Problems after EA189 engine emissions update

[Bec]

My 2012 Q5 needed, EGR cooler, dpf sensor, turbo and injectors after the update. In the last 7000 miles my oil level hasn't budged and I now worry the oil is contaminated with fuel. I have heard this maybe the fuel is being dumped into the sump? This 'quick' update is definitely not compatible with these models and the way VWAG have handled complaints is unacceptable.   Scott_a03 didn't receive a letter for the Trust Building Measure until he had linked the fix and the faults together. There are many unknowing customers out there still paying for repairs because they don't receive the correct information about the so called 'fix'. In the US, customers are receiving an information leaflet about what could occur to a fixed model, which they are now starting to sell again. Myself, and 8 others met with the DfT a couple of weeks ago to discuss all sorts issues arising; customers coming forward with 4 EGR failures, following this poorly tested update which seems to get VWAG off the hook with the EU. A disgraceful farce. 
I have attached the information leaflet for US customers; please see page 9. 

VW_BOOKLET_2L-Gen-1-MAN-v4.pdf

[Lesley]

Hi Scott

 

I would love a copy of the service letter you referred to in your 15th Sept post please. After my Audi A1 had the software update it  developed an intermittent fault with warning lights glowing plus an episode of limp mode. I've had the RAC out twice and Audi Assist once. The car then went back to Leicester Audi for 2 days and  I was then called to pick it up. Nothing was done to it as 'no fault' was showing. (I'd already told them it was an intermittent fault.)

The fault occurred again yesterday. I contacted Audi UK and the car has been recovered to Leicester Audi. I'm now feeling that I simply do not want this car back at all unless I can be assured  that measures have been taken including new components fitted etc so my car has been returned to the previous running state, which was fine, pre-update. If they can't do that, I want Audi to buy the car back from me at an acceptable figure. I'm not accepting that all these problems are unrelated to the update. Therefore, any help to strengthen my position would be much appreciated. Thanks

[fast edd]

Very sorry to hear you are experiencing problems with this EA189 update. Did you agree to the update and can you show Audi that you have experienced no problems prior to the update, service history and work carried out? etc. If so then accept only that THEIR own work has caused this and they are according to their letter responsible for correcting this. The letter you are referring to is somewhere in this EA189 subject  under this title is believe. I hope this helps.

 

[tdituner]

Hi, just joined the forum.

My car is showing as having the fix performed here: https://www.audi.co.uk/owners-area/emissions.html this is despite my refusal to have it done in the past.

The car has been into the Audi workshop on quite a few occasions to have other work done on it and im wondering if they have applied the software fix without my permission.

My faults with the car currently are:

1. Gutless and rough sounding engine.

2. Revs seem to get stuck at 1000rpm even when warm.

3. Fan is now continuing to run after engine is stopped (suggests the DPF is trying to continually regen)

4. DPF warning light now just came on today.

4. Poor driveability around town due to the high revs. 

Not pleased with these issues on a low miles car(45,000)

I know a fair bit about engine tuning and how dfp filters and egr valves work, this is why I told Audi I did not want the software fix applied due to problems many owners are now experiencing.

It certainly looks like the Audi garage have applied the fix without my permission.

I will be taking it to have the ecu diagnosed at an indipendent tuner to confirm they have altered the software and I will take it from there. 

 

[MarkS]

Hi,

Just joined. Very similar issues to most of the posts on here. I had the update / fix applied 6 months ago. I did notice that the regen was kicking in more often but told it was normal by the dealer.

Took the car for a 60k mile service and the engine warning light appeared 3 days later, I have asked Audi UK to comment via the Trust Building forms but they haven't responded. I did ask for the name of any independent specialist that would be able to inspect any parts that are subsequently removed to ascertain if the failure could be attributed to the update, possibly be  the reason in the delay in responding. The dealer seemed to be physic and told me that a repair was going to be expensive even before ant diagnostics have been carried out!

It would be interesting to see any data that Audi UK hold to see if they have a trend in EGR / DPF faults on those vehicles that have had the EA189 but unlikely share i suppose.

I decided to take mine to an independent Audi specialist, half the price for the diagnostic and if I decide to go ahead, £600 to replace, he was keen to advise that Audi do insist on the work been carried out by an approved dealer to pursue and claim under the trust building thing and left the choice with me.

