cliffcoggin

Not true. Guaranteed for eight years does not mean it will expire in eight years, any more than a seven year guarantee on a liquid fuel car means the engine will implode after seven years.

I hope you have that in writing because it could be horrendously expensive.

As a driver of an all electric car for the last three years I have refrained from joining this discussion until I gained some more experience and knowledge. The whole subject is a minefield of misinformation and myth which, being a scientist at heart, I am happy to dispel, or at least argue. These are my observations. ECONOMY. I bought the car for reasons solely of economy. Fuel costs of 2.5 pence per mile can not be matched by any liquid fuel car. However the car is tiny and only charged at home on cheap electricity; those with bigger cars charging at public charging stations on a motorway will get comparable fuel costs to petrol & diesel. CARBON EMISSIONS. The electricity has to be generated somehow. If that is done by burning fossil fuel at power stations then all we are doing is moving the combustion from our cars to the power stations, and nothing is gained environmentally. Electricity generation needs to done by an alternative process that does not involve burning stuff. CARBON FOOTPRINT. If the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process for both types of cars is considered, then electric cars will need to travel a greater distance before achieving carbon neutrality. ROAD WEAR. Electric cars are heavier than the equivalent non electric models so it is inevitable that more wear and damage will be caused to the roads. DIESEL vs BIO DIESEL. These two forms of fuel are virtually identical chemically, so they both emit the same amount of CO2. To argue that bio diesel is better for the environment are therefore nonsense. The only difference is that one is extracted from under ground while the other is grown on the ground surface. Both need processing of some sort to become a commercial product. BATTERY LIFE. Early lithium car batteries (such as the Mk1 Nissan leaf,) had little or no temperature control so they degraded and only lasted a few years. Later cars have much better liquid cooling/heating and hence last a lot longer. Typically they are guaranteed for eight years. BATTERY CHEMISTRY. The current lithium/cobalt/manganese batteries require sophisticated battery management systems to control their charging and discharging to avoid damage, and yet they do eventually degrade. They also suffer uncontrollable fires if damaged. Newer lithium/iron batteries are more durable though their capacity is less. They are also less prone to uncontrollable fires than LiMnCo. Both types are difficult and dangerous to recycle at the end of their useful lives. Newer chemistries such as sodium batteries have the potential to perform better on all counts though, like nuclear fusion, that goal is always at least ten years away. RANGE. The range of most electric cars is much less than their petrol/diesel equivalents and the availability of public charge points is also less so careful planning was needed for a long distance journey. Thankfully that is now changing but the two are still not comparable in terms of convenience. PUBLIC RECHARGING. [1] The ability to recharge in public has been spoiled by each electricity vendor requiring its own particular RFID card or phone application and account. Only recently has that started to change with the introduction of credit card payment. [2] The CCS plug is becoming the standard for Europe, but there are still plenty of Type 2 and Chademo plug cars on the road, so vendors should provide all three types of outlet, though few now do so. The situation in the USA differs in that Type 1 plugs have been the standard so American cars can not be used in Europe and vice versa. [3] Maintenance of charge points has been notoriously poor in the past, though that is at last changing. (The vendors received a government subsidy for installation of charge points but were not required to maintain them.) The consequence for anybody wanting to recharge in public was that one had to find a charge point that (a) functioned, (b) suited the accounts and cards in ones wallet or phone, (c) was within range. I have written much more than I intended, but I could not make it less without ignoring some essential factors.

The 1.4 litre petrol engine was notorious for a few years for its enormous oil consumption. I don't recall which years were affected so it would be worth researching to determine if yours is one of them. Whatever the result, take it back to the dealer.

