Magnet

Hello James, Sorry to hear of your problem, and I wonder whether the answer lies in ..'last year the alternator failed so I replaced it....' It might depend on what the origin of the replacement was. If it was ex motor factors or internet, then it's not out of the question at it is at fault - some electrical components made well east of the Thames estuary are notorious for being short lived. We take it the alternator was bought new and if it was fitted last year then it's almost certain that it is still within guarantee. If I was in your situation I would not be assuming that the current fault is due to some other cause, so I would first be getting a simple test done on the alternator output - virtually any garage would be able to do this for you in minutes. Only when/if you have confirmed the alternator is serviceable, would I be looking for other causes. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerard again, Right, correct quality battery correctly installed seems to have solved part of the issue. Being cynical, the helpful Audi guy is the plant to get you signed up to bring the car into the dealer - bit as old as the hills is that one. Anyway, some will call it an overkill, but I always renew fob batteries with a car I don't know, since remotes are such hard working components and are often/ always overlooked even with FSH. Back to your remaining problem. Before spending money, have you tried the WD 40 squirting in the region of the lock yet? Fully open the window and stick the nozzle down the side of the glass and give it a good dowsing. Might not do anything, but might just too! Lock and unlock the door with the key afterwards. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Wullie, I wonder if you have made contact with the last registered keeper - how long has he owned it by the way? - the story behind the history of screen leak is probably known to him. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, I'm very sorry to hear of your ongoing saga and particularly problem of getting your money back. E-mails are normally fine, but where they don't respond then, as you say, a Recorded Delivery letter is by far the best. If it were me, I would be stating a deadline date for them to respond, ( say 2 weeks from receipt) so if they don't, then you can take up an option of going through the Small Claims Court procedure if you want. I can see you have had what appears to be a reasonable quote from Audi. I have bought parts on discount from one Northern dealer and would be happy to pass on the contact if needed incase they may be able to beat your quote. Just pm me if you need to. Good luck with sorting it out Paul. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Sorry to hear of your problem. This may well be frowned upon, but have you tried a few drops of WD 40 down the key slot to see if it makes any difference? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerard, Can we take it you only have the one remote rather than the two that were originally supplied with the car, and if you do have the second one that that isn't working either? As you are now probably aware, there are documented procedures to be found on the Internet which guide you through the principles of supposedly re programming, and if you read enough of them then you will find there are subtle differences around a basic theme. My second remote doesn't open the doors anymore and I tried all of these without success, but you might be lucky if you study them all. All things being equal, these remotes do not have to be reprogrammed at a routine battery change, but might need doing so if the fob battery remains low for an extended period of time, so the recommendation of regularly changing these batteries still stands. Back to your issue Gerard - positive suggestions:- Try to find out if there is an Audi independent close to you ( someone on here might know), and/or pay a visit to your local smaller scale car sales sites and ask there. These boys often have the knowledge of who does what with such things. Good luck with getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerard, I'm very much with Steve, and not meaning this to be a personal criticism, I'm not surprised the fob batteries have not been changed - they are a very much taken-for-granted/ignored item. When you think these remotes save us the minor effort of putting a key in a lock many times a day yet we expect them to continue doing that year after year, and our only action when they get a rather lethargic is to press the button harder!! I'm from the school of simple thoughts and with anything like this, changing the of battery would be the first port of call, then changing them annually from there - but not with batteries from the pound shop! The car's battery may be its original, and if so, it is likely to have done the best of its serviceable life after some 9/10 years, so I would take the car for an hour's run to ensure its charged then getting it tested. Halfords do this, and of course sell batteries, but it depends how much you respect your wallet. If the battery does need replacing, then personally I wouldn't buy a battery with less than 4 years warranty. It is possible that the original battery was by Varta or Bosch and there are some good deals going on the Internet on Varta batteries at the moment. I'm just about to buy one for a non-Audi and can let you know where I will be buying mine at a good price if it helps. I believe the locking is controlled by the driver's door mechanism, and it might be worth squirting some WD40 down into the area around the lock - it might help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rhys, It could be the temperature sensor which controls the fuel/air mixture to allow the car to start easily at all temperatures - but a "could be" it is. I believe you can buy these as aftermarket parts, but beware that the reliability of replica electrical components is often not that good - and this is a 'running' critical part. I would have thought that it it would be worth plugging it in to see what fault codes you have before spending. Not sure if you have managed to start it yet, but as the temperature increases then you could find it will limp into life even it this is at fault. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chizy, It is quite possible that the battery on the car may be the original - about the average lifespan of the original. If it were mine, I would be charging it overnight then getting it (and the alternator output) tested. Halfords can do this. If it proves to be suspect then of course you will need to replace it. Halfords sell them but it depends how much respect you have for your wallet! I tend to buy batteries which have more than a 3 year guarantee, since in my experience they last just over the 3 years! If you pay a little more then you seem to get a lot more for your money. It is quite possible that original battery would have been by Varta and I don't think you will go far wrong with one of these, or possibly Bosch, but if you do go with Varta check on the colour of the top, since I think ( and it's only a belief) that they are now producing a more budget battery with a black top - could be wrong it this assumption. Possible on line suppliers :- Tayna, Battery Megastore etc. ( no connection or recommendation and there are others). Hope some if this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Sorry to hear of your problem. "Car was fully valeted before I bought it " possibly gives an explanation. Car cleaning solutions can contain quite harsh chemical, and my guess would be that the seat base was soaked and these chemicals were not fully removed when it was cleaned. If it were mine, I would be cleaning this again using a Vax type system (and their diluted cleaning solution following instruction) ) whereby the cleaning solution is introduced into the fabric and foam, but then sucked out, taking the contamination with it. It might work, and indeed there is little to lose by giving it a try. Personally, I would not entrust this to your local lance wealding valeters where you risk even more chemicals being left in, but spend a couple of hours yourself doing it. If my theory is correct, you will probably find that the backrest is not too bad, since they seldom soak that area, but do so with the seat base. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on if you do try it. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Let the seat dry naturally if possible, ( put a cover over it not to get a damp bum) but certainly dont use a setting higher than 1 until it - and more importantly the foam - is fully dry. Days?

