Audi TT Cabin niggles dealt with by a dealer

Audi TT Roadster

Mileage | 6883 Cabin creaks and niggles result in not one but two trips to the dealer

The TT has been in for some remedial work. Quite a lot of remedial work, in fact, although none serious.

To recap: the sliding lid on the stowage tray/coin tidy in the centre console had stopped sliding, the driver’s door speaker grille kept popping out of the door card (a problem on my previous TT, too) and there was a continual creak from somewhere behind the occupants’ heads. So I booked the car in at West London Audi so that they could take a look at it.

Gaining access to the dealership is an experience in itself. A door opens and you drive into a warm and dry docking bay, where you’re greeted by a host of people ready to take the car off your hands and welcome you in. It’s all very convivial; they take your details and find out what needs doing to your car.

A mystery creak was traced to the bootlid bumpstops Trip to the dealer was an event in itself

In this case, they told me what needed doing, too. Apparently the headlight alignment needed looking at — not a recall as such, but something they like to see to if the car is in for servicing. It was for the “coding of the headlight range control”, whatever that means.

Anyway, I drove out with a technician so I could demonstrate the creak that was coming from I know not where. He knew not where either and told me that he could find it, but that it would take a while. The car wasn’t due to stay in for long enough, so we agreed that it wouldn’t get done this time.

Trouble is, not much else got done, either. The headlights were recalibrated, but none of the parts was available for any of the other jobs. They were duly ordered and the car went back for a second time once they’d arrived.

The stowage tray and the speaker grille were both replaced under warranty. The reason the grille was popping out of position, I was told, was that the clips holding it in had been moulded inaccurately. The creaking from the rear was narrowed down to the bootlid hinge bumpstops, which are made of rubber. The solution was to top them off with a bit of felt. I hope it sticks. stan.papior@haymarket.com

Audi TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI S line

Price £34,651 Price as tested £40,315 Economy 36.3mpg Faults Door speaker rattle, sticking cubbyhole cover, squeaking over speed bumps Expenses None Last seen 7.10.15

Land Rover Defender

Mileage 19,566 You might remember that in my previous update, I mentioned that the Defender had shut down of its own volition a couple of times. Well, the cause of the problem has now been found.

I was stationary in traffic on the way back from holiday in Spain when it first happened. Idling in the queue for an autoroute toll booth in 30deg C-plus heat with the air conditioning blowing and the radio belting out terrible Europop, the whole caboodle just died: engine off, radio silenced, no power steering, nothing. It was as if I’d switched off the ignition. Except I hadn’t.

I was on a downhill stretch, so I rolled onto the hard shoulder and tried a variation on the standard IT method: got out, locked the car, unlocked it again and tried the ignition. Hey presto, the engine fired up and everything seemed fine.

Feeling a bit sheepish, I switched off the air-con, in case something had gotten too hot under the bonnet, and tried to keep the car moving. But after a couple of hours I got over it and made a note to mention it to the dealer when the car next needed an oil service.

Then, a month later, the same thing happened again about 10 seconds after firing up the Defender in the office car park. Clearly not too much heat, then. Only this time it didn’t come right.

The battery seemed charged, but I’d read that some ECUs can be flaky if the voltage drops. A Defender should charge itself well enough on idle, but it was all I could think of. A spot of battery juice was no help, though.

Time to put the warranty programme to the test — except, well, I had to go away for a couple of weeks, so Land Rover HQ said they’d come and have a look while I was absent. They diagnosed and fixed a loose connection on the ignition switch — weird, but it explains the symptoms perfectly. And all seems fine again. matt.prior@haymarket.com

Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon XS

Price £28,170 Price as tested £33,200 Economy 26.8mpg Faults Loose ignition wire Expenses None Last seen 21.10.15