On 2/23/2022 at 6:17 PM, Stevey Y said:

Hi they are to say the least rapid with their responses I have always had an update within a couple of hours of the unit hitting the deck and if the part is repairable they assign an engineer to your unit who must work at the speed of an unmarked missile you are never left wondering.

Steve.

Well, sadly, it looks like they have run out of unmarked missiles or the fuel for them anyway.  It entered their system first thing on Thursday morning and was marked as being worked on almost right away so I had high hopes.  But since then I have not heard anything from them.  I called late on Friday and was told I might get an update on Tuesday or possibly Monday.  So, I have just now contacted them via web chat and was told that there is no information on it.

I am very disappointed that they can't give any sort of a status update whatsoever.  This is literally all I have been told:

Sounds like it is just sat on a desk somewhere and the "working On It" status doesn't actually mean anything as the status has said this since Thursday morning:

So now, the 2-3 day turnaround looks more likely to be 4-6 days. I just hope I hear something soon - if they can't fix it or find a fault with it then I need to know so I can book a slot with a garage.

3 hours ago, Hax said:

Well, sadly, it looks like they have run out of unmarked missiles or the fuel for them anyway.  It entered their system first thing on Thursday morning and was marked as being worked on almost right away so I had high hopes.  But since then I have not heard anything from them.  I called late on Friday and was told I might get an update on Tuesday or possibly Monday.  So, I have just now contacted them via web chat and was told that there is no information on it.

I am very disappointed that they can't give any sort of a status update whatsoever.  This is literally all I have been told:

Sounds like it is just sat on a desk somewhere and the "working On It" status doesn't actually mean anything as the status has said this since Thursday morning:

So now, the 2-3 day turnaround looks more likely to be 4-6 days. I just hope I hear something soon - if they can't fix it or find a fault with it then I need to know so I can book a slot with a garage.

Hi sorry to hear this as whenever I have used them I have never had a problem, maybe just luck or the parts sent have been easier to diagnose, either way a little extra time will be substantially less cost wise than going for a new unit from Audi, let us know how you get on.

Steve.

Sorry for my delay in updating.

On Tuesday, around midday, I got a text message saying that they were on the final day of their quoted turnaround (I would consider Monday to have been the final day considering the unit arrived with them at 08:38 on Thursday morning - before they even opened, so they had it for the whole of that day).

The message apologised for the delay and then said they expected it to take one more day.

On Wednesday I got another message in the morning telling me it was with an engineer.  Before lunch I got another update saying that a fault had been found and could be fixed. I paid the bill and it was instantly booked for return shipping - presumably they just went ahead and fixed it before the bill was paid.

The repaired cluster arrived with me yesterday morning and I fitted it and now all is good.

Very happy with having the job done - no complaints about that and wouldn't hesitate using them again.  A little disappointed with the status display on the "user portal" as "We're working on it" doesn't actually mean that - it would be preferable if they just said it was waiting to be assigned to an engineer.

Maybe I just expect too much. 

Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I am happy with the service provided - thanks for the recommendation @Stevey Y

I am glad to read that the problem is resolved, and thank you for let us know the outcome. It's becoming increasingly rare to be informed of any outcome.

As a lifelong cynic I daresay the "we're working on it" message in reality means "it's arrived and we might get round to opening the package soon".

7 hours ago, Hax said:

Sorry for my delay in updating.

On Tuesday, around midday, I got a text message saying that they were on the final day of their quoted turnaround (I would consider Monday to have been the final day considering the unit arrived with them at 08:38 on Thursday morning - before they even opened, so they had it for the whole of that day).

The message apologised for the delay and then said they expected it to take one more day.

On Wednesday I got another message in the morning telling me it was with an engineer.  Before lunch I got another update saying that a fault had been found and could be fixed. I paid the bill and it was instantly booked for return shipping - presumably they just went ahead and fixed it before the bill was paid.

