mshan

My car battery got drained because I left a light on in my Audi A4 1.8TQ.

Battery has been recharged, but I attempted to punch the anti-theft coding in via only the first button a couple times and now it is stuck in SAFE mode (i.e. doesn't respond to any buttons and pressing FM2/RDS no longer resets the Concert).

I was able to remove the Concert from the dash and leave it unpowered for several hours. Unfortunately, the Concert is still stuck in SAFE mode.

Any way to reset this "stuck" Concert or do I need to buy a new one? If so, where can I get one cheap?

Also, recently my car seems to start slowly (several cycles of starter (?) turning over before the engine actually starts. Overhead lights also dimm at this time. Car is 4 years old and has less than 30,000 miles on it. Battery has needed to be jump started several times in the past because of same left light on / battery drained car problem. Do I need to replace my battery?

Typist Formerly Known as (skene)

if you didnt put in the right code it takes like 45 minutes before you can try again.

RNO.Audi

I think you get 3 trys.

RKA

The first really cold day that comes along...you'll probably find that the car will not turn over.

mshan

I read the manual, but not carefully enough.

Pressing FM2/RDS initially produced the "1000" code.

Unfortunately, I tried to punch in my anti-theft coding using only the first button instead of the first four buttons.

I was able to reset it once or twice, repeated the same mistake, and now the Concert is completely unresponsive to any button inputs.

I checked the fuse and disconnected all power etc. connections for several hours, but this didn't reset the Concert. Only thing I can do now it turn power on and off (display just says SAFE).

mshan

Is four years about the expected life span of the OEM battery?

I only drive the car occaisionally and recently it seems like there is a slow leak from the battery (i.e. delayed starting seems proportional to whether I don't drive the car for several days).

Do you think the previous episodes of battery drainage damaged the battery or is it just time to replace it?

Also, anyway to definitiely confirm that the battery needs to be replaced?

sbmellen

Its Stealership time? I think they can reset this for you, IIRC.

mshan

Do you think they will charge to reset the Concert stereo? (car is out of warranty)

Also, car is 4 years old and less than 30,000 miles. How much do you a tune-up at the Audi dealer will cost (would this tune-up be anything more than an oil change?)

Typist Formerly Known as (skene)

you have the leave the key on accessory with the radio on for 45 mins

JAFO

it's still alive at 6.5 yrs. in N.H.