Magnet

Welcome Kelli, and thanks for joining. The symptoms do sound as if you have battery issues, but before simply looking to replace it, it would be wise to get its efficiency tested first. Halfords stores should be able to do that for you. If it’s found to be substandard, it would be well worth you letting us know before buying a new one - we should be able to point you in the right direction to buy a quality replacement at most reasonable costs. It would also be worth having the alternator output checked at the same time. Please let us now how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well there you are then Stephen - sorted for you. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Like your appropriate Member name!

Hello Ben, Have you searched the forum for the answers to your question? If effect, VAG have recently relaxed their recommendation, and it’s up to you to decide whether you stick with the earlier recommendation, or abide by the new. Perhaps you could let us know what you decide Ben. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Kaz, thanks for joining, and sorry to hear of your issue with your chosen Audi dealer. Obviously a catalogue of disasters which no none should be subjected to when they entrust their vehicle to a garage - particularly a main dealer. By what I read, I think you are pretty well equipped and understandably determined, to sort this out on your own. However, if you run into further issues or objections, then I would suggest you visit your local CAB and seek advice and support there. My belief is that the vast majority of main dealers no longer have their own. bodyshops, but all would have access to, and knowledge of, ‘authorised’ repairers in their area. As you have found out, they also use ‘smart repair specialists’ for what they would consider spot repairs, but…. If this were mine:- Take the car to another Audi dealership and seek a quotation to get all areas correctly refinished. Do the same with a couple of local bodyshops of your choice. Return to your offending dealer armed with the estimates you have. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Seems wise to now close this topic since it’s tending to deviate from the original topic. Regards, Gareth.

Try LLL Parts, Paddy. If they list it as a separate part then you should be able to get it. If not, you have a task on your hands to find a secondhand one. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

If your battery is of unknown age (you have only owned the car for 18 months) then it may be an unnecessary expenditure to ‘invest’ in a new battery without first having its efficiency tested. Halfords shops will do that for you, and you will be doing your wallet a favour if you follow my earlier advice if (in caps) a new battery is required. My suggestion from the start has been to eliminate/incriminate the simple things first - in this case the battery, but this doesn’t automatically equate to renewing it without testing its efficiency. Make of current battery? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry to come over as pessimistic, but chances of finding a separate mount? On here?? If it were mine, I would be actioning now - what I have suggested. Anyway Luis, good luck with your quest. Perhaps you could let us know the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Martin, This is not meant to be critical or judgemental, but I believe you entrust your car’s care to the main dealer, because they are the best. By doing so, it sends 2 hours in their workshop, a little time in a valet bay, while you get your free cup of coffee - great - while your wallet gets twitchy about what is going to be extracted from it! Great, if that’s your thing and it gives you peace of mind, but bear in mind, they have work targets to generate income for that dealership. Back to your rear brakes needing doing now:- It would not surprise me at all to find that they don’t actually need changing now ( in caps), and if so no need to worry. Your best friend for any ‘routine maintenance’ is a trusted local garage where you can talk with the chap who will actually be working on your car, rather than a front-of-house- service receptionist. My recommendation would be to try to find that garage, and ask them to let you know what brake pad thickness remains - as a starting point. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kerry, If this car needs/now deserves a new battery - and to my mind it’s a question of confirming or otherwise whether it is a contributor to your issue - then I would only be ‘investing’ in a quality replacement. In case it helps, I don’t buy Halford’s batteries since they are generally nothing near competitively priced. Although my previous go-to make was Varta/Bosch, I am now favouring Exide and I have bought this brand from Tayna Batteries ( no connection with them and there are other suppliers). As Cliff points out- new one will need coding. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome, and thanks for joining Luis, A possible way forward:- Can you carefully grind away whatever anchors the threaded insert into the suspension mounting? If so, you could then Araldite a new nut in its place into which you can screw the new high tensile replacement bolt. All you need to be able to achieve is that the nut doesn’t turn while you are !Removed! the bolt into it. Possibly better option to make sure it doesn’t turn would be to get someone to put a tack with on the new nut, but either option should work. I would make sure you buy the correct high tensile bolt and equally importantly, a good quality nut. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, Many thanks for your contributions on this, and particularly your confirmation that the recall situation on your side of the Atlantic is very much difference to here in the U.K. for example - where the big legal guns are an awful lot smaller! Yes, of course, this particular example is totally unacceptable, but to me, my criticism lies fairly and squarely with the servicing and MOT station (one and the same) where Mister Tee’s car is ‘maintained’. This should have been picked up at the service point - probably a couple of years ago - and since it wasn’t, then the MOT tester ( one and the same person?) has been shown to be lacking in his examination. If this were mine, I would be steering well clear of this garage, and trusting my, and my families life to someone else. David, Your last sentence :- We would thank you for not ‘shouting’. Thank you . Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Martin, I’m from the school that it doesn’t really make any difference whether anyone else has a similar issue - your car does, and that seems coincident with when it was last serviced and updated. Since you mention it’s going to be serviced again, can we take it the issue you have raised has been with the car for some time? If it was, this is highly likely to dilute your case to get it rectified now. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, It’s a blanking grommet which has probably been removed and replaced with holed grommet to allow some wiring to pass through. Seems reasonable to believe it was removed and substituted during wiring for the tow bar. Hope this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Brian, but we don’t know if Martin feels competent to take the wheel off and actually measure the remaining pad thickness.

