Hi All,

I have a problem with starting my 1997 Audi A3 1.8 automatic for the first time each day. The engine cranks over ok but the start/inhibit relay just clicks away and it wont fire up. Once it has run it will restart fine for the rest of the day, which limits the time I have to find the fault. It has had a new battery and ignition coil fitted recently, but didn't improve start-up. Anyone have experience of this fault or could suggest items to check?

Thanks in anticipation

Problem was a badly fitted crank speed sensor, which wasn't bolted flush to the block!

how long has this fault been there, and does it run evenly, once the engine has fired up?

Thanks for the quick reply. I have had the car for a couple of months and the fault was very intermittent at first but got worse as the weather got colder and damper. The car runs great once started with no apparent faults, although it does start better with a booster/charger connected (the reason I replaced the battery). The only fault code showing is 01312-Powertrain Data Bus-Faulty-Intermittent, but from information gathered this is a software fault and does not affect normal operation!