Fairy Lights A2

The A2 electrics are a nightmare. The car is designed to shut down circuits when the battery is low. This can happen due to the battery being old, not charging correctly, something draining constantly, or the vehicle not being used for an extended period. The battery also never recovers to its fully charged state after going flat. The circuits it shuts down include central locking, power steering and ABS!!!!!! There are others that also shut down. I am pretty sure the electric power steering is not speed sensitive so it runs all the time when you move the steering wheel and this does take a fair bit of power and perhaps can trigger faults in other systems due to lack of amps. Not saying it will definately cure the MIL light but a 9 year old battery you are really tempting warning lights to turn the dash into a disco. First thing I would do is to change the battery for the correct size and ampage for your car and after that scan and clear all faults. Drive the car and see if or what lights or error codes get triggered.
 
Jellybean said:
Look up PlasticMac on here. He is in Dorset and it looks like he has VCDS.
Do a member search.

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Not Dorset, North Hampshire, near M3 Junc 5.
I run only VCDS Lite, does what I need on my Mk1 TT, and now A2 1.6 FSI too. Happy to help if I can. Mac.
 
Hi Everyone on this fantastic site. Tested the battery with a voltmeter and had less than 12 volts with engine off and even lower with engine running up to 3000RPM. Not sure how accurate the meter is but appears that alternator is not working as the meter should show whether the alternator is working even if the reported voltage is inaccurate. Charged the battery for 24 hours and refitted. Now have 13 and half volts with engine off but still lower with engine running up to 3000 RPM. To confirm took the car to garage and had a free battery check. They reported that my rather ancient battery was okay but the alternator was dead. After the visit to the garage deliberately drove for about 20 miles and watched the power steering, air bag, and ABS lights come on one by one. Car cut out just under a mile from home and the battery is heavy. Charged battery and replaced. Unfortunately I have been away for 10 days but will now purchase an alternator and follow the advice on this site and fit it myself at the first opportunity. In the mean time I will follow up the potential threads offering potential access to scans to see if I can discover the source of MIL problem. Incidentally, the EML light first came on after my local Audi garage had repaired a heater matrix leak and the light came on the day after. I returned the car and they asked for another 3 hundred to replace a sensor, either an oxygen or nox sensor but cant remember which is was. When I pointed out that the fact that the EML light was not on before their repair they had the car back and returned it "repaired". The light came back on several months later and when I returned to the Audi garage I discovered all they had done was reset the error codes. Car appeared to run okay and so I did not press. But of course now it is an MOT failure. Wondering wether nox and/or oxygen sensors can be (easily) removed and cleaned?
 
Pastis53 said:
Hi Everyone on this fantastic site. Tested the battery with a voltmeter and had less than 12 volts with engine off and even lower with engine running up to 3000RPM. Not sure how accurate the meter is but appears that alternator is not working as the meter should show whether the alternator is working even if the reported voltage is inaccurate. Charged the battery for 24 hours and refitted. Now have 13 and half volts with engine off but still lower with engine running up to 3000 RPM. To confirm took the car to garage and had a free battery check. They reported that my rather ancient battery was okay but the alternator was dead. After the visit to the garage deliberately drove for about 20 miles and watched the power steering, air bag, and ABS lights come on one by one. Car cut out just under a mile from home and the battery is heavy. Charged battery and replaced. Unfortunately I have been away for 10 days but will now purchase an alternator and follow the advice on this site and fit it myself at the first opportunity. In the mean time I will follow up the potential threads offering potential access to scans to see if I can discover the source of MIL problem. Incidentally, the EML light first came on after my local Audi garage had repaired a heater matrix leak and the light came on the day after. I returned the car and they asked for another 3 hundred to replace a sensor, either an oxygen or nox sensor but cant remember which is was. When I pointed out that the fact that the EML light was not on before their repair they had the car back and returned it "repaired". The light came back on several months later and when I returned to the Audi garage I discovered all they had done was reset the error codes. Car appeared to run okay and so I did not press. But of course now it is an MOT failure. Wondering wether nox and/or oxygen sensors can be (easily) removed and cleaned?
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A2steve is recycling a FSI at the moment, he might be able to provide an alternator, ask him. Probably the NOX sensor, usual to replace but hold off purchasing pending a scan. You could download the light/free/unregistered form of VCDS Lite, buy an OBD cable off eBay for a few pounds and scan your car yourself, assuming you have a laptop/tablet running Windows.

Andy
 
I will contact A2steve to see if he has a suitable alternator. I only have access to an apple mac. Do you know if there a VCDS Lite version available for the mac? Any difference between the 4 pound cable from China and the 10 pounds + cables that are also supplied via ebay?
Steve
 
Pastis53 said:
I will contact A2steve to see if he has a suitable alternator. I only have access to an apple mac. Do you know if there a VCDS Lite version available for the mac? Any difference between the 4 pound cable from China and the 10 pounds + cables that are also supplied via ebay?
Steve
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You could run Windows on your Mac, lots of ways of doing this apparently, Apple even support Windows 10, Google it, but I suppose you would have to buy a Windows license.

Probably cheaper and more convenient as Steve_c suggests to buy a really old Windows laptop, I would have thought <£50 on eBay. Ask family and friends, work colleagues if any have an old Windows laptop, I would expect something would be found for free/nominal cost, there is usually something in most households.

Andy

Edit. No experience of buying OBD cables but like many things a cheap Chinese cable might poor, be as good or better than a more expensive cable, which also might be poor grade; it's a big don't know. All you can do is make a judgement and take a punt unless anybody comes forward with a good current recommendation.
 
