Had some word back as follows.......
Some codes found as below, will need to check into, but for now......





Timing belt, water pump and aux belt all done A ok......









Bear in mind, I've went through around 3 batteries from new on this car, they eat them up, or at least mine does....lol
I advised my wife ( why bother?? ) around 3 months or so ago as we approached winter that it may be prudent to check / replace the battery, I distinctly remember one day she was leaving and I heard her struggle more than usual to start and we had that discussion!
Well, we all know that these cars ( The Jag seems to be the same ) do not do well with weak or failing batteries..........they can and do cause many spurious / silly / intermittent faults / issues.

Tech advised that the battery was only holding up to around 55% of charge and this may be the issue with the epb, very possible
Now looking at a replacement battery

Will also look into the engine mounts too.....
Job done in good time too and all for £275...........nice one, coulda been a lot worse

 

Ok so getting the usual £180+ from Audi and have since checked around

My battery is a 110AH 850CCA 000 915 105DL Audi battery ( Varta stamped on it )
Its the big sucker at 393mm x 190mm x 175mm

I've actually found an Ebay supplier called Batterybay based in Cannock, they're offering this

VARTA Silver I1 Heavy Duty Battery 12V 110AH 920EN, 5Yr Wty Range Rover Audi BMW for £98.50 BUT.....don't deliver due to size / weight
Having said that, they gave me the details of the company based in Glasgow who they buy from, said I could collect if I wanted to.....

Of course I called the company direct ( as you do ) but they wanted £145, so I guess the Ebay company has some pretty damn good discounts
Looking to get this perhaps tomorrow and get it fitted, same size dimensionally, same Ultra Heavy Duty lifespan ( 5 year warranty ) and CCA increased from 850 to 920, so all good imo

 

Ok so here's whats in my boot currently, genuine Audi battery ( Varta can be seen on it )
110AH 850 CCA
Its a big bugger at I'm sure 393mm x 190mm x 175mm




Here's what I'm replacing it with......





Its made by Varta and has the same dimensions
It's specifically for Audi, BMW, Range Rover, Jaguar and other high end premium cars
I've opted for 110AH but a slightly increased CCA ( Cold Cranking Amps ) at 920

Having checked extensively I came across pricing from £140 up to around £190 from Audi but found this one on Ebay through a company called Batterybay
It has a 5 year warranty with it and cost £98.50
Should be fitted tomorrow

 

That's cool , Varta is a top tier brand when it comes to batteries
110Ah seems to me a lot though but if there is not a storage issue due to restricted area of the tray it makes sense going with the bigger one

 

Yes Caddie, the OEM battery was Varta, although branded as Audi.
The original also was 100Ah but the CCA ( Cold cranking amps ) was 850.......I increased this to 920, no bad thing.

 

Well, I knew the wife's Audi A6 ( my old car ) was coming due for m.o.t. and silly me, I thought for once she may have remembered and actually done something about it.
I hear you ask, well, what do you think now Jim?

Yep you guessed it, totally forgot and it was due 3 days ago!!

I made a quick call to the guy we normally use, explained the situation and asked a favour, could he fit us in, like right now?
He was mad busy but said, drop it off and I'll get it done, I'll get her booked in that way if stopped by the Police you're covered. The wife took it for a quick mini valet then dropped her off and we waited for the results.

I got a call back around 2 and a half hours later and the news>>>>>>>>>>>





Passed with flying colours, no advisories.....all good for £35 and he doesn't just put a pass on anything, not his style
Happy days, wife breathed a sigh of relief lol
She's hitting around 136k miles now but still in great shape with very few issues. I did mention to the wife about a possible change, but she's having none of it lol

I talked her into getting her serviced too, talk about pushing the boat out!!!
National tyres on Saturday will sort engine oil / filter, air filter and fuel filter £80.00 job done.....

Hope to meet up with Danny boy as he goes in with his X358 for his oil change, so a wee brekkie in order for Sat am and a catch up

All good

Jim

 

Jim,

I've never been one for gender assignment with cars - it gets too confusing. Which is the Audi and which is the wife?

