Magnet

Hello W. Midlands Steve, To avoid undue dismantling and expense:- consider measuring the outside diameter and buying the appropriate straight connector to re join. If it’s a very low pressure breather, you could even find that a plastic push fit connector may suffice. Should be plenty on EBay. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jacob, Welcome and thanks for joining. Although the 18 inch wheels you prefer would probably fit your car, it’s not quite as simple as this, since the tyre profile would have to decrease to ensure the dia. of 18 inch wheel + tyre, remains the same as your current 17 inch, otherwise it will affect the gearing etc. I used to work these out for members, but now simply suggest referring to websites which supply wheels, where you should find a calculator to input current tyre widths and profiles, then it works out what profile you will need for the increased diameter wheel. Once you have that information, it would be well worth checking on tyre prices - demand and availability may make them a lot more expensive than your current size - or indeed cheaper, but doing homework before committing avoids surprises. Perhaps you could let us know what you find out Jacob. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Maidenhead Steve, I very much understand the (very?) significant disadvantages of using high pressure lances to clean vehicles - I always steer well clear of any situation where this might happen, and on the very rare occasions any owned vehicles have to go into a main, or substantial dealership, I wash the vehicle before hand, and specifically instruct - do not wash vehicle - vacuum only. You are quite specific in singling out the starter motor and alternator, and my assumption is that you believe that the water ingress was due to the pressure washer directing water at high pressure, through the grille and this water found its way onto, and stayed with, the starter and alternator. I can understand this if the lance was directed horizontally into the grille, as opposed to what would be normal practice of directing it at an angle. Again to try to understand this, we would need to consider the distance the car was driven between the point where it was washed and your home. If a few miles, then you might expect the water on the engine would have dried significantly, or at least sufficiently, not to leave pooling water which would subsequently freeze. ECU location on this model? - somewhere where water ingress would hold and freeze? The last point I can make is that although pressures from pressure washers are high, volumes are generally low. Apologies Steve, if this comes over as challenging your theory, but I think it would be helpful to fully understand the logic. Again with apologies - I can’t resist returning to Steve Y’s comment that it was likely caused by arson - if it was, it was probably someone arson about! Kind regards, Gareth.

What abrasive polish are you using?

Is it just the lenses that have gone cloudy then Gordon?

Thanks Gordon, Well worth searching EBay, and if you are prepared to consider secondhand, you could register your ‘want’ on on-line breaker sites such as Partsfinder ( there are more). Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Judy, Welcome, and thanks for joining. Pardon my ignorance on location abbreviations, but I’m guessing you are based in the States, by your description of ‘shop’ , as opposed to UK’s ‘garage’. Bearing in mind that this is a pre-Covid thread, I think it would be difficult to guess at what this job would now cost in the U.K. - States?? Probably impossible to estimate, but I’m sure you will easily be able to obtain a couple of quotes to choose from. Sorry we cannot be more specific for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daniel, Apologies if this isn’t going to be practical - always difficult to gauge from photos- but can’t you sleeve a suitable small dia. brass/ hard plastic etc. pipe down into the section in the tailgate, leaving enough to push the plastic piece over. Obviously you would need to find a suitable dia. sort stub of pipe, or get one turned down. Thoroughly clean both pieces and Araldite the sleeve pipe in. Easiest way to measure the OD you will need is to carefully insert a drill bit etc. until you find one which is a snug fit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Gordon, Where have you looked so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

Oh bless you Graham. Let’s hope it works out for you. I made a conscious decision a decade or so ago that Lion would be at the bottom of my buying list. Might be better now - but all modern cars depend so heavily on top efficiency batteries. Incase it helps for the future I bought a couple of Exide Premium batteries last year at very competitive prices from Tayna Batteries ( no connection), and Exide has become my current brand to buy. ECP? Seldom found them to be competitive in in past, even with their then high % discounts off so called list price. For general parts, I usually look at Parts in Motion site ( again no connection), but also scan EBay for premium brands at most competitive prices from reputable sellers. Kind regards, Gareth.

