2012 A5 fuel pump failure
 

My engine light, also known as the Malfunction Indication Lamp (MIL) lit up over the weekend. The manual recommended that I take it to the dealership, which I did this morning.

The first question I was asked was if I had secured the gas cap properly. I indicated that I had, but they double-checked it anyway. After confirming this, they then verified the pressure in the tank. Once this was confirmed, they started checking the connections between the fuel pump and the tank.

Long story short: Audi advised them to simply replace the fuel pump, which they had to overnight. So I have a loaner for the evening - at least its supposed to rain for the next 2 days. ;)

I'm not 100% convinced that they actually know what the problem is, so as an engineer by trade, this is bothersome. However, if the problem is fixed, then that is all that matters.

I will keep everyone posted on the issue.

Cheers, Dave

any update?

Well I called the service department yesterday, and the news I got was not good: they're not replacing the fuel pump, they're replacing some controller board. It gets better: the board is back-ordered to Germany, and will take anywhere between 3 days and 3 weeks.

So I had my car 3 weeks, and now they're telling me that it's possible I might miss what is arguably the best month of the year to own a convertible, particularly in New England. I am not happy.

I am currently writing a letter to the dealership, which I hope to get to Audi USA as well, expressing my displeasure.

All for now...off to write a very nasty letter. :(

I started a thread for feedback regarding the letter I am planning on sending to Audi USA. Please share with me your thoughts and suggestions:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...7

Thanks, Dave

get them to take the part from a stock car if possible and then let their inventory car sit instead of yours! we do that for customers where I work.
well, an S5 or even S4 is probably not sitting there. A good idea but not realistic knowing the scarcity of these cars.

Thanks for the tip - I thought about that, but they don't currently have any other 2012 A5s at that dealership. However, there are certainly other dealerships around with whom they could work.

I have an email out to Audi USA, as well as the dealership sales manager. I am going to see what they have to say, and go from there.

Cheers, Dave

I'd be surprised if that part were truly unique to the A5. Isn't it probably the same thing that's in an A4? I'm sure they have a bunch of A4s sitting around. Not that I think they're likely to go for this idea, but I'm not convinced that a lack of A5s on the lot is a valid excuse for them to use.

Good point! If it comes to that, I will ask about that possibility because they certainly have some A4 2.0Ts on their lot!

i woudnt be happy either, but im sure your in a loaner, and they are taking care of you , put crazy miles on it :-)

If the fuel pump failed or was close to failure, you'd feel it (the whole car would be shaking). I'm not sure what sort of a "controller board" they are replacing, but it sounds very odd.

I got a very apologetic call from the service manager yesterday, saying that it's been raised to the highest level possible (Audi USA), and that they're doing everything they can to get my car repaired asap...but I missed a beautiful commute this morning. :(

Apparently, they're replacing the ECU, and they "think" it's the Stassis chip that caused the problem. I told them in no uncertain terms that I want a root cause found so that this will not happen again.

That's all I know at this point - I'll post more as soon as I have more details.

Ah, that explains it. You never said your car had an aftermarket chip.

I think they are blowing smoke up you ass when they say that "it's been raised to the highest level possible" (either that, or they are lying to Audi USA and failing to disclose that you car has a modded ECU). If the problem is indeed caused by the Stasis chip, Audi USA has nothing to do with it. Audi USA does not warranty Stasis stuff - the individual dealer does.

I think it's kinda ridiculous to blast Audi with nasty letters because of a possible stasis chip problem.

You modded your car and stasis and the individual dealer are responsible for it. Not Audi. When you mess with factory stuff you are taking a risk

So stop whining about how you miss driving with the top down and how everybody has to drop down on bended knee at Audi of America. Write a letter to stasis.

You could have bought an s5 if you wanted more power. Then you could complain to Audi all you want.

Here is the sequence of events so far:

1. Engine light comes on, car is taken to the dealership.
2. Dealer informs me that the fuel pump sensor has failed, and they are overnighting a new fuel pump.
3. The following day, the dealership informs me that they have to order a new controller board, and it will take 3 day s to 3 weeks to arrive.

At this point, they have NOT told me that they suspect it was the Stassis chip was the problem.

4. Given the fact that the car was only 3 weeks old, I found this situation to be untenable, and drafted a letter to Audi USA which I posted on this forum for feedback. However I never sent the letter because...
5. The dealership called me the following day to inform me that they had enlisted Audi USA themselves in order to expedite the acquisition of the new board. At this time, they also informed me that they suspected that the Stassis chip was the problem, but weren't 100% sure. The old board is being sent to Stassis for diagnostics testing.

