ESC, Steering and Sport Diff Faults all at once in B8.5 Audi S4

[Jaisah]

Hi All,

I took my car in to get new tyres and alignment on Friday and when I got it back it had ESC, Steering and Sport Diff faults on the dash. The guys at the shop were very apologetic and they had already tried to clear the faults with a few different VAG coms but they kept coming back. They recommended taking it to Audi which I will do, I just need to give them a call tomorrow to book it in and unfortunately I'll have to take a day off work to drive there as well.

Can anybody think of any reason why these would all happen together and what it could be?

A bit of extra info to help diagnose the issue:
-The car is a 2013 Audi S4 B8.5 sedan equipped with dynamic steering, sport diff and dynamic suspension. It's only done 54,000km (~33,000miles).
-The car drives normally just without the sport diff and ESC working and the steering feels a little bit weird but still works fine. The steering wheel is straight.
-There are no clunks or oil leaks, everything seems mechanically fine but the errors persist.
-The tyre shop tried multiple times to clear the codes, they tried recalibrating the steering sensor using the approved method but they said it wouldn't work i.e. when they turned the wheel and waited for the beep, there was no beep.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Jaisah]

I booked my car in to Audi but they can't look at it for 2 weeks. My OBDeleven should arrive in the mail mid next week so I'll plug it in and see if I can find any obvious issues in the live data.

Anyone had any thoughts?

It seems odd for all 3 of these to happen together. At first I thought, if the steering angle sensor is malfunctioning then it would throw out the ESC and Sport Diff as well because they both rely on steering angle but the tyre shop seems to think that the steering angle sensor is working. Hopefully Audi can sort it.

[04lss]

Did they disconnect the battery by chance?

[Jaisah]

Hey, thanks for the reply. I don't think they did but if they did would that cause this to happen? Note: They have tried clearing the codes multiple times and tried to recalibrate the steering angle sensor but it hasn't worked.

[Smac770]

Do a scan, get the factual DTC. Until then, it's just time wasting random guessing. Is there reason to believe the shop was prepared to handle a car with dynamic steering? If they have the tool to invoke those procedures and clear DTCs, they couldn't give you the actual full vehicle scan so the DTC(s) could be posted? Lane Keep, if you have it, also requires basic setting if rear toe is adjusted.

[Jaisah]

Cheers for the info bro. I don't know if they're equipped for dynamic steering (I don't have lane keep assist) but its the biggest and newest tyre shop in town and they have some fancy alignment machines so I assume they can deal with that stuff. The guy at the shop seemed to think it was quite weird as they do alignments on lots of VWs, Audis, Porsches etc and this is the first time they had come across this error. When I get my OBDeleven I'll post up the codes. Shipping says it'll arrive 28/1/2021 and the car is booked in at Audi on 5/2/2021. It sounds like its just a software bug and hopefully Audi will be able to rectify it without too much expense.

[b8s4b8]

did anyone ever figure this out? have the same issue with my b8 s4.

[Jaisah]

Hey bro, havent sorted it yet. The car is booked in to see Audi on Friday the 5th of Feb. I'll let you know when they work it out.

[Daily Driver]

Do you have Driver Assist? If you do, the camera has to be adjusted after alignment. Wonder if it could throw those codes if it wasn’t done.

[Jaisah]

Hi Daily driver, no driver assist, lane keep assist, blind spot detection, only the items mentioned in my first post are fitted to my car. Cheers

[p951]

Most likely a bad wheel speed sensor or wiring to the sensor.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CardFan]

Most likely a bad wheel speed sensor or wiring to the sensor.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agree. I damaged my wheel speed sensor when changing a wheel bearing and got these faults.

[Jaisah]

Do a scan, get the factual DTC. Until then, it's just time wasting random guessing. Is there reason to believe the shop was prepared to handle a car with dynamic steering? If they have the tool to invoke those procedures and clear DTCs, they couldn't give you the actual full vehicle scan so the DTC(s) could be posted? Lane Keep, if you have it, also requires basic setting if rear toe is adjusted.

OK so I got my OBDeleven today and it appears that there are no end stops configured for the steering. There were a bunch of other faults but this seemed to be the one that is most likely to be the issue.

