Hi, if you look back in the threads on this there is reference to ‘BSG Water Ingress’ as the root cause due to a defect. I first saw it on a UK Government vehicle recall website. The website identified affected vehicles, and confirmed rectification would be FOC. I’ll look back and see when I posted.

My 2020 Audi A6 Avant 50 Tdi Quattro was fixed FOC. However, this was only after I showed a copy of the website. Customer service was excellent once they were on it.

Note: A Recall does not necessarily mean an active recall of affected vehicles. For this BSG Fault, the Recall is only acted on if a customer actually present a car with the defect.

recall doc below:

 

Recall reference

R/2020/265

 

Recall Type

Car

 

Recall Date

2020-10-02

 

Reason for concern

MOISTURE MAY ENTER THE BELT DRIVEN STARTER-ALTERNATOR

 

Reason for recall

It is possible that moisture may enter the belt-driven starter-alternator.

 

Remedy

The starter-alternator must be replaced on the affected vehicles.

 

How to check if the vehicle is recalled

Contact the local AUDI dealership or manufacturer. You will not need to pay for anything involving the recall.

 

How the manufacturer will repair

The Recalled vehicles will have the fixing checked and corrected as necessary by and official AUDI service.

 

AUDI Reference ID

27H8

 

Number of affected AUDI cars

11936

Hello, Hoping somebody may be able to help me. Under 27BQ recall action my registration date and model falls within the period. On Saturday my alternator failed but Audi uk are failing to cover it and say that my vehicle does not fall under the recall action despite my vehicle ticking all the criteria on the recall. I would obviously prefer not to pay for the works if I can get Audi to agree. But any ideas or how I can get Audi to agree to do at their cost as they also cannot tell me why my vehicle isn’t eligeable. Thank you, Ross 

Ross. If you have read the entire thread you will realise that Audi dealers generally reject any such warranty claims automatically, so you need to be persistant and present evidence to convince them otherwise.

Hi Ross
I agree with Cliff.

My feeling is that many dealer staff are not knowledgeable on how the recall works. I think that some don’t know the difference between an active recall in which customers are contacted directly to get their cars booked-in such as for a Safety Recall and the this type of recall which is only effective when a car presents with a fault that is subject to recall.

In other cases, I think some dealer staff just make their initial decision based on eligibility for a Warranty Claim, and don’t look further than that, leaving the customer severely out of pocket.

As Cliff says, present the documentary evidence showing the eligibility of your car. The data is on the internet.

Good luck!

 

 

On Friday 16th January, my 2019 Audi A6 50TDI had the electrical system fault error show up on the dash. Luckily I was less than a mile from home. 

When I arrived home I scanned the car with OBDeleven and it confirmed the P0CA700 fault, called my local Audi dealership (Belfast Audi) on Saturday and they said they could take the car in on Monday, they explained there would be a £150 cost for diagnostics, which of course would be waived if the works were to be carried out under warranty. I had it recovered to them on Monday morning and I've gotten absolutely nowhere with them since. 

The first update they had for me was the car is not presenting a fault that points to the BSG, but rather the hybrid battery system, I assured them the fault was there when I scanned it and matches the code stated on the Technical Service Bulletin that was posted on this thread. They confirmed the P0CA700 code is what they were hoping to find, and then went on to accuse me of clearing the fault, I made sure not to clear any faults to ensure they could diagnose it quickly when it arrived with them. 

Fast forward a few days, they call to say the car still 'hasn't faulted' and they want me to authorise further diagnostic work at a cost of £226 to try and force the car into presenting the fault, I assume this is somewhere along the lines of isolating the hybrid battery so the car has to rely on power from the BSG, but the service advisor could not tell me what was involved. I reluctantly told them to proceed. Monday this week, the service advisor calls to say the car still isn't presenting a fault, and when I asked where do we go from here, they say they don't have any other information and would need to call me back. 

Haven't heard anything since, I've called twice today and both times I have been told 'the service advisor is busy and would call me back', I've now attempted to escalate this to Audi UK who tell me they can't force the dealership to do anything and can only investigate and report their findings back to me within 48 hours. I quoted the TSB and Gov.uk recall from this thread and they pressed me on where I I found this info, I told them online, they then said unless I found it from the Audi UK website its irrelevant. 

