edsea

I just had my 2016 Q5 TDI into the dealer for some work. Included on my list was a side assist issue where the passenger side indicator is intermittent, it fails to detect vehicles besides me (both when I pass them or they pass me). I think it fails to detect anything from a semi to a Prius about 30 to 40% of the time (enough for the dealer to duplicate the problem. I brought this to their attention on my 15K mile service and again when I brought it in for the emissions update, they said they could not duplicate it either time. This time they installed some parts that was part of a technical service bulletin for the side assist but for a different symptom (false detects). I guess I will have to ride with the tech and show them the failure. This is irritating because I am 2.5 hours from the dealer. Has anyone else had similar side assist issues?

Bob Petruska

That problem was discussed here before, and if I remember correctly it was a dirty sensor issue, or dirty area on top of the sensor.

V8BOB

The sensors for the side assist are not the round sensors across the rear cover. These sensors are behind the cover and attached to the body of the car. The only way to see them is to remove the cover or loosen it enough on the right side in your case to see it. Here's a part diagram that shows their approximate position. https://audi.7zap.com/en/usa/audi+q5.../9/907-907035/ If the dealer has scaned the Q5 for errors and found nothing related, it just may not be picking up on the intermittant / partial failure. What can affect the sensors? Mud, snow on the bumper cover. Dirt or debris built up on the sensor itself. Bad electrical connection at the sensor. If the bumper cover has been damaged and then repaired and in the repair process a filler has been used to repair the cover in that area and made the cover area too thick for the sensor to get an accurate reading. Was a hitch put on and in the process disturbed that sensor? Do you have a lower panel on that cover that could be removed to look at the sensor?
Bob