Spooky Electronics
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Livermore CA
Spooky Electronics
I am the second owner of a 2005 C6 coupe A4 that is totally unmodified. It is my daily driver and I have put about 20K on it in the past 3 years, for a total of 32K. Over the past half year I have had some spooky electronic events, all of which go away soon or at least at the next startup. None has been a show stopper, so I have not been very concerned. Events include:
1. A DIC warning that the right front tire was flat (not so)
2. A DIC warning to service the active handling system (gone at the next startup)
3. A disappearance of the passenger side temp setting plus the sudden turning on of the radio with a loss of all station presets (all was back to normal at the next startup)
4. Many times when I stop the engine on the lower left of the switch, the accessory setting flashes and I have to press stop again.
I really enjoy the car but the above nonsense puzzles me.
rocklin-ron
1. A DIC warning that the right front tire was flat (not so)
2. A DIC warning to service the active handling system (gone at the next startup)
3. A disappearance of the passenger side temp setting plus the sudden turning on of the radio with a loss of all station presets (all was back to normal at the next startup)
4. Many times when I stop the engine on the lower left of the switch, the accessory setting flashes and I have to press stop again.
I really enjoy the car but the above nonsense puzzles me.
rocklin-ron
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2010
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Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
Likes: 1,319
From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
I had 36K miles on my DD 06 when it was 4 years old and had to replace the battery.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 186
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I got the "RIGHT REAR TIRE FLAT" message on the DIC many times (it would clear after a minute or so) several times, so I had that sensor replaced. It has only happened once since...so still weird.
I put a new battery in, and all seemed well for a while...but last Sunday, the power/volume **** on the NAV wouldn't power the system off...but it would adjust the volume. Worked fine after turning the car off and back on again.
Sorry I'm not actually providing any advice beyond "Now that you mention it, my car has weird electrical gremlins sometimes too."
I put a new battery in, and all seemed well for a while...but last Sunday, the power/volume **** on the NAV wouldn't power the system off...but it would adjust the volume. Worked fine after turning the car off and back on again.
Sorry I'm not actually providing any advice beyond "Now that you mention it, my car has weird electrical gremlins sometimes too."
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,029
Likes: 2,719
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
I am the second owner of a 2005 C6 coupe A4 that is totally unmodified. It is my daily driver and I have put about 20K on it in the past 3 years, for a total of 32K. Over the past half year I have had some spooky electronic events, all of which go away soon or at least at the next startup. None has been a show stopper, so I have not been very concerned. Events include:
1. A DIC warning that the right front tire was flat (not so)
2. A DIC warning to service the active handling system (gone at the next startup)
3. A disappearance of the passenger side temp setting plus the sudden turning on of the radio with a loss of all station presets (all was back to normal at the next startup)
4. Many times when I stop the engine on the lower left of the switch, the accessory setting flashes and I have to press stop again.
I really enjoy the car but the above nonsense puzzles me.
rocklin-ron
1. A DIC warning that the right front tire was flat (not so)
2. A DIC warning to service the active handling system (gone at the next startup)
3. A disappearance of the passenger side temp setting plus the sudden turning on of the radio with a loss of all station presets (all was back to normal at the next startup)
4. Many times when I stop the engine on the lower left of the switch, the accessory setting flashes and I have to press stop again.
I really enjoy the car but the above nonsense puzzles me.
rocklin-ron
#2- Service Active Handling is usually caused by a loose connection in the steering column wiring. There is a bulletin for this, and it may have become an actual recall. Check with your dealer, the fix might be free. If it contines, turn off AH and get it fixed promptly.
#3- Loose connection somewhere? Even removing the car battery did not cause us to lose the radio presets.
#4- If you look carefully in good lighting, you'll see the engine start/stop switch does not have a right or left side, it's all one piece. Just those little lights foolin' with you.
If you press the bottom of the switch just a little too long while shutting down, you go from Run to Off to Accessory. Then, you need to press the bottom of the switch again to get out of Accessory.
And as others mentioned, a weak main battery can cause a whole slew of oddball electrical issues.
Glad to see you're enjoying your car!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Livermore CA
Thanks to Gearhead Jim for the starter switch response. For 3 years I had thought it mattered which side of the bottom portion of the switch that I pushed, even though I realized it was a one piece switch (duh!).
Regarding the other comments, I have an Optima Red Top battery that is 2 1/2 years old. I checked a start yesterday with a "Battery Bug" and it rated at 83%, which is quite good.
I have not had any further strangeness in the past 2 weeks.
rocklin-ron
Regarding the other comments, I have an Optima Red Top battery that is 2 1/2 years old. I checked a start yesterday with a "Battery Bug" and it rated at 83%, which is quite good.
I have not had any further strangeness in the past 2 weeks.
rocklin-ron
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