I'm up to over £450 in diagnostic and recovery costs and now paying £300 a week for a rental car as I drive a lot for work, the service advisor I'm dealing with has been useless so far and seems to only be interested in speaking to me to authorise additional diagnostic work, for which they have no idea what will actually be carried out... I can only assume they have cleared the car of all faults when it first arrived with them to see which come back and unlucky for me the P0CA700 fault hasn't. Nightmare! 

Cillene

I refer you to AlexR's post from a few days ago, which suggests checking a government website for eligibility of your vehicle. If your car matches the criteria, present it as evidence to your Audi dealer.

Hi Cliff, 

I have done this already, Audi UK also checked to see if my car fell under the recall, unfortunately it appears it doesn't. 

In that case I can only suggest getting it tested independantly. Like many others you have been severely let down by Audi, and until there is a unified approach by owners in a similar position I see little chance of persuading the company to yield.

Thanks Cliff, 

I will get the car lifted from Audi on Monday and brought to my usual Audi specialist, hopefully I can claw back the cost following this. 

Appreciate the responses! 

Hi Cillene99

Sorry to hear you are having all this difficulty. My car is also a 2019 A6 C8 50TDI Quat and it was covered as it fell within the applicable VIN range. Back in this thread I put a copy of the Recall note. Our cars must be pretty much the same age.

Hi Alex, 

When I manually put my make model and year in the recall does come up but unfortunately when I search by entering my reg it says it’s not applicable to my vehicle. 

I can see there are two recalls estimated to affect more than 45,000 cars, the luck I’ve been having so far with resolving this issue I’m not even surprised mine isn’t one of them! 

Glad to hear you got sorted, I’ll update the thread if my luck changes. 

5 hours ago, Cillene99 said:

Thanks Cliff, 

I will get the car lifted from Audi on Monday and brought to my usual Audi specialist, hopefully I can claw back the cost following this. 

Appreciate the responses! 

My car was at the Audi dealer for 2 periods of 2 weeks last year, with lots of chasing and an inability to find out why my battery had low battery warnings, despite already having had a new one.

After they wanted me to underwrite 8-10 hours of Labour to strip the rear of the car down to check the gateway controller and some of the 50+ control modules (in case there was a wiring fault, which Audi DO NOT cover), I took it to my Audi specialist.

My Audi specialist checked everything and suggested another 12v battery. I had nothing to lose, and they fitted a genuine Audi supplied one for £370.  Touch wood 9 months later...

 

 

The key to this is the Audi service information

If your car has the correct PR designation 9G8 (check the sticker on the inside of your handbook) and the part which is faulty is the generator with the number on the attached notice 4N0 903028, that is clearly within the scope of the extended warranty, so Audi should cover the cost of the replacement (improved generator with a different part number).

 

 

 

Er, yes I agree !

In practice, life is not so simple as you portray.

The complication is getting many dealers to

a) Correctly identify the issue with charging (12v, 48v, control unit, BSG) if the BSG has not *failed*

b) Not charge you or ask you to underwrite significant investigation costs if the fault is intermittent, or root cause is not clear.

c) Recognise the 7 year warranty without showing them the Audi edict.

😀

 

 

Edited January 29Jan 29 by DieSel-Q

17 hours ago, DieSel-Q said:

My Audi specialist checked everything and suggested another 12v battery. I had nothing to lose, and they fitted a genuine Audi supplied one for £370.  Touch wood 9 months later...

The 12 systems are prone to throwing up transient false errors when the battery begins to die, which can happen after just four or five years. Unfortunately the problem is often not recognised by owners, or even Audi dealers sometimes, because the car will still start normally.

If there is one thing Cillene could do at little or no cost it is to have the 12 volt battery professionally tested. I stress professionally because a simple multimeter voltage reading will not reveal a dying battery.

2 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

The 12 systems are prone to throwing up transient false errors when the battery begins to die, which can happen after just four or five years. Unfortunately the problem is often not recognised by owners, or even Audi dealers sometimes, because the car will still start normally.

If there is one thing Cillene could do at little or no cost it is to have the 12 volt battery professionally tested. I stress professionally because a simple multimeter voltage reading will not reveal a dying battery.

Interestingly, I had a new battery at 3.5 years old from the Audi dealer I bought the car from a month earlier. I then had another new battery a year later after all the effing about at the local Audi dealer led me back to my trusted independent. So I'm on my 3rd 12v battery in 5.5 years.

