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Hi, I am new to the forum and as such apologise if this has been posted before.
I am having a few minor issues with my A7 that I believe might be due to an aging battery. My local Audi guy isn't so sure.
Basically in the morning when i start the car it comes up with a rear spoiler fault message. I drive the car for 20 minutes, turn car off and on again and it allows me to lower the rear spoiler and the problem basically goes away for the rest of the day ( as long as I have had a decent drive... a few minutes drive and the error will come up again).... The auto start stop also doesn't work ( no fault showing ... just when I put up to a stop a little icon shows of a capital A with a line through it - same icon as on the button you press to deactivate)... This issue doesn't bother me as i don't actually like the stop start function.
After car sits form the night then the fault comes back.... it has also once come up with a gearbox warning ( just had gear box services)... I turned car off and on and error cleared.
So.... is it most likely the battery? have others had similar experience ?
I had a similar experience a little while ago. We had a real cold spell and I have not been using the car for a few weeks. I was getting similar errors and the spoiler opened up on its own when I stared the car one morning, after sitting on the driveway for weeks. As I only had to make a short trip, I parked the car when I got back, wondering what could be the issue. Two days later, I started the car again, and it took a while for the engine to fire up. I then got a message that the battery charge is low and I should drive the car for a minimum of 30 minutes.
I did that, the battery charged up, everything got back to normal and is working fine ever since.
So it seems that a low battery can create the kind of errors you and I have been seeing.
Thanks for feedback. Started car again this morning- usual rear spoiler fault but AC also turns on fan blowing full power and external and internal temperature the same.
Maybe I attached a portable battery jump started as per manufacture guidelines and use it as a way to test if problem still exists ( as it should make battery power be at full charge??)
What year for the car and a guess at the age of the battery?
The battery in my 2012 lasted about 8 years which is longer than usual. If you car is a 2014 or older with the origanl battery then yeah you probably need to replace the battery. If you have a 2015 or 2016 then you might need to change the battery. 2017 and newer probably not the battery.
The car is a 2011.... I just brought it - it has done 100k miles and has a very good service history. Not sure if / when battery was replaced last. The specialist says the car is showing no battery faults.... and has told me the battery alone is $500 ( Australia)....
Might take it for a long drive and see what happens
Thanks for feedback. Started car again this morning- usual rear spoiler fault but AC also turns on fan blowing full power and external and internal temperature the same.
Maybe I attached a portable battery jump started as per manufacture guidelines and use it as a way to test if problem still exists ( as it should make battery power be at full charge??)
Jump starting with an external battery will help to start the car, but once it is running and the external battery is disconnected, you are again relying on the built in battery, and if it can't supply high enough voltage or sufficient current to the car circuits, you will get the errors just the same. The best test would be to temporarily replace the battery with a known good one and see if the problem goes away.
So... as a refresher every morning when I started the Audi the rear spoiler fault would come up.... I would drive it around and the fault would go away.... the next morning? after the car had been sitting overnight the fault would return...
Not wanting to spend $500 on a new battery if I didn't need to ( the Audi Specialist wasn't sure it was a battery.... he when had enquired about a motor for the spoiler)..I thought of a way that might test it.
I thought maybe if I attached a Battery Jump starter pack in the morning before I start the car- it should compensate for the voltage the battery might have lost overnight if faulty. So this morning I did this.....
Connected it ( as per photos) and started the car - no rear spoiler fault.... I will try it again later, but this is the first morning in 2 weeks of starting that no fault has been recorded.... looks like a new battery required!!
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Dying Battery?
. $419 is cheapest battery I have found and they can't fit it lol
