cliffcoggin

Keanu. What fuel? What engine size? What specific model? Nobody can give sensible advice unless you give us some more details.

Glad you got two of the problems fixed. How about the airbag light?

I don't know if it is related or not, but there was a similar problem on this forum a little while ago entitled "Constant battery drain." Unfortunately it wasn't reported to have been solved but it may give some clues.

Mario. I too am glad this has been resolved satisfactorily, and you can relax in the knowledge your car isn't "bent". Cliff.

Mario. Whether we think it is a mistake by the DVLA or somebody else is no longer relevant. The time for discussion has passed. You have revealed a discrepancy in the records relating to your car, so if you are to have any chance of retaining it you need to take action. You can put things right yourself with the DVLA or you can return the car and let the seller do all the work. If the seller refuses any responsibility then it might be time to consider legal or even police involvement.

It wouldn't hurt to check with Audi, in fact I think the DVLA is subtly telling you to get it sorted out. It may be that the engine has been changed, which is perfectly permissible as long as the DVLA is notified of the change, but be aware that your insurance may be based on DVLA records. If your insurers believe the car has a 1.4 engine and it actually has a 1.6 then your insurance is invalid, which in turn means you are driving illegally. Look at your insurance papers. Furthermore I have no idea how or why the year of registration can be changed, so the whole matter still seems mighty suspicious to me. I hope you still have the receipt from the seller just in case something nefarious is going on. A legitimate dealer would usually check these matters before buying and selling a car.

Mario. Even if the DVLA have it wrong it can only be because they have been given the wrong information. Somebody somewhere is lying about the car. Maybe it was a simple clerical error, maybe it is a cut-and-shut job, maybe it is stolen, (in which case it could be confiscated). Whatever the reason you need to investigate, and the best place to start is the DVLA.

Being suspicious, I start to hear warning bells if different agencies report differing specifications for the same car. Have you looked at your registration document or contacted the DVLA?

Ask Audi. Surely Audi has got to be the definitive source of correct information.

Well said Gareth. Personally I don't respond to anybody who openly swears or who can't be bothered to use proper English in the question. Cliff.

Judging by the size of the cables and the fuse ratings (80-100 amps) they have got be the starter motor circuit, and possibly the alternator.

Glad to hear it. Your non Audi coil may not be defective so much as unsuitable in some aspect of its design. Many after market components are compromised in design in an attempt to make them fit as many cars as possible; an attempt that isn't always successful.

Very pretty, but not sure they suit a white body. On a practical note the red lining won't last long if you scrape against high kerbs.

Whether you have warning light or not is irrelevant. It is evident there is a serious problem which needs to be resolved soon, and if you can't do that yourself you need to find somebody who can. If there is a misfire the possible causes are many, so there are two approaches to the problem in my view: [1] Throw money at it by renewing parts at random until you strike lucky. [2] Get a professional diagnosis and bear the extra cost. Only you can say which is the better option for you.

If the engine misfire has returned but now only occurs under heavy acceleration it would give exactly the symptoms you describe. You need to get it sorted out to avoid damage to engine mountings and exhaust.

Dennis. I decided to start from scratch and reread this thread in case I missed something. All I can come up with is: [1] I have no idea what a parrot thing is, but if it is some sort of home fitted device I would suspect that first. Rather than assume it draws no power because it does not work when the ignition is off, I suggest you disconnect its power supply to be sure. There may be a battery charging or memory circuit inside the device that requires constant power. It may even have a fault that isn't obvious. [2] Are there any other non factory accessories? Disconnect them. [3] You said the boot light has been removed. Was that just the bulb removed or were the wires cut? Are there any naked connections left that could short out? [4] The only thing I know of that draws power when the ignition is off and the car locked is the alarm system. I don't believe it draws half an amp in normal operation but perhaps it is faulty. I don't know how you could test it though. [5] If none of the above isolates the problem I see no alternative to taking out each fuse one at a time and measuring the current drain. (Unless I missed an earlier comment I think you said you had not done that.) It will be a slow business but could be speeded up by taking out half a dozen fuses at a time until you find the right group, and then just one at a time from the offending group.

I'm confused. Do you mean the side of the car or the rear? A picture would help.

I'm clutching at straws here, but Gareth's comment about moisture ingress reminds me that another correspondent on the forum said that A3s have a reputation for poor seals on the fuse box lids, so possibly there is a short in there.

I suggest you start the diagnosis with a compression test on the engine. It's a simple cheap test that will reveal if there are major mechanical problems with the engine. If cylinder 4 pressure is well below the others you face a very expensive repair.

If you put the right amount of oil in and it has been confirmed by dipping then it's got to be level sensor problem I would have thought.

Rebecca. Of course it can be fixed, but it will likely cost you twice what the car is worth. Do you like the car enough that you would spend that much money on it? In your position I would get rid of it, though it may be difficult to find anybody apart from a scrap man willing to take on such a wreck.

New lamps will be needed Mark. Years ago you could buy clip on beam deflectors for Continental use, there were even yellow ones for France, but I have not seen them for sale in ages. Possibly they are not even legal any more.

That's good to know for the future Stephen. Is the lid of your fuse box not sealing?

I am not clear what your steering problem is. When you centralise the steering wheel do the road wheels point straight ahead (does the car drive straight,) or do they point to one side (does the car gently turn)? If the former, you may have damage to the suspension/steering so the car needs to be examined at a garage. Is there anything unusual about the handling of the car either in a straight line or when cornering? Are the tyres worn unevenly? Or it may simply be low fluid level. If the latter, it is likely the tracking or toe-in has been adjusted more on one side than the other. Its nothing to worry about though it looks odd and can be easily corrected. The vibration under braking could be distorted discs or it indicate more serious damage to the steering/suspension. I reckon you need to get the car examined and repaired to ensure it is safe and roadworthy. If you lucky it will only cost a small fortune. If you are unlucky...

Two suggestions for you Mark: [1] If the belt was replaced by an official Audi garage then it will have been recorded on the Audi computer system. Ask Audi. [2] Try typing the German text from the sticker into Google Translate or similar to find out what it reads. I would guess the belt has been done, but it is important to check because belt replacement is critical to long term survival of the engine.