I do have a cheap LED thing that I have in my 'cigarette lighter' socket to keep an eye on voltage.

Hi all, My Q7 2020 suffered the dreaded amber battery warning in mid March. Luckily I have quality scanner and found fault code P0CA700. Contacted local Audi people and they advised to go to nearby Indy who has ODIS. This I duly did and was told that it points to the starter generator and not to drive it far. Booked it in at Audi dealer and after initially stating in writing that its the starter generator they cannot find my fault code number (strange as ODIS apparently stores older intermittent codes) Contact Audi UK (in Cape Town South Africa). Talks between Audi UK and dealer result in wanting me to sign up to cover further investigation (not on your Nelly) Heated argument with dealer as I believe I'm being shafted by greedy dealer and a less than responsible Audi UK. They are not prepared to change the unit until it breaks, unlike North America, they appear quite prepared for you to have this crapply built unit fail on you and leave you in the most incredibly dangerous situation where you could be on a motorway where the hard shoulder is a live lane and all the lanes are heaving with traffic with little or no steering or braking no electricity to run hazard flashers nowhere to go and if you try to get out you can't get the grandchildren out of the back because the rear locks are deadlocked. If you remain in your car to await rescue you may have up to 6 to 7 mins of air bag cover but after that the airbag capacitors are drained and they will not operate. In other words you are driving a death trap. All Audi UK are interested in is bean counting not human life. Why an earth aren't the relative bodies in the UK swarming all over this or are they in bed with the motor manufacturers.

This is a question we have all been asking. The Vehicle Construction Agency are not interested, it yesterday’s news, it’s old technology which will be redundant by 2030 when we will all need driving electric- in your dreams!

On 4/17/2026 at 9:59 PM, moorman said:

Hi all, My Q7 2020 suffered the dreaded amber battery warning in mid March. Luckily I have quality scanner and found fault code P0CA700. Contacted local Audi people and they advised to go to nearby Indy who has ODIS. This I duly did and was told that it points to the starter generator and not to drive it far. Booked it in at Audi dealer and after initially stating in writing that its the starter generator they cannot find my fault code number (strange as ODIS apparently stores older intermittent codes) Contact Audi UK (in Cape Town South Africa). Talks between Audi UK and dealer result in wanting me to sign up to cover further investigation (not on your Nelly) Heated argument with dealer as I believe I'm being shafted by greedy dealer and a less than responsible Audi UK. They are not prepared to change the unit until it breaks, unlike North America, they appear quite prepared for you to have this crapply built unit fail on you and leave you in the most incredibly dangerous situation where you could be on a motorway where the hard shoulder is a live lane and all the lanes are heaving with traffic with little or no steering or braking no electricity to run hazard flashers nowhere to go and if you try to get out you can't get the grandchildren out of the back because the rear locks are deadlocked. If you remain in your car to await rescue you may have up to 6 to 7 mins of air bag cover but after that the airbag capacitors are drained and they will not operate. In other words you are driving a death trap. All Audi UK are interested in is bean counting not human life. Why an earth aren't the relative bodies in the UK swarming all over this or are they in bed with the motor manufacturers.

The dealers are worried that they won't get reimbursed by Audi UK, who are avoiding the risk of Audi A G not honouring their warranty reimbusement unless it is an absolutely proven failure. Shoddy. Yes, in cohoots?

I posted on a related topic with my Audi A8 some 4 years ago.

Audi initially attributed my RED LIGHT fault issues to the Stop/Start Generator (aka Alternator) and were going to change this out. After further investigation it turned out that the fault was with the auxiliary belt tensioner.

The auxiliary belt tensioner was fixed/replaced and a new belt fitted.

This well and truly fixed the fault.

Suggest you investigate the auxiliary belt tensioner - as this may be the root cause. A lot cheaper to fix than replacing the alternator (which may not actually need replacement.

Hope this helps.

Hi everyone I have suffered from the dreaded alternator failure which has caused my pain beyond belief Ive been 2 weeks without my car and I have lost all faith in Audi and my vehicle. I was totally unaware that this fault was a thing let alone covered by warranty. My warranty ran out 11 months or so ago but a 4 year old premium car with 33k miles I thought what could possibly go wrong? Well my story is laid out below in my letter complaining to Audi UK. I wondered what my chance of getting my money back are without having to go legal with them.

