Now that you mention it.. my tac did wierd things too. Wouldn't always work, sometimes it would kick in sometimes not.. maybe this was the culprit?

 

I never replace something just because it throws a fault code. If it says a sensor or component is bad, remove it, clean it reset the CEL and see what happens. A year and a half ago, I was told I needed a new throttle body. I took it off, cleaned it, disconnected the ECU for a time. Then reconnected it. It has been fine ever since. My Honda never had these problems.

 

The thing is, it never threw a fault code at me..

 

so 900 bucks to fix a loose ground wire huh?

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER TAKE YOUR AUDI TO PEPBOYS, GREASE MONKEY, OR ANY OTHER HALF-*** SHOP WHOSE MECHANICS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CARS!!!

 

i'd like to point out here that chris is not a professional mechanic...and he didn't even look at your car...and he knows more about your problem than the MORON that almost charged you 900 dollars.

the reason this kind of thing is such BULLSHIT is because thousands of people will just pay what pepboys tells them to pay...and waste hundreds of dollars. [:@][:@] SHODDY MECHANICS ARE THE DEVIL!!

 

Pepboys might not be the best. But, I'd take them over the dealership. Dealerships are the DEVIL!

I prefer to diagnose myself. I can guess as good as the dealership.

 

Audi................... A labor of love.

What ive had to fix on mine...

headlight and taillight bulbs... no big deal
front control arms.... eh not too bad
front and rear struts... Mandatory over time
transmission rebuild... after 140k bound to be shot to hell
Heater components replaced...
timing belt change...
major tune (oil, ps fluid, spark plugs, wires, head gaskets, air filter, etc)

This is less than a year of having my car.

 

Yeah our cars aren't toyotas, when it comes to reliability... ... well, they aren't toyotas at all.

Yeah... I hate hearing stories like these... that is why I was so adamant in telling this dude that it wasn't his alternator... it scares me that there are such **** mechanics out there. I guess I got lucky when I found my mechanic... people know about him through word of mouth... but he's a great guy, knows his stuff... and never rips you off. Under the table too... so I pay him 40 - 45 an hour... half what the dealer charges me (plus save the tax).

But yeah... I try and do most things myself. If I have the tools to do it, I'm doin it!

 

This dude's name is Ben OK, let me just clarify I took it to pepboys because it was night time, I knew they were open, and also on the way home.. At the time I was thinking it was just the battery and they do a battery test there, so i figured what the hell... (Sidenote: I agree, Pep boys is bad news, I do not recommend them) Now, I do have an audi mechanic that I always take my car to, and he cuts me deals, I do some computer work for him and he does stuff for me, so it's a good deal. And I know better than to pay $900 for that fix, and also figured it wasn't the alternator, which is why I got it towed to my audi mechanic. All he charged me was labor. So yea, it was a pain in the *** for such a menial thing, but now I'm just happy it's fixed. [8D] So kids... the moral of the story is, find a good, honest local mechanic that won't screw with you, and avoid Dealers, pepboys, etc... at all costs!