The repaired cluster arrived with me yesterday morning and I fitted it and now all is good.

Very happy with having the job done - no complaints about that and wouldn't hesitate using them again.  A little disappointed with the status display on the "user portal" as "We're working on it" doesn't actually mean that - it would be preferable if they just said it was waiting to be assigned to an engineer.

Maybe I just expect too much. 

Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I am happy with the service provided - thanks for the recommendation @Stevey Y

Hi I am glad it worked out, assumption about the service time is they are possibly snowed as their reputation  is growing and if you look at what greedy dealers want to charge for a replacement, no wonder they are busy.

Steve.

So, things aren't fixed with my car...  Just went out to use it and it turned over and started and then the engine cut out.  The dials are, again, all dead.

I am assuming it is the immobiliser that is killing the engine.  But, I have no idea what is going on with this now.

That's awful news Adam. If the battery and the instrument cluster are OK, the only other thing I can think of that would cause these problems is the ECU. That is incredibly expensive to have replaced and not something to be considered until all other avenues have been explored.

In your position I would as a first step contact the cluster repairer to explain the problem and see what guarantee they offer. You mentioned that the company began despatch of the cluster the moment you had paid, suggesting that it was either already fixed or they had simply fitted a new fuse without further exploration of the cause of the failure.

Depending on the outcome of that discussion I believe you would be at the point of having to decide if it is worth spending much more money on the car. It is possible that another cluster would solve the problem; but equally possible that an ECU is needed. Only you can decide if the financial risk is worthwhile. Not being an electrician myself I am at the limit of my knowledge and can only suggest testing of the car's electrical system by a specialist i.e. not an Audi dealer.

Regards Cliff.

Hi @cliffcogginthe company offers a lifetime warranty.  But my concern is that something else is the root cause of the problem.

Monday I will call them and see what they advise. Then afterwards, if necessary, I will book in to a local garage to see if they can diagnose the fault.

It is just the inconvenience of it all. I am lucky that I am currenty working from home so have lesss reliance on the car. Thursday evening, it was working perfectly. I drove the shop and back.  And then again today, it has inexplicably died after just being left sitting quietly.

Anyway, I will keep this thread updated for the benefit of anyone else who may encounter a similar problem.

Annoyingly, I long pressed the "unlock" button on the keyfob and the windows all went down and now I am unable to operate them to raise them again.  So I've had to tape a load of bin bags over the windows for the weekend 😅

I found this other thread earlier which sounds familiar to me.  Sadly there is no outcome posted there. But I'm thinking about ordering the OBDeleven that is mentioned my @Stevey Y - although I have no idea if that would give me any answers, I'm not familiar with what is possible through such OBD devices. 

 

3 hours ago, Hax said:

I found this other thread earlier which sounds familiar to me.  Sadly there is no outcome posted there. But I'm thinking about ordering the OBDeleven that is mentioned my @Stevey Y - although I have no idea if that would give me any answers, I'm not familiar with what is possible through such OBD devices. 

 

Hi OBD Eleven is a good shout especially if you get the Pro version as this has most of the functions that VCDS has, part of the problem lies with not retrieving codes which will tell you whats going on inside the cars Can Bus system, loss of communication etc, I do not believe for one second that the ECU has gone west but if you get the correct manufacturer specific software platform you can code new parts to the car I.E.new battery, make adjustments, read live data whilst running, perform readapting of new parts, without the DTC reading facilities its like going to your doctor and telling him your nose hurts he will certainly want to look up it and pull it about a bit and have a blood test done.

If as you say you have worked with Can Gateway systems before this should be a piece of Pixx for a man of your calibre and enable you to erase all the one time two years ago codes that are probably taking up valuable storage space in the various control modules on the car, I get it on my cab and once a month I have a clear out of all the random codes like the boot motor implausible signals where some Wassoc has tried to shut it by hand rather than use the button to close it, there are NO fuses in the instrument cluster and if you get a diagnostic unit you won't be flying blind anymore or relying on garages to tell you whats wrong and OBD Eleven is about a third of the price of VCDS.

