Magnet

Thanks Jim, This confusing! You state the car to be an A6 with 28k miles, yet your latest post states A3 and 800 miles-? (sorry see later) A two owner car in 3 years ( making you the 3rd owner) does not seem ideal. Most important:- how long has the previous owner owned it? You possibly cannot answer that unless you actually saw the V5. If this turns out to be short, then bear in mind that the car may have been previously rejected. Normally main dealers would retain such stock for retail. Probable cause of tyre failure would be damage. Condition and brand of remaining tyres - not answered. Can now see replacement car was an A3 - apologies- odd that a ‘brand new A3’ would have a Nexan tyre, but…. Is the A6 at an Audi dealer? Have you checked the A6 on VCheck yet? If not, I would be checking it out pronto to see how long the previous owner owned it. If short term - worry! Please keep us updated. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, Is the knocking audible when stationary with engine running, and/or on the move? Noise on which side? Brand of driveshaft fitted? Regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev, sounds like a fault thermostat. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Jim and sorry to hear of your issue, but it seems you are now in the hands of those who should be able to resolve this to your satisfaction and at no cost to yourself. To me, the most important issue here is the state of the remaining tyres - this is a life threatening issue. Have you carefully inspected the 3 other tyres for damage and even wear? What brands are they, and what brand did you fit as a replacement for the one that blew? When you say the car has full service history, were you given a copy of this, and if so, how many services did it have in its first 3 years? Perhaps just 1? Were any other issues recorded on the history print out? If it were mine, I would be ‘investing’ in a history check on the vehicle. I’ve used VCheck to good avail, and this should give you details of change of owners , insurance claims, whether it’s been through auctions etc. Well worth the £9.99 even at this stage. Please come back to us with some answers and we will attempt to help you through this. Regards, Gareth.

It would be great to have an update on this Tanya. Can you help us out with this please?

Any update on this Tanya?

Hello Malcolm, Glad you have sorted the parts. Could you confirm TPS will deal with you as a non-trade customer? They won’t in this area. Regards, Gareth.

Refer to my post on Tuesday for a possible explanation.

It isn’t wear and tear, it’s caused by differential corrosion between the pan and the mounting base.

The Energy Management system will kick in once the battery capacity hits a certain level - so that makes sense. Alternator issue? Intermittent?? Worth checking the alternator output anyway - should be around 14.5 v. I’m not sure what your normal use pattern is, but if it’s infrequent, then leaving the alternator did connected might be a possibility.

To drain a battery overnight, it would be drawing at least an unbelievable 5 amps. Possible suspect ?? discharging back through a faulty alternator?

Hello Tim, The situation here is, that you had issues before the filter was changed, so it would be reasonable to exclude that from the equation. Oil pressure switch/sensor change? Would not think it would be an expensive change. What you have to consider is that you don’t have any idea how ‘good’ the oil pressure actually is once the warning doesn’t show. It could indeed be running only marginally over the warning level - which would be bad news. Please don’t assume that no-warning = serviceable - it doesn’t. I can only repeat - if it were mine, I wouldn’t be using it prior to getting it investigated. Service history of the car, and frequency of oil changes? Regards, Gareth.

Thanks Nick, Possibly a daft question, but we are talking the normal 12 volt system here!? If yes, then anytime the battery voltage drops below 10 volts then effectively that battery becomes potentially useless - so something ‘major’ going on here. Have you measured the current draw when that 4 to 5 volt drop has occurred? Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Nick, Could you please confirm your battery voltage drops to an almost unbelievable 4 to 5 volts? Regards, Gareth.

Am I right in thinking we may not hear from you Jason?

Hello JB ( your proper name?) Your first paragraph certainly sums up Audi marketing - if you want the best of specs., you find them in the S Line etc., together with large wheels and low profile tyres, all aimed at road holding which of course every Audi buyer wants! Or do they? - as you are finding! I’m in the exact same camp as you, and I simply want a nice smooth ride, but I don’t think you will find that in the S Line - perhaps even with smaller wheels, allowing increased profiles. One requirement would be to look up the stats, on the ones you are interested in and check if they were available with optional 17 inch wheels. If they weren’t then it’s generally a no-go due to insurance implications. Another potential harsh ride consideration is to check whether the normal tyres are XL or not - if they are, that will adversely affect the ride quality. Build record printouts for particular cars are usually obtainable from dealers- I’d enquire at the Parts Dept. I really do know where you are coming from, and have been there before. If you do find the car you want, then also ask for a copy of the service record before purchase. FHS can be elusive once you have signed the purchase paperwork! Regards, Gareth. Please let us know how you get on.

P in M couldn’t help you then?

My advice would be not to drive it pending getting the oil pressure checked, or there will be a potential to wreck the engine. What oil did you use? Regards, Gareth.

So Dave thinks it maybe a door switch too.

What happened after Roger?

Hello Jeffrey, Bit confused by ‘ lights work fine when operated manually…..rocker switch ( which one?) appears to do nothing’. I believe the switching of interior lights when the door/s are opened works from the door locks. Cabling within the flexible harness section twixt A post and door’s OK? Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Michael and thanks for joining. It’s great that you want to keep a nice car in nice condition. For me, the first requirement would be - what not to use? - and that would be a pressure washer. I’ve seen too much lacquer degrading through using that method. Bucket, sponge and a hose pipe is my method, using a quality wax shampoo. Keep the car well polished (after cleaning) and in case it helps, I’ve always used Autoglym resin polish. Tried many others but always returned to that. Mobile cleaning kit?? Any degree of ‘spot cleaning’ when the car is in use, is likely to lead to lacquer scratching. If it were mine, I would simply carry a bottle of water and gently wash off any bird poo before giving it a good wash once home. I also use Autoglym glass polish, and their tyre dressing, together with interior cleaner as necessary. No connection with the company. Hope some of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for posting your question Ray. Apologies, but I cannot help you with this, but hopefully I’ll encourage Q5 members to advise you. Can any Q5 owners please help Ray with this query? Many thanks, Gareth.

Was any of the information any help to you Jason?

Hello John, Its now 2 days over your deadline, and strangely it seems you have revisited the forum on a number of occasions, but not attempted to post an update or acknowledgement which could be of benefit to share with other members who might find themselves in a similar situation to yours at some time. Wondering if you would be kind enough to do that please-? Regards, Gareth.