A3 8P 3.2 V6 'sluggish' start - new battery fitted

[cegeorge]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this issue for me. I have an Audi A3 8P 3.2 V6. I have had a good search on the forum and the internet in general but cannot find anything specific. I had a new Bosch high spec battery fitted about 2 months ago ( checked the spec of the battery very carefully so it is the correct one) owing to the fact it was very sluggish to turn the engine over. There is no problem with it taking multiple cranks to start- it gets going within a few cranks.

The main issue is that despite the brand new battery it sounds like it is really struggling to turn the engine over. When left for a few days it really struggles! I have just had the battery on a trickle charger and this reports that it is fully charged very quickly indicating (to me in my limited technical knowledge) that it is not the battery at fault. I have also checked the battery voltage using the multimeter and it reports a solid 12 volts.

My next initial thoughts are to check over the starter motor and alternator output however I thought I would check if anyone had had a similar issue? I do ensure that everything possible to switch off in the car is off before starting so its not the auto lights or anything causing issues.

Any assistance would be really appreciated.

Chris

[MRSP2]

It might be a corroded cable between the starter solenoid and the starter motor. These are usually a braided copper cable and can corrode or if the connections are loose they have a tendency to arc which burns out the contact.

[cegeorge]

Thank you very much for the response MRSP2 - Will this be obvious to see or require me to take it apart?

[MRSP2]

I'm not at all sure what the access is like with the A3. It is a common fault on cars generally as they get older and sometimes it isn't obvious until you get the starter moror off. It may be that you can get your hand in and feel the braid, if it feels weak or loose that will probably be thr problem. Maybe someone who is more familiar with your car will be more useful but it is the first place I would check after battery and terminals.

[djgilson]

I had the same problem on my A3 2.0TDi and a new starter motor worked wonders. See more detail at Starter motor suppliers which may be of use. I don’t know if the 3.2 set up is same as the 2.0TDi, but I would expect them to be similar.