Magnet

Thanks Dave, Do you know who the manufacturer of the gaskets and head bolts are, as opposed to the EBay? supplier? I’m sure you will be aware that gasket manufacturers include brands such as Reinz, Payen, etc. so you know what you are buying, along with many other ‘unbranded’ ones. Going to take your torque source as read, or double check at specialist? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Many thanks for joining, and welcome. Where are you picking up your settings and diagram from? In other words, is the source considered reliable. 2005 may just still come under Haynes manuals or similar. All I can say is that the values and tightening torques seem relatively logical, albeit I would have expected the the 1/4 turns to be rather more than that. Way forward:- Armed with a box of biscuits, call in to a trusted local VAG independent and ask advice there. They will have access to Autodata (or similar) on-line systems, which should give them the detail you want. ( Take your V5 Incase the VIN is needed). The only other important thing I would add, is how accurate is your torque wrench? I have a conventional larger one - from 20n. on, and I trust this with torques greater than say 50Nm. I also have a smaller precision one from about 10Nm and up to about 80, and although it’s a well branded make, and has had little use, I don’t really trust its accuracy on the lower torques, so…… In this colder weather, I would be tempted to torque to 40Nm of an evening, leave overnight, and torque to 60Nm the following morning. We take it you are using good quality new bolts. Perhaps you could come back to us David, and let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. All figures quoted as your list, but subject to your confirmation.

Welcome Merlin, Regrettably Sean hasn’t returned to the forum since the day he posted - nearly 4 years ago. Your best bet would be to send him a PM, in the hope he is still using the same e-mail address that he registered at that time. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Only question I would ask - how would you feel if they used ‘cheapest parts from their supplying motorfactors’ ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brad again, I can see you have also posted under an earlier thread, so it’s now best asked - what is wrong with your current gearbox? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Brad, Where have you tried so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Manza, so what are you interpreting from all that?

Many thanks for the additional detail James. Simple things first:- If the last recorded oil and filter change was Jan.2022, then you will appreciate it’s now well overdue. Haldex service in Feb. 18. Again overdue. ( said to be done in 2021 is just that - no evidence-? ) Plugs? Due to be changed unless receipted evidence of being changed in the last 60k. Personally I’m not a fan of so called ‘up rated’ anything, but I just go for correct ones from good brands such as NGK. Same for upgraded coil packs. I’m sure you will appreciate that current component quality can fall short of what it used to be, so I just hang on to what is there and serviceable. Fuel filter at 100K - certainly yes, although I don’t think VAG specify a mileage/ age change limit. Believe your engine has belt rather than a chain -? If so, has this been renewed and receipted in the last 5 years? If no, this will be needed to be done. Aux. belt changed? If not, again needs renewing. In case it helps, I always use Quantum Longlife 3 oil ( was/still is? recommended by VAG). Try the most reliable sellers on EBay. Filters:- I use Mann or Bosch, and avoid ECP’s best! Belts:- I use Gates. My regime is to buy quality parts at best prices, rather than buy ‘what’s fit and cheap’. Good luck with your maintenance - sounds good. Are you going to do this work yourself James? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Thanks for joining. So that members are better informed of what is involved and the reason for involvement, could you please let the forum know:- Why Audi in particular, as opposed to any marque of the period of interest? Why a C3 in particular? Location? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello George, I guess you will have anticipated that the only safe way out of this is to now scrap the wheel and replace it with a sound one. Just no point in playing around with lives and your insurance. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK thanks James. Could you perhaps have a look back through the paperwork then, and let us know what you find was done and when. Otherwise it’s a bit like ‘How long is a piece of string?’ and any suggestions may result in you spending money to renew parts which have already been changed in recent times. Kind regards, Gareth.

