cliffcoggin

There is too much potential for sucking back air through a one way bleed pipe to convince me it is a reliable method. If the fit of the pipe on the nipple is poor, air will be drawn back. If the thread on the nipple is worn, air will be drawn back. If the check valve is sticky, air will be drawn back. The only reliable manual bleed method I know of is a two man operation in which one presses the pedal while other wields a spanner on the nipple. In essence: fit a hose to the nipple with the lower end in a clear glass jar, loosen the nipple, press the pedal to the floor and hold it there, tighten the nipple, release the pedal, top up the reservoir. Repeat until air bubbles can no longer be seen emerging from the hose. The spanner man controls the process and commands the other when to raise and lower the pedal using clear orders like "up" and "down", which the pedal man repeats when he has carried out the order. There are various pressure and suction systems available which can automate the process, but having never used any of them I can not comment on their effectiveness. You are rightly concentrating on getting the air out, but have you considered that the spongy pedal may be caused by defective seals in one of the cylinders?

You presume too much in thinking I am agitated. Since you are clearly desperate to believe whatever the dealer tells you I'll withdraw from the discussion. Good luck with your purchase.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Audi+A3+instrument+panel+repair&ia=web

In a word: YES. How much more clearly can I state it? Neither engine cleaner nor new oil will rectify a faulty clutch/gearbox. At best they will only mask the fault for a while until the guarantee expires, and then it is your problem.

The instrument console is prone to faults it seems. Several companies will repair them for less than £200, which to my mind is a better option than a breaker's item, and far cheaper than a new one. I can't help regarding the tuning, though it strikes me as odd that you would take the car from Norfolk to Scotland to get the work done.

If the dealer was so convinced an oil change would solve the problem he should have done it himself. That he did not do so is evidence that you made the right decision to walk away.

Try conductive paint. I have no idea how effective it is but you have nothing to lose.

Agreed. There's no knowing if the solution to the leak is easy or difficult, so best to walk away and find something else.

Irrespective of what the guage is reading, or what might or might not have been fitted, or whether any of it is of decent quality, the fact remains that the engine is overheating. That much is at last finally clear, so let's focus on a solution. I still believe you should first remove any airlocks from the cooling system, the A3 being prone to air locks after a thermostat change. If that does not resolve the problem then take the thermostat out and test it. Testing is easy: put it in a pan of boiling water and watch to see if the wax bellows opens. If those actions don't cure the fault then something more serious (meaning expensive) is wrong with the engine. Let us know what transpires.

I too am confused as to whether the car is overheating or not. The little I could see from Gary's shaky video seemed to show steam and hot water spraying out of the header tank, which indicates overheating. If that is not the case we need Gary to clarify what exactly the video was supposed to show.

Well if the temperature guage reads normal yet the engine overheats my first thought is that there is no water circulation. The obvious culprit would be a faulty thermostat, or the system was left air locked after changing the stat. Alternatively the water pump could be faulty, though that should have been replaced many thousands of miles ago on a 1.9 litre diesel. The service history, which you have not mentioned, would show if the pump had been changed.

Gary. Repeating Gareth's question, and adding a few of my own. Did the temperature guage show it to be overheating? Are there any other symptoms like smoke from the exhaust, mis-firing, lack of power, black or emulsified oil in the sump? Do you have a full service history? What engine is it? How many miles has it done?

There is fair chance your battery needs to be replaced. Get it deep discharge tested before believing anything a code reader tells you.

Does the car have a full service history? Did all these faults appear at the same time? Are there other symptoms when the engine is running? There is one thing that can cause all the problems with limp mode and strange warning lights, but I'll not mention it yet to avoid jumping to conclusions.

A single two month delay in changing the oil is insignificant unless the car has covered an extraordinary distance in that time or has been otherwise poorly treated. I would be very surprised if that by itself was the cause of the problem. Repeated delays in oil changing over the life of the car and/or other neglect would be a different matter. Bear in mind that manufacturers advise oil changes at more or less fixed intervals despite the fact that every car is driven differently, and hence wears at different rates. In the absence of continuous in-car engine diagnosis they can do little else, so they always err on the side of caution. Do please let us know the outcome of the diagnosis, and the recommended repair.

Sally. See this for one explanation of variable valve timing and how it is done in some Audi engines. I daresay you can find others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juJ02ZCX9rw Essentially variable valve timing causes the camshaft relationship to the crankshaft to change, thus allowing the valves to operate earlier or later for optimum gas flow under all conditions. I caution against jumping to premature conclusions regarding your engine fault light. Any number of problems that have nothing to do with valve timing can cause the light to come on, so better to wait until the diagnosis has been done.

How very unhelpful of Audi. Perhaps your car was built for a foreign market and has a non UK specification. I can't think of any other reason it would not have the expected wiring. There is another fuseboard you have not mentioned. It is in the dashboard and is accessible by prising off the right end panel. Frankly I doubt the relay you want is there but it's worth taking a look.

Stevey Y told you it would three weeks ago.

Arron. We have been through all this just a few weeks ago in your previous topic https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/19121-20-tdi-coolant-temp-issues-cause/?tab=comments#comment-68598 Just how much more proof do you want that your battery is clapped out and needs to be renewed?

Congratulations on resolving your problem. Worn differentials are rare nowadays. I guess we shall never know if the particles were the cause of the problem or the result.

As Gareth said, only somebody who has inspected the car can give a realistic valuation, so I shall offer no opinion on what you have seen, except to say the car is worth whatever somebody will pay for it. Only you can say if it is worth £4000 of your money. I get the impression it is not.

Louise. It is not clear how many DFPs you have fitted as some text is duplicated. Nevertheless DPFs, whether aftermarket or genuine Audi, do not need to be replaced every few weeks unless something else is seriously wrong with your engine. I believe whatever garage you have been to is taking advantage of your lack of knowledge, an attitude I thought had died out in relation to women. I suggest you get the engine and exhaust assessed by somebody knowledgable about Audis. I wish I could recommend Audi main dealers, but I can not. I think you will be better served by an independent Audi specialist. If you are prepared to travel to Biddenden for this I can recommend this place https://msautoservices.com/

The calipers on some cars have two bleed nipples. I don't know if the A3 does as my manual is not to hand, but it is worth looking.

I don't know what DRLs are, but my dashboard lights only come on with the sidelights. It's normal behaviour.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/search-form?moreOptions=visible&postcode=LE12 8AS&make=Audi&model=A3&price-from=2000&price-to=2500&include-delivery-option=on&advertising-location=at_cars