Good to hear she passed the emissions test at her age.

Graham

 

Lol Graham, it's a tough call, really can't say


Jim

 

Well, took her in for the service today and all went well.....

1. Engine oil and filter replaced
2. Air filter was in good shape, changed anyway as a matter of course
3. Fuel filter replaced
Total cost £70.00

She's now sitting at 136,413 miles and in all honesty drives like a dream. The weather was pretty crap this morning, rain & drizzle ( noticed a few cars broken down / spun out at the side of the road due to standing water / aquaplaning ) but the ole girl tracked straight n true with the Barums on, which are still at around 6-7 mm.


Only thing I noticed was she was struggling to get up to temp, I'm thinking coolant temp sensor so not a major deal hopefully, will check and advise once sorted.`

Other jobs -
Fuel - of course she was MT, so it was topped off, cost £78 and bill will go to Mrs C to be paid
Of course the screenwash was MT so that was topped off with screenwash mixture / water, all good
Rear licence plate, one of the sticky pads had came away at one side and the plate was loose there, 5 minute job and good as new now.
Front grille - This was a little "scummy" from road grime / oily deposits etc etc and did NOT look shiny. I spent just under an hour with Sonax full effect wheel cleaner and brought back both the grille and Audi rings to as new condition.
Wheels had been "cleaned" sort of recently, but not to my standards, so out with the Sonax again and 30 mins later BAM....all nice n shiny apart from scrapings / kerbing marks on ALL 4 that were only refurbished a few months ago....what a waste of time!!

There's a couple of little scratches here n there ( nothing major ) but I have a touch up pen and intend to rework them in the spring / summer months
That said I have a detailing kit with DA machine and polishes etc and may have a go at shining her up at that point too. The paintwork isn't exactly in bad condition but there's a few swirl marks here that detract from the overall appearance.

Just a little over 4 hours spent with her and yes, still a great car to drive, 136k miles + and you'd never know it

Having said that, I discussed with the wife about a possible change, she's now 10 years old and the mileage is creeping up. She's worth around £3k on a good day now I reckon.
My son may be looking to change his Jaguar X type 58 plate 2.2D Sport premium, fully loaded with front heated screen, Bluetooth, leather, heated seats front n rear parking sensors, Sat Nav, cruise control and more. By the time he may be ready to sell it'll be on 80k genuinely loved n looked after example and probably worth around £4.5k

It's had the clutch and DMF done recently, brakes all round and a steering rack, in great condition and I'd like to keep her in the family, see below....


I think I'll go down that route, makes sense for all concerned, but a little way off yet anyway
Still lovin the A6 at the moment, great car.....

Jim

 

Good to see that MOT ordeal was done for a year .That Audi is definitely looks like new , one wouldn't tell it's covered more than 100K miles .
Happy Driving

 

Well more potential movement re the A6, still all possible maybe's at this time, but looking more and more likely

As stated, my youngest son, may be looking to change early moving on from his Jaguar X type 2.2D Sport Premium

He's looking at various PCP / PCH options and cars such as the Jaguar XE R Sport 180, Audi A4, Ford Mondeo 2.0d Titanium X, Passat CC etc etc

The Jaguar XE is coming out tops and favourite at the moment, but still early days, hoping for a weekend test drive in the next few weeks

As I mentioned, I said to the wife and she's kinda excited to possibly have the X type which is a great car and looked after / loved, a 58 plate with only 70k miles and about as good as you'll get for the year

Then, I happened to mention this to my daughter, who is now salivating at the prospect of getting the A6 so it'd still be in the family, although likely to suffer more pain and abuse in her elder years

A nice little chain reaction going here, interesting to see if it pans out lol

Jim

 

Good thread and great reading.
Thanks for sharing Jim.
If you were close to me I'd pay you to work on my car seeing your high standards. But it sounds like you have a full time job with your families 4 wheelers.