Audi warranty denial....
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Soldato
It's just been sat there with blown fuses and them saying they can't fix it? Wow.
? from what he said the steeringrack still needs replacing
... if they don't know what is wrong they could be liable if they just left new fuses installed on suspect systems, imagine an electrician who did that.
presumably car is not under pcp ? not mentioned before, that I remember
Soldato
Yes, it’s financed. Which is why the OP was advised NOT to tell the finance company and to get the car repaired by an independent and bodyswerve the likely bill if VW Finance reclaimed the car and asked him to pay the repair bill. First loss, least loss. Clearly the OP is the victim of VAG warranty-dodging the work and blaming him for installing an aftermarket component that very likely did nothing to impact this issue. But, on a technicality, they’re stuffed. So get the car back to a competent independent and get it fixed properly without paying Audi dealer rates.
It’s awful that we’re having this discussion but the reality is that it could happen to most of us because a lot of ‘enthusiasts’ like a bit of informed improvement and any of our tiny little modifications could end up in a full or partial warranty claim denial.
Yes the steering rack is dead.
After speaking with a few VAG specialists they have seen jump started VAG products numerous times end up with dead steering racks so this is not a new problem. The rack also denies communication with the car via diagnostics UNTIL the steering rack is unplugged!
For reference the finance company weren’t bothered about the ghost. They just said that the responsibility of the car for repairs last for 6 months with them. After this it’s over to you and presumably your warranty should cover any issues...
After speaking with a few VAG specialists they have seen jump started VAG products numerous times end up with dead steering racks so this is not a new problem. The rack also denies communication with the car via diagnostics UNTIL the steering rack is unplugged!
For reference the finance company weren’t bothered about the ghost. They just said that the responsibility of the car for repairs last for 6 months with them. After this it’s over to you and presumably your warranty should cover any issues...
housey had said he was tracking his car - which had seemed an indication his was cash purchased,
but, I'd now asked, with respect to any obligations, for parts you are sourcing.
you may find that the non communication is due to the new rack needing to be programmed in . a lot of these new racks need the car to be told the code numbers to be able to interact with it. had similar problems with abs pumps and later diesel pumps.
i hope you have indeed dodged the bullet as regards vag but dont forget when its all done get a report from the people doing the work as to what was wrong and lilkely cause , may still get some recompense from the recovery people.
i hope you have indeed dodged the bullet as regards vag but dont forget when its all done get a report from the people doing the work as to what was wrong and lilkely cause , may still get some recompense from the recovery people.
So an update....
It appears we have located the original cause for the breakdown. The alternator with the vehicle running is only pushing 12v when it should be at a minimum 14v so that explains why the power gradually degraded in the car going from a yellow warning to a red warning.
The diagnostics carried out on the car also found damage in the body control module including a short to ground...
The steering rack also communicates with the vehicle ok. Just needs programming.
I cannot believe the perfect storm I have found myself ending up in.
The alternator was the cause of the breakdown and the jump start appears to have fried some systems. That’s the theory at least....
Cost in parts to me at the moment stands at around £350 (excluding the alternator which can be sourced for £200). Slightly better than the £2k Audi wanted just for the steering rack....
It appears we have located the original cause for the breakdown. The alternator with the vehicle running is only pushing 12v when it should be at a minimum 14v so that explains why the power gradually degraded in the car going from a yellow warning to a red warning.
The diagnostics carried out on the car also found damage in the body control module including a short to ground...
The steering rack also communicates with the vehicle ok. Just needs programming.
I cannot believe the perfect storm I have found myself ending up in.
The alternator was the cause of the breakdown and the jump start appears to have fried some systems. That’s the theory at least....
Cost in parts to me at the moment stands at around £350 (excluding the alternator which can be sourced for £200). Slightly better than the £2k Audi wanted just for the steering rack....
Soldato
The more they overthink the plumbing...
Hopefully you're back up and running for a vaguely sane expenditure in the end.
Hopefully you're back up and running for a vaguely sane expenditure in the end.
Soldato
I wasn't too far off then, glad it's not costing you the earth to repair.
The more complicated cars get the more we feel the main dealers have the best chance of fixing it but it goes to show they are just as inept as ever.
The more complicated cars get the more we feel the main dealers have the best chance of fixing it but it goes to show they are just as inept as ever.
Soldato
Wonder if you've had rodents in the car while it's been sat semi stationery, could explain random electrical issues.
Sounds like its near on fixed now though but I've only skim-read the thread..
This bits more an FYI than anything else as I see you mentioned the car turning over back at the starts, If the battery was on its way out, or even just not being charged by the alternator, just because a car turns over doesn't mean there's enough juice in the battery for everything else, there's so many controllers and **** these days that might not be happy when you're trying to run a starter motor and power pumps and control modules, get a new battery on a car, make sure its putting out enough juice, and then clear all the fault codes and see what comes back after an hour..
Sounds like its near on fixed now though but I've only skim-read the thread..
This bits more an FYI than anything else as I see you mentioned the car turning over back at the starts, If the battery was on its way out, or even just not being charged by the alternator, just because a car turns over doesn't mean there's enough juice in the battery for everything else, there's so many controllers and **** these days that might not be happy when you're trying to run a starter motor and power pumps and control modules, get a new battery on a car, make sure its putting out enough juice, and then clear all the fault codes and see what comes back after an hour..
Soldato
I was having my car MOT at a local garage and they had a Citroen on ramp with a knackered steering rack - had to go back few days later and asked how rack went - They said it was same as old one - Then they found sub frame bolts lose -I asked if they took new rack off again - Guess the answer.
Final update on this guys. So the used steering rack was fitted and a few other things replaced. Tested the alternator and it ended up showing that it was operating correctly!?
Had the car fully updated and coded for the rack and it’s working fine again now.
Really all very odd but thankful this saga is over now.
Thanks for all input over the last few months as well
Had the car fully updated and coded for the rack and it’s working fine again now.
Really all very odd but thankful this saga is over now.
Thanks for all input over the last few months as well
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Result in the end
I had something similar on my Octavia a long time ago. Lights kept dimming and the garage diagnosed a faulty alternator as the output was dropping dropping.
One new alternator later and it was doing exactly the same thing. Turned out to be a failed secondary air pump which was massively loading the 12V system and pulling the voltage down.
Glad you got it all sorted, in the end!