Hello Sophie, Sorry to hear of your problems. Apologies for stating the obvious if it has been an already checked port of call, but have you had the battery checked. The battery must be first charged overnight and then tested. Kind regards, Gareth.

Indeed, a Merry Christmas to all you good folks on here, and hoping Father Christmas fulfills your wishes. Stay young and believe in him, and when you do grow old, decide to grow up tomorrow, and even then do so disgracefully! Enjoy the break, and wishing you good health and enjoyable motoring in 2018. Kind regards as always, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, I guess you mean Polish. Were they wealding high pressure washer lances which also deliver cleaning chemicals onto evetything? These chemicals will take the skin off your hands and is almost guaranteed to turn your lacquer milky in a year or so. They generally don't consider these chemicals active enough to deal with wheels! - so they use a super one which rusts up your discs in no time at all, and combined with the force from the lance, is sure to find its pressured way into delicate ABS sensors etc. Could well be the root of your problems. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello 'Lost', I'm rather lost (pardon the pun) as to why you are continuing to persue an interest in this car, since it is clear it was not serviced (cared about?) and there is obvious debate in terms of it qualifying as an Audi approved vehicle. Unless I liked trying to solve mysteries and taking subsequent chances, then if it were me, I would be simply walking away and looking elsewhere. The buyer holds the ace card- his money/ business. If you want to get to the bottom of this then I would ask - Have you seen a V5 for this vehicle? If not, I really think you ( or any buyer of any vehicle) should. My stab at this is it's an ex lease car, (in early for some unknown reason??) but a stab it is. Interesting to read Beezil's comments on why it would be highly unlikely that the leasee would not take it in for a service if it was a no cost to them maintenance contract. I have a family member who has had on A4 estate as a company car and it is just coming up to the end of its 3 year lease where she doesn't have to pay a penny for maintenance. Service light has been on for a couple of months. Bless her, she has no interest at all in cars and just hasn't got around to taking it in for service! Possible this vehicle had a similar driver? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Amar, Sorry to hear of your issue:- Some things to note/do:- 200 to a max of 240 miles per 60 litre tank full equates to 15 to a max.of 18 mpg not 25mpg by my arithmetic, so this is even worse. I note you say you do not floor it constantly, so how regularly do you floor it and would you say your driving style may be generally "enthiastic" ? I notice you are in the London area so wonder about traffic and stop starts and its affects. Still, this mpg seems a bit alcoholic. With regards to recalls and history, it might be worth checking on the American sites to see if this model year were recalled in any States over there which might lead you to more information over here. Bear in mind that this vehicle is still under warranty, and Audi have a responsibility to prove its economy is within reasonable limits of its design figures, and others more knowledgeable than me on this might be able to confirm there is a set test which can be conducted by the Audi dealer. Last but important point. Who was the previous recorded owner? If not Audi, have you attempted to get in touch with them to find out if perhaps this was the reason they sold the vehicle on. My guess is however that it was registered to Audi but the actual operator could have been anyone. Any clues anywhere in the car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds a great recommendation/advert for them Dan.

