Mouser

I had mine replaced at ~65k. There was some noise from small air bubbles in the coolant, and some evidence of coolant having leaked. New coolant, belt, pump + fitting came to £260.

If this is something like purple parking at an airport, they'll be able to jump start you if necessary. I'd suggest unplugging any add on satnavs / dashcams etc.

right click on <<< that picture and view image for gunmetal finish (powder coated).

Assuming it's powder coated, yes you'll get that to some degree. If it were a serious concern, you could have had them sand / fill / sand them before hand, but you'd have been without your wheels for an extra day. When I had mine done they were very upfront about this, but the end result isn't noticeable unless I really study them, less of an impact than the dust that accumulates over a journey.

Same issues as well: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=audi+dpf https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bmw+dpf The same issue for the same reason, diesel cars are not suited to everyone's driving needs. If you regularly do short journeys then diesel engines are going to give you maintenance woes. http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/2012/1/9/problems-with-diesel-particulate-filters-may-push-companies-towards-petrol/42044/

It was in response to your question about how to un-seize the slide pins. If you're seriously concerned about rust on the body, then underseal is the way to go. I just jetwash as best I can, and I've not encountered any serious rust yet. Tyre wear - set your pressures so that wear is even. The required pressure depends on load, speed, temperature & sidewall stiffness and you'll likely not have a well calibrated gauge - in short, set the pressure so that the tyres wear as they should, rather than obsessing over a specific number. My tyres are directional, and front & rear are different sizes, so no. Shocks - clean them off and check back in a weeks time. If oil is leaking you'll see it. Losing two drops since they were first fitted isn't a worry, significant amounts over the course of a week and you'll soon be bouncing along and suffering handling issues (plus a failed MOT).

You can see what gunmetal looks like in my profile picture. Right click and view image for a better look. Brake dust doesn't show up easily, it looks a little meaner than standard, but not murdered out like black wheels can. Note that some insurers fuss about anything other than default silver and charge a tenner extra, although my current one (AXA) does not.

You asked what to use and were considering WD40 or other penetrating oils. The stuff to use is a 50:50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/penetrating-oil-showdown.350800/ Shake well before use and don't get it near your paint. If that's too much of a fiddle, then penetrating oils designed for issues caused by rust are what you want in this application - not to say bathe it in nitric acid, but you need more than just pure lubrication. Even vinegar will dissolve rust effectively given half an hour.

Will do. It is important for people to understand that in most cases this is not going to help them though. There is a good how to section on here which covers many of the tasks which someone without access to a garage will be able to do in a huge amount of detail, and I'd strongly advise people to look over there and ask specific questions about tasks they are uncertain of. There isn't always someone online here who's done the task you're looking to accomplish, but generally the user base is knowledgeable and willing to help out.

It's 246 MB, what do you propose? Also, on it's own it'll not turn you into a mechanic, it's a good reference, but you'll still need to know what you're doing.

Axle stands under the axles and chocks on two wheels. Why would you want to use the pinch welds? As the main jacking points are a long way under the car, I find it easier to use a scissor jack to raise the car off the ground to gain access for my floor jack. It'll fit under, but there's not much room to move the handle to lift it.

Same, jumping in from an A3 S line I felt there might be an issue, but it's just a different approach. It does feel slightly under braked to me, but not enough to be troublesome.

Why have you chosen a semi synthetic? To the best of my knowledge it's meant to take full synthetic.

You're not going to find much in that price bracket with all the options, and the ones you do see are likely to have some issues. I've been tracking prices for a while now, as I'm thinking of selling mine, which is a 57 plate SE with ~70k, and private sales are listing between 6-6.5 in normal condition, about 1-1.5 more than that from dealers. As far as what to look for, full service history and recent MOT (were advisories done?) is a start, but I tend to look at the tyres, appearance and general cleanliness. A 200bhp car on cheap ditchfinders screams to me that the owner hasn't taken care of it. Mismatched or very worn tyres tell me that not only do they not care, but they haven't been able to afford the upkeep, so the oil will be old, the filters will all need changing, several brakes will have seized/worn to nothing and I can expect to find a whole host of broken or worn parts (e.g. leaking shocks, MAF sensors, budget repairs). Given a good set of tyres cost over £400, oil & filters £100, and respraying just the bumpers & bonnet ~£500, it's very easy for a 'bargain' to turn out being the most expensive car listed. If there are more serious issues, then you can be looking at a lot more than that, hence my caution in the first sentence about 'issues'.

That being Texas, perhaps the driver shouldn't have had that fifth McDonald's for breakfast?