Newbie queries - keyfob & mpg

[graves_x]

Hi, I've recently bought an 04 1.9 TDI 130 Avant Sport 6 speed, (Mauritius Blue - the best colour IMHO) its a bit basic (only option seems to be the Symphony audio with 6 disk in dash changer) got a few miles on it (88K when purchased) but its an ex leaseplan car with no expense spared according to the history print out supplied (Its been on the long life service plan) so I'm not worried about the mileage. but can anyone suggest any big things likely to want replacing in the near future (exhaust, cat, turbo, clutch etc ?)

Overall I'm happy with it, as it was always a sensible purchase (new parent !) replacing a 52 Reg Alfa 156 2.4 Jtd (5 pot - 150 Bhp) Veloce with no obvious suspension, although its noticebly slower and sounds likes a diesel whereas the Alfa certainly didn't, the handling is about the same.

However the MPG I'm getting from it isn't as I'd have expected.. In the Alfa I would average 45 / 50 + MPG on my usual journey to work (nice A / B roads) with plenty of overtaking opportunities, but the Audi only seems to get to 40 if that (with less overtaking given the drop in performance!), and Motorway cruising (80 / 90 ish) takes it down further, is that right ?

Secondly, I only got one proper keyfob from the independant dealer (Leaseplan claim to have no others), I do have the plastic emergency one and all the neccesary numbers to order another, but the cost seems crazy £180ish ! Is there a cheaper way to do it ? I'm in the midlands and Sutton Audi suggested a local company 'Duplicut' might be a 'bit' cheaper. I've heard a lot about VAGCOM and know my way round computers, so is it worth me getting it ?

Anyway, any suggestions to the above queries would be appreciated

Cheers !

 

[graves_x]

Headlight bulb went today, so bought some Halfords super bright (xenon esque) replacements before I saw what a mare getting to them was but downloaded a guide from another site (vwaudiforums) is it as difficult as it looks to replace bulbs ??

And finally, noticed a crack in the windscreen, passenger side about 3 / 4 inches long but no obvious stone chip to cause it, are there any common fit / pressure issues that anyones aware of that may have caused it / cause it to happen again ?

Thats it now... really

Cheers !

 

[Nickynibbles]

Welcome to Audi ownership! Being an ex-Leaseplan car it would be a basic model indeed. Many companies use Leaseplan to supply their company cars so would seek the cheapest possible payments, meaning a car with seats & an engine basically! They're solid cars though so a good investment, the engine certainly will last if its spent its time cruising the motorways with a sales rep at the wheel. One thing to check though is the cambelt has been changed, it should be if its had full service maintenance from Leaseplan! Nothing else really to worry about!

The mpg should be better though, other 1.9TDi owners quote 50mpg on motorway runs. Are you doing the maths or using the Driver Information System (DIS) readout from the dash (although if its a basic model it may not have this as it was an optional extra!)? Suggest a re-check on the maths, then maybe a good high revving blast to blow any cobwebs out in case been sat about doing nothing for a while. Many people have chipped their TDi's getting good reliable performance gains and often a slightly improved mpg!

The light bulb change is a doddle! Im a vwaudiforum member too & the guide is a good one. You just need a long torque screwdriver to undo the 4 screws holding it in place, 2 on the top & 2 low down behind the light. Its a 5 minute job to change a bulb in reality!

 

[Macduff]

I only average about 40 in ours although most of our journeys are short and on twisty unclassified roads.

Best I've ever seen was about 47.5 (real MPG not DIS) on a run from Bedford to Aberdeen. Not as good as I expected but seems about right from what many people are saying.

 

[graves_x]

Thanks for both replies, and yes as you guessed, I've no DIS, so its Maths time - the last twice I've filled up :

Done 580 miles and managed to get 63 litres in so 41.7 MPG
Done 510 miles and managed to get 59 litres in so 39.2 MPG

The computer on the old Alfa was very optimistic, often showing 60+ MPG for my regular journey to work, but given that it only had a 63 litre tank and I would often get over 650 miles out of it, it was better than I'm getting now, I haven't seen 600 yet from the Audis bigger tank (70 litres) before the basic computer was telling me to refill...

Mind you, any excuse for a blast, so I'll see if it makes any difference !

Cheers