Very wise move I think Gaz. On the reciprocal, I did it in reverse! and found my ATS deal on Michelins a couple of weeks ago, and booked and paid for them for an arranged fitting on 4th Jan. since I didn’t want to miss the deal. Deals are obviously transient, so for me, it was just a case of checking daily -ish and jumping in when the deal suited me. Gary quoted Asda as being £200 a set cheaper than Halfords (owners of National Tyres), yet a couple of months ago a family member had a great deal on a set 4x4 Pirelli tyres from National Tyres - far cheaper than anywhere else. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Paulo, This could be as simple as one of the lambda sensors giving wrong readings, air leak etc. etc. and affecting the fuel mixture. I think you will need to invest in a more comprehensive diagnosis if you are to avoid spending on replacing unnecessary components, and an emissions fail at MOT time. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, This is rather difficult to answer, since we don’t know anything about its service history to date. Could you please enlighten us on this so we can help you further. It would be useful to at least know how often it’s been serviced in say the last 5 years - listing dates, mileages, and what was done when. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Hamza, but I clearly understood your explanation of the symptoms from the start. Where I have difficulty is understanding how the thermostat was considered to be the culprit, when the coolant got up to operating temperature ( and maintained that temperature) quickly enough. My belief is that although they may have changed the thermostat, it has proved not to be the primary cause, and the problem was associated with some malfunction of the heat distribution system - now partially fixed. From what you now describe, although better, is still not totally fixed. No doubt you will be returning it, and perhaps you could keep us informed of the final outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Danny, If it were mine, I would not be jumping to any non-tested assumptions. All of this maybe due to something as simple as a poor connection rather than the glow plugs themselves. I wouldn’t want to be rushing in and changing the glow plugs, until the car has been inspected. I would be doing a search for a trusted local diesel specialist, and getting the car assessed there. It might be worth asking for recommendations of where to go, at your local taxi ranks. These chaps need their cars sorted efficiently and quickly to maintain their income. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Danny. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gaz, I think ‘…getting away with…’ are the operative words, but you are of course right in believing you can fit whatever brand satisfies the speed and load requirements - and your pocket! As you will appreciate, the trade offs will include road holding ( in both wet and dry conditions), mileage you will get from them, noise levels etc. You will probably find, as I do, that on simple longevity, you will only get what you pay for, and lesser brands tend to wear out quicker, and the miles/£ might well show when you next have to renew them - plus you’ve probably compromised on road holding into the so called bargain. My advice for what it’s worth is to search for the best fitted prices you can find for premium brands, such as Michelin, then compare those prices with the best mid range you can find. I’ve just done the same with a set for our humble A3, and eventually found a very good fitted deal on Michelins at ATS ( never found a good deal with them before, but…). I had considered Uniroyal Rainsport, Vredstein, or Nexen, all of which seem to have had generally good reviews, and there were good deals from the likes of Demon Tweeks, Camskill etc., but by the time you add postage and local fitting charges, none of them worked out to be significantly cheaper than my deal at ATS. Not sure if any of this will help you Gaz. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Danny, When you say the coil light flashes up - do you mean the glow plug light? If so, there a place for you to start. I think it’s pretty clear that you will need to get the car plugged in to diagnose the issue, since it will be virtually impossible to remote diagnose where the root cause may be. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

That’s the sort of help that must be applauded. Shame the OP hasn’t returned to the forum since minutes after he posted the plea for help. No doubt he soon will, and thank Stephen for his help.

Hello Deborah, Apologies for jumping in on your thread, but it might be worth giving consideration to searching for a trusted diesel specialist in your area, as opposed to an independent Audi specialist. As daft as it may sound, but you could have a chat to your local taxi chaps and ask them for recommendations, since they depend on good and fast service for their still-mainly- diesel engined models. I would talk to the drivers themselves rather than the office. Good luck with it Deborah. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Byron, Many thanks indeed for the comprehensive extra detail. I hope this isn’t seen as being dismissive on our part, but if this were mine, I would be entrusting the car back to S.D. since the invoice shows an expected still-within-warranty date of 27 Feb. of next year. It seems to have been complicated by the electronics, and it might just be a simple case of some associated poor connection. I really hope they can sort it for you - without any more major expense! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, I guess you are aware that the 285 to 295 difference is the 295 is 10mm wider - seems relatively insignificant on a very wide tyre. As with many reviews, tyre reviews can be very subjective, and if noise is your main concern - you mention ‘…only 71db’ - in comparison with ..? - perhaps 72? then I seriously doubt whether you would notice this difference on a like for like pair of same brand tyres. Again as you probably know, tyres get noisier as they wear and age, so if your concerns are based on current noise levels of your old tyres, you could find this discontent diminishes if you replace with a like for like new set. Kind regards, Gareth.

I would anticipate that this was the ‘full’ expensive gearbox service -? Approx. cost, and do you know the extent of that gearbox service? If so, I think it would be a wise move to return the car to them ( if them= specialists) and seek hands on inspection there. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Byron, When was the gearbox oil last changed? Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Jakob, Could you let us know where you have tried so far, to save us duplicating suggestions. Kind regards, Gareth.