Brake servo restricted

[markyboy75]

Hi Joshua, 

Yes this indeed should be covered under the approved used warranty as I have that warranty and it was covered. I’m not to sure though about the diagnostics they aren’t covered under the warranty I believe , however I wasn’t charged for this when I took my car in. But the part and fitting is certainly covered.

 

Rgds

[Joshua P]

10 minutes ago, markyboy75 said:

Hi Joshua, 

Yes this indeed should be covered under the approved used warranty as I have that warranty and it was covered. I’m not to sure though about the diagnostics they aren’t covered under the warranty I believe , however I wasn’t charged for this when I took my car in. But the part and fitting is certainly covered.

 

Rgds

Thanks Mark the reply. I will book the car to get this done.

[A-D]

Hi, I believe this is a serious and emerging issue for Audi and us owners.

I count around x26 owners with this problem on this forum alone, I'm 27th and counting.  My A4 Avant Ultrasport 66 reg has 30k miles on the clock.  It sat for weeks from March until end of June with intermittent short journeys to shops etc.  The brake servo restricted warning came on around mid/late July I believe.  I contacted my local mechanic, but couldn't get through for a week or so.  The warning then changed a week or so later to Auto Start/Stop not functioning as well as the brake servo issue.  I then decided to contact Isaac Agnew Audi (the only approved Audi new car dealer in Northern Ireland).  I told them the issue and they said we can book you in on 31st Aug and run diagnostic for £80 - that was around two weeks away.  I decided I couldn't wait this long and contacted my mechanic again.  This time I got through and he took me in the next week.

Long story short, he replaced the faulty brake sensor (it seems it is now a slightly different p/n from possibly a different manufacturer!), he also charged up a lowish battery and got all error codes cleared apart from an ABS fault code (all for £80, I might add).  He told me to take it to Agnew's, so when I contacted them this time they said no problem come in 8th Sep, but changed their minds (for some reason) and said come in 31st Aug (the original date they gave me).  Agnew's at no time told me the original error was a ticking time bomb, otherwise they should have brought me as soon as I first contacted them.  They took the car in and got back same day with a repair bill of £2,708 for the ABS and also in addition a front suspension part (a suspension part failing at 30k miles - sounds like my dad talking about Fords in the 1970s!).

I can't afford to pay £3k for a car with only 30k miles on the clock, or the next time, whenever this fault decides to come back!!

It seems the faulty sensor is misread by the computer as a hydraulic problem and tells the ABS to compensate.  What it doesn't inform the owner is that this also in a short time destroys the ABS unit, which needs replaced:- Audi should at least have forced the car to go into limp mode.  As a design engineer, a risk/fault assessment should take into account faulty sensors (737 MAX crashes are an extreme example) and rather than conclude a perfectly good hydraulic brake system was the problem cause the ABS unit to self-destruct it should recognise this as a minor fault and not do irreparable damage.  Of course Agnew's will not offer a goodwill gesture as I bought the car from Oakwood Bury, and therefore Audi UK will not offer goodwill either.  Both have large budgets but are not willing to do anything for both theirs and their manufacturers plummeting reputation, and it is you and I who pay the cost of Audi's design fault.

My car is still with Agnew's who haven't got in touch with me for a week, I've been the one checking up on updates (same with Audi UK, although to be fair the girl I spoke with (Ami) was trying to be sympathetic and helpful, but didn't seem to have anything else to offer).

I can sort of understand Agnew's and Audi's stance regarding goodwill, both have a budget and it is up to the local dealer to decide if it's worth helping out a customer (or a new potential customer like me), however the bigger picture seems to escape them entirely.

If you are all fairly/exceedingly disgruntled (some have been fortunate to 'only' have to fork out £250 or so for a brake sensor replacement), you should submit complaints to Audi UK (call 0800 699 888 or email customer.services@audi.co.uk) - if they get enough owners with this fault it should get raised with Audi and a recall may be in order - to my mind a reputable company knowing a fault can occur in a brake system, through a design error, must put their hands up and take responsibility.  Someone could get killed if this causes brakes or ABS to fail!

Each of us alone aren't worth taking notice of, from what I can see, but together we must be listened to. I know Oakwood in Bury (2nd hand Audi dealer - seem good guys) have now had x4 Audi owners with the same problem (add that to the x27 of us A4 owners and a few A5/Q7 owners as well as those on other forums)!