Great last comment Steve!

Any independent should be able to do that for you Graham, or main dealer if you want to pay more, and if they will actually do it, since you didn’t buy the battery from the. What make of battery did you buy Graham. Kind regards, Gareth.

Very useful info. Please be aware that these kits do not appear to include the offending ‘release bearing’ component. So it does appear that LUK are supplying to the aftermarket, certainly in Germany - in U.K. As has been said before, the definitive answer lies just a phone call away with making contact with LUK Technical. It wouldn’t surprise me that they maybe able to correctly identify the correct one from the VIN. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Personally, I would not accept any money, since it could be seen as compensation, and a pay off. I find it odd that they would have offered you anything. Yes, visit your nearest main dealer and ask if they would be kind enough to give you a service history print out. They may ask to see copy of the V5 in your name - as proof of ownership. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ronald, ‘Service certificates’ confuses, since servicing should be recorded on the VAG computerised system, and you can/should? request a print out copy at your local main dealer - armed with the VIN Incase the car has been registered on a private plate, for example, at some time. Have you done an on-line MOT history - although it’s probably only had one? Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I would certainly inform the seller of what you have found.

Regrettably, it’s not that uncommon for aftermarket part supplies to be stifled - try buying and factor parts for current MG for example! As Steve says, your best course of action will be to ring ( not e-mail) LUK Technical, if you want the exact current situation. As we have seen on other recent posts, 3 part clutches are generally - but not always - available via. the above, but the dual mass flywheels are quite often a main dealer part only, and of course they know what to charge fir them! Back to the reason for changing the clutch - ? Folks seldom change clutches because they think they may give issue ( Audi and judder seem to be bedfellows). Alternative:- ensure you have an equate breakdown and recovery to ensure the car gets repatriated. ECP and listings/ variations/ availability- personally, I don’t favour them, particularly since their once so called discounts are generally not available any more. I’ve used Car Parts in Motion to good effect ( no connection), but you can’t beat talking directly to the manufacturer/ supplier. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Sav. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ronald, Welcome and thanks for joining. Could you fill in some background details for us. Have you recently bought the vehicle? Have you carried out an MOT history check, that should have shown up any unusual changes in annual mileages covered? Have you obtained a copy of the car’s service history? Could be it’s had a change of ECU -? ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks David, but I would have thought it’s far easier to simple visually inspect the wiring in these areas, rather than trying to remove panels etc. to access points at which you can check with a multimeter. Kind regards, Gareth.

Price on these Justin?

Thanks Justin - what else do you want to add, now that you’ve added the price? Whatever it is you can just post as an additional post. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies Neal, I can now see I’m interfering rather than attempting to fulfil my objective of trying to be helpful. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Neal, Before you start pulling the head off, can I ask you to pass the following logic through the mind:- You have zero compression an all cylinders. Can you absolutely satisfy yourself that all the valves are opening and (very importantly) fully (in caps) closing. If the answer to that is yes, then for the ‘head gasket to have gone’, and to explain your zero compression, the gasket must have failed at all three points between the cylinders. Likely ?? Even if it had, I might still expect some slight compression. My way forward would be to borrow/hire a camera and have a look down each spark plug hole in turn - having first ensured both valves on that cylinder appear to be fully closed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Justin, Could you please list the price you want for the exhaust - as opposed to ‘offers’. Same for your advert for the wheels for sale. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alison, As Daryl points out, although the sensor is likely to be externally connected, the sender/ signaler may be built into the hub, which may mean the hub has to be replaced. Again, as Daryl says - ask for an itemised bill. Kind regards, Gareth.

That’s fine Lance. Of course, it’s your choice to respect Audi’s recommendation, or have reasonable respect for your wallet. What make parts are your repairer fitting Lance? Kind regards, Gareth.