Article Date: 19/03/20
Vehicle Sold Date :
Due to the Almera's gearbox deciding to shit itself whilst I was going to fill it up recently I needed a new vehicle.
I actually think the thrust bearing failed on the clutch (or the bearings themselves). However I've had the vehicle on/off the road for constant repairs and don't want to keep spending money. So I'd rather put it to the graveyard in the sky. The Almera was the same age as the Golf, but the VW was built to a higher standard and felt more high-tech. The Almera was just shit.
Anyway. The new car is an Audi A3 2.0 SE Sportback (8P Platform). It's running the same BKD engine that was in my Golf so servicing wise I already know how to maintain these things. I'll find any gremlins with the vehicle when I buy it, since VW seem to collect them over time. In terms of overall driveability, the vehicle feels very comfortable and has a lively pickup. Mechanically the car has been well looked after from what I can see and has had some big numbers spent over the years on it, so that made me happy. Every car I was looking at I reviewed the previous MOT's. You can generally form an idea of how well the vehicle has been maintained by what's failed on it.
Incase you're wondering, every VAG based car you buy has what's called option codes. These are all the installed extras / available extras you can purchase or standard equipment codes for that model of car.
You can input these online (http://igorweb.org/equidec.aspx) and it will show you everything your car has installed. You can find the sticker in either your booklet from the dealership, or the spare wheel well.
This is a list of my Vehicle Option Codes
Whenever I fix my cars I tend to search for OEM (or OEM equivalent parts). Some good brands are SKF, Meyle HD, Bosch, Garett, Sachs and Febi Blistein. Generally German made parts are better quality than the aftermarket stuff you get. There are also other brands like Topran, although these are known to be a bit hit/miss in terms of quality. Generally the more you pay the better the quality.
I'm at the stage now with cars where I'd rather just replace an item with something new if possible as unless I can repair it as I hate bodging things. It's far less hassle and easy to fit with new nuts / bolts because of no rusting, and the lifespan of the car is longer. A lot of people see this as money wasted on a car. However it gives me a reliable thing to drive. A lot of these replacements were because of either faults that development, or because I don't know the cars history.
Since owning the car I've discovered almost everything on the car has been fitted since it was new from Audi, so all the parts are OEM originals with ~135k miles on them. As you can see from the items I've replaced some of the most expensive parts on the car, because I want to build a reliable car without issues. Ideally long term I'd love to get the entire car resprayed and all rust removed so it's perfect paint work again
I've also recorded the car's history for the purposes of data for those looking to buy one of these cars. Currently to date. I have spent £16552.56 on this car, and it's cost me an average of 37p per mile to maintain it. Now, this number seems like a lot. However if you factor in that all my data below is for EVERYTHING connected to this car. That includes any maintenance and repairs, Any MOT work carried out on the car, any fuel upgrades. the purchase of the car, and any car insurance I purchased. This number isn't very big overall. It's just an accurate reflection of the money I've spent. Think about how much this car has cost me then have a think about how much a new car costs, and how much it would cost you to maintain a new car to the mileage of the car i have and the expenses you would have to pay out. i'm not saying there aren't chepaer cars, it's just the way I see it I prefer this method. I can maintain the cars myself, I know their history and the work that goes into them. Yes. I may drive like a loony bin at times, but I do also look after my car and carry out repairs on the vehicle when needed. For me the car has to be reliable because I live in an area where there's virtually no transport routes, and work a distance from home that requirs me to have a reliable vehicle. So to me I put the money into the car, and it looks after me. Some people changes cars very often whilst I don't, so obviously cars work out cheaper than longer you own them. If you're someone who trades up cars often, then you will never save money long term unless you can recover it through purchases/sales of cars
