Chimpzilla

turn the key to the on position just dont start the car.

2001A41.8QT

I just experience the exact same thing two days ago. I unfortunately had a radio manual without the code written down in it and read somewhere that the code was in the spare tire wheel well. I tried a 4-digit number from the wheel well 3 times and was locked out. I went to the dealer and they pulled the radio and looked it up by serial number in the database and got the code for me. They tried to enter the code but the radio was stuck on SAFE. They proceeded to order a new radio for me seeing that this one was "non-responsive". I read in the radio manual that you have to leave the key in the ignition AND leave the radio powered on for one hour and this will reset your ability to enter the code. The radio must be ON and the key MUST be in the ignition for ONE HOUR!

It works, I just did it day before yesterday. Now, my issue is, should I accept the NEW radio from the dealership??

mshan

I have attempted to drive the car a lot today and have just completed several cycles of just starting the engine up and the car seems to be responding to the increased usage:

Before, the engine would produce a sickly, sluggish "cuuh, cuuh, cuuh" sound and then start, but now it producing a much healthier sounding, higher pitched "cuh, cuh, cuh" sound.

Does this mean that the car just needs to be driven more frequently, or do I still have a dying battery that is no longer holding a charge and still needs to be replaced? Can a mechanic do a definitive test to determine the true status of my car battery?

mshan

Gonna try that and keep my fingers crossed.

How much did the Audi dealer charge you for a new Concert radio?

JAFO

if the battery will hold a charge after sitting for a day or two you may be ok.

TristanP

4 years seems to be the lifespan lately

RKA

If it's lower than it should be, they can hook up a charger to see if it will take an additional charge. If it won't hold anymore juice, it's likely that the full discharge cycles, and age have taken their toll, and it's time for a new battery.

Fully discharging a battery will impact the battery's ability to hold a charge. Often, 1 full discharge isn't enough to kill a battery, but 5 or more will probably take it's toll.

Age impacts a battery. The typical life of the OEM batteries is ~4 yrs. Some have gone only 3 years before the battery died, some have gone 6+. At about 4 yrs, if your battery starts to give you problems, it's best to replace it. In your case, it sounds like it's time.

Our batteries also require maintenance, which is nothing more than unscrewing six caps on top of the battery, and adding distilled water. If you don't, the ability of the battery to hold a charge goes down significantly. When you add water, be careful to follow instructions in your manual. Do NOT overfill the battery...just fill it to the line. Adding water may restore some of the battery's ability to hold a charge.

Driving the car once every week or two should be sufficient to keep the battery charge up. A battery will naturally drain on it's own, and if the car is left for extended periods of time without being driven, it will drain. If it's continuously left for periods of 3-4 weeks at a time without being driven, it will probably shorten the battery life by 1-2 years.

Again, this is a lot of periphery information...my recommendation to you is just to replace the battery.

RKA

Yeah, I just wrote him a book below...consolidating all of the information he needs.

mshan

Thanks RKA!

The slow starting ony started happening recently and rather abruptly.

I recently washed the engine compartment of my car with a water hose. Is it possible that water seeped into the system somewhere and created my problems?

I am going to try driving the car more frequently and see if the starting cycle improves to previous baseline. If no, I will replace the battery.

Thanks again for your tip!

RKA

If it cranks slowly, it's because the starter doesn't have enough juice. In other words, you've got an issue with the battery.

If water got somewhere, it would more than likely not start at all, or start, and sputter until the water burned off, or the electrical component dried off.