In the OBDeleven software it has a section for basic settings but in there there are three options and I dont know which one is the correct one to do the basic settings procedure. I dont want to screw anything up so I'll wait until I know what's what before I click on anything. The options are listed below.
-Resetting of all adaptions
-Resetting of learned values for steering assistance
-Relay function testing

I think it's probably the second one. Does anyone know?

Below is the output from the OBDeleven.

OBDeleven vehicle history log
Date: 2021-01-27 18:16:17

VIN: WAUZZZ8K4EA028034
Car: Audi S4
Year: 2014
Body type: UNKNOWN
Engine: CGWC 245 kW (333 hp) 3.0l
Mileage: 54870 km

---------------------------------------------------------------
Full scan
Control Units: 27
Fault count: 21
Control Units:
02 Transmission
System description: 0B5 30TFSIRdW
Software number: 8K5927156B
Software version: 0002
Hardware number: 0B5927156K
Hardware version: H01

Faults:
No trouble codes found

03 Brakes
System description: ESP8 quattro
Software number: 8K0907379CF
Software version: 0050
Hardware number: 8K0907379CF
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
03110 - Active steering control module
static
01324 - All wheel drive control module
static

05 Keyless System
System description: BCM2 2.0
Software number: 8K0907064GM
Software version: 0633
Hardware number: 8K0907064FM
Hardware version: H12

Faults:
No trouble codes found

01 Engine
System description: 3.0l V6 TFSI
Software number: 8K5907551D
Software version: 0004
Hardware number: 4H0907551
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
U111300 - Function limitation due to received malfunction value
static
U111300 - Function limitation due to received malfunction value
static

08 Air Conditioning
System description: KLIMA 3 ZONEN
Software number: 8K2820043T
Software version: 0121
Hardware number: 8K2820043T
Hardware version: H04

Faults:
No trouble codes found

17 Dashboard
System description: KOMBIINSTR.
Software number: 8K0920931Q
Software version: 0563
Hardware number: 8K0920931Q
Hardware version: H35

Faults:
No trouble codes found

14 Wheel Dampening
System description: DAEMPFUNGS-SG
Software number: 8R0907364C
Software version: 0054
Hardware number: 8K0907364
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

09 Central Electrics
System description: BCM1 1.0
Software number: 8K0907063DJ
Software version: 0103
Hardware number: 8K0907063DJ
Hardware version: H16

Faults:
No trouble codes found

15 Airbag
System description: AirbagVW-AU10
Software number: 8K0959655N
Software version: 0610
Hardware number: 8K0959655N
Hardware version: H47

Faults:
No trouble codes found

16 Steering Column
System description: Lenks.Modul
Software number: 8R0953568S
Software version: 0171
Hardware number: 8R0953568S
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

1B Active Steering
System description: DYNAMIKLENK.
Software number: 8K0907144L
Software version: 0720
Hardware number: 8K0907144L
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
01087 - Basic settings not carried out
static
00778 - Steering angle sensor
Intermittent
00778 - Steering angle sensor
Intermittent

19 Gateway
System description: GW-BEM 4CAN-M
Software number: 8R0907468N
Software version: 0056
Hardware number: 8R0907468C
Hardware version: H11

Faults:
03041 - Energy management active
Intermittent
02256 - Static current
static

22 All Wheel Drive
System description: 4 Wheel Drive
Software number: 8K0907163B
Software version: 0100
Hardware number: 8K0907163A
Hardware version: H14

Faults:
U101700 - ABS brake control module
Read out DTC
static
U102000 - Active steering control module
Read out DTC
static
U102000 - Active steering control module
Read out DTC
static
U140000 - Function restriction
due to insufficient voltage
Intermittent
U102800 - Steering column electronics control module
Read out DTC
Intermittent

42 Driver Door
System description: TSG FA
Software number: 8T0959793P
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959793G
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

46 Comfort System
System description: BCM2 2.0
Software number: 8K0907064GM
Software version: 0633
Hardware number: 8K0907064FM
Hardware version: H12

Faults:
No trouble codes found

36 Driver Seat
System description: MEM-FS
Software number: 8K0959760D
Software version: 0076
Hardware number: 8K0959760D
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
No trouble codes found

44 Steering Assistance
System description: RCEPS
Software number: 8K0909144F
Software version: 0507
Hardware number: 8K0909144B
Hardware version: H37