If anyone else has a good idea of who to contact (Autocar, Motor Ombudsman, What Car etc.) please let us all know.

Anyone with me on this?

I've never had to write something like this before, I went from x10 worry free years of driving a Mazda 6 to Audi, thinking the premium we all pay for a car like this must be justified - now I'm just plain angry and no-one in Audi seems to give a stuff about us.  Cars breaking down out-of-warranty is something we all accept, parts get old and wear etc, but we cannot accept a costly built-in design error like this and pay dearly for Audi's mistake.

Thanks for reading this to the end - let's hope Audi genuinely care about those who give them their hard earned cash!

PS:- The press may also mildly interested in this, especially a premium German car manufacturer with a pandemic related fault they aren't acknowledging - what do you think - keep it in reserve until Audi respond?

 

 

[A4Alan]

I've been through the mill with my 2017 A4 Allroad on this. My advice is get it fixed as soon as Brake Servo Restricted error message appears. £70 for the brake pressure sensor and 10 mins max to replac. Audi Roadside Assistance who came to my aid when message changed to Brake Failure - do not drive said there was no clear reason why this is happening but best case scenario is new brake pressure sensor @ £70, worst case in new ABS unit @ £2600. I was worst case but thankfully was cover buyAudi Approved Used warranty. Car has been off the road for 2 weeks though getting it fixed.

Around about the time the error message changed I bought a new sensor from Autodoc but it turned out I didn't need as the technician had his own supply on the van. I have a brand new brake sensor for sale if anybody wants to get in touch and buy it - never been fitted. £60 inc postage.

[Jade Z]

Hi everyone, I have an A4 Diesel 2.0 2016. Exactly same problem: parked in the drive for a couple of weeks not using. I drove today and the brake servo/start/stop error messages appeared. The brake felt a bit funny too. After seeing everyone’s post, it seems clear to me that this can either be a design fault or a poor sensor with only 3-4 year’s life span. Just can’t believe it happened to Audi. As it’s outside warranty I guess there is nothing we can do but pay for the repair. Frustrating...

[Danboy1973]

On 9/7/2020 at 9:37 PM, A-D said:

Hi, I believe this is a serious and emerging issue for Audi and us owners.

I count around x26 owners with this problem on this forum alone, I'm 27th and counting.  My A4 Avant Ultrasport 66 reg has 30k miles on the clock.  It sat for weeks from March until end of June with intermittent short journeys to shops etc.  The brake servo restricted warning came on around mid/late July I believe.  I contacted my local mechanic, but couldn't get through for a week or so.  The warning then changed a week or so later to Auto Start/Stop not functioning as well as the brake servo issue.  I then decided to contact Isaac Agnew Audi (the only approved Audi new car dealer in Northern Ireland).  I told them the issue and they said we can book you in on 31st Aug and run diagnostic for £80 - that was around two weeks away.  I decided I couldn't wait this long and contacted my mechanic again.  This time I got through and he took me in the next week.

Long story short, he replaced the faulty brake sensor (it seems it is now a slightly different p/n from possibly a different manufacturer!), he also charged up a lowish battery and got all error codes cleared apart from an ABS fault code (all for £80, I might add).  He told me to take it to Agnew's, so when I contacted them this time they said no problem come in 8th Sep, but changed their minds (for some reason) and said come in 31st Aug (the original date they gave me).  Agnew's at no time told me the original error was a ticking time bomb, otherwise they should have brought me as soon as I first contacted them.  They took the car in and got back same day with a repair bill of £2,708 for the ABS and also in addition a front suspension part (a suspension part failing at 30k miles - sounds like my dad talking about Fords in the 1970s!).

I can't afford to pay £3k for a car with only 30k miles on the clock, or the next time, whenever this fault decides to come back!!

It seems the faulty sensor is misread by the computer as a hydraulic problem and tells the ABS to compensate.  What it doesn't inform the owner is that this also in a short time destroys the ABS unit, which needs replaced:- Audi should at least have forced the car to go into limp mode.  As a design engineer, a risk/fault assessment should take into account faulty sensors (737 MAX crashes are an extreme example) and rather than conclude a perfectly good hydraulic brake system was the problem cause the ABS unit to self-destruct it should recognise this as a minor fault and not do irreparable damage.  Of course Agnew's will not offer a goodwill gesture as I bought the car from Oakwood Bury, and therefore Audi UK will not offer goodwill either.  Both have large budgets but are not willing to do anything for both theirs and their manufacturers plummeting reputation, and it is you and I who pay the cost of Audi's design fault.

