hollymay Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Drove home yesterday and the warning light came on which the handbook tells me is he ignition key defective light. Bizarrely it says that if this warning light comes on you would not be able to turn the engine off and to go straight to an Audi dealer.....very useful if you had the handbook on your lap....but not otherwise. I got home and DID turn the engine off.....but now nothing, and the central locking won't work either. I'm covered under a warranty.....but the local garage says that even if they fit a new ignition lock they wouldn;t be able to programme it and so suggested Audi. However, having just had Green Flag out he seems to think it might be the ECU as he reckons if it was just the ignition key that was the problem then the central locking would still work on the key itself....and it doesn't. I'd been through a car wash 10 minutes before this happened.....and also through a torrential downpour 24 hours before that as well.....and there was some water in the passenger side footwell....and he thinks that the water has got into the ECU. I also notice that I get a lot of condensation on the inside of the windows....and even frost...! Could this all be a blockage/drainage issue as well....? I'm now waiting for a tow truck to lift it to take to Audi because he can't get it into neutral to tow it himself. Any thoughts/ideas would be much appreciated......but no doubt Audi will be rubbing their hands when they see it. Warranty only covers £65 an hour labour as well.....but up to £2500 per claim....so hopefully might cover the cost of a new ECU if needs be...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) How old is the car? Personally I'd get it towed to an Audi specialist, your money will go further and you're more likely to get an honest answer. I just had a quick google and it does seem to be quite a common problem Edited March 4, 2015 by Andy_Bangle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3Bangs Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) I seem to have had a similar problem about a couple of years ago, albeit in an R32. Boxing day 2013 to be precise in Cardiff. It had been raining buckets all night and day. On our return to London with the Ms, was just about twenty minutes in to the drive, the car just stutters to a stop. Recovery guy comes out, can't find what the problem is, so tell him to put it on a flatbed back to London. I called the dealership to have it towed to them but they said the first day they would be able to look at it was in the second week of January the following year. I thought, sod that and took it to AMD which is less than 2 miles from mine and could do the work immediately. It turns out that the front windscreen had been replaced at some point before I bought the car and was not fitted properly. The seals were leaking apparently. This caused water to leak into the ECU which inevitably stalled the engine. AMD dried it out, brought it back to life and had the job done in 2 hours. Result. Saying that, it may or may not be the same issue you have. As Bangle says, find a specialist. If its the same issue, just hope the ECU is not damaged and get where the leak is coming from sealed pronto! I replaced my windscreen a few days later and the guy who came to replace it said the previously fitted windscreen was done very very poorly. Edited March 4, 2015 by S3Bangs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Thanks for the replies.....still waiting for the tow truck to arrive. First one couldn't do it and the second one only had two skates...! Its going to Audi though and I'll explain everything to them so hopefully they can find the cause and get it sorted. I do think the water must have caused it though.....so I'll need them to check where its coming from and get it sealed. I'm wondering if it could be the screen as well......maybe that would explain the condensation. The rear window is poor as well.....the heated rear window takes ages to clear. I was expecting it to have almost cleared before I'd pulled away....sometimes it takes me till I've got to work...! Thanks again for the advice though....very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) The condensation / frost on the inside of the windows will be linked to the water leak. I bet if you remove the mat and pull back the carpet it will be soaking wet and once the sound proofing under the carpet gets wet it takes ages to dry. It will never dry out in the car unless the leak is cured and you use a hairdryer of similar. That could be why the rear window demister is struggling as the car is full of water vapour. Hope it gets sorted, cheaply. BTW, did you get your battery issue sorted that you had last month? new battery? Edited March 4, 2015 by Andy_Bangle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hi Andy.....just back from having it towed to Audi. Nightmare trying to get it on the back of the lorry because they had a right job getting it out of park.....and seemed to have a problem with the hand brake as well. I explained the problems to the girl at Audi and seemed to indicate that the condensation problem was quite common....but not the frost...! I mentioned the water leaking problems and it was noticeable again when they lifted the car. There was a drain of water coming out from the drivers side.....so I'm sure there must be a leak from somewhere....and you could be right about the heated rear window as well, that may explain that problem as well. Battery is still hanging in there....! The guy that tested it said it had 63% charge and it hasn't really been a problem since. Not sure what the latest episode will cost me. Apparently they charge £145 for diagnosis....and then I only get £65 an hour labour cover and then up to £2500 per claim. So hopefully I won't get hit for too much.....famous last words...