So I am happy to say that both the dealership and Audi USA are addressing this issue in the best way possible. I will post again once I have a final resolution.

For those who have shown your support and constructive feedback, I thank you.

engine light
 

Is it possible to get the fault number and posted,
that way you can get better help here.

Thanks for the tip. I'll ask the service dude, and post it if I get it.

Which dealer are you working with? Sounds a lot like the nightmares I had in Burlington, MA......

I'm working with the Stratham, NH dealership, and they've actually been very good - they've gone beyond what I expected of them by dealing with Audi USA directly to expedite the acquisition of the part, which in fact arrived today. So the only thing that I would like from them is that a deterministic root cause be found and addressed. I expressed that to the service dude today, and he said he would make sure it was addressed with Stassis. So we'll see...

Hope it all works out for you.

But, you put a chip in your car, how can you be mad at Audi? Guess I don't understand....

Please read one of my previous posts today. I was upset with Audi *before* I was told that it could be the Stassis chip that was causing the problem. At that time, I was being told that it was simply a controller board problem, and would take 3 days to 3 weeks to acquire a new one. For a car that was only 3 weeks old, that was simply unacceptable to me.

But now, even with the assumption that it is the Stassis chip that is the problem, Audi has done all they can to expedite the solution, even though they didn't have to.

So on the contrary, Audi has gone beyond what they were obligated to do, so I would have to say that I am quite happy with how things are being handled. I am now just hoping that the root cause is definitively found so I am not going through this again in a month.

As a StaSIS-certified dealership Stratham has to take responsibility ("seamless warranty"). AudiUSA is another matter of course. Will be interesting to hear of the root cause and hopefully soon.

I had some early on issues with a leaking sunroof but all has been well since, so better days are ahead for you. :)

Agreed. If the dealer installed the Stasis chip they need to make things right. If not, you can just hope for the best possible outcome.

Here's an interesting update: I called the dealership Friday to see if my car would be ready that day. I was told that they were waiting for FedEx to arrive with the board from STaSIS. So I called them later in the afternoon to check again, and was told it hadn't arrived.

In between that time, I emailed STaSIS to ask about the issue. Here is what I was told:

"The flash was never the suspected cause of the internal ECU failure, however STaSIS did accept the powertrain warranty claim."

So here is where I'm at: the dealership is telling me they "think" it's the STaSIS chip, while STaSIS is telling me definitively that it is not.

So I'm not sure how to proceed here, but I'm getting to the point where I just don't care anymore - I just want my car back.

wow, you are one tough head customer. It's a good thing though.
Next time, please pull the code from your car prior leaving your car at Audi. Many of us up here has enough or sometimes more knowledge than those Audi tech with these problems.

Good news: I'm getting my car back today, and they gave me the code they read from the ECU: P2400. Does this mean anything to anybody?

P2400 - Evaporative Emission System Leak Detection Pump Control Circuit/Open

Let's see what others who have gotten this code on their cars (doesn't have to be an A/S5) to see what they did to fix the problem.

Yea, I've been doing some Googling of my own, but have not yet found a case that sounds similar to mine. I'll ask some more detailed questions tonight at the dealership and will post what I find out.

That's often O2 sensor flaw/failure related, but there are a number of other possibilities.

Well the service rep was not very informative, so I'll just post what was entered by the technician:

CONFIRMED ENGINE MIL IS ON - FOUND DTC P2400 LDP OPEN CIRCUIT NO TEST PLAN IN GFF FOR THIS FAULT. TESTED AND FOUND BATTERY VOLTAGE @ LDP,R+I ECM AND TESTED WIRING FROM ECU TO LDP-FOUND ALL 3 WIRES BELOW 0.4 OHMS - PUMP INTERNAL RESISTANCE-PIN 1+3=660 OHMS, PIN 2+3=15 OHM. NOTE - WHILE DIAGNOSING LDP NOTICED COOLING FAN RUNNING CONSTANTLY - FOUND POWER SUPPLY RELAY BEING GROUNDED OUT BY ECU-SHORT IN ECU. REPLACED ECU AND PROGRAMMED KEY, ECU SENT OUT AND RE-TUNED AT STASIS. ERASED ALL DTC AND TEST DROVE - OK, NO DTC RETURNED.

Sounds like there was a short in the ECU?