djleder

I have an 2014 Audi a4 with LESS than 4k miles on it, and today when I went to start it the MIL indicator light came on. Its not flashing or anything will it be safe to drive on? I did not notice anything but the usual awesome driving experience.


has this happened to any of you?


Thanks,

jagtoes

I assume you don't have a code reader so go to an auto store like autozone and they will read the code. Before you do that did you just get gas and maybe not put the gas cap on correctly. Go out and undo the cap and reinstall it. Drive it for a few miles and see if the light goes out.

djleder

Yeah i didn't go and get gas recently, but I did do the cap anyway and will see. Gonna call the dealership tomorrow. This better not be the norm, owned mercedes and bmw and this is the first audi in the family and hopefully not the last, and hopefully I don't regret it.

snagitseven

A CEL can be caused by many things, sometimes even a one time anomaly. Often, a CEL will pop up once, go away and not repeat. In any case, with the car being so new, if anything, it's likely just a minor issue that can be easily corrected under warranty. I wouldn't worry about it - let the dealer resolve it if there's a problem found on a scan. And yes, if the CEL is not flashing you can safely drive the car.

Nostromo

Ah dude, I've had THREE CEL (mil) lights in my brand new 2014.

They've had, according to my service advisor, a bad run of sensors coming out in the A4's. Nothing critical.

My first was a fuel pressure sensor. The 2nd CEL turned itself off before I got to the dealer. The 3rd was fixed yesterday: changed a sensor and the charcoal filter for the fuel evap system.

If the light isn't flashing - it's not a critical problem. It's safe to drive on.

My 2011 had zero CEL lights. And these are really just super minor warnings. So don't sweat it too much. However I'm lucky my dealer is only a few blocks from work. It's easy to drop it off in the morning and then pick it up and the end of the day all fixed and washed.

djleder

Thanks for the replies all! What a relief. Very interesting that your service adviser mentioned that, we will see when I bring the car in. So far the dealer has been excellent so I am defiantly not worried about that part.

NeedaScreenName

Hi, everyone. I know this post probably doesn't really belong in this thread, but I wanted to say that this is my first Audi (I have an A4 that I purchased about 5 years ago, 48K miles on it). It seems to me that these cars are very touchy and not necessarily reliable. I accept the fact that I need to add a quart of oil every 800 - 1,000 miles because that has been the case since Day One. I accept the fact that brake wear is excessive, as is the resulting brake dust on my alloy rims. I accept the fact that I had to replace brake pads at around 40K miles (at a cost of about $750 "with coupon"). I accept the fact that replacing a couple of tires and their accompanying sensor monitors will set you back around $750.

I cannot accept the fact that some type of warning light or another pops up whenever -- even though the car seems to be working fine. I don't know whether the lights are Audi-manufactured drama or a cause for concern. This happened to me previously with EPC lights, check engine lights, something or other concerning oil sensor failure. I'm fortunate that this time when the EPC and CEL came on they appeared the evening before I had to take a 500-mile road trip to the middle of nowhere (Iowa countryside). What if I needed assistance in the middle of the cornfields, not even knowing exactly how far away I might be from any given town, let alone an Audi service center? I no longer trust my car, which is sad, because it is the most expensive car I've ever purchased and the most unreliable car I've ever owned. Right now, it is my understanding that the problem has something to do with the crankshaft. The repair will cost more than $800 (and I'm not sure if that's just for the part, or if it includes labor).

Sorry that I needed to vent (is there an Audi owners support group available somewhere?), but I don't understand how so many of you can buy Audi after Audi after Audi. Don't you get sick to death of the repair and maintenance costs? And how do you ever trust taking the car on the road?

Nostromo

You have a 2009? THAT IS WAY TOO MUCH OIL. Look up Audi Excessive Oil Consumption - there's probably 100 threads here about it. Have you ever mentioned this problem to the dealer? There's a TSB to fix this problem. I'm stunned you've been doing this for 48k miles....

NeedaScreenName

Yeah, I'll have to make an issue of it. I mentioned it before, and my service rep told me it was normal for Audi's "high performance engines." I'm a woman, so what do I know?

By the way, the more I think about it, I think the problem is with the camshaft, not the crankshaft. Like I said, I don't know much about cars -- better to stick with a more reliable brand.

Nostromo

Audi defines normal as 1 quart per 1500 max. So you're WAY under that. Your service advisor is a dick.

Audi's are a special breed. Most luxury German cars are for that matter. They need more attention and regular upkeep than, say, a Toyota. Tolerances are tighter throughout and parts are way more expensive. They love to throw up warnings when things are slightly out of norm. I would say while Audi's are generally quite reliable - a Toyota would probably give you less grief in the long run - especially if you aren't into obsessing over every little anomaly.