Envy

Hall

A little update on my last post - enabled Audi Online and had a play while on Holiday. Sucked 7GB of data in a week or so! Virgin did not send an SMS warning of going past data limit either... so £2 excess usage fee until I called them - fees dropped due to SMS error... Beware Audi online - tis greedy!

No worries Gary. I have my SIM on a 1 month rolling contract. 1GB data but Virgin double it up on deal. It is £9/Month but that offers flexi option regarding upping or lowering allowances. The SMS and Airtime seem a waste but this was a better deal than going for a Data only SIM package. Enjoy the MMi - a cracking package. With both SD slots used, phone music and the Jukebox full you will have more music than you will ever need and DVD player to boot.

I have a 2GB SIM (Virgin) and normally Rollover about 1GB / Month. I have the Wifi Hotspot enabled and on long journeys with kids this is a blessing using it to browse with Tablets. Also stops Daughter from using up her megre Data allowance on her Phone. I have my iPhone paired with Car for general calls and there is no conflict (you have to define what phone to make calls on) I also use the SIM for testing at work so remove it periodically - this is where I found a flaw - If you are not careful reinserting you can miss the slot and lose the SIM into the console. Google earth is my default satnav view - I have it zoomed to street view sometimes (nice feature with touch pad to pan around). Note you can have a rationale alert enabled each time the MMi tries to utilise a data connection. More pro's than con's with SIM for me.

Sorry Abby - missed the detail - ignore everything I have written before - good luck with the MPG quest

Note the Passat could have the optimistic VAG Software running on it. Difficult to do a retrospective check of Passat but do a Litres to fill against miles check.... http://www.mpg-calculator.co.uk/ I find my Audi Diesel brutally honest but never optimistic. your car is nearing 9 years old - what sort of miles does it have on it? Being new to you are you aware of the previous owner? Note Diesel Cars are not that good at town work (ironic that most Taxi are Diesel) but count yourself lucky that you do not have a DPF if you are predominantly a town driver. There are a couple of options open to you - a remap may help and dare I say it a Throttle Chip Box.... I would not seek greater performance but remapping will optimise fueling for better economy.

Ah - a happy ending. Note unsympathetic hoovering or big feet passengers can dislodge connections. A securing of electricians tape around the connector block may prevent future interruptions. Note Vauxhall are notorious for heated seat matrix failures - do not see so much from other makes. Must be down to seat design.

I am no Audi expert but would start looking at DPF function. On the DPF there is a differential sensor measuring pre and post filter pressure. When the margin between the two passes a threshold - the sensor will call on the ECU to do a regen. This may be a red herring but if something has changed the "factory" set up then it could be a clue.

To weld and rework the wheel would cost a fair bit and also I would not trust the wheel ever again. Alloy is fairly forgiving but even the low heat required to weld it could set up stress fractures elsewhere not dismissing the impact that would have caused that crack int he first place. Have you thought about finding a considerable pothole then taking a picture as evidence to a local authority to stake a claim? Naughty but has worked for some i know.

Does not look like off the shelf OS Pistons and or Rings are available- Custom or race may be your best option or to buy a donor car with good engine. http://www.cambridgemotorsport.com/ might be able to help but at a cost that may match a replacement short engine.

My Boss is touring Croatia and it is over 45C there - need to average across Europe and we can all be happy.

Enjoy the Car - Scotland Climate + Winter Wheels / Tyres + Quattro - there will be no stopping you....

Wheel size: https://www.wheel-size.com/size/audi/a3/ Service: Normally 10'000. You can request extended that will ping an alert at 18'000 Front Flaps: Your Audi is an S-Line so the side Skirts may stop front flap fitting... Metal Plate: You will need to speak with the people you bought the car from first. Although the finish should be good on a 1 year old car some dealers will wiggle saying that the plate is damaged. Not a considerable cost to replace and they are in a position to be a wearing part.

Ringwood Ale is ok - Old Thumper? Have BoonDoggle up the Rugby Club. Also like the Cornish Ales - Proper Job and Tribute. Back to Cider and have to say you can't beat a drop of Old Rosie.

You don't want to be quenching a thirst with is thats for sure. Down this way we have all sorts of traditional Cider. Cheddar Valley will steal your legs from under you. Nowt better on a hot day than a pint of cold Thatchers Gold. Just don't put ice in it as that is for ponces who like to dress their drinks up like Disco !Removed!.

