Steve Q

As of March 31st 2017 France has introduced 'clean air' windscreen stickers, as a legal requirement in some of its major cities such as Paris, Lyon and Grenoble. The sticker is designed to allow the authorities to know the emission levels of the vehicle displaying the sticker based on the euro Emissions Standards. As you can imagine the initiative is designed to low the pollution levels within French major cities. It should also be noted that cars registered before 1997 are already banned from Paris on Weekdays as of 2020 cars registered on or before 2011 will also be banned. The stickers cost as little as £3.20 and vehicles travelling into the above cities without a sticker can be fined up to £117! When ordering your sticker you have to upload a copy of your V5 (log book) document to the database. This must be uploaded in JPEG, PNG or PDF format and the file size must be under 400KB. PLEASE NOTE that on ordering your sticker it can take up to 6 weeks to arrive! Further Info https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/law-change-for-uk-drivers-in-french-cities/ Official Crit air sticker (certificate) website https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en (Be careful of independent companies charging up to 4x the amount for the sticker!) Vehicle Emissions Standards Emissions standard Applied to new passenger car approvals from Applied to all new registrations from Euro 1 1 July 1992 31 December 1992 Euro 2 1 January 1996 1 January 1997 Euro 3 1 January 2000 1 January 2001 Euro 4 1 January 2005 1 January 2006 Euro 5 1 September 2009 1 January 2011 Euro 6 1 September 2014 1 September 2015 Euro 1 (EC93) Implementation date (new approvals): 1 July 1992 Implementation date (all new registrations): 31 December 1992 The first Europe-wide euro emissions standards were introduced in July 1992 and the regulations weren’t anywhere near as stringent as they are today. That said, the fitment of catalytic converters became compulsory on all new cars, and Euro 1 required the switch to unleaded petrol. Back then, only hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide were tested, along with particulate matter in the case of diesel engines. Over the years, the regulations have become stricter and the limits lowered. Euro 1 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 2.72g/km HC + NOx: 0.97g/km Euro 1 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 2.72/gkm HC + NOx: 0.97g/km PM: 0.14g/km Euro 2 (EC96) Implementation date (new approvals): 1 January 1996 Implementation date (all new registrations): 1 January 1997 Euro 2 reduced the limits for carbon monoxide and the combined limit for unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide, as well as introducing different levels for petrol and diesel engines. Euro 2 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 2.2g/km HC + NOx: 0.5g/km Euro 2 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 1.0g/km HC + NOx: 0.7g/km PM: 0.08g/km Euro 3 (EC2000) Implementation date (new approvals): 1 January 2000 Implementation date (all new registrations): 1 January 2001 Euro 3 split the hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide limits for petrol and diesel engines, as well as adding a separate nitrogen oxide limit for diesel vehicles. The warm-up period was removed from the test procedure. Euro 3 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 2.3g/km HC: 0.20g/km NOx: 0.15g/km Euro 3 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 0.64g/km HC + NOx: 0.56g/km NOx: 0.50g/km PM: 0.05g/km Euro 4 (EC2005) Implementation date (new approvals): 1 January 2005 Implementation date (all new registrations): 1 January 2006 Euro 4 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 1.0g/km HC: 0.10g/km NOx: 0.08g/km Euro 4 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 0.50g/km HC + NOx: 0.30g/km NOx: 0.25g/km PM: 0.025g/km Euro 5 Implementation date (new approvals): 1 September 2009 Implementation date (all new registrations): 1 January 2011 The big news for Euro 5 was the introduction of particulate filters (DPFs) for diesel vehicles, along with lower limits across the board. For type approvals from September 2011 and new cars from January 2013, diesel vehicles were subject to a new limit on particulate numbers. DPFs capture 99% of all particulate matter and are fitted to every new diesel car. Cars meeting Euro 5 standards emit the equivalent of one grain of sand per kilometre driven. Euro 5 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 1.0g/km HC: 0.10g/km NOx: 0.06g/km PM: 0.005g/km (direct injection only) Euro 5 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 0.50g/km HC + NOx: 0.23g/km NOx: 0.18g/km PM: 0.005g/km PM: 6.0x10 ^11/km Euro 6 Implementation date (new approvals): 1 September 2014 Implementation date (all new registrations): 1 September 2015 The sixth and current incarnation of the Euro emissions standard was introduced on all new registrations in September 2015. For diesels, the permitted level of NOx has been slashed from 0.18g/km in Euro 5 to 0.08g/km. A focus on diesel NOx was the direct result of studies connecting these emissions with respiratory problems. To meet the new targets, some carmakers have introduced Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), in which a liquid-reductant agent is injected through a catalyst into the exhaust of a diesel vehicle. A chemical reaction converts the nitrogen oxide into harmless water and nitrogen, which are expelled through the exhaust pipe. The alternative method of meeting Euro 6 standards is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). A portion of the exhaust gas is mixed with intake air to lower the burning temperature. The vehicle’s ECU controls the EGR in accordance with the engine load or speed. Euro 6 emissions standards (petrol) CO: 1.0g/km HC: 0.10g/km NOx: 0.06g/km PM: 0.005g/km (direct injection only) PM: 6.0x10 ^11/km (direct injection only) Euro 6 emissions standards (diesel) CO: 0.50g/km HC + NOx: 0.17g/km NOx: 0.08g/km PM: 0.005g/km PM: 6.0x10 ^11/km https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/euro-emissions-standards/ Hope this is all useful :) Cheers Steve

