Magnet

Hello Ryan, I'm sorry, but as with the oil suppliers (a lot) you have tried, I'm unable to point you to the correct specification for this critical application, but I am aware that it is not uncommon for manufacturers to tailor their oil requirements to their exact specification. This results in the oil being available in volume to the dealers, but not in smaller quantities off the shelf. Appreciating you may not want to pay the price that the dealers are asking, but getting it there removes any chance that you use the wrong specification with potential costly consequences. As I see it Ryan you will save considerably by doing this yourself rather than paying the main dealer to do it for you, so why not enjoy that saving in labour costs and invest some of it in buying the correct oil from them? Sounds a simple and sure way forward to me. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Amjid, Car wash and jet lances! - there is your answer, and I would not be surprised if next year you will be posting on here for advice because your paintwork is showing signs of milky white patches in places. I have made such comments on here before, and in my opinion there is no substitute for the DIY bucket and wax shampoo treatment, but appreciate folks prefer to pay their £5/10 and sit back and watch some jet wash lance wealding individual wreck their car in the longer term. Most of them use truckclean type chemicals which if not correctly diluted ( which it seldom is) will actually take the skin off your hands. "......asked them to ensure they don't use chemicals as suggested by Audi" ! Puts me in mind of a friend with a really nice BMW which is main dealer serviced up to the hilt and is never dirty because it always gets washed once a week whether it needs it or not. This beautiful electric blue car started to show milky patches a couple if years ago. His action :- "Go easy on the chemicals chaps" Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Amjid, Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with Audi, but I guess you will be aware that Audi - as with all other volume manufactures- are simply assemblers of vehicles, using parts supplied by a variety of suppliers. One question:- You mention taking the car for a wash. Do you do this, and if so do they use a jet wash? As annoying as this is, I think it is very common to find surface rust on the brake discs ( the Americans call them rotors) on cars of your age or younger. Corrosion on the calipers? Depends on how the car (wheels) have been cleaned. Appreciting that brake calipers get hot, you are probably aware that the process of powder coating involves oven treatment to cure the coating. Judging by the number of cars I see with gaudy painted calipers ( tarty and boy racer in my book!, but I'm of a different generation) you could follow suit and tidy your up by this DIY process I guess. Probably less hassle than doing battle with Audi. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. My comments may be moderated when we see the photos.

Hello Justin, Not sure if this is going to help, but I do have some years of experience of Accelera tyres on non- Audi vehicles. No doubt you are aware that they are budget tyres, and I think the reason your friend has them on his vehicle is in the "A friend bought his Q7...." and the seller (car sales site?) fitted them for the same reason you are considering fitting them on your car - they are much cheaper. As budget tyres go, I do indeed favour Accelera over other budget brands, but budget they are, and my experience is that generally wear/£ costs you as much in the long run as if you had bought more expensive premium brands, and of course, the main consideration in all of this is extends to spending your money to get the best combination of wear and great respect to wet and dry grip etc. In my experience you generally get what you pay forJustin, and yes, Accelera (and other budget tyres) look ( should that be LOOK) equally as good as any other brand, but... . In the end it must work out as your choice, but it may be worth thinking why Michelin Pilots cost twice the price of Accelera, but in the long run, do the Accelera work out cheaper? Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Interesting Piotr, What is the grade of this fluid? I take it it is an automatic we are talking of here, and if so, what is different/inferior about Audi's transmission fluid which renders it ready for change at 38K miles when many other manufacturers do not even have a change schedule for their auto transmission fluids? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rob, Manual or automatic? In any case, I don't understand why the transmission fluid needs to be changed on a year old car. If it is an auto, and IF it does need to be changed, then I think this involves removing the transmission sump etc. new filter as well as the new - expensive? - fluid. Using another non-local Audi dealer may result in an alternative lower quote and will obviuosly not affect your warranty. Using a non VAG garage could, rather than will, but you would need to take better advise on this before deciding to move away from Audi dealerships. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Darren, Sorry, I can't help you with this engine, but if you ring the parts department at your local Audi dealer and enquire about a cambelt kit for your car, the correct answer will be found there - i.e. "It has a chain", or " yes sir, the belt kit will cost you £X". It might be advisable to have the VIN and engine number to hand, but probably not needed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Patrick, I think you will find there just isn't any point in driving around/internet searching for near-miss fixings. If it were mine, I would simply visit your local Audi dealer and order up what you need - assuming of course, that the body repairer doesn't still have them somewhere to hand. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Aamir, If the damage to the bumper is restricted to what you show in the photo, then that should be easily repairable - perhaps even without removing it from the car. Use a hair dryer or in extreme cases, a hot air gun. Not sure about any localised bracketry, but even if these are broken, they can often be repaired by the normal plastic welding process. The wing damage also seems repairable, but you might like to replace it, but in either case, it will need to be repainted. You say you have tried nationally to obtain a replacement bumper- are you restricting yourself to a same colour search? If so, you will indeed find this restrictive, and even if you did find a colour match one, my bet is that it would need painting due to minor storage or transit marks. Like the alloy - seen more kerbs than a lady of the night! No offence intended. I guess this "Want" would be better posted under Sales and Wants. Good luck, Gareth.

