What have you done to your Audi A4 B7 today?
- Thread starter Dani_B19
- Start date
Also managed to trackdown a set of light grey valcona full electric front seats and arm rest.
Mine are manual with no lumbar adjustmet etc so very limited scope for fine tuning on the comfort front, excellent condition, just basic adjustment.
Mine are manual with no lumbar adjustmet etc so very limited scope for fine tuning on the comfort front, excellent condition, just basic adjustment.
When you said Scotch-Brite - that's quite abrasive - I know you said light motion, but it's probably the only way to take off the rest of the annodisation, to remove any milkiness. What sealant are you using?A massive improvement, still , a bit more than acceptable now.
I can see how it happen, lol. Another car another rabbit hole - you'll not have time for another B7 project soon
I only have 3 projects lined up for the AllroadWhen you said Scotch-Brite - that's quite abrasive - I know you said light motion, but it's probably the only way to take off the rest of the annodisation, to remove any milkiness. What sealant are you using?
I can see how it happen, lol. Another car another rabbit hole - you'll not have time for another B7 project soon
Fit an RS6 honeycomb grille
Full electric front seats but they maybe off the menu now due to possible wiring differences
Swap over the 18” 8j alloys for 19” 8.5j , that’s it.
doesn't need to be it's just a case of getting the retrofit wiringloom, the auto retract/open wing mirrors and for the drvers side, the mirror open/close switch.. and a little coding. which you should be able to do with your VCDS software and cable. AFAIK Kufatec does a cable but i found them cheaper on Aliexpress and Alibaba... But Kufatec cables last and are well made plus they come with a manual for retrofitting the cable( only difference with oem and Kufatec looms: all the cables are one colour but are numbered, the manual will guide you to succesfully retrofit it.
Almost forgot,
A remap and sort out the butchered towball , now that’s going to be the really difficult one.
Today I cleared and adjusted the washer jets, all were a bit blocked and one almost completely. They were all aiming a bit high and covering the roof and rear window with screen wash...I hate that!
Golf Mk4 1.9TDi activity...
Yesterday, gearbox oil change, manual 6 speed. Nice and easy, took about 2.2 litres to fill until it started dribbling out the fill hole.
Hadn't been done since new so 25 years (60k miles), it was about time. The old oil came out fairly brown but not too bad, plus no sparkly bits / haze that I could see. Nothing on the drain plug either.
I used a 2ft length of new garden hose with a funnel twisted into the end, the other end into the oil filler hole. Worked perfectly, poured in slowly from above.
The problem with gearbox oil new or used is that it stinks.
Gearbox feels nicer / slicker / cleaner throw, so I'm glad I did the oil change.
Then today was take the EGR valve off of it and clean - Mr Muscle and Gunk brush on, again wasn't too bad considering, it had about .5mm film inside and just the valve itself was pretty funky, original EGR too. Also freed up the VNT vanes by pushing up and down on the actuator rod, it gets so stiff. Didn't put anything down the EGR spout, just an extender bar on top of the actuator arm and pushing from above and the odd bash with a rubber mallet. Ultimately it needs turbo off, clean / rebuild etc. But it's ok for now, it's a result of my mums ownership before I got it nearly 3 years ago were she did 42k miles from new of very short journeys..is what it is.
The turbo on these is behind the engine quite low down and between the bulkhead, not sure I fancy trying to remove it yet.
Golf Mk4 1.9TDi activity...
Yesterday, gearbox oil change, manual 6 speed. Nice and easy, took about 2.2 litres to fill until it started dribbling out the fill hole.
Hadn't been done since new so 25 years (60k miles), it was about time. The old oil came out fairly brown but not too bad, plus no sparkly bits / haze that I could see. Nothing on the drain plug either.
I used a 2ft length of new garden hose with a funnel twisted into the end, the other end into the oil filler hole. Worked perfectly, poured in slowly from above.
The problem with gearbox oil new or used is that it stinks.
Gearbox feels nicer / slicker / cleaner throw, so I'm glad I did the oil change.
