Responsible Driver

I’ve recently bought a 2013 Q7 and am ironing out the niggles I’m finding as I get to know the car. One such niggle is that the keyless entry system only works intermittently - unlocking tends to work if you pull a handle once to unlock then again to open the door, locking by pushing the button on the handle hardly ever works. Keyless start is fine.

From reading forums like this I think I might have a door handle sensor fault but don’t have a diagnostic tool. I see others on here have scanned for codes like these themselves so wonder what tools people are using. I’m sure I’m going to need one for lots of things with this car!

dreadlocks

VCDS

Dudeness30

I got a Autel 906BT which does just about everything on every car since I have more than one make of car. But most here use VCDS

Responsible Driver

Thanks dreadlocks. They do quite a range! I'm not sure whether it's worth shelling out for a decent one or coughing up £60 a time at my local dealer if/when things do go wrong.

Responsible Driver

Thanks Dudeness30. That one's a bit of a beast and too much for my DIY requirements. As I said to dreadlocks, I might be better just paying for diagnoses.

dreadlocks

it usually only takes like 1 service for it to pay for its self.. such as battery replacement... I bought mine in 2003 and its been used on like 8 of my own vehicles since then and dozens more of friends and random internet people.

varia

obd eleven

Kei78

^^ This

Dudeness30

What do you need and what’s the price range your looking for?

Responsible Driver

My local Audi MD say they charge £60 for a diagnosis. I've not tried it yet (so there may be a few add-ons) but, if that's the going rate, I don't see much point in paying any more than 3 times that for DIY kit. The other factor is that any diagnosis is likely to lead to new parts being required and subsequent fitting and coding. From what I've seen so far, Audi have things pretty well covered and many of the parts that commonly fail can only be purchased from them. An example is the keyless entry sensors that I fear I might need in this instance. On my car, the sensors are embedded in the door handle so I'd need the whole assembly. Audi have quoted £188 per handle (in primer) and I can't find anyone else who can get them, unless they order them from Audi and sell them on.

It's been a long time since I owned a car that was out of warranty and, when I did, these were older cars that were mainly mechanical. As an ex aircraft engineer, I'm quite confident on the mechanical side but, although happy to have a go at the 'wiggly amps' (and this forum has some very interesting advice), OBD diagnosis and coding is something I don't have much experience in.

So, my requirement is part interest (as I still enjoy fixing things myself but wouldn't bugger about with a car that was under warranty) and part cost-saving. I reckon I could happily change components to save a fair bit on labour costs, but I'd need to know what's wrong first and possibly code the new part when fitted if that applies (probably following advice from all you helpful chaps on here).