Faults:
B116854 - Steering angle sensor
No basic setting
Intermittent
B1168F1 - Steering angle sensor
Synchronization failed
Intermittent
C10ACF0 - Steering
End stops not learned
static

47 Sound System
System description: DSP Prem
Software number: 8T1035223A
Software version: 0030
Hardware number: 8T1035223A
Hardware version: H05

Faults:
No trouble codes found

5F Multimedia
System description: H-BN-JP
Software number: 8R2035678C
Software version: 0384
Hardware number: 8R2035678
Hardware version: H18

Faults:
02653 - Traffic data antenna
static

52 Passenger Door
System description: TSG BF
Software number: 8T0959792P
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959792G
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

56 Radio
System description: Radio U JP
Software number: 4G0035083
Software version: 0055
Hardware number: 4G0035083
Hardware version: H50

Faults:
02984 - Connection between impedance converter 2 and window antenna
static

53 Parking Brake
System description: EPB-4
Software number: 8K0907801M
Software version: 0004
Hardware number: 8K0907801J
Hardware version: H01

Faults:
No trouble codes found

57 TV Tuner
System description: NGTV-JP
Software number: 4G1919129B
Software version: 0420
Hardware number: 4G1919129
Hardware version: H03

Faults:
No trouble codes found

A9 Structure Borne Sound
System description: SAS-GEN 2
Software number: 8K0907159
Software version: 0005
Hardware number: 4H0907159A
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
No trouble codes found

62 Rear Left Door
System description: TSG HL
Software number: 8T0959795Q
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959795H
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

6C Rear View Camera
System description: J772__Rearview
Software number: 8T0907441C
Software version: 0040
Hardware number: 4L0907441B

Faults:
02203 - Audio-/video input 1
Intermittent
02203 - Audio-/video input 1
Intermittent

72 Rear Right Door
System description: TSG HR
Software number: 8T0959795Q
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959795H
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

[Smac770]

So I would read this first, completely and carefully: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_RCEPS_Steering_Assist
At which point I would ask "are your voltage problems resolved", because you have the CAN Gateway with a DTC of invoking energy management and the Sport Diff (AWD module) saying failure due to insufficient voltage. If that's all good, then clear all DTCs and get the noise out of the way. As noted on the page, you can check the status of the G85 basic setting in block 32 of address 16.

There there's: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A5_(8T)_Active_Steering
To deal with the no basic setting at address 1B, the J792 dynamic steering. The problem is you have steering angle sensor DTCs there though address 16 is clean of any issues. So clear DTCs and see what comes back. See if you can perform the G85 basic setting, http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A5_(8T)_Steering_Wheel_Electronics#Basic_Sett ing

It seems odd to me that 1B and 44 are both complaining of steering angle problems but 16 (the J527 that has the G85 steering angle sensor) seems to be "yeah, all good here". But I have neither electromechanical steering nor dynamic steering, so all I can do is work with Internet information. It's nice that Ross-Tech delivers more than just a scan tool.

But I imagine now that you have the actual DTCs in hand, it'll be easier to find relevant information on the Internet or get guidance from others here who have run into the problems before.

[Jaisah]

Thanks for the info and quick reply. I haven't done anything to resolve any voltage problems. When I plug in my OBDeleven it shows the voltage which seems to be okay. It sits around 13.7 ish when the engine is running (just from memory) and when I shut the engine off its about 12 and slowly drops. The lowest I saw it go after sitting in the car for a while using the scan tool was about 11.5v. Does that seem normal? It always starts first time without any worries but I do drive short trips most of the time. I only live about 5-10mins from work and shops.

I haven't done any coding before. Does this long coding also work using OBDeleven? Will any of those built in options work that I mentioned above? i.e. "Resetting of learned values for steering assistance".

It sounds like active steering can only be set up/altered by an Audi tech. I think I should just leave it and let Audi have a look. I don't know how the alignment shop screwed it up so bad. Maybe they reset the module not realising that it has dynamic steering.

[Jaisah]

OK I did a google and it does seem my battery voltage is a bit lower than normal. I'll take it for a longer drive tomorrow and see if the voltage goes back to normal.