Well having now sorted our volts from our amps, and are talking the same language, let's see if we can get a little closer to the problem. The normal background drain from a battery is typically about 50 milliamps. If yours is losing significantly more than that, then some electrical circuit is still in operation. Removing each fuse in turn and measuring the current flow across the contacts with your meter should reveal what is still live, though be aware that some multimeters will be damaged by high currents. On the other hand if the only loss from the battery is a few dozen milliamps yet it still goes flat then the battery has an internal fault and must be replaced. It doesn't matter if it still starts the engine, it doesn't matter if it is still showing 12.4 volts, it is clapped out. Many owners, and I was one once, refuse to accept that a battery can be defective and still start the engine, but it's true. The nature of modern car electronics is a need for a stable power supply not just a minimum voltage. In fact I suspect the "parasitic drain" I see mentioned from time to time in the forum is more likely a weak battery most of the time. Anyway, if and when you fit a new battery you will need to have it coded to the car. See this for an explanation of how and why. Blithely swapping batteries around as we both did forty years ago is no longer feasible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysatH73_gM PS. I have hidden your earlier duplicate reply for neatness. Let me know if you want it exposed again.

Audi seem to have changed its recommendations on this matter several times over recent years. Personally I would prefer to change the belt and water pump at about half that distance. It is an expensive job (about £700,) but nowhere near as expensive as the consequences of a belt failure i.e. engine destruction costing at least £4000 for a replacement.

I believe there is a motorised flap for each vent so I guess that one is defective. Wait for others to confirm my opinion before doing anything.

I was not asking about voltage, though your voltage readings suggest the battery is defective, I was asking about current, i.e. the number of amps draining out of the battery. For that you need an ammeter not a voltmeter, though most people use a multimeter which can measure both properties amongst others. FYI The current in amps is a measure of how much power is being drawn from the battery. The normal drain is less than 0.1 amps, which is the backgound consumption for things like the alarm system and the door lock receiver.

Why? Because you had not mentioned any diagnostic steps to eliminate the switch in your first post. However if you are convinced the fault is in the module I wish you luck in finding one.

Look through the history of this forum. I know there have been similar problems reported in relation to MMI, but I don't recall which models or years as I see so many posts each day. Note that Audi will resist all attempts to accept your rejection of the car, so you will need to be strong willed to pursue the claim.

Something does not ring true about this storey. If we assume a fully charged 60 ampere-hour battery and it is flat in ten minutes it must be discharging at 360 amps! That is twice the load a starter motor imposes, and is enough to melt any cable and cook the battery. So I ask again, what current did you measure with the ammeter?

That does look horribly rotten, and there must be other equally rotten places to warrant $5000 worth of parts. I doubt anybody here can advise you of the car value as this is a mainly British forum. Probably the best you can hope for is to sell the engine and scrap the rest of the car.

Well they would say that if it might involve a claim under warranty. All I can suggest is you try a non Audi garage.

How can you be sure there is a drain on the battery? Have you measured it with an ammeter?

So was my 2007 A3 diesel 2 litre, though rather long in the tooth now.

Thanks for the explanation. In my book chassis alignment refers to the shape of the car's basic structure, whereas wheel alignment refers to the suspension bits that bolt onto the chassis, hence my puzzlement.

Are you sure it is not a faulty reverse gear switch?

PS. Loss of radio presets and other odd electronic faults are classic signs of a clapped out battery. Other possible symptoms you may notice are: limp mode, air con failure, erratic gear change on an automatic.

Lee. There is no easy way to test the battery yourself. A simple voltage test will tell you nothing abouts it condition. You can get the battery tested professionally if you want confirmation, but as I mentioned earlier an eight year old battery is overdue for renewal, and it will have to be coded using VCDS or OBD11 or similar.

The video link posted above suggests that leak off should be both negligble and more ot less equal on all cylinders.

Indeed it is only new cars. My apologies.

It would help if you mentioned the engine size and fuel, but it is likely it would need to be calibrated with computer diagnostics.

That's like asking how long is a piece of string. As long as it has a full service history, the features you want, and is affordable, then take your pick. Naturally you will only get what you pay for, so the higher mileage cars will generally be cheaper, however a carefully driven and well maintained 100000 mile car will be better than a 50000 mile car that has been thrashed by a boy racer. That's why condition and service history are so important. If you are not mechanically minded, take somebody with you who is when you look at possible purchases. Let me add two things to the above. [1] Don't be sucked into any dealer supplied extended warranty. They are all worthless. [2] Bear in mind the big changes to car tax that are coming in April.

I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

That recharging the battery immediately allows the doors to lock strongly suggests that the battery is weak. If it is the original battery it undoubtedly needs to be renewed. Note that the ability of a battery to crank the engine is not an indication of it being in good condition,