Steve Rogers

Photos of the sidelights as promised

Oh yes! I had the Freelander 2 on winter tyres in the 2010 winter which actually started late November and into December. -17C was recorded on the car readout and much snow was duly ploughed through. Deepest snow for many years. Here are the videos:

Yes late winters are the thing normally. Look at March 2013 for example. I had winter tyres on my Fiesta in 2014 when we had a large snowfall Boxing Day night. I enjoyed watching it fall whilst I sat watching the Avengers on BBC1 lol! I tried them the following morning in thick snow and they were absolutely superb. I’ve got some footage I’ll have to upload to show them in action. On one video, I stopped the car on a hill covered in compacted snow that had frozen over as it was about 7am. I had my doubts that I could get going again to be honest but after a small amount of wheelspin it did. A 4WD car on summer tyres would have been stuffed. As the Scandinavians say, winter tyres first 4WD second. The grip in heavy rain even when it’s milder is noticeable too.

The potential for yet another milder than average winter isn't enough to put me off winter tyres. Any conditions at +7C and below and they are better than summer tyres but in the wet I think they are better even when temps are a bit above that. Major difference in snow obviously. Having weighed up the premium brands and reviews, I concluded that I'd go for a less obvious choice. I have previous good experience with Avon tyres from the Land Rover days and so I've purchased their WV7 winter tyre (205 55 16 91V) for £45.53 per tyre with Black Circles which beats other sites easily. £193.62 total with delivery and I'll get the mobile tyre fitter I've used over the years to come and fit and balance them for £40 all in. It's a superb tyre according to the reviews and makes for very good savings over the premium brands. The tread looks very impressive and should prove very effective in the inevitable heavy rain and even more effective in highly unlikely snowfall

Cheers Glad that it may prove useful to others.

Completed my before and after footage of the headlights now. I'll try to get a still photo of the sidelights at dusk tomorrow as they look great

Thank F for that The vacuum idea succeeded in retrieving the bulb! I accessed the housing by removing the DRL bulb which enabled greater access. I then had the task of fitting the LED sidelights and discovered that this time it went in easily and thus concluded that removing the DRL bulb whilst fitting the sidelight is the key to success. On the passenger side I proved this because the holder refused to go back in but once the DRL was out, in it went no problem Just a note for anyone else planning on changing their sidelight with this method: 1: The sidelights only work one way around so try before putting it back in 2: When putting the DRL bulb back which simply twists and locks in place, you might find the wires from the sidelight are now in the way so you'll need to push those aside

Over the years I’ve fitted many upgraded bulbs to cars. So now comes the A3... I bought some Philips Racing Vision bulbs and some LED sidelights. Managed to change the headlight bulbs with some difficulties and then I tried the sidelight bulbs. It sits in a holder accompanied by a sort of paddle with which to grab onto and I removed it easily but could not get it to go back in. Changed back to the standard sidelight to make sure it wasn’t the new bulb that was the problem but as I tried to insert it, the bulb pinged off and landed inside the headlight housing!! Unlike on previous cars like my Fiesta ST a few years ago, you can’t simply remove the headlight housing. According to Google research from various sources, the front bumper has to be removed in order to get to it!!! Short of going to those lengths, or indeed a magnet, I plan to remove the DRL bulb and thus be able to utilise a larger hole and attach a rubber pipe to the vacuum cleaner and hoover the damn thing out! When I have eventually retrieved the bulb, any tips on how to re-insert the bulb holder? It was an absolute nightmare trying to get it back through the hole!

Thanks. Unfortunately mine doesn’t have anything in the back other than a coin tray and no luggage pack in the boot. So my suspicion that it doesn’t have one is confirmed. Its not a big deal to be honest. I was going to re-install my rear facing dashcam which is only a budget camera. The high quality front facing camera is more important. Thanks

Guys, the owners manual is typically vague so I thought I’d ask here. My A3 has a cigarette lighter in the front but I can’t see a 12v socket in the boot for the life of me. I have seen images on google which shows one by the small cargo net which holds certain items but I haven’t got the said net. My boot just has some lockable compartments and no sign of a 12v socket that I can see. Any thoughts?

I found some stories on Google that Audi’s and BMW’s have been stolen with this hacking method. Quite quickly too.

My A3 has keyless entry and start which means crims can hack the system and make off with my car easily apparently. I have a disklok in the shed and it works fine and has both keys. I also have a special cover for the wheel which prevents the lock from scratching and denting the wheel. The downside really is the faffing about with the lock. Would you guys say it’s a waste of time based on my theory that crims aren’t interested in a run of the mill model? They only want RS3 etc? I have GAP insurance but wouldn’t want all the grief if it got nicked. There have been a number of Audi’s stolen in Derby this way this year. Thanks

No worries. I’ve just ordered a full set of tailored rubber mats off eBay for £36. No way I was going to pay Audi’s price of £82! These are good quality anyway and I prefer rubber mats during autumn and winter so I’ll store the carpet mats until spring. I’ll keep an eye on the long range forecast for winter too. Considering investing in winter tyres which I’ve had on previous cars but we’ve had a run of mild winters lately which I hate.

Already got it mate. Those photos are on my drive. I wondered what you meant when you said private sale lol

Got it from Derby Audi and I get 2 free services with it and the usual approved used benefits. The salesman gave me a brief overview but I’ll get to grips with it.

Pictures available here:

Here's some pictures. Well pleased with it and will be going through the various options on the settings menu to see what's what.

Thanks guys. Pictures will follow tomorrow once I have it. Just trying to flog some Michelin CrossClimate tyres now off my Golf. Hardly worn at all so I have put them on eBay.

I currently own a 2008 VW Golf 1.9 TDi in dark blue and it has been acting up lately. Loss of power in 5th at 70, dropping to 4th solved it. Then loss of power in 4th at 40, had to drop to 2nd. Been told it's most likely the Mass Airflow Sensor. I though sod it, I'm going car shopping. I wanted something nice but cheap to run and I only do 8k miles per year now so I wanted petrol. So after a very impressive test drive, I have purchased a 13 reg A3 Sportback 1.2 TFSI (105 ps) SE in Shiraz red from Derby Audi. Its done 39k and has shed loads of extras. Its a 6 speed manual which is very slick and it has the comfort pack with things like acoustic glass to shield you from outside noise. It is very nippy indeed which contradicts the engine size and power figures and is ridiculously smooth and quiet. Other features include the panoramic glass roof, hill hold assist and keyless entry and start. Love the screen that slides up out of the dashboard and I was very impressed by the interior and the real feeling of quality throughout. Only £30 to tax for the year and I just wish my dad could have seen it (sadly passed away on the 14th). He had a 2012 A4 Avant SE Technik in black and loved Audi's full stop. Looking forward to Tuesday now...

Greetings all. I am new here and will be collecting my 2013 A3 1.2TFSI SE on Tuesday. Looking forward to many happy miles of motoring.