Hello, I'm new to this forum & car forums in general. I hope I'm posting this correctly and that someone responds....... I just bought (used, but new to me) a 2007 A3. After a few weeks of driving, it seems to be failing in certain areas.

1. The oil min. light is on now. I just got an oil change and it's not due for another one until another 3000 miles or April 2016. I did some research and read that these cars burn oil and it's normal. I can top it off, now problem but this morning on my way to work, the oil pressure light came on. I can't find too much about this other than I should not start it or drive it until I at least top it off. Any input?

2. The coolant light comes on when it's less than 40 degrees. I've checked the levels and it is below the max & above the min. The coolant light disappears after a few minutes and doesn't come back on if I start the car again in 5-6 hours or less.

3. A symbol comes on and had stayed on. It's the symbol indicating a faulty light but for weeks it's never told me which light. I've looked at all my lights and everything works except for the lights located in the bumper. I've actually never noticed them "on" since I've bought it. Finally, the dash board stated that it was the right parking light. I know I don't know much about cars but is this something I can fix on my own?

4. I hear a weird "singing" noise when I'm driving. The sound goes away when I press on the brakes to slow down. My boyfriend says its the bearings? Again, will this need to be fixed by a garage or can I do this on my own?

I'm trying to handle all of this myself but I'm honestly getting a little overwhelmed with all of these things. I have no idea what should be done first. On top of that, my rear passenger window keeps sliding down. I know it's not the motor because I can hear it working when I accidentally press it.

Someone please help

Thank you in advance!!!

 

Hi lynz-bee,

Hopefully I can give you some helpful pointers to your questions. One thing right away - I'm not a mechanic but I do a lot of repairs on my cars to save a trip to some mechanic that charges an arm and a leg.

1.) First of all you need to know how much oil you actually have. Don't top it off or drain any without knowing the oil fill level (don't blindly trust a sensor). Grab a paper towel, pull out the oil dip stick and wipe it off. Now insert it back, wait a second or 2 then pull it out and look at it. Where do you see the oil residue (in between min/max? above or below min/max)?
Oil is critical for your system so make sure you always drive within the proper range. Too much and you could cause catalytic converter damage (and a mess), too little and you can cause all sorts of engine damage.

2.) I have the exact same issue on mine. Fill it up until you are slightly above the max line. This is the easiest and cheapest solution. The better but more involved fix is to replace the sensor inside that reservoir. I've been running around over 1 year with slightly above the max line solution without issues (don't go crazy and fill it up until the top :P)

3.)First of all the sensors for the lights can be cryptic (as you have noticed) so when I see an issue I pull out a scan cable to identify the exact issue and location. I realized you might not have access to it but I would recommend getting on if you plan on doing a lot of repairs yourself or find someone you can borrow it from.
Now in regards to the light replacement: I think you are referring to the little lights right above the front wheels. Mine went out as well last year. I would go to a local auto-store and get the correct bulb (they should be able to look that up easily). They always come in pairs and that's how I would replace them because they will fail pretty close together (mine were 1 week apart). The replacement is easy - one side you can pop out from under the hood (pushes outward), the other side you have to have to remove from underneath the car. there is really nothing scary about this one - just get your hands dirty

4.)If that sound is indeed the wheel bearings you don't want to do this at home with the limited amount of tools and knowledge available. Those things are hard to replace without proper tools. It's not really complicated but they need to be pressed into the fitting with a press (you can't do that by hand).

Good luck!

 

Thank you so much! This helps!! I appreciate your input and I will definitely start on this now. I will get the wheel bearing checked out by a pro but the rest, I will attempt on my own Thank you!

 

Quick update:

1. I did check the oil level and the dipstick was bone dry. I left my car where it was and had a co-worker drive me to the nearest Autozone. I filled it up to the mid-way point between min & max and it's been fine since then. I'm going to start checking it every week.

2. I didn't buy some coolant yet but that's next on my to-do list. The coolant light isn't coming on but it hasn't been cold here (Texas) however, that could change in a matter of hours...

3. Would an auto store like O'Reillys or Autozone have one of these cords or do I need to buy one/take my car in somewhere to get this done?

4. I'll take the car in for the bearings. Currently I'm only hearing it when I turn & occasionally when I'm just driving straight.

Thanks again, sheldon!!

 

1. Definitely continue to check this every week. If you burn more than a quart per oil change I would start wondering where it's going. I have the 2.0t and I don't have to top it off in between oil changes at all (I start with close to max and by the time oil change comes around it's close to min).

2. When you buy coolant make sure you get the Audi g13 coolant and mix with distilled water (60/40) before filling up. The Audi coolant does not mix well with any other brand (even if the bottle states it will mix with any coolant!). I did the mistake once many years ago and I had to remove the radiator and flush the entire system because it gunked up.

3. The only codes those stores can pull are active check engine lights. Any other codes or pending codes need to be retrieved with a VAG-COM cable. I bought mine here:
Ross-Tech: Home
If you buy the cable for your car it's $250, if you buy a universal cable (so you can scan old as well as new vw/audi's) it's $350. For most people that's too steep just to read out some codes occasionally but it was a good investment on my side. You can ask around in forums and other sources (google it) if someone is willing to read out your codes. Most of the time they will do it for free but I wouldn't count on it.

4. The bearings are annoying for sure when they go bad - but don't wait forever to take care of the issue. You are putting yourself in danger driving around with a bad wheel bearing. Sooner or later it will freeze up and lock your wheel. You don't ever want to experience that while driving down the interstate! You can probably get around town for a few weeks but please put that on the top of your to-do list.