Dave G

The car would start everytime it was tried, but the engine wouldn't run for more than a couple seconds, and then it would shut off.

Anybody else have this problem?
If so, what was the problem area, and what was the fix?

This reminds me of the old days when water would get into your distributor cap, etc. But there is no distributor cap now. Whats going on?

I'm anticipating that the Audi dealer will not find the problem.

OneEyedJack

Just curious. I have not experienced problems like this and have driven in some bad storms. Also, if you have access to VAG-COM use it to to see if any trouble codes are stored in the engine ECU.

Here is a long shot: Water came through your intake and caused the MAF sensor to stop functioning until it dried out.

Umlaut

I know that on most VWs if the coilpacks get wet, they can misfire and make the motor run poorly. I'm guessing the Audi engine management is a bit smarter, and it detects this and shuts the car down. Heat from the motor dries out the packs and you're ready to go. I know that on some VW's advice is to coat the coilpacks with epoxy to seal them. Dampness and high voltage always causes issues in the real world.

Dimitri_010

I have experienced the same problem just last week. Except i cant remember if it was raining out, but my car was parked in a garage, went out for 20 minutes, came back and car would start, but would die out after 4-5 seconds of running and the cabin shaking. Eventually started after 5-6 times and ran normally.