As you can imagine if I ever sell this car I wouldn't recover the money back that I've spent on it, and someone would get a car in a really good condition mechanically. So to me it's not worth replacing and just keeping it, as I'd ask for a higher price than I paid for it if I ever sold it, simply because I know everything that's been done, and the money spent on the car. I prefer doing preventative maintenance and spending the money on the car before something cars wrong, rather than when it goes wrong. Almost every major job has been done on the car as a way of preventative maintenance. I actually want to use the car as a development platform for vehicle components and modifications. I had similar plans for the Golf until I was crashed into, so going to use the Audi now. I have a few ideas for it already, but they're more for function than aesthetic looks. As once I have these parts made, then a mould made where I can fabricate them, I intend on selling them via a shopify subdomain for my website
This is a quick summary of all major work carried out on the car since I've owned it. Next job will be a Clutch replacement (around £500)
| Mileage | Date | Type | Description | Cost |
| 171tbc | 26/05/26 | REPAIR | Retaining strap for fuel cap replaced | £2.59 |
| 171,577 | 23/05/26 | REPAIR | Rear brake calipers regreased and readjusted, front exhaust mount replaced | £15.99 |
| 168,tbc | 24/01/26 | INSURANCE | Car insurance renewed for another year. I hate renewals, probably because it means I have to talk to people. | £409.77 |
| 167,545 | 17/12/25 | Wear & Tear | Battery died on car, purchased a new one and fitted replacement. Only a 2 year warranty but will provide team to obtain another better model | £99.51 |
| 165,499 | 27/09/25 | Repair | Replaced the radiator on the car, the slow leak I had eventually started into a large leak. I replaced the radiator with a Mahle unit and filled up with Comma Xstream G40 premixed coolant | £116.04 |
| 164,125 | 07/08/25 | MOT | Annual MOT - MOT Failure, passed after work carried out. I had to replace 2 bulbs, and a drop link on the anti roll bar as the threads were sheared off as I hadn't fully tightened the nut. Passing mileage was 164,142. The actual job only cost me £65.43, but I tried buying some drop links next day delivery on eBay, but I was worried they wouldn't arrive in time (they didn't). So I went to a local auto factors, and purchased one directly to fit that morning. The 2 I received are being kept as spares for future work/repairs if needed. Addvisors on the MOT were Registration Plate faded, Handbrake Fluctuation, and Exhaust mounting defective. They're the next things to repair/replace. | £93.01 |
| 164,099 | 03/08/25 | Repair | Front drivers side wing resprayed and replaced with new fitting kit, rust had gotten into wing from water ingress and car jacking over the years. Sill OK, treated with rust prevention. Wing damaged. Kept for spares/practice. Also replaced the underbody shield on the car, and noticed I had either damaged radiator or intercooler so another issue to look at. | £112.44 |
| 164,090 | 02/08/25 | Wear & Tear | Tyres replaced on car as all bar one was low. Replaced with 5 x Bridgestone Turanza 6, spare wheel in boot full size spare too. Vehicle tracked on hunter alignment ramp. | £650.80 |
| 162,766 | 13/06/25 | Service / Repairs | Annual service (Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Fuel Filter, Pollen Filter and Sump Plug replaced), alongside replacement of the Crankcase breather hose in the engine bay and the rear boot lid struts as one of them had failed. | £107.29 |