Hello Jamie, Diesels are not really in my range of experience, but I would go along with the article Paul has found. I guess we can take it you had the air filter renewed with a good quality one before the remap. Not to have done, is a bit like wearing a new flash suit and not changing your underpants! Can we ask if the your local specialist was a diesel specialist or an Audi specialist - hopefully a diesel one. I too would have had a stab at this being an injector issue, and it all depends on what was checked and what was done. The basic check for injectors is a leak-back test, and if one proves to be at fault then it can usually be cleaned, repaired and recalibrated. In your case it depends exactly what was done to this/these faulty injector/s. If it were mine, I would be seeking out a local trusted diesel specialist ( if the one you have been to isn't one - and if he is, is there another one about?). Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Roger, I would certainly agree with Paul's advice on this. I notice you are in France, and it is reasonable to assume that there is unlikely to be a great dal of experience of labour rates over there. Without wishing to appear unhelpful, isn't it simply a case of telephoning your local Audi dealer, an independent ( if you have such a thing) and your local garagist. The answer you want should come from this route. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig, I could well be wrong, but I would have thought that your knock, no-knock symptoms are not purely down to where you get your petrol. My suspicion is there is something unreliably temperamental going on here - dodgy camshaft sensor or the like perhaps. Worth getting this plugged in when you have the symptoms. Having said all of that, I've given up using supermarket fuel in our cars (as of this year) and all in the mind it might well be, but I would certainly say that the cars are performing better on the supposedly like for like grades of fuel. A pal has an aging diesel and was plagued by the EML light frequently coming on. He changed to non supermarket fuel and after a short spell, that car has decided to give up on illuminating the light and gives a lower fuel consumption. OK, I appreciate there will be many with alternative views, but for me it's now non supermarket fuel at a neighbouring station at around the same price. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, It might be worth bearing in mind that this 1.6 car's engine revs high per 10mph in top gear - I would say c 3,500 rpm - at least - at 70 mph so it's working quite hard, and is never as economical as a lower revving engine. We have a non-Audi petrol car which just tops 2,000 rpm at the same speed as comparison. People get hooked on mileage, but tend to ingnore the 'work' the engine is doing to attain that mileage. If we compare our non Audi with the 1.6 A3 driven at 70mph, it's easy to see that the Audi engine has 'turned over' one and a half times more than the non Audi in the same mileage, or expressed as mileage , it has done 1.5 times the mileage. Speed and power may not be high on the agenda, but the engine still has to work rather hard even during non enthusiastic driving. Having said all that, this one has covered over 145k so......... Good luck on finding what you want. Kind regards, Gareth.

WHello Paul ( the original poster), I think you will find there isn't anything special about the Special. It's Audi's badging (well I don't think they actually badge it as such) for Basic and as far as I'm aware, they were all fitted with the 1.6 engine. If you want performance, walk away' but.......We have had one in the family since new and it now has c146K miles under its belt and has been ...... No, tempting fate! SE? In my book was always 'Special Equipment' - a mid range specification. Kind regards, Gareth

OK, so the seems you have a significant problem on one cylinder, and since your mate has a garage then I would have thought it would not be too much of an issue to remove the cylinder head and the one piston to assess the problem - assuming this has not been done. if it has been done then you will know what the plan of action will be, which might be reboring this cylinder and fitting a new piston etc. Can we assume there hasn't been an oil pressure problem with this engine ( high oil consumption sometimes leads to low oil levels and low pressure). It seems you are in a fortunate position of having a mate in a garage, and if attending to the one cylinder is not going to be the full answer then it might be worth looking at a second hand engine as an alternative to rebuilding yours. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Sorry to hear of your problem. I think it might help if we know what damage has been caused to this engine and how. It should then be clearer what work will be needed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, Without being patronising, it would seem to know your way around a volt/continuity meter, so I guess you should be off to a good start. If we start with your last mentioned issue - the battery is draining. To me this would be my first port of call, and I would want to find out why, before I worry too much about the roof not working. Maybe part of the same problem, but maybe it is, until it is proved to be. To do this you will need a more sophisticated meter than your average DC/AC volts and resistance meter, since you will be measuring currents and likely to be subjecting the meter to greater currents than the mA most meters will handle. Blown meter will be the result otherwise! The logic is simple - you connect a lowish current amp meter between the removed negative lead and the batery post (switch off your interior lights etc. ) and measure the current taken after the alarm has 'gone to sleep'. This should be mA, but if the battety is draining then it will be higher. Now remove each fuse in turn until you lose the current drain. That will be the fused curcuit which is at fault, and you will now need to find the fault in that curcuit. It could quite possibly be the roof curcuit, but you need to confirm or refute that before assuming. Back to the roof issue:- I would have a guess ( and a guess it would be) that your 'shorting' problem is in the section of harness that gets flexed when the boot is opened and closed. I appreciate you have tested it but such areas are notorious for cracking insulation as the harness continually flexes over the years. Obviuosly this time if year is worse as the harness hardens in the cold weather. Good luck with your checking, but very often such annoying faults are worth an investment of a couple of hours with a local trusted auto electrician. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rob, Well spotted in noticing this issue. If it were me, I would be proceeding from here with caution, since this car obviously has a known problem and I think it is not unusual for all cars of this age will have (further) faults which might not manifest themselves until it is purchased and used. I would guess it goes as read that this car is not being sold by an Audi dealership ( too old), but can we take it it is being sold at a used car lot - or is it a private sale? My first port of call would be to inspect the V5 and find out how long the last keeper has owned it. Short ownership? bad sign - walk away quickly. If a reasonable period of ownership then I would be contacting the owner and have a chat about their experience of the car. If it's a private sale then I would again walk away unless it is very cheap and you are prepared to spend money. Back to the problem:- could be one or more suspect injectors ( at c £150 each - don't quote me, could be more or less), or possibly water entering a cylinder via a faulty head gasket or similar. Full service history is fine, but it certainly is not the be all and end all of any guarantee of freedom from mechanical issues. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Kind regards, Gareth.