I am writing to express my considerable disappointment regarding a serious alternator failure on my 2022 Audi A8, (Registration number xxxxxx), together with the handling of the matter and the financial burden I have been left to bear despite subsequently learning that this component appears to be subject to an extended warranty.

My vehicle is only approximately one year outside of its standard manufacturer warranty. On Wednesday 6th of May, a battery warning light appeared on the dashboard. I contacted my local garage who advised that the issue was most likely the battery and suggested I bring the vehicle in so that they could arrange replacement if required.

However, while travelling to the garage, the warning escalated to a red warning light. Given the seriousness of the situation, I stopped immediately and contacted the AA. Upon inspection, the attending engineer diagnosed a failed alternator rather than a battery issue. Due to the nature of the failure and the vehicle being undriveable without assistance, the AA advised recovery to the nearest Audi dealership.

As the vehicle could not be towed conventionally, the AA engineer fitted a temporary battery in the boot to provide sufficient power to allow me to carefully drive the vehicle to a dealership. I contacted Brighton Audi, the nearest dealership, and was told I could bring the car in; however, no work could be undertaken until the first week of June.

I found this wholly impractical. Being without my vehicle for approximately a month was simply not feasible. Consequently, I reluctantly arranged for my trusted local garage to replace the alternator, as they were able to undertake the work the following day. Unfortunately, after sourcing and fitting the replacement alternator, it transpired that the unit required programming by Audi before the vehicle could be returned to service.

I again contacted Brighton Audi and was informed that assistance still could not be provided until June. I therefore contacted Worthing Audi who have kindly agreed to programme the alternator on 20 May at no charge. However, I must still incur the expense of transporting the vehicle by flatbed due to its four-wheel-drive system and inability to be conventionally towed.

Since this incident, I have researched the matter further and was deeply concerned to discover that alternator failure on this model appears to be a recognised issue. I also understand that legal action has arisen in the United States relating to this fault and, more importantly, that Audi UK has reportedly extended the warranty on this component to seven years.

At no point was I informed of any extended warranty relating to the alternator. Had I been made aware, I would clearly have pursued repair through Audi rather than incurring substantial costs myself. It is particularly frustrating that I received communication advising me when the vehicle’s standard warranty expired, yet no communication appears to have been issued to notify owners of an extension to warranty coverage for a major component prone to failure.

I have already asked Worthing Audi whether reimbursement of the alternator replacement costs may be possible, but was informed that this is unlikely because the repair was undertaken by an independent garage. I must respectfully challenge this position. I only sought an independent repair because Audi was unable to offer assistance within a reasonable time-frame during what was effectively a breakdown situation. Waiting several weeks with an unusable flagship vehicle was not a realistic option.

In light of the circumstances, I believe it is entirely reasonable to request:

1. Reimbursement of the alternator replacement costs £1,750.000 Genuine Audi Alternator used

2. Reimbursement of vehicle transportation/recovery costs to Worthing Audi £ 120.00

3. Written confirmation regarding the extended alternator warranty and why affected customers, including myself, were not proactively informed;

4. Confirmation that the vehicle battery has not been adversely affected by the alternator failure and deep discharge event, or appropriate remedial action if required.

I have always regarded Audi as a premium manufacturer and the A8 as its flagship vehicle. I therefore find this experience particularly disappointing. Beyond the significant financial cost, this matter has caused considerable inconvenience, worry, and loss of confidence in a vehicle that I expected to be engineered and supported to a far higher standard.

I hope Audi UK will review this matter fairly and respond with an appropriate resolution.

Sorry to hear you have become a member of the unfortunate club upon which Audi has turned its back.

3 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

Sorry to hear you have become a member of the unfortunate club upon which Audi has turned its back.

I think that legally I have a good case, and there will be plenty of no win no fee ambulance chasers willing to take them on. I am glad this forum is here though as without it I just would never have known there was a common problem. Im not into my cars as probably most of the members here which is why I never looked to join a Audi forum till now. I purchased the A8 as Audi is a premium brand (or so I thought) I wanted a comfortable car fully loaded HUD, adaptive cruise ect which was near on standard across the range. My last car was a S Class (I have a feeling its soon to be my next) But they stopped the HUD as standard and the prices jumped when they released the facelifted model

Edited May 20May 20 by PeterWJames

Sadly Audi is no longer the prestige brand it once was. You would be better off with a Ford nowadays.