I may now know why I have been suffering from headaches recently.......

......so finally got the cam belt done........great now runs soooo much better and with no more rattling going on under the bonnet!...........BUT just before I dropped the car in to the garage yesterday noticed a bit of smoke coming through the front air vents......strange I thought, maybe (due to the rather bizarre weather we had been having) that is was condensation coming off the aircon that was running......no obvious smell etc (well I say that but apparently my wife could smell something but as a smoker had no clue ).

Anyway didn't think much about it and knew it was going into the garage anyway and had asked them to give it a once over etc while doing cam belt (and leak on oil transfer box)......so arrive at garage and yup, they can smell the 8 (oil transfer box of course, isn't it), so no problemo, that is until the wrong part was ordered by the local audi dealer which they didn't notice until they were about to start (thankfully before they pulled the car apart though), but no problem as I could pick the car up and part will arrive Friday and hey presto back in and done and ready for lunchtime, great . That is until I take a long drive home tonight (relatively speaking this is Jersey and its only 9x5 miles!) to enjoy the new found smoothness and refinement of my lovely engine when after 10 mins I was nearly gassed out. popped bonnet and it appears to be exhaust fumes rather than anything burning off the engine area (i.e split oil or anything) and mainly from just underneath the back of the engine cover right in front of where all the vents are etc that suck air into the car..........................my question is I'm £500 down on parts, another £350 on labour, still another £200 to go, have ordered a set of new wheels and I'm about to dish out a load more cash sorting an IPOD connection etc out (just posted another thread on this challenge!) so am seriously SKINT and after all this TLC and cash being thrown at it the bloody thing it has actually been trying and kill me by carbon dioxide poisoning..........

PLEASE, PLEASE, can anyone tell me what the F*** is wrong with it and how much is this going to cost.......

(if this sort of behaviour continues it won't be getting the "special time" clay followed by polish, long rub down and then buff I promised it this weekend thats for sure!)

[jayzee]

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your woes.

Is it definitely exhaust fumes? I would say a manifold leak if you are sure it is, but you would hear it. Could be a crank case breather pipe (nasty oil fumes), or even a rocker gasket.

With the best will in the world, it is very difficult to diagnose on an internet forum - I'd get the car back to the garage and get them to have a look for you.

I'm afraid it is a case of expensive car (when new), and big running costs - no matter the age. This is why so many of these end up on the scrapper

Keep us posted on how you get on

[Conan_the_Librarian]

The 2 most likely problems are the camshaft cover gaskets (many have had issues with them) or breather hose leaking (Ditto). To tell, when the engine is cold put your hand down the back of the offending head after the covers are off and check the state of cleanliness. Oil from the camshaft covers leaks down onto the exhaust and gives of an orrible smell.

With the breather hoses you get less oil and also it causaes other issues.

Have your mechanic check those first.

[quote=jayzee;14265]Is it definitely exhaust fumes? I would say a manifold leak if you are sure it is, but you would hear it.

Sorry to be ignorant, but when you say I would 'hear it' what sound am I looking for? I know I had a rattle before the cam belt was changed, but as I have only had the car a few weeks (and assuming its always made a noise) I'm not sure what it supposed to sound like.

It does smell more like exhaust fumes but could well be burning oil? What i do know is after I have been putting my foot down is VERY smokey i.e. you can clearly see clouds of smoke pouring out even with the bonnet shut

Its going to go back in the garage Friday bt wanted to give them a heads up in case I needed parts ordered (joy of Jersey is almost everything has to be ordered in and I need the car for a wedding on the weekend)

[jayzee]

It would be a minor ticking sound if it were the manifold, but don't confuse this with the injectors which is normal.

More noticeable when cold as the manifold expands with heat.

I would go with Conan on this, as his suggestions are known ones - especially the cam covers, which could possibly be the issue from what you have described.

My experiences are with non Audi group cars

Originally Posted by jayzee

It would be a minor ticking sound if it were the manifold, but don't confuse this with the injectors which is normal.

More noticeable when cold as the manifold expands with heat.

ah haaa.......so checked for oil (nope - no obvious wet patches), next checked breather hose (or think I did, could have been looking at the wrong thing!).....anyway whatever I was looking at seemed fine as well. So started engine from cold and yes can hear a 'ticking' that does not appear to be quite right.......to be certain went for a blast again and hey presto, can't breathe again (but feel strangely relaxed and all is good with the world).......get home pop bonnet and the ticking is not really as obvious now car has warmed up and doing a very convincing impression of my BBQ after several beers and a 'forgotten' pack of sausages.

I'll get the garage to check EVERYTHING but am pretty ceratin its the manifold as the smell is like sticking you face near the exhausts and taking a nice big deep breath.........not entirely happy but feel better now it seems clear the manifold is the most likly problem.

Appreciate the help very much from you both in helping me narrow down the potential causes ................right off to empty the kids piggy banks while they sleep to pay for this

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by alefustec

......get home pop bonnet and the ticking is not really as obvious now car has warmed up and doing a very convincing impression of my BBQ after several beers and a 'forgotten' pack of sausages.

Do you mean its smoking quite a lot? (i.e. said sausages are burnt - lol) as a leaking manifold wont really emit a great deal of smoke - i would be surprised if it was noticeable to be honest.

When you go to the garage done tell them what it wrong - if the diagnosis is free let them have a go first - if they come back with a valid idea that you hadnt thought of then thats cool, but if they come back with a load of rubbish you can then point them in the right direction.

The danger is if you tell them to 'fix a leaking manifold' and like good little boys they go off and remove it, replace the gaskets and clean the surfaces and re-assemble it only to find it doesnt solve it, then thats your problem. but if they diagnose it as a leaking manifold and they remove and re-seal it to find its not fixed then thats their mis-dianosis, which is there problem, and therefore should be favourable on the pocket....

I never tell them what to do - Im able enough to diagnose it (plenty of time spannering on old cars, new cars, and racing cars) but dont have the time to DIY the fix, so i get garages to do the work, but be sure to never tell them what to do as it can backfire.

P.s. Love the car, the colour really suits the '8, and i think it even looks great on the 18" Avus's!

Thanks for this, very good advice.

- yup diagnosis is free, so your right, I shouldn't say what I 'think' it is as they probably will just be lazy and go off fix something that isn't broken!

I'll tell them to take the car for a blast so they can see for themselves. And ohhh yes I'm mean REALLY smoking - but only when pushed hard, otherwise is not very notieable at all.

I really like the colour too (LY7Q) - has a nice pearlescent quality to it that changes with the light, so when really sunny looks more silver and when not (so most of the time!) looks more almost dolphin grey. I kind of like the Avus as well, but really wanted to fill the acrches out more so have just ordered a set of 19x9.5J wheels for it. (wanted 20's but just too expensive for my pocket at the moment!), hoping they look the business as the offset is 35 so may not even need any spacers.

Have to say I do LOVE black cars though - most of my other cars have always been black - I think its the best colour for a high end motor, but god it can be a real pain to keep looking good!

okay - so apparently problem identified, they assured me they went through everything and they only issue they could find was both cats are covered in oil coming from the transfer box (which it was booked to do anyway). They have changed the seal, which was absolutely destroyed, and cleaned cats up so lets see, hopefully its all good now.

[jayzee]

Excellent

Remember that depending on how well they cleaned the cats, you will still smell oil for some time to come.

It will eventually go away, and will not be anywhere near as bad in the mean time until it does.