Magnet

Hello Sian, I'm very sorry to hear of your problem, and I would most certainly agree with Steve's advice and also suggest you read all the other posts on this thread, not to depress you further, but to familiarise yourself with the experiences of others who have had these things looked into as the stage 2 dealer investigations - which you are about to engaged in. Any homework you can do is likely to stand you in best stead. There might be a couple of points to keep in mind here:- I would guess that you might have done 800/1000 miles in this car since it was subjected to the recall. Now the dealer may take this as being ' not our fault then', but bear in mind that the journeys you do are car-use friendly, and shorter journeys would probably have resulted in these faults showing sooner. Not wanting to add fuel to the concern fire, it it might be worth giving the dealer's response to you question about the faults not being associated with the recall. I wouldn't really agree with your conclusion that he already knows it was - as he may well do- but an admittance of that is highly unlikely. Probably worth doing some thought homework on that possibility too. I would not be too concerned about the baffling - a -female bit. My belief is that these dealers are working to a VAG script in such cases - female , male or whatever. I really wish you good luck with this Sian, Kind regards, Gareth.

I am sure that anything I am going to say is only going to cloud an already clouded debate, but just for no other reason than for me to try to get my head around the economics and real time meaning of all of this, could I ask the following questions:- On the road prices of the two cars under debate, so that I can work out the actual % additional insurance on cost we are talking about here to convince myself we arn't talking about three quarters of Porthcawl! Are we expected to be really wrapped up in (theoretical?) figures on paper, and are we seriously talking about the importance of 0.1 of a second necessary to accelerate to 60mph? How often during a day is this performance going to used, how is 0.1 secs. going to be measured, and when it is measured, what is anyone going to do with this additional time!? I think that if am trying to say anything at all Chris, it's absorb the extra insurance on cost (which I'm sure in real terms is minimal), buy yourself the extra 0.1secs, since my impression is that you will be disappointed with anything else. Having said that, I'm sure that whatever you choose, it will be the envy of all your mates, and should attract the fair !Removed! at a rate of knots faster than your 0 -60 time. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. This is very much age-showing, but from the text book of experience:- In my youth, most of use were trying to espire to a sorts car to impress the ladies. One of us though chose an Austin Maxi. ( you will need to look it up unless you are of a certain age of maturity!). Guess who grabbed the ladies - the Maxi owner since that car's seating could be converted into a 6 ft. 10inch bed! Life is strange isn't it ?

Sorry Chris, now understand what you mean with the tyres. I would indeed do what you suggest, - shopping around for the same make and tread pattern. I'm sure the car dealer will point you in the right direction since it is likely they put that new tyre on the one side. Good luck with it all. Kind regards, Gareth.

Cliff raises good points Chris. Wheel alignment is lucrative, and this expensive equipment needs to earn its keep. It can ( and probably not always) be used and operated by tyre fitters who have had some basic training on this sophisticated equipment by the supplier, and may or may not appreciate the finer points of particular vehicle's suspension adjustments - which can be complex. Perhaps it's just me experiencing the steering wheel being off centre after alignment adjustment. This is really ABC learning, and not appreciating that this is inevitable if you only adjust at one side! You would need to keep evetything crossed if the same person was let loose on the rear adjustment! Still, perhaps it's best not to listen too much to my pessimistic views on such things. I would put money on it that the tyre on the back with uneven wear has spent most of its life on the front of the car, and has not worn like that because it has been on the back. Not unusual for used car dealers to do this sort of swopping. If you are going to have this alignment adjusted - and would I, without first putting an even tyre on the back and seeing what happens ??? - then I would most certainly get this alignment carried out only via.the people fitting the springs, otherwise you will leave any subsequent issues of tyre wear to debate between them and the alignment company you are going to use. 'Not me gov"! Not sure what you mean by putting the same tyre on the side that is worn. Kind regards, Gareth.