My car is still with Agnew's who haven't got in touch with me for a week, I've been the one checking up on updates (same with Audi UK, although to be fair the girl I spoke with (Ami) was trying to be sympathetic and helpful, but didn't seem to have anything else to offer).

I can sort of understand Agnew's and Audi's stance regarding goodwill, both have a budget and it is up to the local dealer to decide if it's worth helping out a customer (or a new potential customer like me), however the bigger picture seems to escape them entirely.

If you are all fairly/exceedingly disgruntled (some have been fortunate to 'only' have to fork out £250 or so for a brake sensor replacement), you should submit complaints to Audi UK (call 0800 699 888 or email customer.services@audi.co.uk) - if they get enough owners with this fault it should get raised with Audi and a recall may be in order - to my mind a reputable company knowing a fault can occur in a brake system, through a design error, must put their hands up and take responsibility.  Someone could get killed if this causes brakes or ABS to fail!

Each of us alone aren't worth taking notice of, from what I can see, but together we must be listened to. I know Oakwood in Bury (2nd hand Audi dealer - seem good guys) have now had x4 Audi owners with the same problem (add that to the x27 of us A4 owners and a few A5/Q7 owners as well as those on other forums)!

If anyone else has a good idea of who to contact (Autocar, Motor Ombudsman, What Car etc.) please let us all know.

Anyone with me on this?

I've never had to write something like this before, I went from x10 worry free years of driving a Mazda 6 to Audi, thinking the premium we all pay for a car like this must be justified - now I'm just plain angry and no-one in Audi seems to give a stuff about us.  Cars breaking down out-of-warranty is something we all accept, parts get old and wear etc, but we cannot accept a costly built-in design error like this and pay dearly for Audi's mistake.

Thanks for reading this to the end - let's hope Audi genuinely care about those who give them their hard earned cash!

PS:- The press may also mildly interested in this, especially a premium German car manufacturer with a pandemic related fault they aren't acknowledging - what do you think - keep it in reserve until Audi respond?

 

 

Morning Andrew, YES i have had exactly the same issue as you, 'Brake Pressure sensor limit reached' fault code c123e it was saying that the brake pressure boost sensor was at fault i called Audi after lockdown & the earliest they could get me in was Sept 8th,in the meantime this dashboard message went from saying 'booster limit reached' to 'Please safely stop vehicle' anyway picked it up yesterday and Audi Colchester want to charge me £2700 to replace the Complete ABS unit including the Hydraulic part for a price tag of £2700 !! I had to kindly decline their offer as i don't just have that kind of money spare after a being Self Employed & a mass pandemic in the world happening !! Anyway i have seen on various threads that this was originally a Software issue of Audi's and that it could of been safely reset had i been told by car at least going into limp mode to top me driving it then it would of cost around £200 not the now £2700 bill for a 3 year old car that has only done 42000 miles with full Audi main dealer history throughout it very small few years it has been built.  Complete joke if you ask me.  I have asked for them to see if they would help with the cost but it has been a day and i have not had a reply so i am not holding out much hope. 

[Dazzh]

Hi @Jade Z & @Danboy1973

I had the same problem and took it to AUDI Glasgow who initially said £2700 for sensor and ABS, 

I explained about the car just being over just 3 1/2 years old, low mileage, bought new and also serviced by them. They eventually contacted AUDI who paid £1700 towards the bill.

I also complained direct to AUDI about this becoming an emerging issue however this fell on deft ears and all that was offered was 10% off a service.

I would chase it up as I don't see any reason why AUDI would not contribute to your bill. 

Best of luck

[A-D]

Dazzh - tks, however you have the advantage of going to the dealer you bought it off.  I don't have that luxury as I bought mine from an Audi 2nd-hand dealer in England, with 8 months left on the warranty at the time, but as I live in NI, so I can't just drive down the road.  Audi UK have told me the final answer comes from the dealer you brought the car to (preferably the one that the car was bought from), whilst at the same time, the dealer refers you to Audi UK for their answer - totally circular argument, with no responsibility taken by Audi or it's approved dealers.

