits?? Well always worth cleaning and checking before opening the wallet! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mat, It's always wise to be concerned, and then to clear or confirm those concerns. If it were mine, this is what i would do:- Check the coolant level with the engine cold and top up to the max. mark. If it's only about 1/2in. down it would be fine to top it up to the mark with water. If it happens to be above the max when cold then put a mark where it is. Worth just checking the oil level when you are at it. Take the car on a run of at least 10 miles- ideally on a dry day. The "at least 10mls" bit is essential. At the end of this run, get an assistant to rev. the car to 2000rpm and hold those revs. for about 3 minutes. During this time you stand at the back of the car and look for any smoke from the exhaust. If things are not as they should be, you might see white smoke which might just come in bursts, also look for any blue or black smoke if you don't have white smoke. If there isn't any significant smoke, then you can stop worrying. If there is, video it and the rev. counter and temperature gauge. Smoke or no smoke, run the car for a few days and recheck the coolant level when cold. It should be still at the same level. If it's not, measure how much you have to add and note the mileage covered since you last topped it up. Let us know how you get on Mat. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello folks, Many thanks for the helpful recommendations. Not wanting to go with a pay and reclaim cover, I tried Green Flag, and a nice lady sorted out roadside assistance and recovery for the good lady and myself for any car we are in - for just over £80. That is less than half the price the AA wanted for the same level of cover. AA?? Well after hanging on the phone over more than 10mins. trying to get through to their renewals department I gave up - there is only so much of "Swing low sweet chariot" you can put up with! Alternative number dealing with 'making sure you do not have dupliate cover' which I do because the bank gives me 'free' roadside , but the AA now recharge me for if I want the previously added-on recovery. 'Sorry about your wait, I'll put you through to Renewals' - well he did, but I gave up again after another 10mins. plus. Piano music this time! Well done AA! Many thanks again and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, I've not looked at the video, and no doubt it is going to be helpful. One additional tip I was given (correct or not??) - do not open the car door once you start this operation since the brake could apply. If it is correct, then it's probably more important to make sure no one else opens the door when you are working on it. You cannot buy new fingers! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Bernie, Does your £500 estimate cover the cost of a new wing, it's fitting and painting, or for repairing your existing one? Any chance you could post a photo of the extent of the rust? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, By reading Steve's replies, I get the impression that this move is a little drastic without full knowledge of what issues there are with your current engine, and indeed the associate components. If so, I must agree. Of course, high emissions can be caused by actual engine wear, but it's more usual for such problems to be caused by so called external engine management components such as catalytic converters, general exhaust system conditions etc. In effect, you might find that you change the engine - with a like for like replacement - and your problem is still there. OK, so the 2 litre engine is considered underpowered ( didn't they do a 1.8 in this model!?) but to change it for a totally different one is likely to result in major surgery. Even if you buy a gearbox as well, you will need to fabricate a 'special' exhaust, and I would have thought that the whole engine management system would also need to be changed. Unless you are equipped to do this, the labour bill alone is possibly going to exceed the value of the car. Then, when you have spent that money, you will need to inform your insurers and be at their mercy with regard to what they are going to charge you - if they will insure it. Alternative:- sell yours as a MOT failure and invest the realistic add-on amount to change the engine to an uprated one, and buy a replacement car. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Russell, Very sorry to hear of your problem. I'm not sure I am going to be of much help to you, but could others advise whether what you are looking for is the BCU ( body control unit). I could be way off the mark, but it's possible that is what they were referring to, although I would have expected other circuits to be affected. It might be worth you having an independent to look this over and give you more information on what you actually need to look for, and then try to source a second hand one and hopefully get it programmed to your car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, Just wondering why you want this information, since there is far more to bolts than lengths and diameters. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, Sorry to hear of your issue Tony, My thoughts on it:- I think Paul has a good starting point call when he questions the battery. Always attack the simple things first, and it could be - just could be - that although the battery is turning the engine over, the operating voltage may drop when the starter motor is taking a large load. Simple test if you have a basic meter is to put the meter set to DC volts, across the battery terminals, get someone to turn the key while you measure the voltage at the battery. It should be near to 12V but I have known suspect batteries to drop to 10v under load but still turn the engine. So you've now done that test and proved the battery to be suspect or serviceable. Next move:- retrieve the original coolant temperature sensor you threw in the bin and measure the resistance across the two terminals. If it measures over 2.5/3 K ohms cold then it was serviceable, and if it is, if it were mine I would be refitting it, since it is likely to be more serviceable than your replacement! - unless it was a main dealer replacement part. OK a bit daft perhaps but we take it it was the ECU coolant temperature sensor you changed and not the temperature gauge sensor. Very often confused with one another. Fuel filter change was a good insurance, particularly as I understand it VAG do not specify a service life for these, so it's possible it never gets changed. So you've done all of this and it's stil the same. Again on the theme of simple things first, find the fuel pump relay and pull it out with a waggle and refit it having given the holder a squirt of WD40 , and then source a quality non Chineeese replacement. This may solve the problem, but even if it doesn't a replacement relay will stand you in good stead anyway for a very modest outlay. Let us know how you get on Tony, and if all of the above fail then you could be looking at plugging it in ( but that would be the non thinking way around!) Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Take it its 118k miles rather than 11,800? Sorry, don't know where the fuel pump relay is on yours, but Google wil, come to the rescue no doubt.