Then today was take the EGR valve off of it and clean - Mr Muscle and Gunk brush on, again wasn't too bad considering, it had about .5mm film inside and just the valve itself was pretty funky, original EGR too. Also freed up the VNT vanes by pushing up and down on the actuator rod, it gets so stiff. Didn't put anything down the EGR spout, just an extender bar on top of the actuator arm and pushing from above and the odd bash with a rubber mallet. Ultimately it needs turbo off, clean / rebuild etc. But it's ok for now, it's a result of my mums ownership before I got it nearly 3 years ago were she did 42k miles from new of very short journeys..is what it is.
The turbo on these is behind the engine quite low down and between the bulkhead, not sure I fancy trying to remove it yet.
Went to have a look at another B7 avant this morning, and surprise, another pile of scrap, fine if it was for sale at a few hundred, but at £1995 , he was just taking the weewee.
spent a while this afternoon getting to grips with the MMI in the old barge.
I didn't think it had BT, but a quick scan on my phone and it picked up the device straight away, a quick BT pair up and all good to go .
The more I look into it, the more things come to light, such as CH/LH and auto dipping rear mirror with rain sensors, etc, never had that on the B7.
I kept seeing LED letters illuminated on the corner of the rear view mirror, which had baffled me for a while until I found out it was the compass option, so one always knows what direction the car is travelling, very handy if one gets lost..lol
I'm going to have to get different alloys, the current factory 18" are nice, but just look lost in the wheel arches. The color doesn't help either; it is a great color and matches the lava grey bodywork, but just lacks something, maybe some 19", which were an option, or 20"
spent a while this afternoon getting to grips with the MMI in the old barge.
I didn't think it had BT, but a quick scan on my phone and it picked up the device straight away, a quick BT pair up and all good to go .
The more I look into it, the more things come to light, such as CH/LH and auto dipping rear mirror with rain sensors, etc, never had that on the B7.
I kept seeing LED letters illuminated on the corner of the rear view mirror, which had baffled me for a while until I found out it was the compass option, so one always knows what direction the car is travelling, very handy if one gets lost..lol
I'm going to have to get different alloys, the current factory 18" are nice, but just look lost in the wheel arches. The color doesn't help either; it is a great color and matches the lava grey bodywork, but just lacks something, maybe some 19", which were an option, or 20"
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I love CH / LH, it's something I've never had before and often thought a bit pointless, but it's not, it's really handy!
Now as the nights draw in I'm starting to notice my ebay Audi puddle lights again, love those too....so bright and clear, they don't even look tacky lol....and for the price!
Now as the nights draw in I'm starting to notice my ebay Audi puddle lights again, love those too....so bright and clear, they don't even look tacky lol....and for the price!
Lol I thought all B7's had it as standard CH/LH I actually turned it off a while back in the coding and surprise after I took the battery off it is back on... and i don't mind ot I just need to change the fog light bulbs to match the 6k white halogen bulbs I have in the headlights.
Left it on as it's starting to get darker earlier now... plus i agree those welcome lights are the best mod I did. It looks totally oem.
Left it on as it's starting to get darker earlier now... plus i agree those welcome lights are the best mod I did. It looks totally oem.
I think mine were about £20 delivered, so sharp and bright....may do the rears sometime. Plus it made two good bulbs redundant that I put on my brothers Fiesta number plate lights hahaha
No its an option, normally fitted in conjunction with other option packs.
All my doors have those welcome lights, I did keep the oem ones, just incase... all I need to sortout are those matching foglight bulbs...
I did save the seller on my eBay account so will get them soon before the weather takes a turn and gets even worse than what we have now.
talking about lights i love the welcome lights but the led numberplate lights are one of the best mods anyone can do especially for the price they go for... not talking about those led light bulbs but the complete sealed LED units that have a built-in working resistor to not get a bulb out message on the dash 
mine have been in for over 2 years now and only a few months ago i had to remove one and clean the copper contact patch on the inside as one of the lights refused to light up. Pulled it out and the copper contact patch was brown with dirt... i cleaned it back to a shine and put the light back in and tada everything works as designed.
