Magnet

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.

Hello Dan, There are only two possibilities:- There aren't any locking nuts on the wheels, or The tyre fitting depot has retained the locking nut remover - explaining why you cannot find it. (assuming you have only looked for it since then). Either way, the answer lies there. If it were mine, I would be paying them a visit (I would not depend in a phone call) and seek their advice. Funny thinks can happen when you assume, so - if there weren't locking nuts on the tyre changed wheels, I'd be asking them to check that there aren't any on the other two wheels. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Julie- Anne, No doubt you will have other replies, but I would say this number plate has little commercial value beyond the £110 (or whatever it is now) fee to get this onto a Retention Certificate. Such numbers are usually left on the car at the point of sale, but generally dealers don't welcome them since they have to stand the cost of transferring it off. Source of valuation:- Number plate agencies such as Registration Transfers - and there are many more to chose from. You could also advertise it on here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, and welcome to the forum. Apologies for appearing rather critical, but you really don't give us anything like enough detail to allow a realistic asking price to be suggested for your car. Of course the basics, such as mileage, no. of owners, how long you have had it, service history and when last serviced, MoT etc. are essential markers in valuations, before even considering the all important actual condition of the car. My advice would be to fill in the necessary detail on sites such as We Buy Any Car, and see what valuations you get. If you consider the valuations to be less than you would like, then you could use the forum's section and advertise it - with photos and a full description - and choosing an asking price based on WBAC plus your additional on cost. Hope some of this might help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello A from Ireland, We really need more specific information from you:- How many miles ago was this thermostat changed? What coolant mix did you use to refill the system? How much coolant mix are you now adding (daily?) as a result of your assumed air locks? We take it you are topping this up to the max. mark only when cold. Was the 'after a 20 minute run test' smoke test carried out how I suggested? If so, at what stage/stages did the white smoke appear? Compression test for HG issues:- This is likely to give you an indication of HG issues if the gasket leak is between two cylinders, in which case the values on two adjacent cylinders is likely to be lower than the others. Combustion to waterway leak ( which you suspect due out white smoke)? To my mind, such a leak would have to be significant before you would notice a noticeable drop in one or more cylinder compressions. There are more reliable tests, such as pressuring the coolant system and checking how long it's capable of retaining that pressure. There is also a 'sniff test' which looks for evidence of combustion gases in the coolant. You could also try the following DIY test:- Carefully remove the coolant reservoir cap when cold, to release any residual pressure. Firmly refit cap and start engine and leave it idle for 20 seconds - no more. Quickly remove cap, and you should not experience any pressure at this point. Perhaps you could fill in all the useful detail when you come back to us. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Check that the drain holes in the plenum chambers under the bonnet are free from debris. You should be able to check these by gently lifting the plastic cover forward of the wipers. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Scott, Not wanting to interfere, but are your current tyres showing evidence of irregular wear? If not, personally, I would not contemplate any adjustment to the car's wheel alignment. If they are wearing irregularly then carefully consider who you are going to allow to fiddle with Audi's set up. Modern wheel alignment checking equipment is very complex and accurate. There is no doubt about that. Every tyre fitter's ability to use it correctly?? Their ability to detect minor wear in steering and suspension components which can result in out of alignment - rather than just attempting to reset the alignment?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, Nothing complex about this :- just wander into your local dealer in your still-under- warranty car and ask them to update it for you. Having said that, I wouldn't have thought there wouldn't have been that many significant changes with the UK's road network in a little over a year which would cause you to get grossly misled by the current data. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello A? , OK, we are not sure if this car is losing coolant or not. Logical thought points to no coolant loss, then no coolant mingling with the combustion, so white smoke in this case would not be due to gasket issues, but may be due to expected condensation in the exhaust . I must own up to not having viewed your video, but I would be more interested in when/how this car exhibits white smoke from the exhaust. If it were mine:- I would take the car for a 10 mile fasting run on a relatively dry day, and at the end of the run - without switching off- leave the car idle for 2.minutes. Get an assistant to rev the engine to a steady 2000rpm and hold it there for at least another two minutes while you observe any smoke from the exhaust. A test under these conditions should be meaningful, and you should not see any significant white smoke. Having said that, we had a non Audi in long term ownership that liked pushing out a bit of white smoke during such a test, but never used a drop of coolant between annual services! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello, After thoroughly bleeding air out of the refilled system, is the car losing coolant, and if so how much? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for letting us know Chris. It seems you are buying a 5 year guarantee Bosch (their top of the guarantee range) so all should be well once you have established you are indeed buying the correct one. It seems Bosch are rebranded Varta - or is it vice versa? - and Varta were very popular with from-new OEM fittment with many marques. Just incase it helps anyone else:- I have bought such batteries from Battery Megastore (make sure you buy via. EBay or they will charge you carriage - odd isn't it!? ) and Plymouth Batteries for Bosch. Both at good prices and service. No connection, and there many other retailers. Kind regards, Gareth.