Well folks, the promotion has got to the parts it was meant to get to! That is to transfer monies from the motorist's wallet to the accounts of those who's products they are meant to promote. OK, so let's forget about who is funding this experiment and take it for granted ( which is what they want you to do) that the bhp is indeed increased by 3%. Great, but how is anyone ever going to notice or evaluate this 3% increase? Then we have the Technical Director (sorry Global TD!) recommending doubling the quantity to use. If it's that good, why does it need to be added to double the concentration? Double the dose means double the amount of money out if your wallet and a potential for doubling the annual bonus of the directors. Then we have the "Advanced" version. Great - so what was wrong with the normal one then which the likes of Asda and Tesco were from time to time selling on offer from £2 ish. OK, the opinion of a cynical mind in terms of 'promotional research' , but just think on that we have been told that sugar is convincingly good for you by research funding by the producers, and ironic, but only yesterday I came across an old cigarette advert claiming cigarettes were good for your throat! Good isn't it? Having said all that, who knows, it might just increase the bhp by 3% and it may be noticeable and worth Halford's discounted price. Perhaps we can do our own tests and assess the improvement. Could be interesting. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Strange how things return to mind, but the car retail trade used to say 'Top Gear today, top prices tomorrow' when buying or selling at auction.

Hello David, Would you perhaps be looking for the compatibility information so you have a better chance of finding a secondhand one? If so, the old logic is that you could be buying your own faulty one! Secondhand is great for major very expensive components, but never really economical for minor parts. If necessary, I would go with Scott's suggestion, but you will find that such websites often use generic images so it's the part number which you would need to follow. Having said that, would I buy an aftermarket sensor? No I wouldn't - the quality of replica electrical/electronic components can be very questionable and although cheaper than main dealer parts, may cost you more in trouble and expense in the long run. The proper way is simply pass your registration number to the dealer and they will ensure you get the correct one. Ask for a discount - they can only say no! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Len, Welcome to the forum, and sorry to hear that you have come across this forum due to dissatisfaction after the recall, rather than via. some research prior to agreeing to get it done. I'm not sure what this forum, and I guess other VAG forums, aren't doing that they could do, to bring to attention the potential pitfalls of subjecting these cars to this recall before it is done. Personally, I cannot see there is much more that they can do, but it's worrying that the bad news is not getting through to where it matters - until it's too late. No doubt you have read all the depressing earlier posts, and unfortunately being realistic, there doesn't appear to be much good news from members who post on here regarding the outcome of their dealings with VAG or the dealers. In effect, there isn't any co-ordinated evidence which points the likes of folks such as yourself down a road to satisfaction. In other words, feedback is very very limited, so unless others on here have more updated knowledge then I'm not sure what this forum can offer - other than commiserations. It has been suggested that the situation can be put to rights? by having the car remapped (at your expense) and perhaps others on here may be able to advise from experience of being in your situation and having the performance reinstated back to where it was. Perhaps you could keep us up to date Len, on how you get on with the dealer and VAG, since it's only by your experiences from here in, can genuine help be offered in the future. Kind regards, Gareth.c

Thanks for coming back Paul. How do you fancy a drive along the M4 down to God's country in S. Wales? Before dismissing this, and a chance to visit the Gower! - have a look on the Mazda MX5 forum and you will find numerous references to Jack Smith trimmers in Swansea. He is a hard working one man band in a back street just off the Mumbles road. Now OK M4 and distance, but I've just used him again to do the same job as yours on a MG TF. It cost me £60, but I chose to splash out and have the more expensive original tinted thicker celluloid rather than the cheaper one which most trimmers use! Otherwise £40. I did take my panel out and take it down to him, but I don't think he charges too much more to do it all. Not sure if this helps, but I doubt you will find better value for the money. