Mixed bag of daft questions!

[Audi Pardner]

Hi all

My poor old ‘07 Avant has been neglected for much of this year for various reasons so is now in need of some minor tinkering and sorting:

1. The thrust bearing is noisy. It’s not got any worse since I bought the car 10 years ago at 47k (it’s now on 68k). It’s not worth just changing the bearing, and I might as well change the whole clutch/flywheel etc too. Where’s the best place to buy the kit from to avoid getting stuffed by the stealer. Rock Auto? Any others worth trying?

2. Can anyone recommend a reliable and honest indie in Yorkshire (or slightly further afield) for the clutch replacement and service etc. Unit 20 is a bit too far, but I seem to remember they’ve a good reputation. Any other suggestions?

3. Should anything else be checked/replaced at 68k (eg box and diff oil, strut top bearings etc)?

4. Any recommendations for new TPMS sensors rather than a stealer?

5. Brake pads light is on. Best to go for OEM, or are other options such as Brembo etc worth it?

6. Lastly, one of the key fobs isn’t unlocking despite a new battery (the other one’s fine). Any ideas/new fob?

Apologies for the lengthy waffle. Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

[highrise]

4. I bought some off eBay - part number 4F0907275D. I never managed to get rid of the errors, so coded them out. I think it was a wider system issue, rather than the sensors as they can be read by the TPMS tool. Not sure if that's useful information, but maybe a warning off eBay sensors?

5. I went for https://www.autodoc.co.uk/brembo/11804405 to get the sensor as I wanted it as stock as possible. Bit of a pain as the connectors on the car were damaged and are a bit tricky to refit. I ended up coding out as I kept getting warning errors.
- Also probably a stupid question, but you've checked the pads, as connectors can get water ingress etc

6. There is a way to reset the key fob as they seem to lose connection after being away from the car for a long time.

Try:

Press and hold down the "unlock" button on the remote
While holding the "unlock" button, insert the key into the ignition
Hold the "unlock" button and turn the key to the ON position for two seconds
Turn the key to the OFF position, remove it from the ignition, release the "unlock button"

[Jezza1644]

Reference the clutch/Indie: I can definitely recommend Robnic who's still a forum member on here I think. He has a garage in North Lincs, DN17 4JW, so not far from you in Yorks.
Good luck!
Jez

[Audi Pardner]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys. Apologies for the delay in replying

I’ll have a look at the existing pads and connectors and, if they need replacing, go with Brembo (and code out if necessary). I’ll also have a longer search for TPMS sensors, as prices seem to vary widely.

And the key re-set works. Result!

I believe that Robnic has sold Nicholson Motors unfortunately, so I’ll have a trawl around. CM Tuning in Halifax has been recommended by a guy I met at a car show with a nice RS4 saloon, and I’ll have a word with Unit 20.

Big bills loom!

[GhiniRS4]

Hello,

Regarding your questions, here are my responses based on personal experience:

5. Brake pads light is on. Best to go for OEM, or are other options such as Brembo etc worth it?

My approach is to replace the brake pads with any suitable brand and then directly disable (cut off) the brake pad wear sensor. This is based on observations and discussions with technicians. The actual wear condition becomes apparent when replacing the brake pads, and there is a difference between that and when the sensor light comes on. Regular inspections during maintenance are sufficient. The cut wire is the one originally attached to the brake pads, connecting to the sensor. There is no impact on the vehicle's equipment. Of course, this method is subjective and may not be the most optimal; it is for reference only.

6. Lastly, one of the key fobs isn’t unlocking despite a new battery (the other one’s fine). Any ideas/new fob?

This might also be a situation I'm not familiar with. Coincidentally, today I encountered an issue where the original key, after replacing the battery, still couldn't unlock. It might be related to a few days ago when I replaced the central control switch, causing a power interruption. Later, I manually opened the car door using the key. Initially, it wasn't easy to open the driver's door (this part is still a bit confusing), but after trying several times, it opened. Following the steps mentioned above, I inserted the ignition key, turned it to the ON position (without starting the engine; at this point, the car alarm is disarmed because the ignition is on). Because I didn't know about the 2-second press, my attempt involved pressing the remote switch before removing the key, and the remote control function was restored.

Additionally, I find it strange that I cannot remotely control the key myself. The last time I replaced the central switch was also a matter of the two times before using the car. So, considering this, today suddenly losing the remote control function is quite surprising. I hope friends familiar with this situation can help clarify.

PS: It has been 5 days since the last use of the car, and such an issue has not occurred in the past, even with periods of over a week between uses.

Thank you.

[Audi Pardner]

Thanks for the comments.

Weirdly, the brake wear indicator light has disappeared now. Strange, as I’ve not done anything to the car or even checked out the pads. So I’ll just keep an eye on it

I’ve swapped the wheels over to my set of rotors and the TPMS light has disappeared too. So hopefully I’m OK for the MoT test later this month