| 155,721 | 28/08/24 | MOT | Annual MOT - Drivers side wheel bearing advised as it's noisy and has some play, to be replaced | £40.00 |
| 155,721 | 28/08/24 | MOT | Annual MOT - Drivers side wheel bearing advised as it's noisy and has some play, to be replaced | £40.00 |
| 155,444 | 17/08/24 | Repair | Repaired the Audi A3 door loom, to fix an issue with the Airbag light appearing on the dash because of intermittent G179 sensor connection | £14.95 |
| Rear suspension replaced (Shock absorbers, springs, upper and lower arms, drop links, tie rod, anti roll bar bushes) | ~£700 tbc | |||
| 146,510 | 06/09/23 | MOT | Annual MOT (brought forward 6 months to create a gap on car insurance) - 1 bulb needed replacing. 1 advisory (rear arms corroded but OK). I'll probably replace them before the next MOT | £54.90 |
| 146,468 | 01/09/23 | Repair | Front ball joints replaced with TRW replacements from Eurocarparts (highlighted on previous MOT) | £62.98 |
| 143,371 | 06/05/23 | UPGRADE | Replacement car mats fitted from carmats-uk - Ones I had originally were rubbish | £59.99 |
| 141,815 | 07/03/23 | MOT | Annual MOT - Parking Light bulbs replaced. Advisories (OSF and NSF Ball Joint Boots - Replacement recommended on Ball Joints) | £56.12 |
| 140,910 | 07/01/23 | INSURANCE | Car insurance renewed | £467.34 |
| 139,864 | 22/12/22 | Repair | Replaced failed brake light bulb (OSR) from spares | £0.00 |
| 139,572 | 12/12/22 | Wear & Tear | 4 new Tyres - Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (225/45/Y/17 XL) | £379.40 |
| 137,764 | 16/08/22 | Repair | Repaired the heater vents on car, the flaps became disconnected and locking up | £0.00 |
| 136,433 | 05/08/22 | Wear & Tear | Interior reading light bulb replaced (purchased a pack of ten). Main beam AND dipped bulbs replaced with Osram Nightbreaker 200s, carried out restoration and cleaning of headlights due to UV damage. | £72.90 |
| 135,908 | 16/07/22 | Repair | Rear wiper motor and washer jet replaced | £56.35 |
| 135,702 | 06/07/22 | Repair | Turbocharger replaced with new factory Garett GT1749V Turbocharger from Darkside Developments, Oil Return and Braided Oil Feed Line. I also carried out an Oil Change using Motul Specific Oil and a new filter, additionlly replaced the vacuum pipe to the turbo. All mains filters replaced (Air, Fuel, Oil, Pollen) at the same time PLEASE NOTE : The price listed is only based on the items I used for the repair, I actually spent more, but some items I didn't use, realistically you can do it for around £800 (New Turbo + Braided Line + Oil / Filter). The rest can be reused in a pinch |
£940.02 |
| 135,511 | 29/06/22 | Repair | Mass Air Flow sensor replaced. Getting plenty of black smoke, low performance, and poor MPG. Warnings in VCDS about intermittent problems. Replaced with a remanufactured OEM version from Darkside Developments. ADMIN NOTE : This turned out o be a split hose near intercooler. See my turbo replacement article, wasn't needed but done anyway, and I now have a spare OEM MAF |
£115.67 |
| 135,388 | 21/06/22 | Repair | Rear headlamp nuts replaced (broken on MOT, mechanic used 10mm nuts to hold them temporarily) | £4.99 |
| 135,020 | 11/06/22 | Wear & Tear | Front windscreen wipers and Rear windscreen wipers replaced with Bosch Wipers from Halfords (H772 for Rear), (AM 980S for Fronts). | £43.00 |
| 133,924 | 30/04/22 | Wear & Tear | Rear sliders replaced on the brake calipers (rear). This was the only part of the system I didn't replace and my handbrake cables are unbalanced slightly. The RL caliper pin was sticking so I'm replacing them | £17.98 |
| 133,193 | 01/04/22 | Wear & Tear | Vehicle battery replaced, flatted due to cold weather. New replacement ordered from Tayna (EA852) | £82.57 |
| 132,682 | 15/03/22 | MOT | Annual MOT - Passed, advisory on the NSR tail lamp up to 1/2 not illuminated, so wiring issue or board to replace [Minor advisory]. Garage replaced the bulbs | £54.00 |