Hello Henry, Not only is this experience unacceptable, but it is a downright threat to your, and other road users lives, so you have to do something. This needs a Recorded Delivery letter to the Chief Executive Officer at Dunlop UK, requesting his immediate attention and investigation. If you feel you are not up to writing such a letter then just visit your local Citizens Advice office with your photos etc. and ask them to write a letter on your behalf. If that does not resolve this ( and I would be surprised if it doesn't) then you need to take this to the media. I'm not sure about getting rid of the car because of this problem. Surely it is just a matter of buying tyres from another manufacturer. Let us know how you get on Henry. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Graeme, I notice the car is 6 years old and as such is likely to be out of even an extended warranty involving Audi direct, so I take it your discontent is a direct "local " dispute with Edinburgh Audi. Could you let us know if this work is being complained about because you have paid them to rectify the fault/s and they haven't, or is the car under some sort of warranty with them? Have you bought the car from them in the recent past (unlikely due to its age?) and they are failing to honour a guarantee that came with that sale? Perhaps you could let us know and I'm sure others may be able to add to Steve's advice. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Not sure about your thread heading of Mr ? Probably best to get this altered to a more meaningful description which might result in more responses. No doubt Admin can help you with this.

Large black coil spring Kieran. These can snap on one of the coils - as unbelievable as it may sound.

Hello Kieran, With regard to the suspension issue, it may be worth while inspecting the large coil spring to see if it has snapped - as they do! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mor, IF after fitting the new battery you find that is still losing power, then the probability is that one of the curcuits is at fault and drawing a current when it shouldn't, when the car is locked up. Although it may be possible to guess at what curcuit it might be - and it would only be a guess- I would suggest the car would then need to have an hour out with an auto electrician who would be able to measure the current draw and isolate each fused curcuit one by one until the offending curcuit is found. DIY possible? Well yes, assuming the correct meter is at hand, together with the experience of checking for these current drains. Fingers crossed, all will be well when the new 5 year guarantee battery is fitted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well that's one option Piotr, but I would first be asking myself why this wheel cracked in the first place, and it is possible - just possible that the answer lies in .... RS4 STYLE wheels ... and the quality might be dubious. Would I run a car on a crack-repaired wheel - without the benefit of assessing the quality of the weld repair?? No prizes for guessing the answer. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adeel, Have you tried any of the on-line scrap yard search facilities? Partsfinder is one -I think- and no doubt there are more. Just register what it is you want, and any yards which have the part will reply to you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mor, I'm sure Luey's advice is going to be helpful to you, and yes, it's easy to assume that since you have replaced the battery then that cannot be the problem. Not true unfortunately in this day of substandard replacement components, so as with all electric issues such as this, the first port of call is to get the battery checked. I must reinforce that the battery must be in a reasonable state of charge before testing since the test includes its ability to deliver high currents for start up purposes and not simply voltage. As Luey says, it is also important to check that the battery is the correct type and power capability for the car, so yes, a photo or description of the wording would be great. Correct types of batteries is now very important in this age of "intelligent charging" if expensive damage to alternators is going to be avoided. Jumping way ahead of ourselves here but alternators being designed to be replaced and dosn't take a lot of work! I'll lend you the spanners to change say a Rover 75 diesel alternator Luey! To keep it simple Mor, Let us know the details marked on the battery, and it's make, then just make sure it is as charged as possible - take it for a good run - and get Halfords to check it for you. If they declare it to be serviceable then get them to do an alternator output check while you are there. Let us know how you get on and I'm sure there will be help on here with the next stage. But one step at a time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gavin,. Wondered how things were progressing with this. It would be great to have an update, or to have some more information to possibly close the thread off. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Mor, As Steve says. Is the battery on the car the original one? If so, then at 10 year old you would expect it to be near the end of its service life. If this were mine, I would be getting it tested (at Halfords?) after at least a 20 mile run if it has been jump started. If it proves not to be serviceable, would I buy a Halfords replacement? If you need a new battery then I'm sure someone in here can point you towards a good make at a reasonable price. I would be tempted to put the diagnostics on hold until you have had the battery checked. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, I think Steve is on the right lines here. Just because I'm in my dotage, and probably have shirts older than him, he mistakenly believes I'm good with these things - bless him he's losing it! Yes David, I would be looking at the toothed rings (about 3 inchs in dia. in old language) on the wheel ends of the front drive shafts, and I think (see, I'm not so good on these things) just behind the rear hub at the back. As Steve says, check these rings carefully for rust, since the sensor picks up the gaps between the teeth. If one or more of them are rusted then the sensor can throw a wobbly. Clean off any rust you can find, but you are really looking for crusted rust rather than surface rust. Not sure if you may have to reset the light after?? Could be wiring or a faulty sensor if you find all looks well with he rings. Last resort could - just could - be a fault in the ABS units. I know there was a "commonish" fault on these a bit later. This was fixable by replacing a "part AbS unit". Fingers crossed its just a bit of crusted rust. Kind regards, Gareth.

