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Can a full service cause an ECU fuel pump problem?

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Many small garages have an OBD device (EOBD to use the proper name), that's the problem, OBD isn't the "proper Audi" diagnostic equipment. Not only that, most don't know how to use OBD properly, will just read what it says on the screen and (at the cost of the customer) replace any part mentioned on the screen. OBD is a basic, universal system, designed to help diagnose emissions related faults. It's better than nothing but only if you understand what you're doing.

 

Not just that but some cars need the manufacturer specific tools to read parameter information or to tell the ECU that it's had a replacement part - such as an EGR valve or DPF or additive replacement.

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On some Audi you have to program the ECU to take the back brakes off!!,if you don't you can course thousands of pounds worth of damage to the car,thats why you should not take on any modern cars for repair unless you have all the proper equipment,everything nowadays seems to be more electronics and laptop oriented, I've been a mechanic for forty years or more and a lot of it has left me behind.

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On some Audi you have to program the ECU to take the back brakes off!!,if you don't you can course thousands of pounds worth of damage to the car,thats why you should not take on any modern cars for repair unless you have all the proper equipment,everything nowadays seems to be more electronics and laptop oriented, I've been a mechanic for forty years or more and a lot of it has left me behind.

 

Its this very reason of modern cars having so much to go wrong that my next car is going to be from between 1988 and 1993 :hihi:

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Its this very reason of modern cars having so much to go wrong that my next car is going to be from between 1988 and 1993 :hihi:

I've got 1959 Ford pop and that is not very reliable but you don't need to be a computer nerd to fix it.

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I've got 1959 Ford pop and that is not very reliable but you don't need to be a computer nerd to fix it.

 

True about the computer, but it wouldnt be difficult to make it reliable.

 

Truth be told, one of the most reliable cars i've ever owned was a 1989 Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth.

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Audis are metric cars. It might be that the garage were hitting it with a 2 pound hammer rather than the correct 1 kilo version.

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Thank you for all your responses, this stuff is really helping.

 

I was given the mobile Audi diagnostic expert's number by my regular garage the other day and they suggested I call him directly to find out what was happening (as it's now been over two weeks since my car was first serviced/died - although easter friday and b/h monday are included in this)

 

I tried calling the expert's number several times and left messages, but I've heard nothing back.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the garage I took it to were supposed to be sorting it all out for me. He told me not to worry and they'd sort all the transfer of the car and the work being done - and that 'we could talk money afterwards'.

 

It would now appear, after having talked to several people - and two independant mechanics, that my regular garage are very likely to have caused the problem by either not pre-programming the ecu ahead of the scheduled diesel filter change, or getting air into the fuel system which has rendered the fuel pump ineffective. The other option is that the 'seal' they changed that they referred to when I when to collect the car after it's service could also have been responsible for getting air into the fuel system - again rendering the pump useless. Why else would they tell me to come back immediately if I smelled fuel??

 

Either way, everyone I have spoken to has all said the same thing: the garage is responsible for putting it right. On balance, I have to agree. So I intend to speak to them this next week. I really hope it doesn't get messy, as I actually like the guys - and have been going there for 20 years - but if it has to, then it has to.

 

Again, thanks to each and every one of you. Your help is very much appreciated. Keep it coming guys, it is all helping.

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Sorry to hear of your problem. I'd be as angry as hell if it were me.

 

The fact is that the car was in excellent working order when it was originally taken for the service, which you say included a fuel service. It stopped working after you left the garage - and the reason for that was a faulty fuel pump. Please don't tell us that they're trying to say there is no link! :rant:

 

It sounds to me like your garage were out of their depth and shouldn't have touched the car without the appropriate equipment or knowledge.

 

They've screwed up and are hoping you're just going to pay up. Do NOT do this.

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I'd get an independent opinion on the car. There should be no need for the garage to "talk money", and you don't want to be hoodwinked into paying for something they broke, which they're passing off as a co-incidental failure.

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As far as I'm concerned, the garage I took it to were supposed to be sorting it all out for me. He told me not to worry and they'd sort all the transfer of the car and the work being done - and that 'we could talk money afterwards'.

 

That isn't very comforting, just be aware that if they haven't given you a price and you haven't given confirmed permission for them to fix it regardless of the cost, you aren't obliged to pay if you feel the cost (if any) is too much.

 

Unless something has changed recently.

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I'd get an independent opinion on the car. There should be no need for the garage to "talk money", and you don't want to be hoodwinked into paying for something they broke, which they're passing off as a co-incidental failure.

 

I agree. And I think an independant engineer's report migt have to be considered.

 

That isn't very comforting, just be aware that if they haven't given you a price and you haven't given confirmed permission for them to fix it regardless of the cost, you aren't obliged to pay if you feel the cost (if any) is too much.

 

Unless something has changed recently.

 

As it stands, they say a new fuel pump will be £1700-£2000 for a new one that could be bought and fitted within one day - and 5,6,7 hundred pounds for it to be taken out, sent away and reconditioned. The reconditioned price was only a guesstimate.

 

But I don't think I should pay for it regardless. The car was running brilliantly until it went into the garage.

 

Get a second opinion. Like I said earlier, both a generic garage and the AA told a customer of mine that his Peugeot needed a new high pressure fuel pump because there was no fuel being fed to the injectors.

 

I realise they have limited knowledge of every single car and their faults and may rely on a code reader, but being a Peugeot expert I knew that it wouldn't need a new high pressure pump, and I was right.

 

Like I said earlier, it may well come to that. Thanks for your help.

 

I can do a full system scan using the tool they use at the dealership called VAGCOM if you wish (however you'll have to pm me as I do it in my own time and that's in short supply at the moment), which "might" be able to give a better indication of what is going on.

 

I will hasten to add I am not a business/tuner/auto-electrician etc just an enthusiast who doesn't like to pay dealer prices for them plugging in a cable and reading an ECU log.

 

What year is the Audi? Knowing this would dictate either PD or CR systems on the vehicle.

 

Depending on type an air leak/fuel leak could cause the problem, but (again depending on fuel system type) it might not be noticeable if it is at the high pressure end (such high pressure that fuel vapourises and not noticeable to human eye).

 

Personally I would look at the system between the fuel lift pump and injector rail (if CR) or injectors (if PD) as if the system doesn't reach pressure it will not pump simply put and so shuts off the engine.

 

It's a 2003. 2.5Tdi sports convertible.

 

I'd say that's your starting point right there. They've told you there might be something wrong (after they've fiddled with it) with a seal in the fuel system. If this seal is leaking, it can affect your fuel pressure. This will lead to an error code being stored in the ECU, which may be interpreted as the fuel pump.

It does not mean the fault lies in the fuel pump.

 

I'd contact trading standards immediately, make them aware of your situation and ask their advice before you go any further.

 

Thanks, Roots. Had they not mentioned anything I wouldn't have been any the wiser - but the fact they told me about it when I went to collect the car after it's service - and made a big deal out of it tells me there's something they weren't telling me. 'If you smell fuel you must stop the car immediately and come back to us' Why say that after a routine service?

 

---------- Post added 16-04-2013 at 11:30 ----------

 

 

---------- Post added 16-04-2013 at 11:31 ----------

 

 

---------- Post added 16-04-2013 at 11:32 ----------

 

Edited by Fitster

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I don't want to sound negative and put a downer on you Fitster but if push came to shove would the garage admit to having told you there could be an issue with the fuel?

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