Danboy1973, hope you get further than I did, but don't expect much, I've been trying for 2 weeks now.  Audi UK have told me I don't meet 'their criteria' (as the Audi dealer doesn't want to contribute), and that's their final answer.  They don't say what their criteria is, but owners like me are now high and dry.

I have contacted Auto Express (help@dennis.co.uk), DVSA (enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk), a national newspaper, as this is completely unethical, and morally reprehensible response to a design fault, in my view.  I'll likely not get anywhere, but £2700 is worth fighting for.  I lost around £3k in earnings over lockdown, due to furlough, so I can't swallow this - I actually feel sick thinking about it.

Audi UK will not tell me if the car is unsafe and instead leave that up to the dealer to decide if they will advise or not. I guess they'll wait until someone gets killed due to this fault before Audi will pay attention. The lady I spoke to in Audi UK (quite sympathetic really) told me I can take it up with the Motor Ombudsman, so that is my next port of call.

Am I flogging a dead horse here, I don't know, but surely they'll listen to a flood of complaints from you if you also feel completely robbed, and if they experience investigations by independent bodies?

All the best, I'll update y'all if there are any developements.

AD.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by A-D
additional comment.

[Jade Z]

On 9/10/2020 at 9:09 AM, Dazzh said:

Hi @Jade Z & @Danboy1973

I had the same problem and took it to AUDI Glasgow who initially said £2700 for sensor and ABS, 

I explained about the car just being over just 3 1/2 years old, low mileage, bought new and also serviced by them. They eventually contacted AUDI who paid £1700 towards the bill.

I also complained direct to AUDI about this becoming an emerging issue however this fell on deft ears and all that was offered was 10% off a service.

I would chase it up as I don't see any reason why AUDI would not contribute to your bill. 

Best of luck

Hi, I called Audi and there is a 4 weeks wait before they can make a diagnosis. It will cost £99 simply to check it. From what you guys described I might be better leaving the car untouched until then. I did test drive it a bit that day thinking the fault could be due to rust in the brakes as it was not used for a couple of weeks but hope it hasn’t done much damage to the ABS. I agree that it is either Audi’s design fault or they are using a highly unreliable part in the critical components compromising safety. I agree as owner we must voice our concerns/complaints particularly it happened to so many of us. God knows how many others have had the same problem who are not connected to this club. Will give you an update when mine is diagnosed and repaired. Definitely will write to Audi to complain. 
 

Please take care
J

[Peter1028]

On 9/10/2020 at 5:54 AM, Danboy1973 said:

Morning Andrew, YES i have had exactly the same issue as you, 'Brake Pressure sensor limit reached' fault code c123e it was saying that the brake pressure boost sensor was at fault i called Audi after lockdown & the earliest they could get me in was Sept 8th,in the meantime this dashboard message went from saying 'booster limit reached' to 'Please safely stop vehicle' anyway picked it up yesterday and Audi Colchester want to charge me £2700 to replace the Complete ABS unit including the Hydraulic part for a price tag of £2700 !! I had to kindly decline their offer as i don't just have that kind of money spare after a being Self Employed & a mass pandemic in the world happening !! Anyway i have seen on various threads that this was originally a Software issue of Audi's and that it could of been safely reset had i been told by car at least going into limp mode to top me driving it then it would of cost around £200 not the now £2700 bill for a 3 year old car that has only done 42000 miles with full Audi main dealer history throughout it very small few years it has been built.  Complete joke if you ask me.  I have asked for them to see if they would help with the cost but it has been a day and i have not had a reply so i am not holding out much hope. 

Dear All,

I go back a few months with this sensor issue (but gave up & you'll see why) with my just turned 3 year old A4 TFSI which I bought from Audi Tyneside 2 years ago when it was just 12 months old. This all started as a trickle of complaints but clearly is much bigger than Audi really want to admit. Below I print (again) a reply from Audi UK customer relations UK dated 26th June 2020.  Are Audi washing their hands of this serious issue? It's very irresponsible boarding on dangerous not to take this more seriously but of course its opening a tin of worms $$$ really. All I wanted to do was draw their attention to a 'possible' serious issue with the braking system on some Audi cars and also to say if its that's easy to rectify (Mine fixed in a few hours) why not deal with the issue on a one on one basis. I paid €210 here in Lyon where I now live and imported my car from the UK but to try and discus with Audi UK and Audi France was too much hassle for me to be honest. However if I had been charged in the thousands as some have here because my ABS had failed I would have taken on 'Audi the Universe' to get my money back.