[Smac770]

Mine is normally around 12.2v-12.4v and pretty much stays there for the duration of doing some VCDS work. But I also turn off electrical consumers to not run things down while the engine is running and I have the ignition on: turn off the climate control, turn off the DRLs, mute the audio, make sure the doors are closed. I tend to have a 10-11 amp draw showing in block 18 of address 19 (CAN Gateway) when doing VCDS work. I've seen it at 12.0v and 12.1v at times, such as messing with the headlight configuration in the J519 with engine off, but never in the 11s. Mine does have an AGM battery, the 92Ah one.

All short trips will certainly make an impact; my shortest drive is 5 miles out and 5 miles back. You can see the state of charge in block 19. Audi targets charging back to 85% SoC, should be around 12.4v-12.5v. I normally see the alternator voltage in the 14s after a startup and then eventually come down into the 13s once the battery is charged back up. You'll see the effective voltage in block 18, and you can see the commanded voltage to the alternator in block 14.

I think energy management kicks in around 11.5v. But I've never found much about the operation of the J367 based vehicles like the B8. Just J644 based vehicles like the A6, A7, A8, Q7. I don't know about OBDeleven, but with VCDS, one can pull the energy management history data from address 19 (CAN Gateway). This is under applications in VCDS. If you were suspecting energy management issues, pulling that to look it over would be one relevant action.

[Jaisah]

Thanks for all the info bro. I turned off the aircon, stereo, had the doors closed etc but the voltage still dropped from 12 to about 11.5 over about half an hour so the battery could be a bit tired. I'll take it for a good drive tomorrow and see if it goes back to normal values. I'll have a look and see if I can find any energy management history as well. It does have a history section but so far I've only seen the history of DTC's and stuff but there might be a section somewhere for power. I'll report back tomorrow after I've taken it for a good drive. I did drive about 3.5 hours to pick up a mate who was stranded a couple of weeks back and I go out of town for longer drives maybe once every 2-3 weeks but I suppose the daily short trips have been wearing it down. I do notice that the auto start stop never kicks in until I have been driving for an hour+ so that's probably a good indication that the voltage is generally a bit low.

[Dippy]

Whilst car batteries are considered 12V that is not quite accurate. A new healthy battery should have a fully charged open voltage of about 12.6V. You have measured that the alternator can provide 13.7V to charge the battery which is all good. However if after running the engine long enough you only measure 12.0V at the battery and it is quickly falling then that all points to the battery being more than a "bit tired" - it is clinging to life.

[Smac770]

If you have stop/start, you have an AGM battery. They don't care to be stuck at low voltage for long durations. Makes charging them back to full a bit hard. AGM should last longer than 8 years, but under stop/start with regeneration and mostly short drives, it might simply have lasted all it can. This is where you pull the battery and throw it on an AGM aware charger to see if it can get back to full state of charge at all. I have and like this https://www.optimabatteries.com/products/chargers/digital-400 Or just replace the battery.

[Jaisah]

Hey bro, I took it for a drive after work, around 45mins of driving at 100km/h. The voltage was reading 14+ volts while driving and after the drive I turned off the engine and it was reading 12.4v but it quickly dropped and after about 15mins of reading codes and just tinkering around looking at data it had dropped to about 11.7v. It fluctuated quite a bit too and the lowest I saw it go while scanning was 11.3v. Seems like the battery is probably toast. Do you think I might be able to rescue it if I chuck it on an AGM charger?

After the drive I scanned for codes, cleared and then scanned again and this was the output.

OBDeleven vehicle history log
Date: 2021-01-28 18:35:40

VIN: WAUZZZ8K4EA028034
Car: Audi S4
Year: 2014
Body type: UNKNOWN
Engine: CGWC 245 kW (333 hp) 3.0l
Mileage: 54920 km

---------------------------------------------------------------
Full scan
Control Units: 27
Fault count: 11
Control Units:
01 Engine
System description: 3.0l V6 TFSI
Software number: 8K5907551D
Software version: 0004
Hardware number: 4H0907551
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

08 Air Conditioning
System description: KLIMA 3 ZONEN
Software number: 8K2820043T
Software version: 0121
Hardware number: 8K2820043T
Hardware version: H04

Faults:
No trouble codes found

05 Keyless System
System description: BCM2 2.0
Software number: 8K0907064GM
Software version: 0633
Hardware number: 8K0907064FM
Hardware version: H12

