Electrical gremlins from hell

[OneBadAudi]

I dont know whats goin on with the Audi. But today it went haywire. First, the radio volume would go up and down until i turned it off and back on. Then the windows would not roll up and down, right after nothing happened, they started going up and down by themselves.
After that fiasco, i turned the car off, back on, seemed fine. As soon as i turn my lights on, it says my right turn signal and brake light was out. What was weird was when i hit the right turn signal, it would go fast like it was out, then i would hit it again and the warning light went away and it started working. I hit the brakes and they all lit up and the warning light went out on the cluster as well. Wtf

So i go back out to go to wawa, look in my side view mirror, and it moved up and down by itself.. WTF is going on.

Everything was normal yesturday and today it decided to become a ra-tard and do its own thing...

I dont even know where to begin. Any input would be appreciated. Runnin it off of a bridge is looking pretty damn good.

Thanks guys

[CoreyRS]

my radio does that sometimes too...randomly thought and only for a few seconds

[Halo549]

Here is two for you.
Ever stop and put the windows up and the passenger and driver windows open to about 4 inches and no matter how many times you put them up they open to the same spot?
Took the key out and put it back in and then they went up and stayed up. Has had this happen several times to several positions.
Driving down the road open the sun roof all the way. Drive a while and decide I want it closed only to have it open back up to half way?
Havent had the radio gremlin yet.

[OneBadAudi]

Im gonna pull the door cards off today and check out the harnesses. We shall see what it yields

[A4SoftWalker]

my radio stays on sometimes ... No fix yet happens every few weeks

every time I drive if I accelerate in a spirited nature electronics galore cruise ctrl cuts out looses memory, interior fan cuts out, turn signal stops working so looks like I cut people off, and if it's night headlights flash off & then on again

[COMMANDOE]

Well the fact that the A4 is one of the worst vehicles ever made for electrical issues doesn't help! LOL

[MikeWire]

Well the fact that the A4 is one of the worst vehicles ever made for electrical issues doesn't help! LOL

Not really. They are no worse than any other vehicle out there, but there are well known issues and fixes that can be found in a search. Or even better, scan your car for codes.

Have you had a long or hard rain lately? I would first check to see if your ECU or your CCM are wet or have water in that area.

The windows going up and down means that the pinch protection could have been activated - roll up and hold the button up for 5 seconds and it should fix that issue.

I have seen a thread or two about the wires in the hinge are of the door becoming brittle and breaking, but that is unusual. And if that has happened you lose all control from the drivers side controls, since that's normally the door that gets opened/closed most.

[COMMANDOE]

Not really. They are no worse than any other vehicle out there, but there are well known issues and fixes that can be found in a search. Or even better, scan your car for codes.

Have you had a long or hard rain lately? I would first check to see if your ECU or your CCM are wet or have water in that area.

The windows going up and down means that the pinch protection could have been activated - roll up and hold the button up for 5 seconds and it should fix that issue.

I have seen a thread or two about the wires in the hinge are of the door becoming brittle and breaking, but that is unusual. And if that has happened you lose all control from the drivers side controls, since that's normally the door that gets opened/closed most.

Don't get me wrong I love my A4. But this is a fact. Look at any consumer vehicle guides, take CR . Electrical issues for most Audi's ... A4 in particular are ATROCIOUS.

[MikeWire]

Don't get me wrong I love my A4. But this is a fact. Look at any consumer vehicle guides, take CR . Electrical issues for most Audi's ... A4 in particular are ATROCIOUS.

I'm not trying to start an e-argument or prove I'm right, but here are the facts from my ownership perspective: I have not had one electrical problem with my A4 besides ignition coils, (which I was reimbursed for) and issues caused by abuse/misuse from the PO, which I fixed with help from AZ members.

But who knows, maybe I am just lucky.

One fact that CR or any other guide won't tell you...many issues are caused by lack of knowledge, improper service, and/or lack of maintenance by owners and mechanics. The rest of the issues, like I posted previously, are small design flaws and are known about and can be fixed or prevented and there is probably a TSB about the issue.

[OneBadAudi]

Well, the doors stopped, they are back to normal. But now my front right turn is permanently burned out. I tried 4 brand new bulbs, nothing. Cleaned all of the contacts, nothin. So my next project is to check the other side of the harness. Maybe that will lead me to something. The rest of the car is normal. The rear brake light still says its out, but when i hit the brakes, it goes away. The turn signal is just pissing me off now.

Ive never had issues with the audi besides this. So i would have to say its been a pretty good car. Cant complain. All cars have their issues. Im sure the turn signal will be something simple

[SEATONE]

I can hear my heater/ac door open and close all the time as well as ticking from under the driver dash in the morn. My sunroof somtimes vents on its own while driving WTF. LOL. I get the window pinch issue all the time. I heard from an audi mech. that it happens cause they need to be aligned.

[alpinestar180]

I'm not trying to start an e-argument or prove I'm right, but here are the facts from my ownership perspective: I have not had one electrical problem with my A4 besides ignition coils, (which I was reimbursed for) and issues caused by abuse/misuse from the PO, which I fixed with help from AZ members.

But who knows, maybe I am just lucky.

One fact that CR or any other guide won't tell you...many issues are caused by lack of knowledge, improper service, and/or lack of maintenance by owners and mechanics. The rest of the issues, like I posted previously, are small design flaws and are known about and can be fixed or prevented and there is probably a TSB about the issue.

i definately agree.

first of all I have had my car for over a year and have had almost no problems with it at all let alone electrical ones. any problems i have had are diagnosed easily and re promptly fixed.

Second off the early 80's BMWS (and arguably the current ones too) and Basically all Mercedes made recently have much worse electronics than our cars so out of all the big german companies ours are the best.

[biglip]

front passenger window likes to open on its own when i turn the key in the door to close the windows, it closes than it opens like a quarter of the way, i had my iphone in the car and went to the store and came back and saw that peice of shit opened, i thought someone jooked me for my stuff, than realized the window was open

[lyleswk]

I am going to go with the harness going to the door. If you have shorts / broken wires / etc, there is no telling what electrically is going on. I don't have the window issues and aren't smart enough about the wires in that harness, but the volume issue has happened to mee a few times as well as no volume at all. I have told my son to gently wiggle the rubber grommet, and things "correct themselves"...at least until the harness goes completely.

[Street Nasty]

i definately agree.

first of all I have had my car for over a year and have had almost no problems with it at all let alone electrical ones. any problems i have had are diagnosed easily and re promptly fixed.

Second off the early 80's BMWS (and arguably the current ones too) and Basically all Mercedes made recently have much worse electronics than our cars so out of all the big german companies ours are the best.

I also agree, I haven't had any major problems and have had the car for over 5 years. The only thing I hate is the finish for our interiors; it sucks how our buttons bubble up all. Like Mike said, scan for codes before taking anything apart.

[lyleswk]

Btw, concur with VAGCOMing it. My speaker issue shows up on VAGCOM.