 

Regards

 

Peter.  

 

 

Good Morning Peter

Thank you for contacting Audi UK.

Whilst I appreciate you need to complete further research when your vehicle vaults, internet forums and groups do not offer a verified view of the issue. Forums contain opinions and information from non-genuine or verified sources and therefore we cannot guarantee the information’s validity.

Our Audi centres offer genuine Audi experts both in service and in the vehicles warranty to ensure that you vehicle is provided with the best possible servicing and maintenance. 

If you wish to discuss the charges applied when taking your vehicle in for repair, I would be more than happy to escalate your concerns to the Head of Business at Tyneside Audi to as a member of the team to make contact and discuss your concerns further.

Once again thank you for contacting Audi UK.

Kind regards



Customer Relations Advisor

Audi UK 

[Jon Seward]

I had the same problem as others (‘brake servo restricted’ warning followed by a ‘stop/start not working’ message) with my 66 Reg A4 Avant TFSI which had only done 24,000 miles and was used only very occasionally during lockdown. Because the brakes still worked and the display message said I could continue driving I did so but only for a few very short journeys (and after the first time the ‘thud’ of the ABS kicked in I then made sure I applied the brakes even more gently) and intended to get it booked into an independent Audi garage (cheaper than main dealer) when convenient. However, after reading in the forum about the ABS issue (which clearly added urgency) and Simon Ryder’s report on how to change the pressure sensor I decided to give it a go without any further delay. My A4’s pressure sensor 5Q0906207(A) can be bought online for about £50 but as my Audi wasn’t on the website’s list of models that the part fitted(!) I decided not to take a chance and instead bought it direct from a main Audi dealer for £75 incl. VAT (as this meant a 40 mile round trip I paid £4.99 + VAT for it to be posted to me although the postage only cost the dealer 65p). I’m no mechanic but it was really easy to change, took less than 5 minutes, and everything is back to normal. I’m just so relieved that I was able to sort it for £75 plus postage AND before the ABS became an issue, so two fingers to Audi and a big THANK YOU to Simon.

 

[absentminded]

On 8/20/2020 at 9:06 AM, Simon Ryder said:

Hope this helps. 
I’ve circled in red the area of the sensor. It’s under a plastic flap. You have to pull the rubber edge off to lift up. 
The sensor pulls vertically off. You then slide a plastic holding clamp off the other end. Just reverse the process to put the new one back in. It’s really simple and annoying that everyone seems to want to charge a couple of hundred pounds for this??!?

Hi, I was given a £120 diagnostic fee and whatever the cost of repairs, using the description given in Simons post I ordered the part from a dealer $75 (inv VAT), I have waited 2 weeks before reporting the results in case something didn't work after I replaced the sensor.
I pumped the brake to equalise the pressure, clean the area from dust and dirt (seemed the right thing to do as I was going to expose the servo pressure mounting to the outside), unclipped the electric cable, used a small flat end screwdriver to twist the clips over the small lugs you can see in Simons photo (bottom left), as I was doing this I applied pressure by pulling the sensor away from its mounting and it came away with ease. To replace  just line up the sensor apply pressure and it will click into place, attach electric cable.

Both warnings have gone and all feels and looks serviceable. Hope this helps others, Thanks Simon.

[Danboy1973]

On 7/10/2020 at 3:16 PM, Dazzh said:

Hi All,

Just to update on my issue.

As stated I scanned the issue with my diagnostic tool. This showed 2 faults. 1 - Hydraulic brake booster and 2 - Brake booster pressure sensor.

I tried to clear the faults but it wouldn't clear the Hydraulic brake booster fault.

Took it to AUDI who stated it would require a new ABS module and pressure sensor. Cost £2,700.

I argued my case that car was only 3 1/2 years old, only done 25,000miles and was purchased and serviced by them.

AUDI paid £1,700, as a goodwill contribution, and I paid the remaining £1,000. 

 

Hi

I had exactly the same issue on my 2016 A4 2.0TDI Avant with only 40000 miles, full main dealer service history !!

I replaced the sensor but it was too late and the damage to the ABS unit had already been done from the faulty sensor sending the wrong signals to the Hydraulic ABS unit which then after a week of driving (which the message on the dash said it was safe to drive) the destroyed the unit.

When it did finally get into Audi Main Dealer last week they said my car was out of warranty and was £2700 to fix.