Steve.

3 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi OBD Eleven is a good shout especially if you get the Pro version as this has most of the functions that VCDS has, part of the problem lies with not retrieving codes which will tell you whats going on inside the cars Can Bus system, loss of communication etc, I do not believe for one second that the ECU has gone west but if you get the correct manufacturer specific software platform you can code new parts to the car I.E.new battery, make adjustments, read live data whilst running, perform readapting of new parts, without the DTC reading facilities its like going to your doctor and telling him your nose hurts he will certainly want to look up it and pull it about a bit and have a blood test done.

If as you say you have worked with Can Gateway systems before this should be a piece of Pixx for a man of your calibre and enable you to erase all the one time two years ago codes that are probably taking up valuable storage space in the various control modules on the car, I get it on my cab and once a month I have a clear out of all the random codes like the boot motor implausible signals where some Wassoc has tried to shut it by hand rather than use the button to close it, there are NO fuses in the instrument cluster and if you get a diagnostic unit you won't be flying blind anymore or relying on garages to tell you whats wrong and OBD Eleven is about a third of the price of VCDS.

Steve.

Hi @Stevey Y, thanks for your reply.  Would this be a good shout then? 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OTG9KGG?pd_rd_i=B00OTG9KGG&pd_rd_w=6t7Pf&pf_rd_p=c7644d05-b36c-42b2-af11-2ef3c7c4f9a0&pd_rd_wg=LUtQc&pf_rd_r=2W7ZDY6F7BJ6A07WPVE2&pd_rd_r=aaa8efcd-1c77-4aec-9ff6-9d3912f92e88

I am not sure what the differences are between the original and nextgen versions and the pro/non-pro, whatever.  I know you can buy credits for extra functionality. I guess my concern is that I could just be wasting money... 🤔

Wondering if I buy the basic version at £49.99 can I then effectively turn it into a "Pro" version for 12 months with the €24.99 subscription? Works out quite a bit cheaper for something which, in reality, I would not use very often (I hope!) 

5 minutes ago, Hax said:

Wondering if I buy the basic version at £49.99 can I then effectively turn it into a "Pro" version for 12 months with the €24.99 subscription? Works out quite a bit cheaper for something which, in reality, I would not use very often (I hope!) 

Hi the item in the previous post looks just about right, I at first baulked at the idea of paying for a diagnostic device until my wife pointed out how many evenings I had come home stressed to the eyeballs about a light on the dash or it wasn't running right keeps missing and then we had the day off afterwards to go book it in to the garage I use, then driving round with the problem for a couple of days before it went in.

My Wife and Daughter forced the issue seventeen years ago by making me choose a unit and that was my birthday present, I have never looked back since as I have built my unit up with different generic softwares and cables the latest being VCDS which has paid for itself ten times over, I had only had my car two years and it started what I would term as misfire , plugged it in and got a code for oxygen sensor bank 1, bearing in mind I had no light on the dash I bought another sensor for £60 and changed it in twenty min, saved myself a ton of labour and the garages mark up on the part, I can change my own rear pads as I have the parking brake service mode facility I even changed the throttle body on my daughters Q3 and readapted that, should you wish get the basic unit but I guarantee you will be looking to upgrade sooner than you think as if you work out what you save on garage bills its a no brainer.

Steve

Reading the description of the "pro" version, it comes with 12 months pro subscription and 200 credits.  So I think the devices are the same. These addons cost €24.99 (Pro subscription) and €25.98 (around £42 extra) - so adding this all up works out a cheaper option so think I'll go for that and get the extras when I need them 🙂

Sorry, I should clarify that this saving is when buying the "old" version (i.e. not the nextgen). According to the obdeleven website, the only differences are that the nextgen supports iOS (I have Android) and it supports some extra cars (Lamborghini and Bentley - neither of which are in my budget! ).  The functionality is the same on both devices.  So, for me, this makes the most (economical) sense for me to buy.