Your most welcome Chris :) If it were me I'd go for the 3.0tdi but obviously there are varying opinions on both engines. A vehicle check is a very good idea and the AA, RAC and independent companies offer this service. I think with some companies there are limits in terms of the age of vehicle. I.E if the vehicle is too old or has too high miles they wont come and inspect it. But its worth mentioning to any seller that you would like to have the vehicle inspected by a specialist, as the sellers reaction will give you a good idea on the vehicles condition. If they are reluctant or refuse then Id suggest to walk away. Remember there are plenty of audi a6's to choose from! I would speak to the AA and RAC first as I don't know off hand any audi inspectors if that makes sense. I would try google or even the yellow pages for VAG specalists in your area as I'm sure they can put you in touch with someone. I would say for a cambelt/waterpump replacement you'll be looking anywhere from £400-£600. Oh and I would try and get a car with full service history. (Sorry if I'm telling you how to suck eggs!) Truthfully I'm not to knowledgeable about the auto gearboxes from this era of audis but as a general rule with auto gearboxes make sure that the gear changes aren't jerky and if the car has paddles on the steering wheel make sure they change the gears smoothly. Also on test drive flick the car to manual mode to make sure the car is changing gears properly then as well. Glad I've been useful :) Cheers Steve

Welcome to the forum Christian :) Is it a 2005 model a6 your after? I would check the service history to see when the cambelt/water pump was last changed. Also make sure that the aircon works properly as it can be costly to fix if the pump or condenser has gone (approx £1000). Again make sure all electronic items work such as windows as they too can be expensive to fix. Make sure the car changes gear properly and there's no untoward crunching and the clutch feels fine. (not high or stiff) check service history to see if it has been changed previously. Listen out for any whines from the turbo as they too can be costly to fix (approx £1000). hope iv helped :) cheers steve

Your most welcome for the advice:) we're always more than happy to help :)

I am very surprised that they didn't tell you you could refuse. When I worked for a vw service department I always told customers they could refuse. Hace they said the egr needs replacing or what have they said is wrong?

