John C Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 I post this in the hope that there is someone out there in the forum that knows exactly what this problem is….. Outline of problem. This seemed to happen in a period of heavy rain – some 5 weeks ago - which I thought may have been connected.. The power supply to climate control seems intermittent as the unit switches on/off repeatedly (when on seems to perform ok) but only stays on for a few minutes. Initially it stays on for longer periods but the 'on' time decreases over time & after about 20 mins tends to be 'off' most of the time with just the occasional 'on' flick. These other problems may or may not be connected – but they seemed to have occurred at the same time & are all electrical… The external temp info on the driver’s info panel on the dash tends to go blank (after about 10 mins) and then throws up odd temps- ie -56F. The gear indicator – on the drivers info display - sometimes comes up showing all gears lit up – this does tend to re-set itself once underway. The engine temp gauge does not seem to be working now. An Audi engineer diagnosed the problem & the remedy as: a new climate control unit @ £754; a new gearbox switch @ £287; and a new temp sensor & £135. I am not convinced that this will solve the problem; and if all these parts are required. I fear that these may all be symptoms of some electrical problem and I might end up paying a lot more if these parts don’t solve the problem – similar to some ongoing expensive repairs that I have read from other forum members where half the car ends up being replaced! So far I have done the following: Researched every known Audi forum for similar problems – which there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of. Checked the climate control unit for a live feed with a circuit tester – which seems to be there; and a good earth – which also seems to be there. Carefully inspected the wires & connecting blocks for poor connections / broken wires. Removed the unit & inspected the PCB for any signs of physical damage etc & re-soldered some of the larger terminal connecters to ensure there is good connectivity. Replaced the NEC dual relay on the PCB that is used for power circuits with one exactly the same – bought from America. But with no change. My plan now is to try & buy replacement unit from ebay – which go from about £40 to about £130 – but getting the correct part number is proving to be difficult. I am looking for part no: 4B0 820 043AQ The ‘AG’ is the bit that seems to be different for different models & the one I need is for a double-sized standard DIN (which I now know means a double sized radio unit) and without heated seat controls. I don’t know why they all have different model numbers as they all look to be the same size (even the single DIN) ones and from the pics seen on ebay seem to have the same connections. ETKA says these ‘AQ’s were fitted to: 02–05 A6s; 00-05 A6 Allroads; 02-05 S6/Quattro; & 03-05 RS6s. So if anyone has a spare one I would be interested. OR if anyone knows why a unit for single DIN & double DIN should be different – when they both look identical. OR if they suspect any electrical problem that is causing the climate control problems or some of the other electrical problems – I would be grateful. If the replacement does not work I will be looking for a good auto-electrician in the North Herts area – so if anyone knows one – please let me know. Meanwhile I am struggling with no heater or demister!!!! Any help or guidance is much appreciated. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Posted January 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 (edited) I swapped the climate control unit over today with a 2nd hand one from ebay & guess what? The exact same problem continues with the switching on / off etc. So its just as well I did not allow Audi to replace it for me at the grand cost of £750!! So I am still looking for a solution - there must be something controlling the power supply which now seems to be where the problem must be. Again any help or guidance please....... John Edited January 14, 2010 by John C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Posted February 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Well we finally got a resolution to the weird climate Control problem. After paying Audi £120 for an hours diagnostic work with their diagnosis requiring a new climate control unit for £754 and a gear switch (as I was getting the PRNDS); and a oil temp sensor as it seemed to have gone dead – all adding up to a whopping £1000+ pounds…….. I checked the fuses & the relays & the wiring as best as I could and tried an ebay replacement climate control – but the same symptoms persisted …….. I finally got back to my Audi / Seat / VW independent and……. After an hours work tracing the wiring back found a defective fuse!! It baffled them too, at first, at it looked good (as it did to me) but its connection was intermittent. Apparently the Climate Control unit is a gateway & effects the supply to other circuits so.. Oil temp is now back up & the PRNDS was not showing – and may be corrected. So Audi £1000+ Vs Mark Tempest Autocentre, Welwyn Garden City - £64.04!! No Contest!! John C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizbit Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Can you get the £120 back from Audi? From what you say, you paid them £120 and they completely mis-diagnosed it. I would want my money back from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 HI Wizbit Unfortunately they read the fault codes & that was their findings. I had to commit to the 1hr labour charge before they even looked at it. They seemed really suprised when I said I would take it away & not have them fix it. I suspected they would have replaced the car, bit by bit, untill the fault was cured. I pass this Audi dealer every day to & from work & the Indy is some way off - but I guess this is a good lesson for me as to where to go! