achmeingott

My ABS module had been throwing the dreaded error, deactivating ABS and traction control, setting nearly every dash light off and beeping incessantly at me every time I stop and start driving again.

Audi quoted me something like $3600 to replace it. After looking at alternatives, modulemaster will repair it and mail it back for $300, cheap-abs will do the same for $239. Once I noticed cheap-abs is only a few miles from my house I reached out to him.

The guy that runs cheap-abs.com let me drop of my A6, he pulled the module, repaired it, replaced it and bled my brakes for $300. Less than three hours after I dropped it off I had a call it was done. He was incredibly nice, incredibly fast, very reasonable on price AND he's clearly an enthusiast with two of his own Audis in the garage.

I highly recommend cheap-abs.com if your module needs repaired. If you're in KC, you might even reach out to him and drop it off.

8vdubber

Thanks for this great write up... not that I live anywhere near you...

I wanted to ask how you figured out it was the module and not the ABS pump? I ask because I recently picked up an A6 and the PO said it was the pump and not the module but... the car brakes fine and everything is lit up in the dash like you described.

achmeingott

I took it to the Audi garage and they told me it was a bad sensor on the ABS module and it needed to be replaced (which was incorrect, it was a loose wire connection). Since it was a mere annoyance I ignored it. Then my mom's BMW had the same issue and her mechanic sent it off for repair, which is when I did some research.

I would bet it's likely your ABS module too. Apparently over time the connections in the unit become loose and it just needs to be opened and soddered back together. Once soldered it's supposedly a stronger connection than when it rolled of the lot.

It doesn't appear too hard to remove, you can find videos on YouTube, but essentially...

1. Remove one screw from coolant reservoir and move to the side. (Don't need to disconnect hoses)
2. Remove one nut from power steering reservoir and move to the side. (Same, leave hoses connected)
3. Unscrew brake lines from ABS module and remove.
4. Separate module from master brake (a few screws).

Only downside is that once you remove it, your brake system is open. The car cannot be moved and will not have brakes. Once you reattach it, you must bleed the brakes to remove air from the lines.

LarryJa

Actually, you can disconnect the module front the pump, pretty much in place. That way, you do not have to bleed the brakes.
That's what I did when I sent my module out for refurb.

8vdubber

Thanks Larry! Caught that last night when I went to the cheap abs website. Who did you use for your module fix?

LarryJa

I believe the company was RemanABS. I got a great deal, via eBay, from them for like under $200, including expedited shipping. Including mailing both ways, it only took 4days to turn around. They shipped the module back, repaired, the same day that they received it! I was very pleased! Lifetime guarantee on the repair too.

achmeingott

They turn them around so quickly... I think most of these guys do enough volume that they just ship you out an already repaired one, and pass yours to the next guy. Though I can't imagine the actual repair takes too long. Just popping it open, cleaning and soldering a few places.

LarryJa

They actually did send me back my module, repaired! They repaired it within a couple of hours of receipt, & sent it right back out that same day!