First time 8P owner needs help…

[Howcanifixmya3]

Hello all! Been browsing this forum for awhile while deciding between fixing the motor in my A5 3.2 or pick up an older 8P, and I pulled the trigger on a one owner 06 2.0 turbo A3 with 130k miles on it. Test drive was amazing, so I picked it up, on the 300 mile drive home I stopped to eat and came back to start the car and noticed it took a few seconds to crank then at the car lot each time, and a check engine light was on. On the drive home I noticed it struggling to go up hill, around 75 mph it started to slow down as I climbed and as I put my foot into it she revved up but wasn’t going anyplace. I made it home and plugged in my cheap obd 2 reader and came back with multiple misfires, 1,2, and four, as well as a code saying I had low fuel pressure on performance bank, that it was a mechanical issue with the fuel pump under the hood. So after I replaced the ignition coils and properly gapped the new plugs, the misfire is still there only maybe not as bad as before. However something is still amiss with this car, I have not replaced the fuel pump just yet, because I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with the shifting, in any gear it feels like it’s seriously lacking power. I can floor it and the rpm’s race but the car slowly crawls forward. Drives great if you don’t have to get on the throttle a little. Just now I took it out to go to the store and tried flooring it from a dead stop and the rpm’s raced along like they should but the car slowly moved forward with the speed of elderly driver next to me. It’s very frustrating. Could this be an issue related to the fuel pressure regulator fault? I had it checked and it was only about 5-7 lbs off whatever it should have been, could that be the issue that’s making me think there is a problem with the transmission? It shifts fine otherwise, smooth, even with the paddle shifts. Also should point out that there is slight vibration that feels like misfires when the car is in Neutral or Park, but completely goes away in drive and reverse. It’s depressing I just want this car to perform how it did on the test drive, still a great car despite its hiccups. Anyone have any advice? Car is a 2006 A3 2.0 turbo. I’d appreciate any advice or input. Thank you.

[cliffcoggin]

11 hours ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

 I can floor it and the rpm’s race but the car slowly crawls forward. Drives great if you don’t have to get on the throttle a little. Just now I took it out to go to the store and tried flooring it from a dead stop and the rpm’s raced along like they should but the car slowly moved forward with the speed of elderly driver next to me.

One of the clutches has worn out, which means the other is likely to be little better, therefore the whole gearbox needs an overhaul. That's going to hurt the wallet. Any chance of returning the car for a refund from the seller?

[audia4b5kev]

AUTO OR MANUAL ?

[Howcanifixmya3]

Thank you for answering. It is an automatic. Yes that’s what I was dreading, which sucks because I haven’t even put 1000 miles on it yet. Buyer be wary right? I could not return it, I already put a healthy down payment on it I would lose, my monthly payments are not bad, I’ll keep it and fix it within the next few weeks I’m guessing. Could it possibly be just dirty or old DSG fluid? 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Howcanifixmya3

[cliffcoggin]

41 minutes ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

 Could it possibly be just dirty or old DSG fluid? 

That's doubtfull, but it wouldn't hurt to try if you can afford the possible waste if it does not work. The fluid is expensive, though vastly cheaper than the alternative of a full gearbox overhaul.

[cliffcoggin]

John.

I have just remembered the starting problem you mentioned initially. It would be worth getting that properly diagnosed before investing a lot of money in the gearbox in case that also leads to a hefty bill.

[Howcanifixmya3]

Yes I think I will do that, because what are the odds of the transmission clutches and high pressure fuel pump failing both at the exact same time? I had a diagnostic done for $50 and these were the results, they told me to fix the fuel pump…. To start.

[Stevey Y]

47 minutes ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

Yes I think I will do that, because what are the odds of the transmission clutches and high pressure fuel pump failing both at the exact same time? I had a diagnostic done for $50 and these were the results, they told me to fix the fuel pump…. To start.

Hi I would say a lot of the low voltage faults are battery related as it would appear to be on its way out, with regard to the high pressure pump they often throw that one up when the culprit is the lift pump in the tank as if its not working properly the high pressure pump is not getting enough fuel to pressure the fuel rail which in turn would cause misfires as the injectors are being starved. Intermittent is the word clue which means sometimes the low pressure pump is able to keep up.

Steve.

[cliffcoggin]

Be wary of any computer diagnosis if there is the slightest chance of a dodgy battery. A3s are known to suffer a variety of seemingly unrelated electronic faults and their associated "diagnoses" if the battery is at all below par.