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ken, As Steve says, a battery check would be my first port of call - charge it up overnight (or at least by a continuous hour run) and get it checked at Halfords. If it's found to be suspect then you can of course buy a new one there, but I tend to buy from the specialist on line suppliers, by buying quality makes at reasonable prices. If the battery is found to be serviceable then come back and we can advise on assessing parasitic drains etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Nice to hear from someone from the homeland. Probably will be understandably considered a bodge, but the likes of Mercedes and some 90s Jaguars had their rusty arches covered over with some chrome over-arches. Not sure if someone has manufactured them for your Audi. If so, you could get get a body shop to cut out your rust and carry out a basic repair which is then covered with the arch trims. May be a more economic repair than the anticipated four figure sum. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Pardon my ignorance but could you confirm this is a glass rear window rather than a celluloid one, and if glass, can we take it the glass has broken and you need to find a replacement and get it sewn in? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, I'm of the same opinion as Cliff here and I believe it is a special grommet into which the shaped fasteners fit. Since the dealer is some way away, couldn't you just e-mail them the photo then once they have that, you could talk with them over the phone? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, Probably stating the bleeding obvious, but I guess you have taken a photo of the opposite side and taken that along to your local Audi dealer, getting them to look it up on their schematic and ordering the bits you want. Re. silicone:- this is the death of any subsequent painting the car may need, if it's used on any panel work contact, and you should keep it well away. There will be other non silicone sealers which could be used. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Sorry to be a pain and keep this going, but I would forget about what roof bars you are going to use, and give very very serious consideration to having someone (who would you be thinking of?) actually drilling holes in your roof. IF you are prepared to allow someone to drill, are you going to be sure they will be drilling in the exact place they should be drilling, can accurately match one side to the other, are capable of removing and refitting the headlining before drilling etc. etc. If you still come to the decision that this is a road you are happy to go down, then you have to first research the availability of the correct (VAG I guess) roof rails - forget about the bars for the time being. You will need to ensure that the rails come with clear instructions regarding exactly where to drill etc. Of course Andy, this assumes yours doesn't have any visual fixing points showing on the outside of your roof. If it has, great. If it hasn't, then I would most certainly give this a good coat of thinking about before you even consider what make of bars you are going to use. It could be useful to others to know if your roof does show any visible outside fixing points. Perhaps you could let us know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, I don't know whether this is going to throw a spanner in the works, but the reason I asked if you had roof rails fitted was that I too got all enthusiastic about fitting roof rails and bars on our 2006 A3 Sportback. That was until I realised that fitting roof rails (if not already fitted) entailed drilling the roof! - well at least on the 2006 model year. It would be wise to check if yours has any built in anchor points front and rear for the longitudinal roof rails to which the Thule cross bars will attach. If not, decide whether you are prepared to hand the responsibility of (correctly- first time?) drilling holes in your roof. Probably well worth doing some homework before thinking about the roof bars. Of course, the quality and fitting of the roof rails become of paramount importance. Let's hope your model year is different, and that it has built-in securing points for the rails. It would be great if you could update us - do doubt useful information for other. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I recall there were some aftermarket rails which 'hooked' under the top of the door shuts, but I decided against this.

Hello James, I think you are making a wise choice with EBC as an alternative, if you don't want to use genuine VAG parts. I'm not sure if you are thinking of modifying the system to take larger brakes, but if not, you just need to pass the registration number to a couple of the on-line sellers and they will point you in the right direction in terms of the correct pads. As you probably know, EBC have a variety of pads to suit your driving style and requirements, and by what I recall, their website clearly explains the differences. As always, I recommend spending once and wisely. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, I very much admire your sentiments. Of course, you are heading for a substantial bill, so getting involved with garages may not be th best way out with this. As I see it, what you need is a competent enthusiast, so it may be worth looking up a local classic car club (appreciating this isn't a classic car, but...) and you will probably find someone there will be able to point you in a direction to find the right person to tackle this car for you. Good luck, Gareth.