Welcome Joy and thanks for joining. Important bit first! Please send some of your Florida weather across to this damp, drizzly and currently cold part of S. W. Wales. On to the issue:- I can see from LLL Parts of London U.K. that the part is indeed not currently available, but it might be well worth contacting them to see when (if indeed ever) it will be available, and if not in the very near future, if they know of any aftermarket supplier who may do this part. By what I can see, it doesn’t seem to be a very complex engineered part, and I wonder if another readily available part ( particularly from the aftermarket route) could be suitably modified to do the job, with some minor-ish engineering. Might be worth considering. Perhaps you could let us know the outcome Joy. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello again Martin, It sounds like your dealership is causing you issues at the moment. Fact:- Speech Dialogue was working when the car was presented to the dealership for service and update. It no longer works, so you need to politely, but firmly instruct the dealership to reinstate this facility for you, so your vehicle is in the same condition as it was before you left it with them? Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Martin, When you say local dealership, can we take it you mean an Audi main dealership? If so, you are going to be quoted ‘orbit money’ at any main dealer, and an ‘Independent’ is likely to quote you less (a good bit less?) and a trusted local garage, substantially less. But before that, it would be wise to quantify the thickness of the remaining brake pad, since ‘dealerships’ tend to work on the principle that they may not see the vehicle again for say 18 months, or 18K miles, by which time ( in caps) the rear brake pads will need changing. In other words, there may still be plenty of life left in them at this point in time. If it were mine, I would:- Ask the dealership to inform you what thickness remains on the brake pads ( not ‘they are x% worn). If they do need changing now, search for a trusted localish independent VW/Audi specialist and seek a quote there. Ask your trusted local garage to give you a quote, but tell them you wish them to use say Brembo parts. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Martin. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Fiona, It’s 6 years on since this thread was active. Could you please do us a kindness and:- Fill in your profile properly. Start a new thread. Outline the symptoms and the work that has already been done on your car. Many thanks, Gareth, p.s.’..just bought…’ Dependent on exactly when bought, when symptoms reported, you maybe entitled to reject the car, if bought from a registered business seller.

Hello Dale, I think Steve’s latter suggestion would be my preferred route - worth enquiring with trusted local auto electricians for someone who would rebuild yours. Alternatives in this order:- Secondhand VAG one. Aftermarket - although these could only give you short trouble free service. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adrian, If in doubt, you will need to ask the salesman to ask his Parts chap to check the build record to see if your particular car was built with power fold mirrors or not. Kind regards, Gareth.

‘….sensing a difference in tyre height…’. So have you fitted a different profile tyre on the back? Only then would there be a meaningful height difference.

Hello Steve, Another school day for me! Many thanks for the explanation, since I hadn’t come across this term before for the ‘signaller’ device. Again, I hadn’t thought of Lumenition - should indeed be a good contact for Pete. Great. Take care Steve, Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Alan, and thanks for joining. Basics first:- Have you checked the tyres have been correctly fitted in relation to the direction of rotation? Have you checked the tyre pressures are set correctly? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks John, To avoid ‘checked there’, where have you looked so far? Kind regards, Gareth.