 

[MarkS]

Hi,

Just joined. Very similar issues to most of the posts on here. I had the update / fix applied 6 months ago. I did notice that the regen was kicking in more often but told it was normal by the dealer.

Took the car for a 60k mile service and the engine warning light appeared 3 days later, I have asked Audi UK to comment via the Trust Building forms but they haven't responded. I did ask for the name of any independent specialist that would be able to inspect any parts that are subsequently removed to ascertain if the failure could be attributed to the update, possibly be  the reason in the delay in responding. The dealer seemed to be physic and told me that a repair was going to be expensive even before ant diagnostics have been carried out!

It would be interesting to see any data that Audi UK hold to see if they have a trend in EGR / DPF faults on those vehicles that have had the EA189 but unlikely share i suppose.

I decided to take mine to an independent Audi specialist, half the price for the diagnostic and if I decide to go ahead, £600 to replace, he was keen to advise that Audi do insist on the work been carried out by an approved dealer to pursue and claim under the trust building thing and left the choice with me.

 

[fast edd]

It would appear that if Audi just applied a stage 1 remap to all affected vehicles post update that would save them huge sums of cash for little outlay in the outset.👍👍

[PistonBuff]

Hi, I have an Audi Q3 which I bought 3 years ago from new when I retired, it only has 29k miles on the clock, based on infrequent medium to long journeys. Recently the emission light came on so I took the Q3 to my local Audi dealer who offered a diagnostic service for £60.  They checked the car and advised me that faulty glow plugs were the cause of the problem.  

I challenged the dealer as given low mileage and the software update I was very suspicious that this could be the root cause of the fault which has now cost me £220 to fix.

The software update was undertaken 6 month ago and the car has been running ok, so maybe I was unlucky. However, I have been driving diesel cars for last 25 years and have never had a glow plug problem except once when high business milage took the car to 90K miles in under 3 years.

I would be very interested if any other have owners have experienced a similar glow plug problem.

 

Await you feedback.

[Steve Q]

Hi Tim welcome to the forum :) 

You'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

When I worked at Volkswagen customers had to sign that they were aware that the emissions recall had been carried out. Did they informed you they were going to do it? Because they should have done. 

I ask as all modern cars now require a software update from time to time on engine and sometimes gearbox and which won't be linked to the emissions recall if that makes sense? 

Egr and dpf issues are common but I think the glow plug issue is hit or miss. 

Others might be able to offer more advice though.

Cheers 

Steve 

[Magnet]

Hello Tim,

Of course, it's of no compensation to you, but if you read the numerous tales of woe on here, it could be said that you have got off lightly. 

Glow plug problem? Well these can give problems, but the problems tend to manifest themselves when the temperature falls and you may  notice a greater reluctance towards easy starting. OK, never had a problem with them before - and low mileage - but I think it's becoming a fact of life that some components of the electrical equipment can become unreliable on an age basis rather than a mileage basis. 

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Tofferton78]

Hello All, I took my 2011 audi a1 1.6 tdi for the emissions fix in April of this year (2017) it was in perfect working order before I let them butcher it. Within 3 miles of driving it away the engine light came on and the glow plug light started blinking. I pulled over restarted the car and it was ok but it happened again before I got home. I rang audi immediately they said they would call me back the next day which they failed to do anyway 2 months later in June of this year it went into limp mode it' been like this ever since. I had a diagnostics done by a firm who deal with audi,Skoda,vw etc they said it was the egr valve and cooler also possibly (maf sensor which I replaced at a cost of £118) so it couldnt be the maf because its brand new. Anyway they quoted me £540 to get the egr valve and cooler sorted this is money i dont have i bought the car at 5 years old and still have 3 and half years to pay it off. Of course audi claim its not tge fix thats caused it but the car was perfect before they touched it im sick to death of this heap of crap im now stuck with its causing me unwanted stress and im literally throwing my money away im at my whits end with it I should have stuck with the old banger I had before buying a "reliable well built car" what was a dream to drive is now depressing every single second I'm in it. They shouldn' have lied in the 1st place I think they should repair it for free

Edited November 13, 2017 by Tofferton78
Forgot content

[fast edd]

Hi Tofferton 78, welcome to the Audiownersclub.com,  sadly you are part of a long list of owners that have and are having a bad deal with your Audi . It does seem to appear that the 1.6 tdi is more likely to be affected in a negative way! Have you contacted Audi uk and especially their EA189 team dedicated to dealing with these issues,remember DON'T  take NO for and answer . If your Audi has full Audi service history which I guess it does they will see it from the computer it has no history of problems , also you should have received a letter stating 24 months warranty on most of the parts you have mentioned regarding this update . Keep pushing HARD! And hopefully you should get results. Once they have replaced the poorly parts have a remap and start enjoying your Audi again.