Faults:
No trouble codes found

02 Transmission
System description: 0B5 30TFSIRdW
Software number: 8K5927156B
Software version: 0002
Hardware number: 0B5927156K
Hardware version: H01

Faults:
No trouble codes found

03 Brakes
System description: ESP8 quattro
Software number: 8K0907379CF
Software version: 0050
Hardware number: 8K0907379CF
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
03110 - Active steering control module
static
01324 - All wheel drive control module
static

09 Central Electrics
System description: BCM1 1.0
Software number: 8K0907063DJ
Software version: 0103
Hardware number: 8K0907063DJ
Hardware version: H16

Faults:
No trouble codes found

16 Steering Column
System description: Lenks.Modul
Software number: 8R0953568S
Software version: 0171
Hardware number: 8R0953568S
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

14 Wheel Dampening
System description: DAEMPFUNGS-SG
Software number: 8R0907364C
Software version: 0054
Hardware number: 8K0907364
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

15 Airbag
System description: AirbagVW-AU10
Software number: 8K0959655N
Software version: 0610
Hardware number: 8K0959655N
Hardware version: H47

Faults:
No trouble codes found

17 Dashboard
System description: KOMBIINSTR.
Software number: 8K0920931Q
Software version: 0563
Hardware number: 8K0920931Q
Hardware version: H35

Faults:
No trouble codes found

19 Gateway
System description: GW-BEM 4CAN-M
Software number: 8R0907468N
Software version: 0056
Hardware number: 8R0907468C
Hardware version: H11

Faults:
No trouble codes found

22 All Wheel Drive
System description: 4 Wheel Drive
Software number: 8K0907163B
Software version: 0100
Hardware number: 8K0907163A
Hardware version: H14

Faults:
U101700 - ABS brake control module
Read out DTC
static
U102000 - Active steering control module
Read out DTC
static
U102000 - Active steering control module
Read out DTC
static

1B Active Steering
System description: DYNAMIKLENK.
Software number: 8K0907144L
Software version: 0720
Hardware number: 8K0907144L
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
01087 - Basic settings not carried out
static

36 Driver Seat
System description: MEM-FS
Software number: 8K0959760D
Software version: 0076
Hardware number: 8K0959760D
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
No trouble codes found

42 Driver Door
System description: TSG FA
Software number: 8T0959793P
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959793G
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

46 Comfort System
System description: BCM2 2.0
Software number: 8K0907064GM
Software version: 0633
Hardware number: 8K0907064FM
Hardware version: H12

Faults:
No trouble codes found

47 Sound System
System description: DSP Prem
Software number: 8T1035223A
Software version: 0030
Hardware number: 8T1035223A
Hardware version: H05

Faults:
No trouble codes found

44 Steering Assistance
System description: RCEPS
Software number: 8K0909144F
Software version: 0507
Hardware number: 8K0909144B
Hardware version: H37

Faults:
C10ACF0 - Steering
End stops not learned
static

53 Parking Brake
System description: EPB-4
Software number: 8K0907801M
Software version: 0004
Hardware number: 8K0907801J
Hardware version: H01

Faults:
No trouble codes found

52 Passenger Door
System description: TSG BF
Software number: 8T0959792P
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959792G
Hardware version: H09

Faults:
No trouble codes found

57 TV Tuner
System description: NGTV-JP
Software number: 4G1919129B
Software version: 0420
Hardware number: 4G1919129
Hardware version: H03

Faults:
No trouble codes found

5F Multimedia
System description: H-BN-JP
Software number: 8R2035678C
Software version: 0384
Hardware number: 8R2035678
Hardware version: H18

Faults:
02653 - Traffic data antenna
static (Ignore this, I disconnected the ETC unit)
02653 - Traffic data antenna
static (Ignore this, I disconnected the ETC unit)

56 Radio
System description: Radio U JP
Software number: 4G0035083
Software version: 0055
Hardware number: 4G0035083
Hardware version: H50

Faults:
02984 - Connection between impedance converter 2 and window antenna
static (Ignore this, I disconnected the ETC unit)

62 Rear Left Door
System description: TSG HL
Software number: 8T0959795Q
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959795H
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

6C Rear View Camera
System description: J772__Rearview
Software number: 8T0907441C
Software version: 0040
Hardware number: 4L0907441B

Faults:
02203 - Audio-/video input 1
Intermittent

A9 Structure Borne Sound
System description: SAS-GEN 2
Software number: 8K0907159
Software version: 0005
Hardware number: 4H0907159A
Hardware version: H06

Faults:
No trouble codes found

72 Rear Right Door
System description: TSG HR
Software number: 8T0959795Q
Software version: 0305
Hardware number: 8T0959795H
Hardware version: H07

Faults:
No trouble codes found

[Smac770]

Nah. Looks like that battery is out the door. What were the aging numbers in block 19 of address 19 (CAN Gateway). Probably down near 0 (100% is new). Also check the internal resistance in block 20, it's probably high (representing a battery that is no longer recharging fully easily).