Edited March 5, 20224 yr by Hax

So, my OBCeleven arrived this afternoon and I've been out to run a scan for fault codes.   The "interesting" areas are at the bottom. 

Note that nearly every modules complained about the loss of communication with the instrument cluster.  And whilst the "Dashboard" says "No trouble codes found", in reality when I tried to access that section OBDeleven was coming back with the following message:

 

Also, just as I was about to get out of the car, some life came back to the instrument panel in the form of these randomly flashing lights:

 

 

01 Engine
    Trouble codes:
        P157000 - Engine Control Module (ECM) disabled
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static

17 Dashboard
    Trouble codes:
        No trouble codes found
 

19 Gateway
    Trouble codes:
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus Faulty
            static
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus No signal/communication
            static
        00469 - Infotainment data bus in single wire Open circuit
            Intermittent
        01304 - Radio No signal/communication
            static
 

Edited March 6, 20224 yr by Hax

1 hour ago, Hax said:

So, my OBCeleven arrived this afternoon and I've been out to run a scan for fault codes.   The "interesting" areas are at the bottom. 

Note that nearly every modules complained about the loss of communication with the instrument cluster.  And whilst the "Dashboard" says "No trouble codes found", in reality when I tried to access that section OBDeleven was coming back with the following message:

 

Also, just as I was about to get out of the car, some life came back to the instrument panel in the form of these randomly flashing lights:

 

 

 

01 Engine
    Trouble codes:
        P157000 - Engine Control Module (ECM) disabled
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static

17 Dashboard
    Trouble codes:
        No trouble codes found
 

19 Gateway
    Trouble codes:
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus Faulty
            static
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus No signal/communication
            static
        00469 - Infotainment data bus in single wire Open circuit
            Intermittent
        01304 - Radio No signal/communication
            static
 

 

1 hour ago, Hax said:

So, my OBCeleven arrived this afternoon and I've been out to run a scan for fault codes.   The "interesting" areas are at the bottom. 

Note that nearly every modules complained about the loss of communication with the instrument cluster.  And whilst the "Dashboard" says "No trouble codes found", in reality when I tried to access that section OBDeleven was coming back with the following message:

 

Also, just as I was about to get out of the car, some life came back to the instrument panel in the form of these randomly flashing lights:

 

 

 

01 Engine
    Trouble codes:
        P157000 - Engine Control Module (ECM) disabled
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static
        U015500 - Lost Communication With Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Control Module
            static

17 Dashboard
    Trouble codes:
        No trouble codes found
 

19 Gateway
    Trouble codes:
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus Faulty
            static
        00381 - Instrument cluster data bus No signal/communication
            static
        00469 - Infotainment data bus in single wire Open circuit
            Intermittent
        01304 - Radio No signal/communication
            static
 

Hi it looks like the ECU has locked itself out because it thinks it is being stolen which I think may be the immobiliser which is mounted in the cluster, just try this before you hurl the unit back to ECU Testing, disconnect both battery terminals and touch them together for thirty seconds and then reconnect the battery if that won't work its probably the cluster in which case give them a ring and email the diagnostic scan to them its guaranteed which is a plus but if you explain what happened after the refit I am sure they will be able to help you, at least you know its not the ECU.

Steve.

Thanks @Stevey Y- I'll give this a go in the morning when I have better light - I'll have time whilst waiting for ECUTesting to open up.

YEah, to my mind, it looks more like the instrument cluster is again at fault as nothing else seems to be able to communicate with it.  I just wonder if there is a problem elsewhere that is causing it to fall over.  Or maybe at ECUTesting they replaced something simple like a zener diode that had blown due to something starting to fail and replacing that just allowed whatever was behind to continue the failure process.