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny11 Posted February 10, 2010 Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 i wonder if you got Audi to do the work, if they would of still charged you for the new parts even though the problem wasn`t fixed, or would they put the old ones back and just charged you for the labour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Posted February 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2010 Hi Johnny11 I might by cynical but I reckon they would have charged the full amount - and probably sorted the minor electrical problem out - when they realised their replacements did not solve the problem..... If I didn't have half an idea I would have been none the wiser - just poorer! A week after my repair & the oil temp & PRNDS switch are still working well! - which were also diagnosed as needing replacing. John C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesLT Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well we finally got a resolution to the weird climate Control problem. After paying Audi £120 for an hours diagnostic work with their diagnosis requiring a new climate control unit for £754 and a gear switch (as I was getting the PRNDS); and a oil temp sensor as it seemed to have gone dead – all adding up to a whopping £1000+ pounds…….. I checked the fuses & the relays & the wiring as best as I could and tried an ebay replacement climate control – but the same symptoms persisted …….. I finally got back to my Audi / Seat / VW independent and……. After an hours work tracing the wiring back found a defective fuse!! It baffled them too, at first, at it looked good (as it did to me) but its connection was intermittent. Apparently the Climate Control unit is a gateway & effects the supply to other circuits so.. Oil temp is now back up & the PRNDS was not showing – and may be corrected. So Audi £1000+ Vs Mark Tempest Autocentre, WelwynGarden City - £64.04!! No Contest!! John C I seem to be having a similar problem to you as I have just replaced my faulty climate control unit (same code as yours) with a second hand part but still getting no power. Can I just check whether your problem was solved by replacing a fuse in the box behind the drivers side door? or was the wiring problem elsewhere in the car? Any further detail you can provide would really help. Thanks JamesLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockney Boy Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 If you have changed you Climate panel you will need to get the Component Protection removed by an Audi Dealer. It only takes 5 minutes to do. This cannot be done with VCDS before you ask I seem to be having a similar problem to you as I have just replaced my faulty climate control unit (same code as yours) with a second hand part but still getting no power. Can I just check whether your problem was solved by replacing a fuse in the box behind the drivers side door? or was the wiring problem elsewhere in the car? Any further detail you can provide would really help.Thanks JamesLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eolair Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I seem to be having a similar problem to you .... Any further detail you can provide would really help.Thanks JamesLT Me three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIDYDUBS Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Well we finally got a resolution to the weird climate Control problem. After paying Audi £120 for an hours diagnostic work with their diagnosis requiring a new climate control unit for £754 and a gear switch (as I was getting the PRNDS); and a oil temp sensor as it seemed to have gone dead – all adding up to a whopping £1000+ pounds…….. I checked the fuses & the relays & the wiring as best as I could and tried an ebay replacement climate control – but the same symptoms persisted …….. I finally got back to my Audi / Seat / VW independent and……. After an hours work tracing the wiring back found a defective fuse!! It baffled them too, at first, at it looked good (as it did to me) but its connection was intermittent. Apparently the Climate Control unit is a gateway & effects the supply to other circuits so.. Oil temp is now back up & the PRNDS was not showing – and may be corrected. So Audi £1000+ Vs Mark Tempest Autocentre, WelwynGarden City - £64.04!! No Contest!! John C Good work John!!!! Fuses have caught me a few times over the years but i learned a long time ago pull every fuse out and check it with a torch!!! Obviously had some monkey who didnt have a clue at Audi?Those fuses are little feckers believe me they look ok but on really close inspection they have a hairline split at the side. The problem is the fault possibly would of been a power supply fault in any of the control units and the BASICS really is good battery diagnostic voltage, earths clean and secure and check the fuses for the related circuit. I come up against this often.A decent diagnostic/master tech will sit there and look at the wiring diagram after their full test of the vehicle systems. Id seriously consider penning a letter of complaint to the said retailer explaining the problem you had. 120 bucks is a lot of money for someone to say "yea that will be a grand mate for this and that..." Id be absolutely livid for the sake of a 10 p fuse. Infact id have given you the fuse along with tea or coffee as im sure the indy did! Would you oblige Shaming the retailer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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