[Tofferton78]

All I got was a 12 month warranty on the remap they did for the emissions fix I replaced the maf myself and have a code reader that still brings up the maf code also an egr code I'll get back onto audi about it last time I tried they quoted me £60 for a diagnostic check to see what they could find but I don't see why I should pay 

[Chris123]

Hi guys

Newbie here.  I had the emissions done some months ago on my 2013 A6, after which not only was I getting regen kicking in more often, but occasionally the 'do not drive, steering defective' red warning light, with stiff steering, this would only last a few seconds tho

The light is on continuously now however, have tried the full lock fix with no luck

Looking at replacing my card this year and am seriously considering another dealer

[Steve Q]

On 1/4/2018 at 7:26 AM, Chris123 said:

Hi guys

Newbie here.  I had the emissions done some months ago on my 2013 A6, after which not only was I getting regen kicking in more often, but occasionally the 'do not drive, steering defective' red warning light, with stiff steering, this would only last a few seconds tho

The light is on continuously now however, have tried the full lock fix with no luck

Looking at replacing my card this year and am seriously considering another dealer

Welcome to the forum Chris, you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

Sorry for the delayed reply. 

My first advice would be to get a diagnostic check carried out to see what fault codes flag up. What has the dealer said? 

Itmight also be worth get a check done on the battery to make sure that it is still effective. It should be as the car is only 5 years old. The normal life of a battery is between 7-10 years. But it's worth checking just in case. I say this because a failing battery can cause electronic niggles, bearing in mind your car will have electronic power steering. 

Cheers

Steve

[Chris123]

1 hour ago, Steve Q said:

Welcome to the forum Chris, you'll find the members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

Sorry for the delayed reply. 

My first advice would be to get a diagnostic check carried out to see what fault codes flag up. What has the dealer said? 

Itmight also be worth get a check done on the battery to make sure that it is still effective. It should be as the car is only 5 years old. The normal life of a battery is between 7-10 years. But it's worth checking just in case. I say this because a failing battery can cause electronic niggles, bearing in mind your car will have electronic power steering. 

Cheers

Steve

Thanks Steve

Wolverhampton Audi have run the diagnostic and said it requires a new steering rack £2.5 half thousand.  I am taking it somewhere else for a 2nd opinion as I don't trust them one bit. When asked if a steering rack should fail on a four year old car they said "well, you might have driven over something"

 

[Steve Q]

18 minutes ago, Chris123 said:

Thanks Steve

Wolverhampton Audi have run the diagnostic and said it requires a new steering rack £2.5 half thousand.  I am taking it somewhere else for a 2nd opinion as I don't trust them one bit. When asked if a steering rack should fail on a four year old car they said "well, you might have driven over something"

 

Hmm, I fully understand why your suspicious of the garage! If you had of driven over something then I would argue tracking would be out, buckled wheel, broken suspension components, broken under tray etc, etc. I would like to think that you would get some factory (manufacturer) good will as it's a part that shouldn't have gone wrong in my opinion. 

That's what we used to get customers when I worked at a Volkswagen service department.

Cheers

Steve

[Envy]

Like with everything electric and intermittent I would first investigate connectors and cables. In all road conditions we drive our cars expecting everything to be shock, water, heat and cold proof. Also look for the A7 thread on here regarding the gearbox fault. Coolant Leak into loom from sensor in this case but a little damp soon makes a big problem. I would clean - dress and reafirm all electrical connections before looking at hardware.

 

[Tofferton78]

I got mine sorted it turned out to be a faulty egr cooler audi did it for free and gave me a courtesy car for the 3 days they had mine very pleased with the outcome car was like new when I got it back

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, Tofferton78 said:

I got mine sorted it turned out to be a faulty egr cooler audi did it for free and gave me a courtesy car for the 3 days they had mine very pleased with the outcome car was like new when I got it back

Glad it's sorted :) a failed egr seems to be a common coincidence with the ea189 recall! 

