Magnet

Hello Luey, CIn the absence of any other replies to date, I would be tending to follow your 3rd. possible point under "My thoughts" in this case. There are a lot of misconceptions about head gasket failures, since this gasket protects not only combustion pressure to combustion pressure, but this pressure to a coolant channel or the oil way. It can also protect links between (high) oil pressure and usually (the lower pressure) the coolant channels. If this oil was entering the coolant via this gasket, then there has to be the start of a failure between the oil gallery and an adjacent waterway. Not sure of how much this might help pending other replies. Can you extract the oil?? Using a srynge or similar, so you can check that it is indeed oil. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nayan, You can't beat dealing with people face to face in your doorstep, so let's hope Steve's contacts can help. If not, there are national search lines (Partsfinder or similar name come to mind as one) who's service will check all scrapyards and those yards will then reply directly to you. A Google search should give you a selection of search companies. Good luck in finding what you want. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Patrick, Glad to hear someone is paying for your £792 EGR valve replacement on your 5 year old car. You don't tell us whether this is being paid for by Audi as a result of the dealer carrying out the emissions recall, or as part of the warranty, no doubt offered by the used car dealership you bought it from. In other words, the used car dealer will be paying the Audi dealer. I'm sure that if you read the posts under Recalls, you will see owners of cars with similar problems following having these recalls carried out, have found themselves having to pay these bills themselves, so yours would be a breakthrough if the bill is being met directly by Audi themselves. Could you let us know clearly on this since it would be most helpful for others. Kind regards, Gareth.

Why not have a look at the 19 inch wheels Mozza is selling on the Sales and Wants. These are genuine Audi wheels with newish tyres apparently. No doubt your insurance company would look on those more favourably as a non original equipment ? replacement to the probably made-in-China ones.

Hello Barry, I'm sure Steve is far more up on this than I am, but let's say you cover 18k miles in say 20 months and your car will need servicing then on a Longlife schedule since it has reached its mileage recommendation - so you visit your Audi dealer and get it done. 4 months later, when the car is now 2 years old (or at a 2 year interval after that), you get a service indicator up, to tell you to come back - this time to have the brake fluid changed. Is this example correct? Kind regards, Gareth.

Anyone else have any experience of average costs of a main dealer cambelt assembly and water pump change on this car, which could be of help to Guy?

VAG were/are using Quantum branded oil. There is a Longlife 3 and a 'normal' mileage change equivalent. I always use their Longlife 3 even though I change it annually at a fairly low mileage. Not worth the very marginal saving, to do otherwise. You will need to check which grade to use, but it is generally 5w/30( fully synthetic) - but please check as I said. Quantum is available via. the on line auction site - generally being sold by VAG dealers. Filters:- I only use main dealer filters (often available at discounts) or Mann. Again just not worth buying simply on price. What make filter have they fitted to yours? Kind regards, Gareth. p,s. You will need to get your service indicator reset once you change your oil.

Blinking heck Patrick. £649? I think I must be well out of touch with the costs. I'd be wanting gas and air! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Patrick again, As I recall, you bought this car from a car sales lot, in which case it would not be uncommon for the oil used to be of "best deal volume purchase' brand. Is it the correct specification leave along the 'normal' VAG Longlife fully synthetic oil which can be used for say up to 18K miles? As a matter of interest, have a look at the oil filter and see what make it is and let us know. The make of this filter may decide what action you take, since it will give you a marker for the likely quality of the oil they used. If they have used the correct specification Longlife oil then you can extend the oil change to around 18K, but it might be advantageous to change it one a year or 12k miles whichever comes first anyway. Do you do your oil and filter changes? Let us have the answers to the above questions and no doubt we can offer some advice from here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Guy, I think it's great that you are treating this with the responsible concern it warrants. As you probably know, ignoring this, or trying to extend the service period (as you ask for advice on) increases the risk of simply wrecking the engine, which of course, is never worth the extra time over getting it done. I would simply contact say two Audi dealers in your area and ask the question in relation to the known history of change for your car. It will indeed be X miles or X years - whichever comes first. I learnt a long time ago (at the expense of having a snapped belt on a Cavalier) that manufacturers review these periods based on updated experience. I would add that when you decide to have this done, do not run the risk of treating this as a best cost job. If you are not having it done at a main dealer then cheaper quotes usually mean aftermarket kits and using aftermarket water pumps. The water pump plays a vital link in this set up, and some aftermarket (most?) can be substandard and cause issues - as if you had ignored getting the belt done in the first place! Main dealers often have offers on cambelt changes as Steve says. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Patrick, The whole situation is much clearer now, and it foes demonstrate the importance of listing the detail and sequence of events. Still we are getting there now. Yes, understandable Audi will not accept any fault code readings other than those carried out at their dealers. Good and correct. So if it turns out this car has EGR (etc.) issues then Audi are going to carry out this work free of charge then? Almost unbelievably joyous news to the ears of others who have suffered after these recalls! Where we potentially fall down on detail again is - did you buy this car from an Audi dealership? If so, is it possible that their offer to pay to rectify the fault is as part of the guarantee for the car, and not as a result of any problems arising following the recall work being carried out? Kind regards, Gareth.

