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I would appreciate guidance as to what this code REALLY means. Is this the $4,000 to $7,000 dollar repair I'm being told it could be? Is it a bad sensor or a soon to fail timing chain/belt? Is all this hardware at the rear of the block or the front? Car has 105,000 VERY well maintained miles on her. The code can be cleared and runs perfectly until the code throws again (could be DAYS or minutes). The code has cleared on its own several times. Am I running any risk of blowing the motor or doing additional damage. Do I fix it or get it to CarMax and dump it? I really love this car but hate to throw good money at new and potentially more expensive problems. I am not equipped to facilitate my own repairs. How serious is this?
I would appreciate guidance as to what this code REALLY means. Is this the $4,000 to $7,000 dollar repair I'm being told it could be? Is it a bad sensor or a soon to fail timing chain/belt? Is all this hardware at the rear of the block or the front? Car has 105,000 VERY well maintained miles on her. The code can be cleared and runs perfectly until the code throws again (could be DAYS or minutes). The code has cleared on its own several times. Am I running any risk of blowing the motor or doing additional damage. Do I fix it or get it to CarMax and dump it? I really love this car but hate to throw good money at new and potentially more expensive problems. I am not equipped to facilitate my own repairs. How serious is this?
Are there any symptoms? Such as chain rattle at startup or during idle? Using the correct oil? We are going to need some more thorough information and a further diagnosis to understand what may be the problem...from what I know, I've never heard of a chain problem on later 4.2 v8s like yours or the one in the later c6 generation A6 4.2. If it is, it probably would be a 3-4000 job if you find the right independent mechanic in your area. Definitely 1000 for parts, but that is just getting ahead of ourselves. Give us more info and we can go from there.
No symptoms other than throwing the code. Just had an oil change using Mobil 1 synthetic (since day one). No noise. No rattles. My tech would have picked up on that long before she started throwing codes.
Yes, the descriptors of what the code(s) mean is helpful. What I'm trying to learn collectively from this community, BEFORE I engage technicians and/or (heaven forbid!) "the dealer"; is am I looking at the strip down of the entire front end of the car, i.e: replacement of the timing belt; or, is this repair far less invasive?
If you have a 2009 A8 4.2FSI, that means no timing belt, it's a chain driven setup. Without any other symptoms to describe, it's going to be difficult for anyone here to give you anything beyond what you already have been advised. If you are not willing or able to check any of these things, look for a different shop to get a second opinion. I don't have any experience with FSI timing chain work, so I can't tell you if it should cost that much or not, although if I recall, it is an extensive job. If it's the camshaft adjustment valve or the the fuel pump relay, it wouldn't be anywhere near that kind of labor.
So it's a chain, not a belt. Good news, I think/hope. The code was cleared and has not returned. Today it threw codes P2101 and P0121. I JUST had a throttle position sensor replaced! $14,000 from CarMax is simply to bitter a pill to swallow. My overriding concern is driving it when these codes are present. The advise I'm getting suggests the mechanicals are probably ok given the reputation of this motor and this likely cascading electrical gremlins. I'm so frustrated and simply don't know where to turn. I appreciate all the help and will check out the advise above.
Is the "timing chain" at the front of the block or the back on this car? I've seen a picture tutorial, here I think, of an A8 with the timing and serpentine belts at the front. Yes, getting to them is clearly a pain but it seemed pretty straight forward. Could my ECU be at fault? I'm having a hard time accepting so many sensors, etc. could fail at the same time.
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2009 A8L 4.2 Code P0011