Every two years should be fine. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well done Chris. Inside of the tyre wearing badly is/would have been a significant point in deciding what to do, had we known. Cats and pigeons - might this tyre have been on the front until recent times? Clue might be if the rear tyres are not a matching pair. If this inside-wear tyre is worn because it's been on the rear for some time then it could put a whole lot more emphasis on establishing why this car is not sitting right. But.... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I think your closing really statement sums where you go from here, and the bottom line is :- I think it's fair to assume that the inspecting garage cannot really find anything wrong with the car. It does not have any fractured springs, but it seems common sense to suggest replacing both springs with a matching pair of new ones and your car's ride height should (emphasis on should) be correct and even. I think the supplying used car dealer action can be considered reasonable - it is a used car - and it might be worth considering that if you had bought a not-new house, you would be expected to have to spend to correct wear and tare. Their offer to do this work free of labour charge therefore seems generous. I take it Optiline must be a wheel alignment - are you able to confirm that? The call must be yours Chris since only you know how strongly you feel about this - my feeling is you feel (rather) strongly about it and if that is the case you must buy a pair of springs and ask the kind car dealer to fit them for you - end of. Wheel alignment necessary after doing this?? Not sure how many others have seen tyre wear following such adjustments where there wasn't tyre wear before. So.... .? Perhaps others on here have different thoughts, but I would return to your ..." on level ground the don't look like its leaning...." Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Shock absorber- think this has been covered already.

Hello Judith, As a general rule of thumb those who reliably inform that things can be done, can usually actually do it. If they can't, then the advice is best treated as not being very useful. In this case however, I would be tempted to believe that it probably can be, but would I adjust one? I most certainly would not, since these roofs normally have delicate micro switches etc. and you may end up with this roof simply not opening or closing properly, leave-alone leaking a bit! Its difficult to fully grasp where this leak is - could you post a photo of the 'joint area' where the leak originates? A DIY bodge may be that you can add a strip of foam rubber , but very difficult to offer meaningful advice without looking/photo. I see your location as Cradley. Is this Cradely Heath? If so, I might be able to point you towards a source reasonably priced advice/assistance if you are prepared to travel into S.Wales. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Sorry to hear you have a concern about this car, but you are quite right in being concerned, and you should treat this concern as a significant issue, and in my book certainly not use the car until it is checked. Looking at the age of the car it is highly, highly unlikely that this warning light is warning you of low low engine oil level, but is warning you of low oil pressure - a significant concern, since with oil being circulated at pressures less than it was designed to be, then continued use beyond that first point of warning will inevitably lead to engine wear/failure. You have to establish with some urgency whether this is a simply a low oil pressure sender fault, or if the pressure is indeed low. You should really be keeping everything crossed that it's a faulty sender! Simply book it in to the nearest trusted garage without delay (and continued use) and ask them to check the actual oil pressure when the oil is hot, and report back to you what that reading is. Some might just change the sender, which might temporarily solve the light problem, but if it were mine, I would want to know what the operating oil pressure was on this engine. Was this issue present at the point you bought it Steve, or has it occurred since? The answer to this may give useful additional helpful information. Good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, No offence meant, and indeed I guess we have all been there at different times, but it is possible to get too tuned in to a certain issue, and simply get bugged by something which might just not be as significant as we worry it is. A clue could be ..." on level ground the car don't look like its leaning...." I define a 'problem' as the worse thing that is happening at any one time, and very often that problem/issue disappears from the worrying state when something more major comes along! Perhaps we have been too critical of the supplying garage, who have probably inspected the car and cannot find a significant issue, but simply kept the door open by saying, 'if you can source the issue then we will put it right' . Perhaps very fair in hindsight. I think you are now doing the correct thing and getting this car inspected locally. As Cliff says, springs can break within the spring seat even, and can be difficult to spot. In a way, I hope they do find something wrong and you will have peace of mind. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Apologies for labouring this, but there some significant points about which we are not clear of here, and which may dictate the course of action you need to take from this point on. Can we take it you did not buy this car direct from an Audi main dealer? Car is 5 year old so probably not. How long have you owned it? Did you have a HPI type search done on the vehicle before purchase to establish if it had been accident damaged or not? Probably hasn't been, but.... Was the car bought with this issue, or has the problem arisen since you bought it? If the car came with the issue, did it come to you with a recent MOT at which it would have been spotted? Appreciating Cliff's opinion that 1/2 inch difference is significant, all other things being serviceable, this may not be considered to be a significant 'claimable' issue with a 5 year old secondhand car. If it were mine and it bothered me, then I would be informing the supplying used car dealer that you are going to have this car inspected with an aim of locating the reason for the issue - getting their permission to do so. Try to find a reputable independent in your area, since trying to diagnose the problem via. a forum ( although a good start) is rather hit and miss, when anyone would need to see the actual animal to offer meaningful explanations. Again from the school of the bleeding obvious, but we take it you are checking this on absolutely level ground. The drive here has multiple minor ( and I mean minor) differences in flatness, and you wouldn't believe how lopsided vehicles can look when parked on certain parts of it. Good luck in getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Shock absorber associated issue? Unlikely in my opinion.