..I'm getting a little lost here Patrick. "Why doesn't the computer pick up the belt fault..?" What belt fault? I would take some convincing that this is anything to do with the cambelt work, but possibly everything to do with the emission recall work. Simple but important question Patrick:- Did you know they were going to carry out this recall work? It would be well worth reading the posts under Recalls near the top of the forum. Are you saying Audi are going to rectify your current lights-up problem without charge? Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Lesley, Very sorry to hear your now-not-surprising tale of woe. It's intereing from a couple of points:- This 6 year old car shows my ignorance, since I would have thought its age predated the recent 'fiddle' , but obviously not. Anyone know the oldest model year that now requires being subjected to the emissions recall? Second point:- can a dealer carry out this modification without the owner's knowledge or permission? In effect Lesley, were you aware that the recall modifications were going to be carried out on your car at the time of service - I.e. had you been requested to present it for recall? As has been said so many times, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I think the consensus of opinion is to keep these cars well away from a main dealer (particularly where the car is out of warranty), and if for any reason it HAS to go to an Audi dealership then it is wise to inform them in writing that you do not wish the car to be subjected to the recall, and if they do carry it out then you will hold them financially responsible for the rectification of any subsequent defects. As with most other posts on here, I think all that can be said is good luck in trying to get it back to near to where it was. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kieran, It could, and I must stress could, be a dud battery, but you can only confirm or refute that by answering some questions and doing some tests. Anything short of that is pure assumption. I notice the car is now 10 years old, and if it still has its original battery then there is a fair chance that the battery has done its time. If it's not the original, then it's unlikely that a replacement battery for the original will itself be unserviceable. I would ask, why even a battery on a small car would not 'jump' start your car even if your battery was no good. Possible is that your battery is so bad that it will it accept a through voltage from another good battery. But, it is also just possible that the jump leads you used were the cheap variety with so much resistance through them as to render them useless! - very common. Also, did you have the small car running at the time? If not, again not a good way to do it. Are your battery and earth connections serviceable? Do you have a problem with the starter motor or its solenoid?? Parasitic drain with the electrics which has resulted in the battery being run down?? Who knows. The list goes on. All assumptions and questions of course, but important considerations before the correct diagnosis is made. What would I do:- Check your battery connections. Fully charge your battery -at least overnight - and then see if it starts. If it dosnt - then get the battery checked. Halfords will check it (but it must be fully charged at the time of test). Buying a new battery from Halfords?? Um. Only after doing this can you confirm the battery is unserviceable. Pure guess work otherwise! Good luck with it. Gareth.

Hello Khan, As Cliff says, and bear in mind that the mileage is average for the year (based on a now outdated? 12K miles/a). Condition is king, and no doubt we have all seen low mileage examples of all marques which have certainly not been well card for. Price?? You will need to compare with others of a similar age - just do some online checking. Part exchange involved? Amount of warranty offered etc. etc. Service history ? Major work such as Cambelt changes carried out to schedule? How long the last registered keeper has owned it? All cost influencing. It should also be appreciated that this 'Special Edition' is infact the most basic model available. Clever marketing, since there isn't anything special about it! Also this is a diesel, and we all know what bad press (unjustified?) these are getting these days. Hope some of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Think the last one I had for the A3 via. Audi was a bit under £20 from memory. Good to know they are available as aftermarket parts for the A6. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jason, Might be that the heater control is at fault. A might it would have to be, and I can only suggest you now try a trusted local independent. I seriously would not attempt to drain and refill the system. Kind regards, Gareth.