| 132,326 | 02/03/22 | Repair | Windscreen replacement arranged. Large crack found in windscreen from corner near wiper blades. Being sorted through insurance, excess paid. Most likely caused by the previous garage doing the last MOT. I can't prove it, but it makes sense now because the wiper nut covers were missing after my last MOT and I had to replace them. You have to remove the wipers/cowl to do this and mine covers were missing/damaged and they weren't when I bought the car. The garage I bought them from was the only one to do work on my car prior to this | £115.00 |
| 132,217 | 27/02/22 | Wear & Tear | Replaced the Front Brakes (Calipers, Sliders, Discs, Pads). Rear Brakes (Calipers, Discs, Pads) and Handbrake Cables. I also repaired the Front brake pad wear sensor | £385.61 |
| 131,667 | 05/02/22 | Repair | Repaired the G45 Front Wheel Speed connector because it had previously been bodged, and caused the ABS/ESP lights to be lit | £7.99 |
| 131,502 | 29/01/22 | INSURANCE | Car Insurance Annual Premium - Fully Comprehensive + Business Use | £467.34 |
| 127,355 | 08/08/21 | Wear & Tear | Inner door handle broken. Possibly disconnected (fixed for next MOT, I never got round to it, it was loose on the inside) | £0.00 |
| 127,137 | 28/07/21 | Wear & Tear | Lower intercooler hose blew off. Purchased a new one and clips from eBay and O-rings. Keeping the old to mock up a "doggie clamp". I'm looking at getting a company like stig fasteners to supply the nuts, and a CNC company to laser cut the metal. Do a 1 off, then get bulk order pricing if there's interest in it. | £65.00 |
| 125,842 | 12/06/21 | Service | Fuel filter replaced on the car (BKD engine), used the filter I received for Xmas | £0.00 |
| 124,766 | 19/05/21 | Wear & Tear | Front wiper blades replaced | £9.98 |
| 124,766 | 19/05/21 | Repair | Front wiper nut covers replaced - they were taken off and never replaced during MOT when I had my suspension fixed | £3.82 |
| 123,904 | 02/04/21 | Service | I carried out an annual Oil Change and replaced the Air Filter using Mann Filters and Triple QX Oil (items received as Xmas present). I couldn't do the Fuel Filter because it turns out a screw was rounded. I didn't want the headache, so I'll do the job when I purchase some new screws | £0.00 |
| 123,396 | 13/03/21 | MOT | Annual MOT - Broken Coil Spring, worn strut mount, worn handbrake cable. Both strut mounts and coil springs replaced. Handbrakes adjusted, cables to replaced before next MOT | £230.00 |
| 123,305 | 10/03/21 | Repair | Number plate light bulb replaced (pack of 4 purchased) | £1.52 |
| 123,272 | 09/03/21 | Wear & Tear | All 4 car tyres replaced with Arrowspeed AS01 (225/45/R17 94Y XL) | £266.00 |
| 122,394 | 03/02/21 | INSURANCE | Car Insurance Annual Premium - Fully Comprehensive | £549.85 |
| 120,216 | 04/08/20 | Wear & Tear | Replaced parcel shelf pins as they were broken | £2.79 |
| 119,874 | 24/06/20 | Major Service | Timing Belt, Waterpump and Coolant replaced with OEM Parts by Darcy's in Durham | £395.00 |
| 119,670 | 01/06/20 | Repair | Replaced the Ignition Switch Solenoid with an OEM equivalent from eBay | £31.85 |
| 119,515 | 19/03/20 | INSURANCE | Car insurance transferred over from the Almera (The Almera was £399.98 and it cost me £122.30 in extra in premium/fees to transfer policy) | £522.28 |
| 119,515 | 19/03/20 | PURCHASE | Purchased vehicle from a local car sales place (DH Car Sales) | £2000.00 |
| My costs since purchase - £7650.50, including car price £9240.73. More detailed notes below (current date written 14/08/25) | ||||
Previous Owner History The current Battery is an absolute animal. It's an EXIDE Battery (Exide EA852 to be exact), has 85Ah capacity and 800CCA. No problems when it comes to starting my car :=] |
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| 114,195 | 21/09/19 | PREV-Repair | Supply and fit rear pads and N/S rear brake caliper (Mickley Garage) | £157.74 |
| 111,016 | 11/07/19 | PREV-Repair | Radiator replacement and antifreeze (Mickley Garage) | £274.76 |