[Smac770]

That said, the DTC readout is good; you just need to do the active steering basic setting process it seems. I think you do that engine off, so the shop probably kept running into low voltage issues trying to do the process. Maybe if they had it on a battery charger to keep it from dying.

[Jaisah]

Cheers bro, I had a good look at that rosstech stuff you sent through, it doesn't look too bad but maybe its best if I just take it to Audi. If I screw something up so badly that I cant drive the car then it'll be a very expensive tow to the shop as it's about an hour away over mountains. Probably 2 hours in a tow truck. Also I ran into some weird issues just before. When I try to view the Steering Angle Sensor control module it pops up with an error "Control unit not responding. Check ignition and try again". I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the OBD11 and tried with the engine running and not but it kept doing the same thing. It's weird though because when I view the live data through the "Active Steering" control module it shows the live data of the steering angle properly, it shows that the Steering Angle Sensor has active communications link, it says "Steering Angle Sensor Status: System OK". Basically it indicates that it's working fine but when I try to go into the module it just gives the error. The only thing I could see in the live data relating to steering that wasn't OK was the "Steering end stops of steering: Not Adapted". There are three options under the Basic Settings screen which I listed earlier in this thread:
-Resetting of all adaptions
-Resetting of learned values for steering assistance
-Relay function testing

I reckon the 2nd option might help but I don't know if that helps me to reconfigure the values or just resets them. Under long coding there are some things that have been already configured, like a guided coding process but setting end stops or reconfiguring the steering angle sensor arent on there. I could try the rosstech guide but with my battery low it might not be a good idea.

I think this is beyond my abilities haha. I should just take it to Audi before I cause more trouble. I'd really like to try some things but I don't want to touch anything without knowing 100% that it wont screw it. I've read too many horror stories of other people messing up their car.

[Jaisah]

That said, the DTC readout is good; you just need to do the active steering basic setting process it seems. I think you do that engine off, so the shop probably kept running into low voltage issues trying to do the process. Maybe if they had it on a battery charger to keep it from dying.

I did that scan while the engine was running, that's probably why it didn't throw up voltage errors. Maybe?

Speaking of engine running; Is it OK to clear codes while the engine is running or always shut it off? I had the engine running when I was scanning before to keep the voltage up but I didn't clear any codes.

[Smac770]

I've never cleared codes with a running engine, but I also don't do full scans with a running engine either. I can do several scans and some stuff without any issue of dropping below 12.0V. You don't have engine DTCs, but I think I would tend to not clear DTCs with a running engine.

Hard to say. I don't use OBDeleven, I use VCDS (ie, Ross-Tech). It would seem odd that the diag device could not talk to the J527 (address 16) via CAN to establish communication, but the nature of the communication is unknown, as is the actual comms error being encountered. Could be the OBDeleven is attempting a message the J527 doesn't like, while the J527 has no problem with the active steering module's queries.

I don't think I'd try much of anything until you get a new battery installed. That the car is fine overnight or when sitting seems to imply you don't have a phantom drain going on. It's just when you are doing something, the battery has no power stored to maintain the operation.

[Jaisah]

I do have dash cam hard wired in that runs even when the car is off. It has a voltage cut off setting but I cant remember what it is set to so I'll check that tomorrow morning and set it to something like 12.4v if possible. That could be what has drained and potentially fu**ed my battery. It doesn't change that fact that I'm driving short trips daily and not often driving for more than 10-15mins though so I guess I need to go for a drive up the crown range a bit more often. Its a great driving road and it's in my back yard.

