New 1.8 B6 Cabriolet owner - another ABS/ESP light issue

[hotelcc]

Hi all, just bought a 2003 A4 1.8 Cabriolet with 290k km/180k miles a week ago - very high I know, but apparently all highway miles and car was only $2k so took the risk.

A few days later the ABS and ESP lights intermittently come on (always together). It comes on I'd say around 50% of the time that I'm driving it.

Car drives fine and I don't experience any issues with the ABS or stability control.

Cruise control also works fine when both lights are on (I did some research and some people have said cruise control will not work with those warning lights on).

Edit: Speedometer works fine.

Put 300km on the car so far without any work and drives fine. Looking to do an oil and oil filter change to start as the car is missing its last service, but as the car is so old and cheap, am reluctant to spend large amounts of $$ on professional work, but am willing to learn to DIY.

Current level of DIY knowledge involves watching YouTube videos are not much else. Obtained a copy of Elsawin but seems a little out of my depth for the moment.

Bought a cheap OBDII scanner off Ebay. Received error that scanner cannot connect to ECU. Read this may be due to the aftermarket stereo previous owner installed. Reluctant to spend the large amount of $$ on VAGCOM just yet.

Any tips/advice/next steps?

Thank you!!

[cjt671]

Get VCDS or find someone with VCDS who will scan your car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hotelcc]

Thanks for that, got a VCDS-lite scan and it came up with the error code of "Open or Short to Plus" for the left front and left rear ABS wheel speed sensors. I'm gathering the next step is to find where the wheel speed sensor is and take a look at that, if not replace it. Would that be the right way to go?

[a4lownslow]

Thanks for that, got a VCDS-lite scan and it came up with the error code of "Open or Short to Plus" for the left front and left rear ABS wheel speed sensors. I'm gathering the next step is to find where the wheel speed sensor is and take a look at that, if not replace it. Would that be the right way to go?

Yup start with the wheel speed sensor, hopefully it’s not your abs module. That’s common too..


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[hotelcc]

Thanks, so if the wheel speed sensor doesn't yield any results, I can then assume it's the ABS module?

[Turbo510]

A new brake light switch appears to have solved my ABS/EPC warning indicators.

[hotelcc]

A new brake light switch appears to have solved my ABS/EPC warning indicators.

Thanks. Was that also with the wheel speed sensor open or short to plus, or another issue when you diagnosed it?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[obaka]

I had those lights on some time, scanned it and said brake light switch fault, ordered new one but it had 4 pins and this 2003 B6 does not have any pins but a totally different connector.
But that made me disconnect the actual switch and reinstall it. Maybe that adjusted it I dunno.
Also at the same time turned out it had a huge vaccum leak, I replaced both hoses and now it has stopping power, I thought brakes were fine before but they were too stiff if that makes sense.
The light never came up again, also it had a random CEL running rich fault, it also took care of that.