I dislike the amount of light it chucks on the ground behind the car but it updates the look in the back. I might just shell out on LED rear light clusters too to make it a bit more modern and lift the dated looks. Might just let the kids know i want it as a gift since my B-day is coming up next month lol
mine have been in for over 2 years now and only a few months ago i had to remove one and clean the copper contact patch on the inside as one of the lights refused to light up. Pulled it out and the copper contact patch was brown with dirt... i cleaned it back to a shine and put the light back in and tada everything works as designed.I dislike the amount of light it chucks on the ground behind the car but it updates the look in the back. I might just shell out on LED rear light clusters too to make it a bit more modern and lift the dated looks. Might just let the kids know i want it as a gift since my B-day is coming up next month lol
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The perforated leather gearknob is now installed. What a pig! Whoever designed the collar securing the leather gator into the aluminimum shaft probably designed the spare wheel securing clamp too
- German hubris over complex engineering; almost impossible to click in place, when a simple plastic securing screw would have sufficed. Furthermore, I bought a useless cheap oetiker crimping tool. I've left it lose; the gearknob doesn't move, fortunately. Someone had been there before since the existing lugs were all broken. Picture to follow.
Also the rear eccentric camber tracking bolts (thanks Rob
) are now in place, ready for full tracking. It shouldn't need a spare set for some years.
I admit I had to look up on Google, CH/LH you fellas have been talking about. My car doesn't have it. It's my understanding that it necessary (on the B7s) to have the auto lights/rain/light sensor in the specific auto anti dazzle mirror, with/without compass, to have this option. Though it is possible to code in CH on a non equipped car; only they will come on during daylight too, since they are linked to and timed with the interior light when you click lock on your remote.
- German hubris over complex engineering; almost impossible to click in place, when a simple plastic securing screw would have sufficed. Furthermore, I bought a useless cheap oetiker crimping tool. I've left it lose; the gearknob doesn't move, fortunately. Someone had been there before since the existing lugs were all broken. Picture to follow.Also the rear eccentric camber tracking bolts (thanks Rob
) are now in place, ready for full tracking. It shouldn't need a spare set for some years.I admit I had to look up on Google, CH/LH you fellas have been talking about. My car doesn't have it. It's my understanding that it necessary (on the B7s) to have the auto lights/rain/light sensor in the specific auto anti dazzle mirror, with/without compass, to have this option. Though it is possible to code in CH on a non equipped car; only they will come on during daylight too, since they are linked to and timed with the interior light when you click lock on your remote.
Yeah i got all of that in the car me thinking it was standard on the s-line models... clearly someone paid for the extras as i checked the 2005 brochure... they come as a package but you had to order it extra. Now I understand why the car didn't have leather seats or the satnav... it would've added a full 6k to the price. So the first buyer just ordered the stuff he thought would be handy as extras and keep it within his budget.
Here's the new gearknob and surround fitted. If you ever replace yours buy one complete with the gaitor is all I can say. Getting the leather turned around single pleat and then fed into the aluminimum shaft was something to behold. I had to actually cut the stitches slightly to get it through... no matter, no real harm and you can't notice
The surround at 20 quid was a bargain though; almost perfect, I've been looking for one as good almost since I got the car. I was contemplating, even and crazily, dropping, £90 + tax and postage for a brand new one from Audi Tradition, via oemVWshop; but this is more than good enough for the old gal.
The surround at 20 quid was a bargain though; almost perfect, I've been looking for one as good almost since I got the car. I was contemplating, even and crazily, dropping, £90 + tax and postage for a brand new one from Audi Tradition, via oemVWshop; but this is more than good enough for the old gal.
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When the 1st owner of mine walked into Wakefield Audi, in May 2006, to collect his new car, the only thing extra he'd ordered were pearlecent Phantom black paint, Symphony II and BT phone prep, with armrest cradle attachment: standard exec rep must have, I imagine. 18" Ronals for S-Lines were a freebie upgrade from 17" until July, that year. Steve Jenkins, their top salesman, remembered that day clearly, when I spoke to him; a silly thing, I know, but history is everything if you love cars. Sat Nav was £1200+, more than leather I think, without consulting the brochure; most didn't bother; and who'd a thunk it'd have become so old so quickly. I'm not bothered he didn't; nor about the leather, but I sure would have loved me some foldback mirrors, of all things.
