Warrior193

The only thing I can see is normal operation during upshift. You could expect to see a slight hesitation on throttle-up due to turbo-lag at low revs - again, completely normal.

Hello, welcome to the forum. That looks to be perfectly normal drop in revs due to gearbox upshift.

Some research suggests your engine will be EA111. Not sure with Aus. rego - but you should be able to identify the engine model by 3 or 4 alpha characters at the beginning of the engine number. Some EA111 Twin Charger engines appear to have suffered similar issues to EA888 gens 1 to 3.

Hello, welcome to the forum. Strongly suggest that you do careful research on possible engine issues with the Twin Chargers. Find out engine model (possibly E888 Gen2 or 3?) Some E888 engines have had pretty catastrophic oil-use issues. I also recall that there were some issues with DSGs.

But no harm in fitting one - apart from to the pocket. The AGM should generally be far superior in life and performance. One thing that should be checked is if the alternator is capable of correct voltage output to properly charge it.

However, if there is any play in the distributor shaft itself, this could have a significant effect on dwell angle and timing.

^^^ Agree with this - or just a quick touch on the brake pedal to disengage CC.

It seems simplest way to disable Coasting Mode is by selecting Sport Mode - seems to be that to permanently disable requires accessing the vehicles software via VCDS (or similar) device.

From a search on a VAG site, that symbol is 'Automatic Shift Lock' warning, informing that the automatic gearbox is locked in neutral - press on brake pedal required to release - as you say you have a manual shift, this must be some sort of instrument cluster error.

You could ask the Dealer what they used on it and get a suitable product to wipe it off - but I'd guess that it will probably wear off naturally pretty quickly.

Hello, welcome to the forum. Going from the Dealer mat on the floor, I'd guess that its some type of treatment that they've ill-advisedly put on the steering wheel to 'dress it up' - it will probably wear off pretty quickly.

Hello, I assume that you have DSG gearbox - the feature you ask about is almost certainly 'Coasting'

Incorrect positioning of the rotor shouldn't directly affect the ignition timing - but you may possibly get a weaker spark as the gap increases from the rotor to the required spark lead contact. Ideally, the points should open while the rotor arm is closest to the external plug contact, but there will a fair degree of tolerance because rotor contacts are normally curved.

To ask clarification again - is the symbol you refer to the shoe/foot within a circle, surrounded by two brake shoes, all in red?

@PetrolDave is it possible for you to post an image of the A5 camera circa MY16?

I can only see one symbol illuminated in the image you posted. Would be better if you describe it - or draw a highlight ring on the image.

What I meant by my question was - is the handbrake operated with a normal lever - or is it foot-operated? What does the 'not fully illuminated' symbol look like?

The only indication I can see in that image is the red symbol and would more suggest to me something to do with a foot-operated brake system - is there anything unusual with the handbrake on the Mk2?

I strongly suspect that if you take the engine output to anywhere near the figures you first suggested, you will very soon be looking for a replacement engine.

It's not unheard-of for new batteries to fail prematurely, definitely the first thing you need to do is carry out a load test on the battery. If you do not have a load tester available, the easiest way to do this is with a fast-response DMM on the battery terminals while someone cranks the engine. The near-fully charged battery dropping to around 8.0 VDC while only loaded with ancillaries and glow-plugs strongly suggests your battery is faulty.

Hello, welcome to the forum. I cannot see that an attempt to increase the power of a 20 year old engine by more than 60% will end well - especially on a low budget!

^^^ True for batteries with removeable cell plugs - pretty rare now, mostly sealed type.

What voltage are you reading on the meter at the terminals when the alternator is operating?

Not necessarily, the bad cell will still be in circuit (series), but drop its voltage when its on load.

Happy New Year. I'd suggest first checking the battery terminals for tightness, then having the battery load tested - dropping to 8 volts strongly suggests a faulty cell in the battery.