Nice find Sven. Have seen the actuator fail on an older A6 and more recently one start to seize up on an A7 (under 4 years old!) causing intermittent fail to open Also seen it on an older VW Polo (may be related) Seems to be a problem area for Audi. Wouldn't be surprised if there is not an internal TSB out an about regarding them. I know many folk out there wont be aware of the emergency release from inside the car and this may explain many of the broken filler flaps you see out an about.

I was not happy with mine but after a lot of looking and head scratching I think they are just a straight fit and not the most robust of fits either. It sits flush, open / closes and locks / unlocks but does not pass the dial caliper test.

Mate had this on his 3.0 A6 Avant and this was the actuator ends that get slack throwing proximity warnings. It could be something more sinister but historically its the rod that causes this.... Take the car to any good Audi specialist and it's a quick if not a little awkward fix. Take it to a main dealer and I am sure they will write war and peace on an invoice. https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/331488704759?chn=ps&dispItem=1&adgroupid=38976932050&rlsatarget=pla-349351665594&abcId=1128936&adtype=pla&merchantid=113578905&poi=&googleloc=9045634&device=c&campaignid=856327663&crdt=0

Hi Phil, have not experienced it with mine. Did you change the suspension on the rear because of the loose feedback? What state are the rear bushes in? A little wear can lead to that vague feeling. Takes me back to the days of running a Ford Cortina and its void bushes in the rear trailing arms. Have you had the wheel alignment checked too? Squiffy geometry will also upset handling. The only thing I can think is happening regarding the quattro (if that is where the fault lies) is if the rear is dragging Such as ABS or Stability program reading the wrong signals and upsetting the apple cart by applying braking to the wheels.

Hi Mark, I have just feed a Halfords Exodus 470 onto my A6 with Square roof bars. My roof box came with the quick fit brackets that have a U bolt past up through the underside of the box. These have an internal width of 80mm so should be wide enough for your aero bars. I purchased my box new after getting 10% off online and an additional 16% discount for using friends and family card. In all it cost me £189. I was also looking all over Ebay for a box but they were all going for silly money unless they were in a state.

Sounds to me like you are experiencing frequent regens Nick. Do you notice the tickover speed of the engine before shutting down? Are you looking at long term or short term MPG display? +/- 1000 RPM and fans running when engine stopped are a sign that the car was in regen phase. Even on the hottest days of last week and after a 35 mile commute I did not have the engine fans running on stop at home but back in Feb when I had the car for less than a month I would get them running on the drive at least once a week.

35 is a tad low if you are driving Miss Daisy. My "mates" will average 35 MPG doing a constant 90 up the "autobahn" between west and east. 2000 miles is still young and barely run in. Question: Do you see the idle revs up around 1000 a lot? (Normal tickover revs 800). When you stop are the engine fans still running with the engine stopped? My inkling is that the car is doing Regens to cause such low MPG. Note that DPF fitted diesels do not like short runs and low revs. One comment on another manufacturer's forum said they need a good thrashing every now and then. My Avant was second hand with 9K on the clock and was doing regens weekly. I was seeing poor MPG. That has settled out now and I have not noticed a regen for over 2 months now.(Just tempted fate) If in doubt get it checked out - Audi support is good but you have to badger them. Not sure if Regens are logged in the ECU history on Audis but http://www.ceramex.com/images/Ceramex DPF Technical & Diagnostical Information .pdf Last question - Are you looking at long term or short term MPG on the car's display and have you done a real MPG check... miles clocked to refuel amount? http://www.mpg-calculator.co.uk/

Hi - I have a 2.0 TDi Quattro with Seven Speed Auto (S-tronic) In 6 Months of ownership (7000 miles) the oil has not dropped. Gearbox is the best I have ever experienced. Seamless up and down shifts even in manual mode with paddle shift being used fairly aggressively. Motorway speed wind noise is barely noticeable even at higher motorway speeds and with Quattro the handling and general road manners are exemplary. Could the noise you experienced be a combination of poor tyre condition (choice) and road surface?

Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration. The process of burning off build up of particulates on the filter by injecting additional fuel to increase heat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filter

Hi Nick, I have the same spec car and have also dabbled with the settings. Mine has done just over 16k miles. TBH I have left it in dynamic now as that is how I like it. Economy just meant I was flooring it more to get progress and I have seen no real change in MPG figures across the options. I am getting around 42 mpg long term average and have seen near 50mpg for motorway journeys, 45 for a mix of M-way and A road. I have found AC has not impacted much on economy either and have the AC set to moderate. During early ownership I found regens happened more often, this impacted on mpg a lot. In summary I am certain that I could maintain a good 50 mpg average but am always in too much of a hurry and the car goes so sweet its a pleasure to make good progress.