cliffcoggin

I moved this to A5 section as it does not belong in Banter.

If the battery went flat over a few days it is dead and needs to be renewed. Spoilt batteries can not be resurrected no matter how long you leave them on charge and no matter what a simple voltage test may tell you. Sulphation, or its equivalent on a modern battery, has left it with an internal fault that can not be repaired.

I have never come across wheel bearings that have over-heated unless there is a lubrication fault, which seems unlikely if the car has been well maintained. That leads me to wonder if the caravan is over loading them. Have you checked the load on the tow hitch?

Two words I'm afraid Gareth, not one, and it's definitely not an Americanism. It's odd how simple slips become ingrained. For example I used to be able to spell accomodate without a thought, but now I have to look it up every time because I double the "m", single the "c", or substitute an "a" for an "o" or various permutations of the three. Cliff.

I suspect your computer believes "incase" (as one word) to be a name or proper noun, though it should actually be two words "in case". Do you have Incase listed in the computer dictionary by chance? If so, try deleting it.

Helicoil is more than strong enough for the job, BUT you do need to accurately centre the drill bit and keep it square, which rules out a hand held drill unless you have a fair bit of experience in using one.

It could be condensation from the aircon; it could equally be a leaking heater matrix or a leaking windscreen seal. Does the water appear after rain? Do you need to top up the coolant level more than once per year.

Doesn't the handbook tell you? Or do handbooks not exist any more?

My guess is that the GPS antenna, which is separate from the radio antenna, is faulty. I don't know if it is internal or external to the unit.

I wouldn't rely too much on what the dealer tells you. What does it say in the handbook or manual about fuel quality? As Steve said, the engine will be fine. It is the fuel lines and seals that need to be resistant to alcohol.

It's no consolation to any of you who have to drive there, but I solved the problem of ULEZ etc. by simply not going to London any more, despite living only 30 miles away. I turn down custom from anybody living in the zone as driving there is more trouble than it is worth.

He is probably waiting for a notification of a reply because it is SO much work to actively look for himself.

The rear screen wash can leak into the boot if the motor seal fails. Would be worth checking this point before squirting sealant all over the shop.

Lee. You are not giving us much information to work with. Tell us about the motion of the car when the knocking occurs. For examples is it turning, braking, accelerating, idling, bouncing on rough road, or something else? Does the noise sound metallic or muted? Can you replicate the noise by manually bouncing each corner of the car at rest? A decent sound recording would help.

I agree the car should be returned immediately. In fact I would not have accepted it if the rattle was still there on start up.

Very likely. You might be able to clean it rather than replace it, but I'd wait for others to chip in first.

Thank you for the information Merlin. Please let us know the outcome.

Believe what you want Tony, but I can assure you that coding is a neccesity for things other than stop/start. The car's electronics are sensitive and require a stable power supply from a battery with no internal faults in order to function properly. I wish you luck with your problem, but it seems I am wasting my time trying to convince you so I am withdrawing from this discussion.

Tony. The Halfords report is inadequate in that is performing a simple voltage test under a meagre load. What is needed is a deep discharge test which simulates the heavy load of about 200 amps imposed by the starter motor, rather than the dozen or so amps used by the lights and screen heater. Halfords are also wrong in their comments about battery coding. To my certain knowledge A3s from at least 2007 need to have the battery coded in order for the car's electronics to work correctly. It is even possible, though I am less sure of this point, that your repeated disconnection of the battery is causing the coding to be lost. It would need somebody more knowledgable than me to clarify that. Whatever the cause of the problem, the symptoms you presented of the battery being unable to hold a charge are classic properties of a faulty battery, hence my conclusion that you need a new one. I suggest you get the car tested by somebody more competant than the clowns at Halfords. If and when you get a new battery get a decent one, have it coded, and never disconnect it without good cause.

The only other thing I can suggest is to burn them off, but that's no good unless you can get replacements first.

Miley. Old rubber can certainly stick well to rusty steel. Have you tried splitting the plates with hammer and cold chisel? It would help to have them lightly bolted in place to stop the ARB bouncing around and absorbing the hammer shocks.

PS. Don't forget to have the new battery coded to the car or it won't work, and do please let us know the outcome.

Thank you Tony. At last we have a symptom! The battery is clapped out and needs to be renewed.

Tony. What's the point of showing us pictures of a battery? I'm sure we all know what batteries look like. The only thing I ask is what you perceive to be a problem with your car? It has already been explained that you do not have any excessive drain on the battery, so why do you continue this topic? Is there something else that either you have not explained or we have missed in your introduction?

Tony. As Gareth pointed out, what you wrote and what you show are not the same. Your meter shows 60 mA drain which is perfectly normal. To mind there is no problem, so a solution is not required.