Welcome to the forum :) You can't go wrong with a stainless steel exhaust. This will make the car sound sporty :) other mods to make it look nice is lowering it on sports suspension kit which will lower the car by around 30mm or coilovers which will lower the car and give a stiffer ride. Linked with this you can't go wrong with a nice set of alloy wheels. Normally 17 or 18 inch wheels are good :) Oh and have a quick look on google images or our club gallery for some inspiration :) hope iv helped cheers steve :)

Looks good Gav :) dont hesitate to ask questions:) cheers steve

Your welcome Gareth :) Oops! you have a very good point, I should have put it in the recall action in the first place! ;) i believe it is the onus on the new owner to sort it cheers steve

Hi Mick, welcome to the forum :) youll find the members on here are a friendly bunch :) dont hesitate to ask questions :) cheers Steve

Great advice Trevor. Highly informative! Thanks :)

Hi Thibault, I had a similar problem with my a6. I had to unlock it via the drivers door and again if I did not do it fast enough the alarm would go off. The car ended up going to an auto electrician and the drivers door lock mechanism had to be replaced. It cost me £120. I deffo think it has nothing to do with your key as the symptoms are the same as mine and I did not have the keys replaced or re-coded. (or they weren't re-coded to the best of my knowledge when it went in for repair). Hope iv helped. Cheers Steve

So glad it was useful and glad the console is realigned :) Those Haynes manuals are great! Cheers Steve

Just thought I would post some links to recent motoring press articles with regard to the emissions recall. Various issues are occurring to vehicles after the update has been completed. Info on the recall https://www.whatcar.com/news/volkswagen-delays-emissions-fixes/ https://www.whatcar.com/news/volkswagen-emissions-need-know/ Recall causing breakdowns http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/92893/vw-emissions-scandal-recalls-compensation-is-your-car-affected-latest-news https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/volkswagen-denies-its-dieselgate-fix-causes-breakdowns Vw Tiguans loosing power https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/volkswagen-emissions-scandal/8-reports-of-volkswagen-tiguans-losing-power-after-ea189-emissions-fix/ Engines loosing fuel economy https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/autocar-test-shows-worse-economy-after-volkswagen-diesel-fix https://www.carthrottle.com/post/volkswagens-diesel-emissions-fix-lowers-fuel-economy-claims-real-world-test/ If you have an affected vehicle then in my opinion I would not have the emissions recall done. Especially if your car is remapped or modified. Also a lot of cars that go in for recalls are being flagged up with egr/egr cooler issues which have to be fixed before the recall can be carried out. This can cost over £1000 to fix! I speak from experience as I worked as a service adviser at Volkswagen. Also the recall/update is NOT a legal requirement and does not effect your vehicle tax. I hope this is useful for some of you :) Cheers steve

VENUE CHANGE now being held at Flat showground Further information 1. Live music & DJ 2. Bar 3. Show n shine 4. Sound system competition 5. Flame out competitions 6. Child friendly 7. Camping facilities

Welcome to the forum :) I would say a good induction kit, stainless exhaust and ecru remap :) Cheers Steve

That's a good find! :) once you've worked out the site

The brm was a cracking car. Allegedly better than the mg zr! And that red quilted leather was gorgeous! Along with the green paint and orange grill! And finished off with nice wheels! Great car!

No worries Nicky :) and we all sure do enjoy our Audis! :) even though I did get a puncture this morning and was cursing the car a little lol

Ah yes, that cracking scene!

Your welcome :)

Yep! It sure is! :) would be great to have you on board Ross :) would you like to display your s3 at the event with us? nice one Dan :) and that shouldn't be a problem:)

And Volvo used an estate version in touring cars if I remember correctly

Looks gorgeous! Hope she was worth the wait! :) just letting you know that your more than welcome to display your Audi at the upcoming events. The nearest one to you is vag Tuner Live at donington park on Sunday 16th July. Have a look at the events section and let me know if you'd be interested :)

Oh yes I remember them! Was yours an estate or saloon? Yellow was the best colour by far!

My grandad had a 1984 Volvo 760gle turbo diesel which he bought new. It has covered 230,000 miles before being laid up on my uncles farm. In approx 2003/2004 I found it in a field and When I went back to see it some months later it had gone and my uncle had got rid of it. I regret not saving it as it was the only tangible item of my grandads who died before I was born. It was nothing special but meant a lot to me as i remember the car as a child. Sorry for the sob story lol