I did ask for a goodwill contribution but Audi said no and left me with a massive bill if i wanted them to fix it which i have not done yet as the car is driving with no noticeable problems at all but i imagine if i stamped on the brakes the ABS would not work.  

Just now holding out to see if one pops up on eBay before the winter sets in but that is looking less likely.

Glad you got yours fixed tho.

[Danboy1973]

On 9/10/2020 at 3:12 PM, A-D said:

Dazzh - tks, however you have the advantage of going to the dealer you bought it off.  I don't have that luxury as I bought mine from an Audi 2nd-hand dealer in England, with 8 months left on the warranty at the time, but as I live in NI, so I can't just drive down the road.  Audi UK have told me the final answer comes from the dealer you brought the car to (preferably the one that the car was bought from), whilst at the same time, the dealer refers you to Audi UK for their answer - totally circular argument, with no responsibility taken by Audi or it's approved dealers.

Danboy1973, hope you get further than I did, but don't expect much, I've been trying for 2 weeks now.  Audi UK have told me I don't meet 'their criteria' (as the Audi dealer doesn't want to contribute), and that's their final answer.  They don't say what their criteria is, but owners like me are now high and dry.

I have contacted Auto Express (help@dennis.co.uk), DVSA (enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk), a national newspaper, as this is completely unethical, and morally reprehensible response to a design fault, in my view.  I'll likely not get anywhere, but £2700 is worth fighting for.  I lost around £3k in earnings over lockdown, due to furlough, so I can't swallow this - I actually feel sick thinking about it.

Audi UK will not tell me if the car is unsafe and instead leave that up to the dealer to decide if they will advise or not. I guess they'll wait until someone gets killed due to this fault before Audi will pay attention. The lady I spoke to in Audi UK (quite sympathetic really) told me I can take it up with the Motor Ombudsman, so that is my next port of call.

Am I flogging a dead horse here, I don't know, but surely they'll listen to a flood of complaints from you if you also feel completely robbed, and if they experience investigations by independent bodies?

All the best, I'll update y'all if there are any developements.

AD.

 

 

Hi Andrew 

Yes i was told exactly the same by Audi Head Office a arrogant !Removed! he was and don't think he could car less about his job let alone Audi's customers, just to get the number of the Ombudsman was a task with him, he even told me basically that i wouldn't get anywhere so just pipe down and just swallow a £2700 as it is not a recognised fault with Audi otherwise there would of been a recall.

So eBay it is, i have been looking but it is like searching for a needle in a haystack as they need to be exactly the same part number.

Surely they should do something about this more for their reputation than anything else !! 

[A-D]

Danboy1973 et al,

I got through to Motor Ombudsman (who Audi UK suggested to contact), however as you've found, when they hear the car is out of warranty, that is an immediate dismissal.  They did tell me to contact the DVLA (he meant DVSA) if I thought it was a safety issue.  I had already started this last week (around 10th Sep) and have had two emails since.  The last one was to say that an engineer is looking into this matter and will review it within a month (patience required and a lot of hassle at home/work etc.).  I doubt things will move quickly, although I'm sure Audi UK will be totally open and candid when contacted!

This 'admission' may be of interest to all - this came via email to me from our only NI approved Audi dealer (emphasis mine):-

"The current fault in the vehicle has caused a fault within the ABS system which has permanently deactivated the ABS brake control unit."

Make what you want of this, but at least Audi are saying one fault (brake sensor) has caused the other fault (ABS fault).  I'm not a lawyer, but surely that is an admission that Audi have dropped a clanger - why aren't they doing something for their customers (soon to be ex-customers)?  I don't know how it works, but perhaps they need someone like the DVSA to force them into a recall, to allow them to claim some sort of insurance for the recall - anyone know?

This same dealer, could not provide details of how many cases Audi UK now has on record.  To be fair my local dealer has offered me a reduction of £200 on the repair bill - still unfortunately too expensive for me.  I didn't buy new from them, so they I guess don't have to offer goodwill - although of course a dealer with some sort of moral fibre would rightly fight for an owner, win a new customer and garner some positive publicity, which would more than pay for a repair bill like this!

Anyway, all, as mentioned before, don't hold back pushing, unless you don't mind forking out for Audi's mistake - please get in contact with DVSA.

Please find further information at: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-recalls-and-faults/report-a-serious-safety-defect

Regards,

Andrew.