Yeah it all seems quite weird. Based on the fact that the live data is reading the steering angle fine and it says "System OK" etc I'm guessing it's either some other issue or my OBD11 is just playing up. I think I've done all I can for now. The car is booked in for next Friday so hopefully they can fix it quickly without charging me hours of labour. I have to drive over the Crown Range to get there so that'll give the battery a bit of a boost but I'll get them to check it and see if it needs replacing.

[ojmcneill]

I was going to ask if you've replaced the battery or if it's oem and original. These cars do some real weird stuff with older batteries. You mentioned low voltage in one o fthe posts. Just a thought buddy.

[Jaisah]

I was going to ask if you've replaced the battery or if it's oem and original. These cars do some real weird stuff with older batteries. You mentioned low voltage in one o fthe posts. Just a thought buddy.

Hey bro, I havent replaced the battery but I only bought it just over a year ago so I dont know what was done to it before then. I checked my dashcam this morning and it was set to cut off at 12v. I turned the cutoff limit up to 12.3v, the highest it could go to.

[Jaisah]

I called Audi today about the battery to see if they have any in stock that would fit my car and he suggested trying to charge it first. My boss had an AGM charger that he lent me so I have the car hooked up. I'll charge it as much as possible throughout the weekend and see if I can save the battery. Fingers crossed.

[BrokeBichB8]

I've seen 3 different other cars do this from bad battery. Bmw X, Honda accord, all same. Low voltage throws all kinds of codes from ECU. Charger, sorry to say, wont do jack for bad battery. See if auto shop can load test the battery. Id say do that first because unless you are best buds with dealer, it will cost you 10x as much.

Is there a date sticker on the battery? Are the terminals on the battery nasty and crusty with oxide? Good clean battery is best place to start. Cars don't just go bad in one shop visit. Happens over time.

[Jaisah]

I've seen 3 different other cars do this from bad battery. Bmw X, Honda accord, all same. Low voltage throws all kinds of codes from ECU. Charger, sorry to say, wont do jack for bad battery. See if auto shop can load test the battery. Id say do that first because unless you are best buds with dealer, it will cost you 10x as much.

Is there a date sticker on the battery? Are the terminals on the battery nasty and crusty with oxide? Good clean battery is best place to start. Cars don't just go bad in one shop visit. Happens over time.

Hey bro, thanks for the info. Yeah I figured the charger wouldn't fix the problem but it's worth a try. I'll take it in to the auto electrician down the road from my work on Monday. The battery doesnt have a date on it but its an Audi OEM battery so I'm guessing its the original one. The battery itself looks great. Perfectly clean, no crud on the terminals or anything. It's mounted in the boot below the spare wheel so its very clean. The car had only done 38,000km when I got it so for a 6 year old car, thats pretty low. It's possible that the car was just hardly driven with the previous owner and so the battery is just done.

My friend said that if I install a non OEM battery, the car would throw up codes and that I should get Audi to replace the battery. That sounds like BS to me. There aren't any smart electronics in the OEM battery, right? All the smart stuff comes off and bolts onto the new battery. He's talking shit, right?

[Smac770]

You probably don't want to pay for an Audi OE battery. But it's important to know what battery is in the car to know what you're looking for to replace it. Since you have stop/start (iirc, yes?), you're going to have an AGM battery.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/920244-Lightweight-batteries?p=14421895&viewfull=1#post14421895
So we see here where I listed the AGM batteries used. My car is PR code J0B, which is the 92Ah AGM, battery size of "group 49" aka "H8". So if I were going to buy an Audi OE replacement battery, it would be part number 000 915 105 CE.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/824659-A4-Battery-replacement-and-coding?p=13263820&viewfull=1#post13263820
Here we see a few years back when I went looking through replacements for the factory installed battery. They are all group 49 AGM around 92Ah. As such, I could have installed any of them and not needed to change the part number encoded in the battery management adaptation. I would have to have updated the serial number encoded so the battery statistics would know a new battery was installed. You have OBDeleven, so you can do that yourself.

The battery adaptation value can be viewed in address 19, CAN Gateway, adaptations, channel 4. This gives you an idea of it in OBDeleven:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/824659-A4-Battery-replacement-and-coding?p=13917273&viewfull=1#post13917273

Don't get hung up on BEM code. Was wishful thinking by the Germans, but the industry didn't take. It's not necessary to get the task done.