yes but those electric folding mirrors came in the package with fully electric memory seats ( both cloth and leather by the way) and in most cases people chose the heated leather seats too, and while they opted for those they always opted for the RNSE too. I wished they ordered a sunroof ( actually should be a standard thing on a car at that base price)
Not according to my 2006 brochure - they were a simple £220 including VAT option, with no package requirement. RNS-E was actually £1,975! Volterra leather was £1250. It's ironic that both RNS-E should you wish to retrofit it, and often Volterra leather are considerably cheaper and easier to find and fit than foldbacks today. Only personally speaking I hasten to add, sunroofs are of no interest, for the same reason convertibles have never grabbed me - I had a good one on my fully loaded Jag XJ40 soveriegn - I think I opened it twice lol; and I'm glad my B7 doesn't have one since they are often a major source of trouble with blocked drain holes too. But that's what makes us all different.
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the 2005 folder everything not in the package would amount to 6k extra...yes that includes: heated leather interior front and back, memory seats, electric folding mirrors, rnse (with bose) and the sunroof.... that all said i'm not to fussed to not have it but with the wife having copd problems( it;s just one of her medical problems) the sunroof would be nice to have.... hence the winddeflectors (because when it rains a sunroof can't be opened) Anyways, that is what i found in that brochure, and to be fair, i found that b7's with sunroofs are very, very hard to find especially when it's an avant ( rs4 avants usually have them though)
I noticed my drivers side headlight has the same broken bracket at the top, which someone had attempted to 'glue' at some point. Back to eBay.Case in point, I just bought a OS headlight, as the bracket on mine is broken (glued in place though); advert clearly showed bracket intact; arrived broken and obviously previouly glued. Photos submitted and instant refund though and no need to return.
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I'll just have to buy new in the end I think, like I was trying to avoidI did snag a great condition gearstick surround though, so not all bad.
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You know you really mean 'that's it for now...'
Just finished a simple oil and oil filter replacement... filled it up with 5w40 ful synthetic, since the car is 20 years old not going to put the water thin 5w30 in it ever.
Runs like a dream now it loves fresh oil.
Runs like a dream now it loves fresh oil.
Finding the folding mirrors to retrofit was a challenge, took me a while to find a set, as there were quite a few sets of folding mirrors out there for the convertible but they have a different fitment to the avant/saloon mirror, you also need the door control modules, plus the new mirror control switch and the trim plate the switch mounts into as it has an extra hole in it (most of which out there are heavily damaged from years of use)Not according to my 2006 brochure - they were a simple £220 including VAT option, with no package requirement. RNS-E was actually £1,975! Volterra leather was £1250. It's ironic that both RNS-E should you wish to retrofit it, and often Volterra leather are considerably cheaper and easier to find and fit than foldbacks today. Only personally speaking I hasten to add, sunroofs are of no interest, for the same reason convertibles have never grabbed me - I had a good one on my fully loaded Jag XJ40 soveriegn - I think I opened it twice lol; and I'm glad my B7 doesn't have one since they are often a major source of trouble with blocked drain holes too. But that's what makes us all different.
Fitting was straight forward, but did require removal of the window frames to ease the running of the cable.
Power fold mirrors also gave the option for dimming wing mirror glass but that retrofit is not quite finished 80% done….
Most of these retrofits would have been cheaper when new!
is another unicorn, funnily enough my car was equipped with it but the mirrors have been swapped for standard ones. The cables are in the doors, the switch is in the door, the doormodule has the right part number for it too but the mirror base doesn't have the motor... and the only real reason for retrofitting will be the dipping of the mirrors when reversing.
I stopped looking for them about a year ago.. I got used to the car not having it, I just reposition myself when reversing into a parking space with a curb on one side. That dips the view in those mirrors without me changing them.
And I never move the mirrors in when I park up so mweh I got used to it. And if someone in a drunken state decides to kick them off, at least a replacement will be easy to find. (happened to me before, after a night out, finding mirrors kicked off the door)
I stopped looking for them about a year ago.. I got used to the car not having it, I just reposition myself when reversing into a parking space with a curb on one side. That dips the view in those mirrors without me changing them.
