2003 Audi A4 1.8t won't start!!

30

Asked by arosario84 Oct 15, 2014 at 09:44 PM about the 2003 Audi A4 1.8T Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Did a trade for a 2003 Audi A4 1.8 t on Sunday. 30 minutes after getting the car, check engine light came on. Took it to 2 different auto parts store for the free hook up to check code. Neither could pull it. Took it to a mechanic that specializes in these cars, couldn't pull it either. He said this is usually due to something faulty in the computer, which can be cause by malfunction of the radio (which makes sense in our case because our radio is very staticky, even the CD is static). Went for a job interview an hour away from home, come out and car doesn't start. Had someone that was able to jump the car for me yet still nothing - did a check on our battery (by having the plugs on my battery and seeing if there was a spark on the other end) - there was, which means our battery is FINE. What else could be the issue? Could it be the potential computer issue? Alternator? Starter? Anyone have this before and it be an easy fix? I'm 21.5 weeks pregnant, have appts and interviews and NO car at all, and a 3.5 year old daughter. Please help!!!

10 Answers

143,555

If they can,t pull code,s ,it probably is computer,and some time,s on audi,s the key will not be reconized,by the computer,that is why the car won,t start.Sound,s like you may need a new ecm/computer,or have a dealer try to reflash the one that is in there. Good luck with it,

1 people found this helpful.
30

But we haven't had any issues, and my fiance drove the car about an hour before I left for my interview. We are an hour away from the car, and limited on funds - is it expensive you think to diagnose?! Or an ecm/computer?

1 people found this helpful.
143,555

Computer,s have a mind of there on,they work with no problem,s,,then loose there mind,ecm for your car is expensive,but try and have it reflashed if possible,want be as expensive,if it is not to far gone,you can try this temporarily,remove the key from car,remove positive cable for a few minute,s,then replace battery cable,insert key,this should reset the ecm,where it will crank,but this is only a brief fix for this,,

4 people found this helpful.
30,090

your description of the battery chek is a bit hazy. it should be load tested. maybe autozone. it must be fully charged for this test but it is the best way to test a battery

1 people found this helpful.
30

I understand however without getting the car to start at all we cant exactly get it to AutoZone....

2 people found this helpful.
45,175

do the temporary fix suggested above. Remove your key from ignition then unplug the battery for 15 -30 minutes. This will forcibly reboot your cars ecm but will also put your cars stereo in security mode so make sure you have the codes before doing it. this is also a lesson learned never trade for a car you know nothing about especially if you already have a car that is reliable to start with. The gas audi's tend to be more of a hassle then the tdi's so next time trade for one of those love :) good luck

3 people found this helpful.
30,090

as long as the battery is charged, it doesn;'t have to be in the car to be load tested.

1 people found this helpful.
10

i had problems with my radio in my audi 2004 A4 1.8t this one doesn't turn on i check the fusible and its ok

1 people found this helpful.
45,175

try pulling it out and check the fuse in the back of the stereo. not totaly sure they have one there but most do.

2 people found this helpful.

These cars are very tricky. I have an 03 Audi A4 1.8t quattro and have had problems ever since i got it and that was almost a year ago and my car is still broken down. They so difficult to be worked on because theyre so crowded with all these different vacuum lines and all the computer stuff that is in them. you could think its one thing but it may be another. i was having a similar problem on my where it wouldnt start but when it tried it would always back fire. I had to put a new ecm relay in it, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, and im sure more but i cant remember to be honest but that still didnt fix it. i left it for honestly 2-3 weeks with the battery unplugged and then i was moving so i had to move it somehow and i plugged the battery back in and started it and it started right up and drove perfectly fine (except its always had a hesitation problem that i still dont know the reason ) before it wouldn't let me use my tiptronic to shift and suddenly that day it did. it drove perfect for about a couple months then broke down on me again. After that i had it looked at and got it fixed and drove again for another couple months. The last couple of times i thought it was fixed i was driving on my way to work and stopped at a light and when it turned green i went to accelerate and my car would not move even though it as still started and idling perfectly fine. Then after turning it off and on and trying to get it to move it would but only for a short period of time and since then ive been trying to figure out what is causing that. These cars are not very reliable unless you know what you're doing or have a good mechanic that works on foreigns because there are so many possibilities to what it would be. If anyone knows the problem i am having please let me know as im trying to get it fixed :(

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