[Jaisah]

You probably don't want to pay for an Audi OE battery. But it's important to know what battery is in the car to know what you're looking for to replace it. Since you have stop/start (iirc, yes?), you're going to have an AGM battery.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/920244-Lightweight-batteries?p=14421895&viewfull=1#post14421895
So we see here where I listed the AGM batteries used. My car is PR code J0B, which is the 92Ah AGM, battery size of "group 49" aka "H8". So if I were going to buy an Audi OE replacement battery, it would be part number 000 915 105 CE.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/824659-A4-Battery-replacement-and-coding?p=13263820&viewfull=1#post13263820
Here we see a few years back when I went looking through replacements for the factory installed battery. They are all group 49 AGM around 92Ah. As such, I could have installed any of them and not needed to change the part number encoded in the battery management adaptation. I would have to have updated the serial number encoded so the battery statistics would know a new battery was installed. You have OBDeleven, so you can do that yourself.

The battery adaptation value can be viewed in address 19, CAN Gateway, adaptations, channel 4. This gives you an idea of it in OBDeleven:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/824659-A4-Battery-replacement-and-coding?p=13917273&viewfull=1#post13917273

Don't get hung up on BEM code. Was wishful thinking by the Germans, but the industry didn't take. It's not necessary to get the task done.

Awesome, Cheer bro. Heaps of useful info there. I'll take it into the Auto electrician on Monday and get them to test it. If I need a new battery I'll just buy it direct from them and let them size it up for me. They usually do free install if you buy a battery. While I'm there I'll also get them to look at the steering angle sensor and see if they can reconfigure it with the new battery installed (if it happens). Might save me a trip to Audi.

[Jaisah]

I took my car in to the Auto electrician to get the battery tested and he said it seemed fine. It was measuring 12.4v at the time which confirms that the OBDeleven readout on the main screen is wrong. When I went into the live data section it showed 12.35v but showed 11.7v on the main screen. I bought a 5amp AGM charger so I'll top it up and give it a charge regularly to keep it in good condition and I'll keep an eye on it to see how quickly the voltage drops after a charge. It seems like the battery might have some life left in it. T-2days till it goes in to Audi. Fingers crossed they can sort out the faults without too much time/money.

[MAD745]

Hi All,

I took my car in to get new tyres and alignment on Friday and when I got it back it had ESC, Steering and Sport Diff faults on the dash. The guys at the shop were very apologetic and they had already tried to clear the faults with a few different VAG coms but they kept coming back. They recommended taking it to Audi which I will do, I just need to give them a call tomorrow to book it in and unfortunately I'll have to take a day off work to drive there as well.

Can anybody think of any reason why these would all happen together and what it could be?

A bit of extra info to help diagnose the issue:
-The car is a 2013 Audi S4 B8.5 sedan equipped with dynamic steering, sport diff and dynamic suspension. It's only done 54,000km (~33,000miles).
-The car drives normally just without the sport diff and ESC working and the steering feels a little bit weird but still works fine. The steering wheel is straight.
-There are no clunks or oil leaks, everything seems mechanically fine but the errors persist.
-The tyre shop tried multiple times to clear the codes, they tried recalibrating the steering sensor using the approved method but they said it wouldn't work i.e. when they turned the wheel and waited for the beep, there was no beep.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

What was the fix in the end? I'm also in New Zealand and suffering the exact same.

[Jaisah]

What was the fix in the end? I'm also in New Zealand and suffering the exact same.

G'day. I took mine to the Audi dealership in Queenstown and they fixed it easy peasy. It cost about $200 I think. They didn't tell me what the issue was. Pretty sure it's just a software thing and just needs to be reset/recalibrated. It's a pain in the ass that the wheel alignment shop can't fix it.

Good luck bro. Audi should be able to sort you out.

[MAD745]

G'day. I took mine to the Audi dealership in Queenstown and they fixed it easy peasy. It cost about $200 I think. They didn't tell me what the issue was. Pretty sure it's just a software thing and just needs to be reset/recalibrated. It's a pain in the ass that the wheel alignment shop can't fix it.

Good luck bro. Audi should be able to sort you out.

Thanks bro, think I found that my steering angle sensor has been replaced so my guess is that it was not codded to the car and hence why i cant complete the calibration, was hoping to use my OBDeleven pro if I could but might have to shoot to Audi in Wellington