cliffcoggin

You are mistaken to believe I was defending Audi's design. However even a poorly designed component will not change from being certified as sound one year to suffering a structural failure less than a year later. That, as two of us have pointed out, is the important matter here. The implication being that the testing station failed in its duty to detect the rusting at an early stage. All steel rusts eventually. It's a fact that has to be accepted as part of the expected deterioration of cars, and is part of the reason that annual inspections are required to detect such corrosion before it affects a cars road worthiness. PS. I used to the know the Angel well as I grew up near there somewhat before your time, though I have no idea what a roll house is.

There is no realistic way for the average user to test the battery. (A simple zero load voltage reading will tell you nothing about battery condition.) It needs to be tested under high load conditions and requires specialised equipment to do so. Many here will recommend Halfords for the job. Personally I will not as I believe them to be a bunch of clowns. The choice is yours. At seven years old your battery is overdue for renewal, and yes it will need coding to the car.

It could be the battery is on its way out. How old is it?

Even allowing for Audi dealers inflated prices £500 seems a lot. Try an independent garage. I am puzzled why the rear brakes are so bad while the front brakes are still at least acceptable. The front brakes on all cars provide much more braking effort than the rears, hence they usually are the first to need attention. Have the brakes been worked on in the past?

A recall on a 13 year old car? I accept that environmental conditions and the laws are very different in Canada, but such action would be out of the question in Brtitain and the rest of Europe. I would go further and say it would be an unrealistic expectation. As for surface treatment of steel against rust, that will only provide long term protection if done in the factory during manufacture, when it is possible to treat every void and hollow in the component. Such treatment after assembly of the car is impractical, possibly impossible. Of course good design of press formed components that are not waterproof should also incorporate drainage holes so that water can escape, such as you find at the bottom of doors for example. Whether the suspension arms in question have those holes I have no idea.

If new pipes are not available off the shelf I daresay there are people who can make them. An brief internet search for "car fuel pipe fabricators" showed a few.

If the distributor is seized you had better replace the whole thing. And if the drive gear at the bottom is broken you may also have to remove the sump to retrieve the broken metal.

That's very wise. You'll have a lesser chance of being shafted than at a main dealer.

If you say so, but without a decent picture I can not comment.

In the absense of any information regarding a diagnosis I suggest consulting a mechanic who can test the electronics. To simply throw new parts at the car in the hope it will solve the problem could cost you than the price of a new car.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying a car transporter has damaged your car? If so your should pursue the company involved.

Not without photo that is in focus and a description.

It may be worth your while to consult a solicitor. Some will give a short initial opinion by telephone at no charge, particularly if you have been a previous customer for something like writing a will as mine was, though if you engage him to take on your case the costs will rocket to £200 or more per hour.

I was about to suggest packing the splined hole with grease to prevent rust, but on reflection even a high temperature grease might melt and contaminate the pads.

What are door blades?

Well we all know dodgy batteries can lead to strange electronic faults, but handbrake failure is a new one on me.

If two sets of injectors have not got the car running, I doubt that injectors were the problem. Why not solve the real problem and have a working car?

Sorry Nikolas. I won't open links from untrusted sources.

The chances of the current owner of that plate reading this forum are almost zero. Have you asked the DVLA if it will pass on your query to him?

No it's not normal. The chances are that the rattle is caused by the exhaust is hitting the underside of the car, which in turn could mean that the engine mounting rubbers are soft or broken. Grab the exhaust pipe when it is cold and shake it hard to see if you can reproduce the noise. To test the engine mounts you need to lever against them with a crowbar, or get an assistant to let the clutch bite gently while you watch the engine. It should go without saying that both handbrake and footbrake should be firmly applied during the test.

Are you asking for advice or merely having a rant? If it's the former we need more details, if it's the latter I'll not respond further.

Fiona. Before you pay out for another subframe, are you sure the rest of the car is sound? I appreciate that the salty air in your location probably contributed to the subframe's corrosion, but it seems unlikely only that one part has suffered while the rest is in good condition.

Steve means you need to get it tested. Something has developed a fault that is probably unrelated to your "messing".

As the bulbs are new it's likely there is a poor connection in one of the bulb holders or a plug or the earthing of the lamp unit. It's common if water has entered the units, so ensure all moisture has been dried out and any corrosion of the terminals is cleaned off.

The forum owner/president/leader/admistrator has been on holiday for a few weeks. I daresay he will resolve the matter soon.