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think the windscreen drain plugs get blocked and so the water rises up and then into the car? Frost - yes, it gets soo cold, the condensation freezes. Good luck - if Audi say you need a new ECU - ask them to dry it out first, along with the mats then try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 The latest gem from Audi is that they finally got round to looking at it yesterday.....and then told me its going to take longer to diagnose than they first thought...! They have found water in the foot well which means 'we've got to strip a lot back to find out what the problem is'......and have said it will be another four and a half hours labour at £130 an hour just to diagnose....of which none is covered under my warranty as they only cover the first hour of £65. I'm looking elsewhere......! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Told you HM, find a decent independent specialist who's actually a mechanic and knows these cars. Rather than a grease-monkey who got an NVQ in turning on an Audi diagnosis computer and saying "no faults found"- What part of the country are you in? I'm sure someone here can point you in the right direction of a good indie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 I went back to my local garage and they've given me the number of the auto-electrician that they use. Shame is his number is saying he's not back in until Monday. I've then got the arse ache of having to arrange for it to be towed away from Audi's to wherever he is going to want to look at it.....although the garage have said he can do it on their premises. I'm in Bushey, Hertfordshire though Andy if you know of anyone else and if this guy can't deal with it...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Bushey! I use a bloke called Mark Tempest (That's the name of his garage) for all my servicing. He is a VAG specialist and used to work at one before he left to do his own thing. He is based in Welwyn Garden, so just up the road. He also uses Murray's in Hatfield for VAG parts, as they can supply it all. His number is 01707 392392 and is open Mon - Friday. Very approachable. Give them a call on Monday. They have saved ma a pretty penny on numerous occasions! There is also a bloke called Follett Motors who specialises in VAG stuff on the A414 just before Hatfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Thought you'd know someone around there Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveP Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 I had an a6 that had a blocked drain hole under battery. When you went round a corner the water sloshed into the cabin. It was full of needles dropped from the trees where it was parked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Thanks again for the info guys. I'm going to call the guy in Bushey first, particularly as it will make things easier for me to get the car towed to from Audi. If I don't get any joy from him then I'll give Mark a call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Well this has now gone from bad to worse. Having diagnosed the problem, the garage have phoned the Warranty company and they've told him that its not covered. The reason being is that the problem has been caused by a blocked drainage pipe....which isn't covered as its 'not a mechanical part'.....and they 'don't cover flooding'. I've then been quoted £2500 to cover the cost of repair.....which include a stop/start authorisation unit at £536....a steering column at about £675.....and a new battery as he reckons the one I have is not coded for the car...? Problem is I've got no real option but to go with him as I've already had to pay to have it towed there and so I would have that bill again....plus more diagnosis by someone else. With regards to the parts though....whilst he sounds a genuine enough guy and he was was on the panel for The Autogroup who my warranty is, I just wanted to check whether you thought this was realistic...? Its all becoming very depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I'd ring my man in Welwyn if I was you. Worth asking. Afterall it's your money. Did you ask him about drying the things out first of all? Remove the units and use a hair dryer on them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollymay Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 To be honest mate it gets to the point where you don't know what to do and who to ask. And thats certainly not to day your bloke couldn't help....but then I've got to think about the cost of towing it to him as well....and then for him to diagnose the problem. And by what Audi and the current guy have been saying its going to take quite a lot of diagnosis because they would all need to take out the seats to get to the relevant units.....and it all takes time. At some point I've to bite the bullet and just get it done. The main sickener was the warranty company basically telling me to do one. To be fair he didn't say about drying out the existing units, but he did say the car itself would take a lot of drying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Yes, a lot of drying! You'll need one of those paint booths with the fancy lamps and seats out. This is one of the reasons I do not bother with warranties on used cars. Many things that go wrong, they can worm out of. Many electronic units will work once dried out. It's just the time needed to do it all as you say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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