I'll hopefully find out more tomorrow.

The saga continues...

 

22 hours ago, Hax said:

Thanks @Stevey Y- I'll give this a go in the morning when I have better light - I'll have time whilst waiting for ECUTesting to open up.

YEah, to my mind, it looks more like the instrument cluster is again at fault as nothing else seems to be able to communicate with it.  I just wonder if there is a problem elsewhere that is causing it to fall over.  Or maybe at ECUTesting they replaced something simple like a zener diode that had blown due to something starting to fail and replacing that just allowed whatever was behind to continue the failure process.

I'll hopefully find out more tomorrow.

The saga continues...

 

Hi I wish you luck as it is not for want of trying and I think your analysis may well be correct, thats the problem with the later cars and yours every thing is daisy chained together so if one part fails it might be caused by the next part down the line beginning to fail, bit like MAF and MAP sensors they communicate but 9/10 times you just get a code for the MAF so if you replace it the problem reoccurs as its really the MAP that was failing.

Steve.

I sent the logs I retrieved to ECUTesting and they called me back and have arranged for a courier to collect it from me tomorrow and are going to have another look at it. 

Hoping they find something on the cluster that is the cause of the problem

So, I just chased ECUTesting for an update and have been told that they have tested my instrument cluster and it has tested faulty as I described and that it is not repairable and they do not have a compatible unit in stock so they are going to return it to me and refund the original cost minus the postage.

Argghh..  Where do I go now?! 😕 

So, after further conversation, ECUTesting have said that if I want, I can source and supply a used replacement and they can try to transfer the code from the old one to the replacement.  No guarantees here though...  I have seen what I think are suitable replacements on ebay selling for around £100

Other than that, my only other option is to contact Audi and see what price they quote and use the £300 I would save from buying a used one (including the £200 refund from ECUTesting) to offset that cost...

On the plus side, I got paid today and that included almost 40 hours of overtime!

I know it's not much consolation, but at least it has been confirmed to definitely be an instrument cluster fault, and not an ECU or battery problem.

In addition to Ebay it would be worth investigating online car breakers (sorry, vehicle dismantlers,) as a source for another cluster.

1 hour ago, Hax said:

So, after further conversation, ECUTesting have said that if I want, I can source and supply a used replacement and they can try to transfer the code from the old one to the replacement.  No guarantees here though...  I have seen what I think are suitable replacements on ebay selling for around £100

Other than that, my only other option is to contact Audi and see what price they quote and use the £300 I would save from buying a used one (including the £200 refund from ECUTesting) to offset that cost...

On the plus side, I got paid today and that included almost 40 hours of overtime!

Hi, this is turning into a real drama, at least you can get your money back minus postage, see how much Audi want for the cluster but beware of the coding charge, do any of the units on eBay look like good propositions as you should be able to code a replacement in with the OBD I think if you save the part coding from your original unit the code for the unit is on a label on the donor unit.

Steve.

35 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi, this is turning into a real drama, at least you can get your money back minus postage, see how much Audi want for the cluster but beware of the coding charge, do any of the units on eBay look like good propositions as you should be able to code a replacement in with the OBD I think if you save the part coding from your original unit the code for the unit is on a label on the donor unit.

Steve.

One has the same part number as mine, but the advert states it was taken from a semi-auto - my car is a manual.  I do not think this should be an issue, but it does raise a question.  The guy I spoke to at ECUTesting has emailed a technician for advice so hopefully I will hear back tomorrow.

If the coding is as simple as reading a number from a label then hopefully it is something I can do.  But if I need the OBD to communicate with the existing cluster then that's a no-go as when I tried to read the fault codes from it, the OBD couldn't even communicate with the cluster.

@Stevey YBefore I sent the unit off thte first time, I took a photo of the only label I could see on it.  I'm not sure what the required code would look like, are you able to advise if it is contained on this label please?