J.R.

Do they deliver diesel? There is a good opening for someone to sell 5l conforming prefilled fuel cans delivered to your door. Mind you with Uber-Eats, Hello Fresh, Supermarket deliveries & just about everything else available on line, working from home & staycations why does anyone need to use their vehicle other than to panic buy fuel? I have to come back over again next week, I can fill up before leaving and have enough range for both journeys and 200 miles driving around while I am there looking for fuel

You might want to address that to KenONeill

I would not touch any brake discs or pads unless I had been assured that they were made in the Audi factory

That is very low mileage for a clutch and flywheel change, was the concentric slave cylinder replaced? Definitely adjust your linkage as a first step, it's very easy and costs nothing. Try my tip of engaging the baulk ring (but not the gear itself) of 2nd (or reverse gear) for a brief time before engaging 1st gear, if it improves matters then there is clutch drag (which will always be present to a minor degree) and a worn first gear synchro caused by it. A change of transmission oil may improve matters, I gather there is a seperate thread so there could be a clue there which I am unaware of.

Albert Einstein would disagree with you.

At that age and mileage & if you hardly use the brakes then they will most likely be rusted to feck especially the inner face that is not visible. I would also speculate that the backplates are in a similar state and about to self destruct, where you live (not by the sea hopefully) and whether the vehicle is garaged at night will have a big influence. DIY or independant garage will be far cheaper.

Did you by any chance get persuaded by the garage to have the clutch replaced to resolve the problem of first gear engagement? I ask because it does seem strange to be talking of removing a gearbox to inspect (what exactly?) for a problem that has all the indications of clutch drag but it's exactly the sort of line a garage who has taken a customers money for work which has not resolved the problem would trot out.

We don't know the OP's gearbox but I would bet my house that it has synchromesh on reverse gear, it has been more than 25 years since I owned a vehicle lacking the modern refinement, my first car with it was in 1987, a Ford XR4x4, possibly the MT75 gearbox, most manufacturers followed suit very quickly This would be extremely counterproductive especially in the case of a dragging clutch having caused synchro wear on first gear.

Clutch drag. To confirm this pull the lever towards second gear as far as the point where you meet resistance in first gear (the synchroniser engaging) and then swiftly move it into first gear, if I am right then it will engage first gear correctly unless you have serious clutch drag and second gear baulks also.

To respond to your request you first need to explain what you mean by "clunky first gear" Are you talking about a noise or vibration when driving in first gear? If so under what conditions, acceleration, constant revs, over-run etc? Are you talking about a notchy or resistant gear selection from standstill? Are you talking about a clunk when the gear is selected or when the drive is taken up? Only the first one is likely to be diagnosed through gearbox removal and even then very unlikely through a visual inspection without a complete strip down.

That photo will be very usefull for the next time I remove the upper cam belt cover for an inspection, I knew that it was hanging up on something at the rear and its a leap of faith with these things working blind to deduce how hard you need to pull to release a sprung fixing or that you have missed something and are likely to break it. It looks like it may need pushing backwards to release although I have probably now broken that part off!!!

Expecting a connection like that to charge a battery in 5 minutes is somewhat optimistic and impatient, I guess you wont be an EV early adopter! Its good that it has a readout though. Are you aware that you have the same avatar as another contributor?

What is the logic of not filling to the higher "a" range if the engine is operated at high loads, towing etc? Well they actually say "not above this" this presumably being the range B or are they saying that you can drive up a high mountain pass but not above it!

What noise does an airbag make before it deploys? Some sort of warning?

Having read your "charge the battery" comments I agree.

And how do you propose the alleged uncombusted fuel from bad glow plugs finds its way out of the exhaust system to manifest as white smoke in the engine bay?

Once again a case of people relying on the equipment without even understanding the basic principles, you dont need a proper place with an accurate whatever make machine, a buckled rim can be seen with a MK1 eyeball without even removing from the vehicle. I have spent a very happy afternoon swapping tyres between rims using my old manual tyre machine which I have finally brought over to France, its great to be autonomous again and not have to rely on the very incompetent and insouciant tyre places here. It meant that I had the time to redress the buckeld rims, derust the bead seals and especially deal with the corrosion inside the valve holes and to seal the new valves and remove the bodged inner tubes that had been fitted. These were steel trailer rims that have been outside for between 30 and 45 years not alloys.

When a vehicle crabs it can be either the front or rear axle that is misaligned, a 50/50 chance or perhaps 33/33/33 of one, the other or both. In my experience the unskilled operatives of the 4 wheel alignment set ups never align the first datum axle with the bodyshell and unknowingly force themselves to move a subframe sideways where it is not necessary or they simply scratch their heads and declare that the vehicle must have been in an accident.

What do you expect frequenting establishments every 6 months that only charge if they have to make an adjustment? Any adjustment to a correctly aligned vehicle will result in the symptoms you describe. The suspension on these vehicles is incredibly robust, the location of the front & rear subframes equally but critically the mounting bolts go through large clearance holes and anyone removing them for say a clutch change has to be competent, diligent and aware that it must be realigned with either specialist equipment or very basic equipment (I use 2 laser spirit levels) by someone that knows exactly what they are doing, also the bolts have to be tightened to an incredible torque to avoid subsequent movement, most are unaware (as I was) or simply dont care, and why should they when they can get the punter on the 6 month tracking merry go round?

I have proper old school Dunlop tracking guages and regularly check mine because I can, not because someone making money out of me tells me that I should do, in 16 years and 200000 miles of driving Octavias the wheel alignment has not moved once aside from when I hit a kerb and bent a track rod, I did not need the guages to tell me that there was misalignment. So Octavias are not well known to me for throwing their tracking out whatever that is supposed to mean, it would not have come from the tyre fitter or garagiste would it? What is well known to me is the "Free Tracking Check" always reveals non existant misalignment, well it certainly exists after they have charged you to correct it so I guess the next time they would be telling the truth. And misaligned tracking causing vibration?..................

"That's it really, thats all there is to say about it"...................... You have lost six & a half minutes of your life to learn info that would take no more than 10 seconds to convey, all there is to say yet the video is only half way through

No need to be carefull, Aluminium heads use hardened valve seat inserts, even all cast iron heads have done so since the demise of leaded fuel.

Nobody younger than me will have any memory of regular decarbonisation (decoke) and valve grinding, I still have all the tools but reckon that the rubber suckers will be perished by now. Hats off to you for tackling this as your first advanced job, years back it was not o advanced but they were not the days of DOHC 16 valve engines plus all the emissions junk you have to wade through just to get to the oily bits. Back then it was routine maintenance beyond 40 miles.

No mention was made of whether it was a plastic or metal can or even a plastic carrier bag as seen on one Youtube video. It is BS to say that filling a can over 10l breaks the Petroleum Regulations (which are about storage in any case to be pedantic) it is perfectly legal to fill, to transport and to store a 20 litre metal jerrycan with petrol.

Yes, all my life I have encountered Service Receptionists that are world champion Bullsh1tters, I had business cards printed up to present to them or other suitably gifted candidates. It said "I'm a bit of a bullsh1tter myself but its nice to see a professional in action"