[Howcanifixmya3]

Well battery can be ruled, had it tested right now and it’s the correct stat for vehicle and it was confirmed to be brand new. 

[cliffcoggin]

If that is true then you are in for an expensive repair bill to get the car into good condition. I hope you have deep pockets.

[Stevey Y]

18 hours ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

Well battery can be ruled, had it tested right now and it’s the correct stat for vehicle and it was confirmed to be brand new. 

Hi I would be very careful ruling out the battery as if you have no prior knowledge of if it was coded to the vehicle it won't matter how new it is the BEM module will ruin it in record time as Clifford pointed out most of the faults are low voltage so the prime suspect is the battery, the rest of it is as I say probably down to the lift pump in the tank.

Steve.

[Howcanifixmya3]

Doubt the battery was coded, I looked at it and it looks to be as about generic and cheap as they come, almost like if you could buy batteries on that website wish lol… I’m pretty sure that’s the culprit, I’m thinking about purchasing one tomorrow after work. Googling the whole coded Audi battery made my head hurt, so if I buy an oem replacement I would be good to go without recoding? 

[cliffcoggin]

No. The battery needs to be coded to the car. I don't really know what is involved to do that, but I know it needs to be done.

[Howcanifixmya3]

Alright, so thank you everyone for this information, I’m learning the hard way as I go along with this car, maybe it would have been cheaper to fix the water pump and the rocker arm needle bearing in my A5 then this whole new car is going to cost me to get it back on the road lol live and learn I guess. Lol. Can’t wait to see how much this is going to end up costing me. 

[cliffcoggin]

Good luck and do let us know the final result.

[Stevey Y]

7 hours ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

Alright, so thank you everyone for this information, I’m learning the hard way as I go along with this car, maybe it would have been cheaper to fix the water pump and the rocker arm needle bearing in my A5 then this whole new car is going to cost me to get it back on the road lol live and learn I guess. Lol. Can’t wait to see how much this is going to end up costing me. 

Hi if you buy a branded battery fro a reputable source say like our Halfords they will for a small charge code the battery for you as for the rest of it you can buy a lift pump quite cheap $ or alternatively buy a previously enjoyed unit from a breakers site once fitted you drive it for about two miles and when you are happy delete the old codes.

Steve.

[Howcanifixmya3]

Well I disconnected the battery for 30 minutes and put it back on, started right up like new, engine wasn’t chattering it was nice and smooth and zero misfires. Then some new codes came up, P0100 and P12A1. Still not wanting to shift upon hard acceleration so I’m thinking clutches or maybe if everything is tied into that no name battery that possibly the solenoids are not properly functioning or something along those lines???? Don’t know much about those dsg thingys Maybe they swapped the battery out on me while they were going over the final inspection before I had it? Took them almost an hour to complete. 

[Stevey Y]

16 hours ago, Howcanifixmya3 said:

Well I disconnected the battery for 30 minutes and put it back on, started right up like new, engine wasn’t chattering it was nice and smooth and zero misfires. Then some new codes came up, P0100 and P12A1. Still not wanting to shift upon hard acceleration so I’m thinking clutches or maybe if everything is tied into that no name battery that possibly the solenoids are not properly functioning or something along those lines???? Don’t know much about those dsg thingys Maybe they swapped the battery out on me while they were going over the final inspection before I had it? Took them almost an hour to complete. 

Hi the first code is for the MAFF sensor the second is for the throttle position sensor, try cleaning the MAFF and get another throttle position sensor which is the bit hanging off the side of the throttle pedal easy swap and see where you get with that as the throttle sensor will affect the injection timing as it is getting implausible signals to the ECU.

Steve.

[cliffcoggin]

Let me repeat what I wrote five days ago. "Be wary of any computer diagnosis if there is the slightest chance of a dodgy battery. A3s are known to suffer a variety of seemingly unrelated electronic faults and their associated "diagnoses" if the battery is at all below par."

[Howcanifixmya3]

Picked up a good compatible battery, however no place can code it for me until Wednesday. Still stuttering upon start up getting the low fuel pressure performance bank 2 code and mechanical fuel pump failure code, but on the plus side my fuel pressure pump arrives today in the mail along with my cam follower, so I’ll be replacing that today after I pick up a torque wrench, and goodies from ECS too are due to arrive. If the fuel pump doesn’t solve the issue with the misfires and rough starting then I’m going to break down and have the shop that codes the battery to the car go ahead and just go through everything.