A4QuattroV6

Got to enjoy my 2005 A6 3.2 quattro for a whopping 3 days before it developed the ignition control module failure. Stealership says whole steering column must be replaced, $2,300 to fix. I paid $4,000 for the car. Is anybody having success fixing this outside the dealership?

raj99

Take a look at this thread first: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...witch-2862207/

A4QuattroV6

I filed a complaint with AudiUSA on the TSB# and on the dealership I took it to. They don't seem to care. Guess its time to switch to Subaru

raj99

You filed a complaint on a 10 year+ old car? not sure what you expected the outcome to be. Did you attempt to do what I recommended in my previous post? Also, do you have a VCDS log to share with us so we can potentially assist in troubleshooting?

You last statement hit close to home. Recently I had a friend complain about their 7 year old Win XP laptop and their statement "I'm going to get an Apple MacBook since this just doesn't work..." Comparing something antiquated to something new is not only a unfair comparison, but questions why you waited so long to update before the "death of a thousand cuts". FWIW, the friend went to the Apple store and the Microsoft store and decided to get the Surface Pro 4, since according to them "...it was so slick, light, and just worked..."

A4QuattroV6

Any problem that is that wide spread should have a recall issued. Does this module fail physically or is it a software issue. Is there some way to hot wire the car?

raj99

Not sure where your basis is for the term "widespread". Things fail on cars which are 10+ years old...it happens with ALL vehicles. You'll need to get this fixed to make it drivable and no, you can't 'hotwire' the car. FWIW, recalls are usually based upon safety concerns as per the NHTSA:

A safety recall involving a motor vehicle or an item of motor vehicle equipment can be independently conducted by a manufacturer or ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In either case, the manufacturer must file a public report describing the safety-related defect or noncompliance with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard, the involved vehicle/equipment population, the major events that resulted in the recall determination, a description of the remedy, and a schedule for the recall...

The bad news is that there is no part number (the access/start module is integrated with Steering Column Lock Actuator). The access/start module is integrated with Steering Column Lock Actuator and is not replaceable. You'll have to replace the whole steering column.

A4QuattroV6

Here is my basis for "widespread"

2005 AUDI A6 | Safercar | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

KevinGary

Really?

raj99

You linked to a C5 fuel tank leak SAFETY recall. As previously mentioned, the NHTSA does take action on SAEFTY recalls. But a recall on a malfunctioning part which is not a safety issue and perhaps not as 'widespread', would be at the discretion of the manufacturer. Sorry to hear that this issue reared it's head. But you bought a used car for $4K and AS-IS, so if you want to continue to enjoy it, pay the $$ to get it fixed or pass it along to someone who can.

Kevin knows from 1st hand experience the number of times his particular column needed to be replaced...however it's not something that impacted all of us.

A4QuattroV6

They're all under the complaints tab. It opens the page under the investigations tab by default. That aside, has anybody had any luck fixing this for less than 2000 frikkin dollars? My 1998 A4 was the best car of all time and when I finally save up for something nice, I don't even get to have it for 3 days. Fortunately, my A4 still has my back with 225k on the odometer. Had it 6 years and it never let me down once. I was pulling pick-ups and SUV's out of ditches all last winter. Maybe that car just set the bar too high.