[C87]

I have had the exact same problem, thanks to this post I didn’t continue driving and may have  saved a costly repair to my ABS system! 
I checked the sensor data using VCDS and it showed an error on the brake booster pressure sensor. Replaced the part with a genuine part from Audi Edinburgh (£74.10) and now all is well, phew! Same part number as mentioned previously and was delivered in 2 days.

If it helps, my car is an A4 Avant Ultra 190 S-Tronic with around 80k miles.

Thanks again!

[markyboy75]

C87 ,

just out of curiosity was your car a 2016 or 2017 ? 
 

Reason I ask is there seems to be a pattern whereby the cars are between these dates , so my thought is there was a faulty batch of pressure sensors on cars around this year of manufacture.

 

Rgds

[C87]

Mine is a 66 plate, registered late 2016. Could well be a faulty batch, all appear to be failing around the same time. There is a code on the faulty part, appears to be the batch number. 1607310303111 I would guess the part was made on 31st of July 2016? Does anyone else have similar codes on their failing sensors?

[Jade Z]

On 9/19/2020 at 7:37 AM, C87 said:

I have had the exact same problem, thanks to this post I didn’t continue driving and may have  saved a costly repair to my ABS system! 
I checked the sensor data using VCDS and it showed an error on the brake booster pressure sensor. Replaced the part with a genuine part from Audi Edinburgh (£74.10) and now all is well, phew! Same part number as mentioned previously and was delivered in 2 days.

If it helps, my car is an A4 Avant Ultra 190 S-Tronic with around 80k miles.

Thanks again!

Hi C87, 

Just to check whether the booster sensor you replaced is the same as the part photo that Simon showed in his post?

I am still waiting for my appointment with Audi and it’s frustrating as I can’t even use my car. I am tempting to replace it myself now. 
Look forward to your reply. Thanks.  
J. 

[Chris J]

Big Shout Out to this forum and to Simon Ryder👍👍

Like most on this thread I hadn't used my Audi A4 Avant 3.0TDI Sport 66 plate much over the last 6 months. It's our second car and only done 10k - So like a new car.

Yesterday after using the car for first time in a couple of months the brakes were a bit sticky but freed off after a few miles. To be expected sometimes after a lay up. About 20miles on I got the Brake Servo:restricted warning alarm. I Drove to my destination about 10 miles further and parked. On starting up to travel home The Brake Servo & auto/start Stop warning showed. I drove home gently and parked the car.

Luckily I found this thread and first thing this morning went to my local Audi parts department and purchased the Brake pressure sensor 5Q0906207A for £74.10. The old sensor was 5Q0906207 but the new one by a different manufacturer has an A on the end. The Audi parts guy confirmed it was the correct part. I informed him of this thread and potential to damage the ABS system. He said they stocked a few sensors so that would suggest they get used often🤔

Following Simon's guide I had the old sensor exchanged in a couple of minutes. Small flat screwdriver to unclip the side catches and pull back the gray locking toggle on top of the electrical sensor. Pumped the Brake pedal a few times and started the car. The Brake Servo restricted alarm disappeared but the autostart stop disabled warning still showed. I turned off the engine and waited till everything was off and dash blank. Then restarted the car and the auto start stop warning also disappeared. So success thanks to this thread and Simon's guide. It does feel like a win and no damage to the ABS system so over the moon👍😁

If you have a 66 plate Audi and come across this thread I would seriously consider swoping the sensor before you have a failure and possible bill for an abs system pump.

Thanks again

Chris

[Jade Z]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:26 AM, Chris J said:

Big Shout Out to this forum and to Simon Ryder👍👍

Like most on this thread I hadn't used my Audi A4 Avant 3.0TDI Sport 66 plate much over the last 6 months. It's our second car and only done 10k - So like a new car.

Yesterday after using the car for first time in a couple of months the brakes were a bit sticky but freed off after a few miles. To be expected sometimes after a lay up. About 20miles on I got the Brake Servo:restricted warning alarm. I Drove to my destination about 10 miles further and parked. On starting up to travel home The Brake Servo & auto/start Stop warning showed. I drove home gently and parked the car.