[Tofferton78]

Yes its a common problem especially with the 1.6 tdi engine

[SianJ]

Hi all,

Im currently at my whitts end!

I had the emissions update on my Audi A1 at the start of December 2017. I only use my car for long joureys, 40 mile round trip a day to work so its not like I do short journeys. 

I hace now come back from a 2 week holiday, I start up the car and I have the emissions light flashing, the engine light on and the dashboard telling me my there's some thing wrong with the DPF filter. 

The car was already booked in for a service in a few days so I took it in for that, I got a phone call from the mechanic (family friend) who notice the lights, took it down the motorway to try and do the regeneation on the DFP but it hasn't worked, the car is still in limp mode and lights on.

I called my local Audi who agreed I only recently had the emissions update and suggest I take it in for a diagnostic check, which she said if the faults relate to the update then I will not be at coat, however if they do not relate to the update then I will be liable for the £60 diagnostic and all other fixes to the car. They can't see my car for another 4 weeks, which in the first place is frustrating, I'm stuck with a car in limp mode and there is nothing I can do about it! 

I am very worried that they're going to tell me that the faults on the car are my own problem, when I know for a fact they are not. I am a 22 year old girl who they can literally say ANYTHING to and I'll believe them as I know nothing about cars anyway!

So I'm looking for some advise on how not to get completely mugged off by Audi when it comes to me taking the car in!!

 

Thanks in advance! 

[Steve Q]

Hello Sian, 

I think its a good idea to have the diagnostic check carried out by Audi to establish what fault codes flag up. I suspect Audi will say that the dpf or egr need replacing but obviously the dpf can be cleaned out. Audi may do some form of good will on the repair depending on the mileage of your a1. 

When you do go to Audi I would advise you take someone else with you (dad or brother?) So that they can't "mug you off". 

My other advice would be NOT to drive the car whilst it's in limp mode as this could do more damage to the engine. 

Please keep us posted on how you get on. 

Cheers

Steve

[SianJ]

54 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Hello Sian, 

I think its a good idea to have the diagnostic check carried out by Audi to establish what fault codes flag up. I suspect Audi will say that the dpf or egr need replacing but obviously the dpf can be cleaned out. Audi may do some form of good will on the repair depending on the mileage of your a1. 

When you do go to Audi I would advise you take someone else with you (dad or brother?) So that they can't "mug you off". 

My other advice would be NOT to drive the car whilst it's in limp mode as this could do more damage to the engine. 

Please keep us posted on how you get on. 

Cheers

Steve

I called the emissions line, they created me a case and my local Audi dealership called me back within 10 minutes, asked me if I could bring the car in today.. was already on my way to work so my dad will be taking it in on Monday on my behalf, they will take a look at the car straight away and decide from there what is causing the problem, if they need to keep the car in they will drop my dad home and arrange a courtesy car for me. 
I asked what would happen if they came to the conclusion the problems are not caused by the update and he said we will not think about that just yet, suggesting to me he already knows it's because of the update? 
I'm going to tell my dad to also be firm with them, as I would be if I could take it in myself!

I'm going to tell him to mention the Trust Building measures and the fact I have reported the defect to DVSA to push this further!! 

[Magnet]

Hello Sian,

I'm very sorry to hear of your problem, and I would most certainly agree with Steve's advice and also suggest you read all the other posts on this thread, not to depress you further, but to familiarise yourself with the experiences of others who have had these things looked into as the stage 2 dealer investigations - which you are about to engaged in. Any homework you can do is likely to stand you in best stead. 

There might be a couple of points to keep in mind here:- I would guess that you might have done 800/1000 miles in this car since it was subjected to the recall. Now the dealer may take this as being ' not our fault then', but bear in mind that the journeys you do are car-use friendly, and shorter journeys would probably have resulted in these faults showing sooner.

Not wanting to add fuel to the concern fire, it it might be worth giving the dealer's response to you question about the faults not  being associated with the recall. I wouldn't really agree with your conclusion that he already knows it was - as he may well do- but an admittance of that is highly unlikely. Probably worth doing some thought homework on that possibility too. I would not be too concerned about the baffling - a -female bit. My belief is that these dealers are  working to a VAG script in such cases - female , male or whatever.

I really wish you good luck with this Sian,

Kind regards,

Gareth.