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Pastis53 said:
I will contact A2steve to see if he has a suitable alternator. I only have access to an apple mac. Do you know if there a VCDS Lite version available for the mac? Any difference between the 4 pound cable from China and the 10 pounds + cables that are also supplied via ebay?
Steve
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Hi, so you've never checked the system with vagcom? I live in Bournemouth too, about to move house next month though and got a vag401. I'd do a trouble code scan for you, if you drive to mine or if you don't live far from the big Asda by the train station, I'd drive to yours.
I only know basics about the A2s, so can't give much advice on how to fix the issues, but a scan might help you find out more about the problems and ask the experts here.
Let me know if you're interested, and I send you a PM so your address or mine won't be visible, or we'd meet somewhere like the big Asda's or big Tesco's.
 
Sylvester said:
Hi, so you've never checked the system with vagcom? I live in Bournemouth too, about to move house next month though and got a vag401. I'd do a trouble code scan for you, if you drive to mine or if you don't live far from the big Asda by the train station, I'd drive to yours.
I only know basics about the A2s, so can't give much advice on how to fix the issues, but a scan might help you find out more about the problems and ask the experts here.
Let me know if you're interested, and I send you a PM so your address or mine won't be visible, or we'd meet somewhere like the big Asda's or big Tesco's.
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Hi Sylvester. Just noticed your reply after returning from a long weekend away. Just moved to Poole after a 18 month stay in Bournemouth. I would like to take up your offer of a scan. Really appreciated. I can drive over to you at a convenient time but I need to find out how to private message on this site before we share any numbers or addresses. Steve
 
Pastis53 said:
Hi Sylvester. Just noticed your reply after returning from a long weekend away. Just moved to Poole after a 18 month stay in Bournemouth. I would like to take up your offer of a scan. Really appreciated. I can drive over to you at a convenient time but I need to find out how to private message on this site before we share any numbers or addresses. Steve
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No problem Steve, PM sent.
 
Pastis53 said:
Hi Sylvester. Just noticed your reply after returning from a long weekend away. Just moved to Poole after a 18 month stay in Bournemouth. I would like to take up your offer of a scan. Really appreciated. I can drive over to you at a convenient time but I need to find out how to private message on this site before we share any numbers or addresses. Steve
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Shame I’ve just seen these posts as I’ve been at Morton next to the framton arms with full VCDS but go home tomorrow am

Keith
 
Get the alternator changed first. No harm in having a scan now, it will actually give you a base line to work from. But until the electrics are healthy both volts and amps, there is a good chance any fault code you clear will reappear very quickly.
 
Update on EML problem with FSi. Scan kindly carried out by A2 Club Member yesterday. I fear the worst but the following 4 fault codes were produced: 1 - N316, Intake Manifold set point not reached. 2 - G295, Sensor for NOx signal too low sporadic. 3 - 16955,Brake Switch (F) implausible signal. 4 - 17912, Intake air system leak detected sporadic. Both the EPC and EML were erased but returned after a few miles. I checked my service records and found the following supplementary information but not sure how useful it is. After carrying out repair work on an unrelated item (see below) and returning the car in August 2011 Poole Audi reported the following fault codes: 1 - N316, Intake flap activator valve. 2 - G336, Intake manifold potentiometer fault. 3 - 244, Heater for NOx sensor implausible. They added the note as follows: Test N316 working OK at the time of test - G336, Must be tested at room temperature for resistance. 244 testing required. A third scan was carried out by Stafford Audi in September 2103 (for which they did not charge, so not all bad?) after competing a service and MOT for me. The results of that scan were: 1 - Fault for NOx sensor found and 2 - Fault stored for intake manifold runner that requires further investigation.

If this is the rather complicated and expensive (at Audi) problem I think it may be, it looks like I will be after another car shortly. However, I feel that I may like to sworn the Audi and have a go myself in my own slow, slow time. The bug has bitten or have I gone bonkers in my old age. I fear that an induction strip and replace/overall may be in order. I can say it but have a lot of reading on here to see how to achieve it, wish me luck. Any ideas or suggestions welcome.

PS: Is the pipe of doom I keep hearing being mentioned on the site anything to do with heater matrix hose, under the inlet manifold (I think?), in the vicinity of the thermostat? This has been repaired twice and the second time when Audi returned the car the EML was on for the first time.
 
I think you have an excellent plan, buy new A2, SORN current problem child and tinker at you leisure. It makes sense the new A2 should be a FSI, they are cheap, and tinkering skills aquired are transferable, and worst comes to worst you have a breaker with every spare part.

I would forget the historic scan codes, so long ago now, and start again which is what you have done by the very recent VCDS scan.

As to your list of ailments, (not you the car!)

1. 'Set point not reached' is classic FSI, every FSI suffers, bit like a mid life crisis, but it could be one (or more) of several causes, you need to investigate, don the overall and get in there. Costs will vary considerably depending on what's gone wrong, eg. from £45 for a new solenoid, or £90 new vacuum unit, new/used potentiomer or worse but best not go there yet. How many miles on the clock?, probably worth removing manifold and decoke.

2. NOX problems, again almost expected, £50 from A2Steve et alia, £150 new from Audi.

3. Brake switch. Never had cause to meddle so can advise little apart from £15 in the Marketplace.

4. Just a matter, I say glibly, of inspecting everything minutely, chaffed/cracked rubber pipes, seals, renew gaskets if you strip the intake system, might even be something silly like the dipstick not seated properly.

You need something to scan with, VCDS Lite is free (need laptop, does not matter if ancient) to get you started, an extra £75 to register to upgrade to something quite reasonable.

The overly dramatically coined name of death pipe does indeed sit inaccessible behind the engine, below the intake system, between the thermostat housing and is the coolant pump, the aorta of the coolant system if you like. As such it has little to to do with the secondary cabin heater matrix, apart from being a big player in the overall heat transfer system, why do you ask?

Good luck.

Andy
 
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