Luckily I found this thread and first thing this morning went to my local Audi parts department and purchased the Brake pressure sensor 5Q0906207A for £74.10. The old sensor was 5Q0906207 but the new one by a different manufacturer has an A on the end. The Audi parts guy confirmed it was the correct part. I informed him of this thread and potential to damage the ABS system. He said they stocked a few sensors so that would suggest they get used often🤔

Following Simon's guide I had the old sensor exchanged in a couple of minutes. Small flat screwdriver to unclip the side catches and pull back the gray locking toggle on top of the electrical sensor. Pumped the Brake pedal a few times and started the car. The Brake Servo restricted alarm disappeared but the autostart stop disabled warning still showed. I turned off the engine and waited till everything was off and dash blank. Then restarted the car and the auto start stop warning also disappeared. So success thanks to this thread and Simon's guide. It does feel like a win and no damage to the ABS system so over the moon👍😁

If you have a 66 plate Audi and come across this thread I would seriously consider swoping the sensor before you have a failure and possible bill for an abs system pump.

Thanks again

Chris

Hi All,

Just to update, I purchased a brake pressure sensor from Audi dealership for £74.10 and replaced the broken one in a couple of mins. All the error messages were gone. Big thank you to this forum and to Simon Ryder for the instruction. Clearly this is the way to do it when the error messages first appear. 
 

Please take care everyone. 
J

[AlanZ]

I have the same problem on my 2016 A4 having done 21,000 miles. I'll be searching for the replacement part asap.

[AlanZ]

Many thanks to Simon Ryder and to this forum !

The number on my failed sensor is 1606060544094 so the manufacturing period spanned at least two months. I guess that many more Audi owners are about to experience the same problem.

[Petefeet]

So yet another sensor gone. Mine has 26k on the clock 2007 A4. The sensor came on in June and stayed on for a few days whilst I was away so unable to take it back to the dealer I bought it from. When I booked it they couldn’t see me for a week, during which time the fault self rectified and the warning stopped. I took it in to the dealer( not an Audi main dealership) they plugged it into the diagnostic computer and said that there were no faults recorded. He said the sensor may have got wet when the car was pressure washed and not to worry, just bring it back if it comes back on. About a month later and 1 week after the 6 month warranty it comes back on! I needed the car for work so drove it back and forward to work having no idea that this sensor fault was going to cause significant damage to other parts of the braking system.  I took the car into my mechanic last week who repl@ced the sensor for £100 but has suggested I try and get the rest of the work done by goodwill at Audi or the garage I bought it from as the servo now neeeds replaced at an estimated cost of £500-£600!
 

this is a known fault and there should be a recall of these cars if it is a fault with any part of the braking system. 

[mcassellis]

Hello. 

Had I found this discussion earlier I would be £1500 richer.  Following the lockdown, I too received the "Start/Stop system fault" and the "Brake servo: restricted" messages.  Since the message also said "You can continue driving"  I did.  But not for long before I received a red warning that basically said STOP NOW.  I don't remember exactly what it said but it was clear that I couldn't "continue driving".  My car went into the shop 5 weeks ago and I just got it back yesterday.  The total was around £3000 and but dealer reduced it to £1500 as a goodwill gesture.  I took a printout of this tread and highlighted the following to the service manager: 

• There are around 40 of us who have had this issue and documented it
• Many of us experienced the issue after our cars were parked for the lockdown period
• Many of us were just out of the 3 year warranty period
• The message said we could continue to drive when this is clearly not the case

As expected, he was not at all interested and I ended up paying the bill.  Now I will contact Audi, the DVSA and Motor Ombudsman.

On a side note, they put a sticker on my car door "This Vehicle Has Been Sanitised".  After parking at my house I noticed that this was clearly not the case.  There were strands of hair from my dog and some water and coffee spots on the centre console.  I called them and asked what they do to sanitise the vehicles before returning them to their customers.  First I was told that they thoroughly wipe down the inside of the car and door handles.  When I said that this had not been done on my car he then said that they only wipe down the surfaces they touch.  Well the radio was on, which I never use, so I know that they touched the centre console.  When I told them this he then told me that they only spray the surfaces. How could he change is response 3 times?  He then offered to come to my house with one of his guys and show me what they do. I figured he was coming to cover his !Removed! so I told him to save it for the people who come to visit him.  I contacted my local MP who has forwarded it to Environmental Health. 

With all this said, the main point i want to make is be careful and make sure you take some sanitiser with you when you pick up your car or point out any issues while you are there.

Keep safe and thanks for all the information you have posted.  Hopefully I can contribute more.