| 104,147 | 09/01/19 | PREV-Service | Oil Change, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Fuel Filter, Fuel Conditioner, New Sump Plug (Mickley Garage) | £221.90 |
| 91,775 | 21/06/17 | PREV-Repair | New Camshaft Sensor (Mickley Garage) 2.5 hrs labour for this suggests this must be a pig of a job to do | £191.12 |
| 91,251 | 29/03/17 | PREV-Repair | Tandem Fuel Pump Replaced, Fuel Filter Replaced, Diesel Flush (Airboune Motor Engineers) | £540.34 |
| 88,661 | 09/11/16 | PREV-Repair/Service | Service (Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Fuel Filter), 4 New Tyres, New Rear Brake Pads, OSR Brake Caliper Changed (Airbourne Motor Engineers) | £488.51 |
| 26,161 | PREV-Service | Oil Change - (Autocare Garage Services) | ||
| 14,130 | 11/01/11 | PREV-MOT/Service | Oil Change [Oil Filter, Sump Plug, Oil - 5w/40 Quantum Platinum - (Whitehill AUDI) | £129.00 |
| 9,825 | 19/01/10 | PREV-Service | Oil Change [Oil Filter, Oil- 5w/40 Platinum, Sump Plug, Pollen Filter] - (Whitehill AUDI) | £98.99 |
| 4,983 | 19/01/09 | PREV-Service | Longlife Oil Change [Oil, Sump Plug, Oil Filter - (Edinburgh AUDI) | £0.00 |
| PREVIOUS OWNERS COSTS | £2102.36 | |||
| Total Maintenance Costs : £ = £ per month maintenance Total Upgrade Costs : £ Time : 5 years, 5 months Total Mileage driven since purchasing car: 44,610 miles Current ongoing running costs (price / miles drive) : £0.20 per mile (including price of car) £0.16 per mile without Fuel cost (using MPG Calculator app) 5051.62 litres in 126 fill ups Total mileage 48115 AVERAGE MPG 43.70 Total cost £7890.46 (annually - £1420.03) (cost per mile £0.163) Overall Cost (to date) - Total costs £16552.56 Actual real word running cost (£16891.23/48115 miles) = £0.35 per mile |
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Total Money Spent on Car + Maintenance, Repairs and Upgrades: £ |
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| ITEM | TOTAL |
| Repair | £1220.86 |
| Wear & Tear | £1363.05 |
| MOT | £284.00 |
| INSURANCE | £2416.58 |
| Service | £0.00 |
| Major Service | £395.00 |
| PURCHASE | £2,000.00 |
| PREV-Repair | £1,163.96 |
| PREV-Service | £320.89 |
| PREV-Repair/Service | £488.51 |
| PREV-MOT/Service | £129.00 |
| MY COSTS | £7,679.49 |
| TOTAL | £9,781.85 |
This is a breakdown of the entire vehicle to date from 1st owner, to ownership including me. Previous owner costs identified as PREV-
These are the current faults / issue that I've found since scanning the car. I'm expecting the cars got a few electrical gremlins as I spotted some when inspecting the car. I'm not going to argue with it though, you can't expect something perfect for £2000, but I'm happy with the vehicle and I'll get these sorted out. Mechanically VAG cars are OK, modern ones are normally more electrical faults than mecahnical ones. Most of my faults are due to wear and tear or lack of maintenance from previous owners. I aim to restore it all to working condition again
VCDS SCANS
Just as a note here, I never encountered this issue on my Golf. However the tandem pump failing appears to be common on Audi A3 TDI. They seem to fail around every 30-50k miles. The most common sign is oil in the fuel filter housing and a glow plug light appears on the dashboard with the car going into limp-mode and juddery. I'll keep an eye on it for mine and budget for it. Or at least to watch out for as oil will contaminate the fuel system and can knacker up the injectors or in worse case can cause a Diesel Runaway. Pieburg Pumps from Euro seem to be around £350
Here's a better video of Diesel Runaway
Regardless, if your vehicle suffers runaway, stall it (CO2 in the intake, block it off, dump the clutch in 6th gear, pull the fuel pump fuse). Another cause could be injector O-Rings, but apparently the tandem pump is easier to replace. If you want to do this as a preventative measure, it may be worth sending an Oil Sample to a company whenever you do a service (say every 10-20,000 miles) to test for contaminants. As a preventative measure, some people use Liquid Moly Fuel Purge with an inline filter to clean their engine out