£400 to £450 total excess is now becoming the norm so it seems ( (£150 compulsory + £250 vol.) in this cheapest quote wins game. Comparison sites often come up with this sort of level and higher, and quote for cover without any of the "used to be normaly covered" things like legal cover, courtesy cars etc. If I've got this right Patrick ".... Spoke to them so gonna to do it myself no hassle" means that they now know you have been involved in an accident, so at the next renewal, when they ask you if you have been involved in an accident, fault or no fault, they now know you have! Is this a bit like Dad's Army:- "Dont tell him Pike!"

Hello Sue, Well that makes the ones which I change on the A3 look pretty good! In the first photo, it appears to show a pair? of brake pipes clipped to the suspension arm. The nearest one seems to be rustier than you would like. Wondered if this has been carefully examined. Kind regards, Gareth.

I think you have answered your own question Patrick. If you are happy to take your freiend's advice, and he is happy with the repairers, then that must be fine with you I guess.

Hello Patrick, Very sorry to hear about this. Life is strange and levelling at times. You are having good fortune regarding minimum outlay to get the mechanical bits done, then you find yourself in a situation of having to pay for something which was certainly not your fault. ".... u think it will be OK after repair?? OK in what respect Patrick? Structurally, it's minor damage, so problem there. If you are questioning the quality of the repair, then I would think it highly unlikely that anyone on here would be able to answer that unless someone happens to have experience of the particular body shop you are going to use -around Margate? As much as £500 is, I would have thought that this price is certainly not expensive in relation to the work and materials involved - I would be surprised if they don't end up spraying the whole side of the car. As I see it, what is important to you is the standard of the repair, so it would probably be more helpful if you posted a new thread with a title "Anyone know of a good body shop in the Margate area?" It is often useful to visit the used car sales sites in your area and ask them for recommendations on good body shops. These chaps know who is good and not so good and who are competitive. I would advise that you take this somewhere where you have had recommendations from someone else with regard to the quality of their repairs. Good luck, Gareth.

Hello Will, Sorry to hear of your problem, but you are at least lucky that the oil has remained in the sump. Would I try using an oversize bolt to cut a 'new' thread in this critical application? No, I wouldn't. Would I use a genuine thread tap to cut a new thread? Again no, since a good quality new tap would be fairly expensive to buy, you wouldn't have any guarantee of tapping it at right angles to the plug face (with the possibility of having weeps), and you would likely to be able to guarantee you are going to get swarf in the sump! Sorry Will, but your action would be a classic from the Bodge-it and Leg-it handbook, and is likely to stand a risk of depositing 5litres of oil on the highway. Solution:- Buy a new aftermarket sump. Available from Europarts and others? Now that's a proper job. Kind regards, Gareth.