And I never move the mirrors in when I park up so mweh I got used to it. And if someone in a drunken state decides to kick them off, at least a replacement will be easy to find. (happened to me before, after a night out, finding mirrors kicked off the door)
Good point, I'd forgotten and ignored the passenger mirror tilting when selecting reverse, the retrofit for this not just required electric seats, but memory seats in order to make the passenger glass tilt happen. I'd kind of settled with not having this function as i don't ever think I'll source the memory seats to retrofit. My own install will be limited to the folding mirrors and the dimming glass only from the rear view mirror signal
Now the CH/LH option is still on my mind, I've built the loom, and aquired all the switches, changed the roof light to version E etc, and I think it's possible to make it work correctly with just the right rear view mirror (without the auto wipers) but it's not fully connected yet. Like so many of my retrofits, they are in an interim partially finished state. Often driven by finding the needed parts at a fair price.
And that is the problem these days people tend to ask the world and don't want to come down on their asking prices... I just keep my eyes out for bargains.. and the one day I didn't look on FB marketplace a full heated leather s-line seat set including all the doorcards, armrest, climate control panel with the switches and retrofit cable was on there for 40 pounds... save to say it was gone in seconds and right around the corner from me too literally 3 blocks down and I never spotted the car or the bloke.
Mweh will keep my eyes out for another set.
Also if you want memory seats alibaba does sell a retrofit set made for their market... the model is called A4L which basically is our basic version non s-line models.
Comes with the lot to retrofit and isn't expensive... under 100 pounds but you will have delivery costs. Price falls under the import duty bracket (150 GBP) I was thinking about getting that myself...
But I want new LED rear light clusters first.
Comes with the lot to retrofit and isn't expensive... under 100 pounds but you will have delivery costs. Price falls under the import duty bracket (150 GBP) I was thinking about getting that myself...
But I want new LED rear light clusters first.
My scanner showed an underboost fault, so I tweaked the wastegate, which helped massively. I then tweaked it a bit shorter again and then finally once again Thursday evening. I can do this on mine in about 10 mins now, especially since swapping out the wastegate last year, I think it was. But what I've now realised is that I'd be running the car for about a year with the wastegate too loose. The car now absolutely flies when I floor it, especially in 2nd & 3rd gear.
It now feels like I think it should do, BUT I'd love to be able to set up the wastegate properly, as opposed to my guestimate, seat of the pants feel. I think I'll play around with my code reader and see if it shows boost pressure or something that aligns with my wastegate to ensure I'm not overdoing it. Mpg has also improved so that on a long motorway run, I can get 38-39 on the trip computer driving at sensible speeds.
I think I need to get a pump of sort with a gauge and increase the pressure I think to measure the PSI needed to crack the wastegate open and adjust from there.
It now feels like I think it should do, BUT I'd love to be able to set up the wastegate properly, as opposed to my guestimate, seat of the pants feel. I think I'll play around with my code reader and see if it shows boost pressure or something that aligns with my wastegate to ensure I'm not overdoing it. Mpg has also improved so that on a long motorway run, I can get 38-39 on the trip computer driving at sensible speeds.
I think I need to get a pump of sort with a gauge and increase the pressure I think to measure the PSI needed to crack the wastegate open and adjust from there.
I'm missing my B7, two weeks after it left for its new home, things are a bit plain and lacking in the excitement dept.
Nothing wrong with the allroad at all and does exactly as I wanted, but I miss that B7 old bus experience.....
I never really noticed how quick it was until now, the allroad is brisk and goes well in sport mode but not a patch on the old bus, just a more seat of the pants driving experience from that stage 2 tfsi BUL lump, oh yes, and the great looks too , and the comfy S4 recaros......oh deary me .
The sooner I find another suitable B7 the better.
But hey, I knew the format when I decided to sell up and get the allroad, I just wasn't expecting withdrawal symptoms so soon....
Nothing wrong with the allroad at all and does exactly as I wanted, but I miss that B7 old bus experience.....
I never really noticed how quick it was until now, the allroad is brisk and goes well in sport mode but not a patch on the old bus, just a more seat of the pants driving experience from that stage 2 tfsi BUL lump, oh yes, and the great looks too , and the comfy S4 recaros......oh deary me .
The sooner I find another suitable B7 the better.
But hey, I knew the format when I decided to sell up and get the allroad, I just wasn't expecting withdrawal symptoms so soon....