Hello Prav. Have you posted this under the 'For Sale' section as well? Kind regards, Gareth.

Right then Chris, The answer isn't there then! If it were mine, I would now be monitoring the life of these new bulbs and see how they last. Now, did I read somewhere where quality makes (such as Osram?) were being faked, and were available on the Interweb at supposedly cheap and attractive prices? Might be worth simply getting any other ones direct from VAG dealer? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I'm very much with Paul on this. It would be the sellers responsibility to diagnose the problem, and your responsibility simply to identify there is/maybe an issue. Having said that, let's first get some measure on what we are talking about here. 'Bleeding obvious' this might be (but never ignore the obvious) - take a note of the exact sizes of the tyres on the rear and confirm they are a match, particularly the profile part, e.g. the middle figure, say 50 , 55 etc. You say the height difference is around 10mm, but I wonder how you are measuring this. If from the ground to say the underside of the arch, then this isn't the way to measure it. Measurements should be taken from the underside of the arch to the wheel centre to ensure the tyres are not influencing your measurements. 10mm? OK, a difference, but perhaps borderline significant. Might be accounted for by the higher side having had a new spring fitted at some time ( not uncommon for springs to break in this cost cutting design change situation), leaving the opposite side with its original (settled) spring. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, There are a couple of things to go through here:- Have you had the actual operating voltage checked in this car? It should charge at around 14volts, but may just be putting in a higher voltage if the alternator/regulator is at fault. Of course, voltage much higher than 12v will adversely affect the bulb life. When you replace the bulbs, what quality replacements are you using? Some can be of very dubious quality and just don't last long. If the voltage is within reasonable limits then it might be worth investing a bit more by buying bulbs from VAG dealers. Fuses would really only be worth looking at if the lights don't work when the bulbs are known to be serviceable. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Are we talking manual or automatic here? Good point, but ever since handbrakes incorporated warning lights, those lights only gave you indication that the handbrake had been applied, so perhaps it's a case of ensuring the warning light is on before switching off. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dale, I think you are very ( should be in capitals) wise to question this before proceeding to buy. OK, free website checks, but you will be investing a fair amount of money in this purchase, so you will need to be sure - by possibly investing a little more in a paid for check - what this car is. Inform the checking company of your area concern, but I'm sure they will need the VIN number (in addition to the registration number ) in order to give you the full information. If it were me, I would be contacting the dealer you are buying it off and asking them to e-mail you both the reg. no. and the VIN. E-mail rather than taking it over the phone so you have this in writing. I would then be ringing another dealer and asking them to check it on their system, before having a full paid for and printed-out check on this vehicle. This is personal opinion only Dale, but would I buy any car on the basis of simply only seeing photos on a website anyway? No, I wouldn't - but that's me. I think you will find that if this vehicle is transported to where you are buying it and you don't then like something about it and don't buy it, then you have to pay the transport costs (both ways?). Investing that money in petrol to go and see it may be another non-committing option, or simply waiting for something more local to turn up. Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide, but I wouldn't leave too much to luck! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Prav, Sorty to hear of your problem. Not uncommon that these are stolen - by those who tend to find things before you know you have lost them! Yes, I guess you can buy cheap? aftermarket catalytic converters ( but you may find not all cars are catered for). If these are available then you will probably find that although they are cheaper, they can sometime barely satisfy the emission requirements and at the next MoT maybe unlikely to do that - so I would be beware. One possible aftermarket source would be Fuel Parts Ltd., and if you look them up, I'm sure they will advise whether they do these for your model. A better? source would be car breakers - in the hope that you would find originals rather than aftermarket, but make sure it's OE you are buying not aftermarket. There are websites which cover breaker's yards and will search for what you want. Partsfinder? may be the name of one, but there will be more if you search. Good luck with sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chiz, Dont think you will go far wrong with a Varta- usually more expensive than your average ,but... Incase it helps, I have just bought one for an MG, from Plymouth Batteries (Eurobatt on EBay) at a very good price ( no connection). I believe you save by buying via EBay rather than direct - how that can be I don't know! Could see how they compare with Tayna. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Phil, Effectively you are looking at very (very?) low annual mileage vehicle here in your quest - 26k for a 4 year old from a dealer equates to just over 6K/a, or 15k on a 6 year old ( 2.5K/a) if a private seller. You might be 'lucky' and find some, but it might be worth bearing in mind that if you had owned these cars from new, then the vehicle you would be looking at would have covered at least 60k at 4 years old. Low mileage is fine, but will almost invariably have been used on short trips where the engine is seldom up to temterature, and will have been subjected to a high percentage of its use during its maximum wear periods - many more gear changes than average, etc.etc. So, good question - is a 4 year old 26K car any better than it would have been if you had owned it and covered 60k in it in the same time ? Subject of course to the vehicles having been servived as necessary. Apologies for this somewhat negative reply, but it might just assist in consentrating the mind. Don't think this is going to help you, but I have a good pal who has spent his 60 years plus motoring only buying low mileage cars - as I call it 'buying speedometers' . Some have been nice, others not very nice. Many of them been free from the normal things that go wrong with average mileage cars? No, I don't think so. Good luck with your quest. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds good that you will be doing most of this yourself Jon. The correct grade, and reputable brand of oil is important, but equally important is good quality filtration, otherwise it's a bit like putting your best suit on and having holes in your underpants! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jonathan, I will of course bow to Steve's greater experience with these things, but as I understand it, there is such a thing as a Longlife service schedule where superior oils are used and the vehicle then becomes capable of greater mileages between services. It might be worthwhile checking what service schedule this car has been on up until now. Again Steve will correct if I am wrong, but I believe the service light will also come on at the intervals of 2 years from the date of first registration to advise you to have the brake fluid changed, and I wonder if this may be the service light you are seeing. I'm probanly out of date with the detail here, but does the message actually say oil change as opposed to service required? Yes, if you are OK with the spanners, then there is a lot that can be done to save money, but I would return some of this savings by buying only quality parts. You can get discounts at some Audi dealers ( one in your geographical area I think - let me know if you are going down the DIY route) and I always go down that route rather than factor parts. OK Euro CP can supply you all you need, and do supply filters branded with a name of a once respected UK filter manufacturer. Personally, just not for me, but.... Oil? VAG were recommending the use of Quantum oils - available from the same discount dealer or other internet suppliers. Branded Quantum Longlife 3 - or was. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Belt rather than chain on this engine? Need to check and deal with as necessary.

