cliffcoggin

I have not the faintest idea what it would cost, but it is safe to say that an Audi repair will not be cheap. Take it back to the dealer, it's his problem not yours. As a truck driver you don't need me to tell you whether a loss of coolant is serious or not.

White smoke is a sign of coolant in the exhaust. Not definitive, but a sign all the same, so very possibly a leak at the EGR.

It is normal for the coolant level in the reservoir to go up a little as the engine warms up, so if the level was marginal when cold I would expect the warning to go out as the engine approaches normal temperature. Nevertheless you may still have a faulty level switch. Does your test equipment not show any fault?

It's remarkable what public exposure can achieve. Do let us know the outcome.

Hang on to all correspondence, videos, letters, emails, and anything else evidential in case legal redress is necessary at some point. With luck it won't come to that, but if a legal battle is needed it is best to be fully armed. Good luck.

Frankly Ieaun it doesn't matter what the fault is. The car is clearly defective and should be returned under guarantee for either a refund or a replacement.

Give us a clue. What engine is it?

Overfilling the oil is wasteful and can cause problems, so if I was going to use that stuff (which I never would,) I would drain 400 ml. first.

I can't Ben, and evidently nobody else can or he would have replied by now. I guess it is time to get advice elsewhere.

Dare I ask how old you are? If, like me, you are past retirement age then more powerful headlights are not the answer for night driving. Only new eyes will provide the vision needed.

When it comes to replacing parts like headlamps, on-line car breakers can be useful. I doubt you could get individual window rubbers or clips, but significant assemblies were available. Central locking seems to be a regular problem on this forum. In my case it was a broken wire inside the driver's door. Search through old topics and you will find one regarding repair of broken wires and cleaning corroded contacts.

The benefit of forums like this is that many opinions are available to questionners. The pity is that there are not more of us willing to contribute ideas to get the widest possible range of experience. I can think of no more than four of us who do so regularly.

Well I suppose what was written is ambiguous "it doesn't start with easy start, it fires up for a second". To my way of thinking if it fires, it starts. Whether it continues running is different matter. I am not denying the possibility of the glow plugs being at fault, but the chances of all of them failing are far lower than other possible explanations for the starting problem. I would want to see more conclusive evidence instead of guesses about glow plugs or fuel metering solenoid.

I am not convinced it is a myth. My A3 glow plug light goes out at the same time as all the other lights except in temperatures of zero or below, and the engine starts instantly. As for Easy Start, that only reduces the auto ignition temperature thereby enabling low compression engines to fire, so one could argue that Ryan's problem could equally be caused by low compression.

Funny you should mention that. Here is one of my favourite Youtube channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/EngelsCoachShop

Is this the same car you mentioned in https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/18217-audi-a3-8p-engine-bay/ and https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/18005-power-steering/

I can't help with your question I'm afraid, but I am puzzled why an LPG engine would need a fuel pump. Doesn't the gas have enough pressure?

I didn't know Alfas lasted that long <g>

Ah, I understand now. It's the quality of the rubber bushes and ball joints that concern you, not the metal arms. I can't help on that score I'm afraid. It will be something of a lottery without a reputation to rely on. Years (decades actually) ago Quinten Hazel was the brand I relied on, but even if they still exist I would be surprised if their parts were not made in China.

Hello Gareth. Let me start by saying I have no knowledge of the differences between cast (or would they actually be forged?) and pressed arms, and no experience of changing them on a A3. I am unclear of your reason to change to cast arms. Is it a matter of cost, durability, availability, strength or something else? If the current pressed arms are the originals they have lasted 15 years, and I imagine pressed replacements would last more or less as long, so durability is not a problem unless you plan to keep the car running past the age of 30. In your position I would fit whatever was available and known to fit, in the expectation that they would last the rest of the useful life of the car. If that means unbranded pressed steel parts so be it. Cliff.

https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/17979-esp-light-wont-go-off/

Nevertheless I still suspect air in the system. Has it been opened or disturbed recently?

There is air in the system. (Air expands and contracts.) Does the heater work?

Yes, press the belt inwards, it should barely move. If the noise began immediately after having the cambelt and water pump done I would be suspicious that something had been neglected in re-assembly.

Normally I would suggest an air leak to cause a hiss, but that would not be affected by clutch operation. Perhaps you are hearing the start of some belt slippage.