You are very welcome Dragos. "Pedal almost on the floor boards" ? "Will try to replace it as soon as possible". Yesterday would have been great Dragos! Still, we rest peacefully in the knowledge that you are in Italy! I guess we would remiss on this forum if we did not advise you not to use this car at all until this problem is safely sorted. Just covering our bums over here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Susan, Yes, it has to be replaced. The part is not too expensive as I recall, but I believe it is a main dealer part only. Should be available with a bit of discount by talking nicely in Welsh! Yes, these simply painted mild steel parts do rust and bits fall off them. Not uncommon, and it's usually the N/S goes first ad you would expect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dragos, I think you are wise in getting this sorted as soon as possible - knowing how these Italians are supposed to drive! No offence! Main question - no, you should not need to replace the (the large black circular tank) servo. The brake pedal travel could be a master cylinder fault, but it could be other faults in the braking system. Check the braking system carefully at each wheel with an assistant pumping the brake pedal to get as firm a pedal is possible. Look for things like bulging rubber brake hoses , brake pads etc.etc. If you are happy that all is well with everything else then it is likely to the the master cylinder as you say. Kind regards, Gareth,

Please don't give up Paul. Get some assistance from your good mate Percy Verance! Varta - now you are talking. Great positive move. Now Paul, you know what they say about size don't you - it's not everything! Check what it says on the battery you have on the car (assuming no one has fitted a lower replacement). Look at the Ah rating (say around 60Ah or whatever). The other important part of the specification is the cold cranking current (say around in excess of 500 Amps + or whatever). Talk to the nice folks in Tewkesbury again when you are armed with this information, plus the dimensions. Take their advice on what they have listed for your model car, and compare the figures with what your existing battery is rated. Battery output can now be achieved in smaller dimensions, so don't hang your hat solely on the physical size. It could be wise to check the battery tray and the battery securing arrangements to see what alternative high rated battery will fit. You can sometimes get a higher output battery for a very marginal price increase. Then you will have a big one! Good luck, Kind regards, Gareth.

Well Robin, sump off may be one way to go - eventually- but any form of tearing things apart before establishing the facts can be a little destructive, and sometimes unnecessary and expensive. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Reasonable assumption that Lucas are/were a good brand. Well that would be true if you were as old as me! , but..... Now just a bought out brand name I'm afraid - to give some degree of respectability. Would I spend well earned £75.80 on one?? Guess the answer. Trevor has it spot on :- you get what you pay for, and batteries are a critical component in this electronic age. I would not buy a battery with less than a 4 year warranty. This minimises the not-so-good end of the market. You could try Battery Warehouse (or similar name) in Tewkesbury - you will find them via. Google. No connection except I have bought from them via mail order and find their quality, prices and service to be very good. No doubt there are others equally as good. Might be worth considering spending your money once and wisely. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, I would go with Dan's advice regarding first approaching the garage you bought it from. It has to be fit for purpose as Dan points out. Personally, I would not do anything with it (not even plug in a code reader) until you have talked with them and notified them in writing (e mail will do) of your discontent. If you do anything, however simple, they could quite reasonably argue that you have been fiddling with it. If you bought it 'as scrap with all faults, whether declared or not' then ignore the above, or of course if they informed you that there was a gearbox issue with it - which I guess they didn't. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, It seems you have done everything reasonable to try to eliminate this issue, and the problem could - but only could - be wiring or connection associated. I think it's wise to be concerned until a correct diagnosis has been carried out. You mention an oil pressure gauge, and of course, this should give you confidence that despite an occasional low pressure light, the oil pressure is indeed OK. Belt and bracers this may be, but I wonder if the gauge is electronic (I would think it is) rather than a "genuine" pressure measuring gauge, and my advice would be to get the operating oil pressure actually checked after a 10 mile run - (no shorter than that) to ensure the pressure is indeed as good as the gauge indicates it is. Once you have had this done, it might well be worth half a day out with a good auto electrician - who should be able to locate the light fault for you. Kind regards, Gareth.