Well, never too old to learn as they say Nigel. I believed that the majority of manufacturers had now moved away from putting any recommendation for an interval for changing automatic transmission fluid. Seems VAG treat this requirement differently then, and are stipulating a very low mileage change. Talking with the owner of a local executive hire/ drive business on the weekend. He uses Audis and Mercecdes with annual mileages of c80K. Seems he would be needing to change the Audi transmission oil twice within one year then. Not a cheap job I guess. For James, Daft, but I guess you have tried waggling the control knob around the R position. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steven, Without a doubt, the only place you should get this from (unless you really know your way are tensile steels and bolts) is an Audi dealer. They should be able to get this for you within 24hours. OK rather more costly, but I'm sure you will appreciate that it will be no more expensive than running around B&Q and other DIY outlets to try to find a mild steel bolt (and there will be varying thread pitches for M14 anyway) and end up with a bolt which might simply shear under load. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. We've all lost bolts etc., but it's important to double check that this has not got itself cobbled up somewhere where it might jam something which is supposed to turn/move.

Hello folks, The family A3 (ordinary 1.6) will be needing tyres shortly and I was interested in the recommendations of the Uniroyal Rainsport 3 on here. Had Uniroyals on a BMW in the past and was very happy with them. Looked them up, and they seem to be a lot cheaper than some of the premium makes - so good news there - but there are quite a number of reviews which point to them not lasting well wear-wise. Wondered what the experience was on here regarding wear rates. This owned-from-new car was always run on Michelins until the last pair when I put a pair of Cinturato s on due to the Michelins being noisy (no other reason). Current indications are that these are not going to give the service life of the Michelins. Perhaps I should point out that we are now at the driving style where a high emphasis on roadholding during enthusiastic driving is not important. Would be very grateful for any been there done it experiences. Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.