In the meantime, whilst my quest for a suitable replacement B7 continues, ive been doing a few bits to the Allroad, just some tweaks and fetling to give it a bit of more personal feel.
gave the headlamp cover a darn good going over to get them nice and clear.
Ordered an rs6 honeycomb front grille.
I've located a replacement swivel down towbar. ive had to go with a used complete factory setup just to get the towball neck section, but hey, that's the only solution, swapping it may prove challenging..lol
changing the down-facing exhaust tips for some nice shiny straight outputs.
I've booked it in for a remap in two weeks' time , nothing silly, but will up things from the factory 180 to 250 ,so worth doing.
Ive aborted the seat changover for now, and , looking at either 19" alloys or 20" S8 alloys as both sizes are factory spec options over the 18" fitted .
gave the headlamp cover a darn good going over to get them nice and clear.
Ordered an rs6 honeycomb front grille.
I've located a replacement swivel down towbar. ive had to go with a used complete factory setup just to get the towball neck section, but hey, that's the only solution, swapping it may prove challenging..lol
changing the down-facing exhaust tips for some nice shiny straight outputs.
I've booked it in for a remap in two weeks' time , nothing silly, but will up things from the factory 180 to 250 ,so worth doing.
Ive aborted the seat changover for now, and , looking at either 19" alloys or 20" S8 alloys as both sizes are factory spec options over the 18" fitted .
A bit pricy, but, it is in mint condition, I may look into it further and see what sort of deal can be struck, as it is not worth the asking price, well not in my book.
Thinking these on the allroad, well its down to three choice of alloys now.
good choice and i knew you'd soon miss your b7... simply said you got it to a point where it was almost perfect... than you bored and sold it off, just to realize now how nice you actually made it... Any way the 3.0 tdi can be remapped to a good 280 bhp whilst not destroying your automatic gearbox (torque will be just shy of 430nm) .. and that's without any engine mods..
do the usual bigger exhaust/injectors and big FMIC and those figures can go up... but the weak link will be the automatic gearbox... depending on the type it can hold only a certain amount of torque without damaging the internals, so keep that in mind. And if you'd ask me I'd take it down to BSR racing for a tune as somehow Bobby Sighn manages to get the maximum out of those diesel engines at any stage, better than anyone else in the UK. Plus since he races these engines he can advise you on what hardware works best too.
do the usual bigger exhaust/injectors and big FMIC and those figures can go up... but the weak link will be the automatic gearbox... depending on the type it can hold only a certain amount of torque without damaging the internals, so keep that in mind. And if you'd ask me I'd take it down to BSR racing for a tune as somehow Bobby Sighn manages to get the maximum out of those diesel engines at any stage, better than anyone else in the UK. Plus since he races these engines he can advise you on what hardware works best too.
Yes, I just bought from, oemVWshop, a brand new (standard) lightswitch trim, since mine is quite scratched (rings on the pull do it, over the years), and I was very lucky finding a RHD one, as you say all of the secondhand ones were worse than what I've got already - this was cheaper than many of them BTW. So I'll unlikely retrofit foldbacks now. The only reason I wanted them is for when round here, you're often caught on very narrow country lanes at passing points. I manually tilt the passenger mirror all the time too, when parking; Auttotilt would be nice, but it's no big thing.
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I don't really want to get in too deep with the allroad, I purchased it more as a daily with room for the woofers. just some light improvements to be honest.
I do miss the B7, but overall I think it was time to change and start a new B7 project. Life changes, and it can be good to just start over, albeit with a similar plan.
They are really nice alloys; but if you'll forgive me Rob, I just don't see the Allroads best with low profiles; maybe best getting the strength out of this version while-u-wait for the next B7? It's susprisingly capable mild all terrain/excellent weather capabilities are very useful; and maybe get the next B7 for shere performance? Just me I know, and each to their own
That dealer for the B7 is really taking the michael, even though compared to a 'newer' Audi it's objectively worth it to us, and a very nice example. He would have taken that in part x for a lot less; very greedy, It's makes the yellow Jap import S4, you linked to a while back seem a very honest bargain.
What engine is it? Is it chipped/ deleted? Have you checked all the pipes? What codes were you getting?