Hey Guys,

I have a 2007 Audi A4 with 1500 miles which I chipped with APR at around 600. The other day I was driving up the freeway and I brought the car up to 100mph then all of a sudden I felt complete power loss. The car wouldn't go above 100 and it felt like I was running NA.I was scared shitless. I backed off the gas and exited the freeway. For the next several miles I took it easy but when I hit 2500rpms I didn't feel the turbo kick in like I normally do. A few minutes later I decided to pull over and hold in the cruise control button to change it back to the stock setting. I've never done this before and quite frankly I have no idea what mode it is in right now. You are supposed to look for the blinks according to the manual but it just ends up confusing me. A few times my car wouldn't even start when changing maps even though I let it sit for 10 seconds before starting it again.

So anyway it doesn't feel like it used to but it's better than it was during that scary experience. I don't know what to do. I mean I have taken the car up to 120mph in the past without any issues.The car is brand new and I don't want to bring it to the dealer as I'm pretty worried about them finding out about the chip. Yeah... the dealer can't find out about it by hooking up to the ODB-II port but they can hold in the set button on the cruise control stalk to see if the check engine light blinks abnormally.

Based on what I've read I've heard stories of blown turbos, bad dv, and bad fuel pumps. What do you think?

 

Sounds like limp mode to me, i dont know about not being able to start it up or the issues you have now. Id be talking to APR before the dealer about it though. I doubt your turbo is blown or anything major. Get your ecu scanned for fault codes. If there are any, write them down, have them cleared (post here to let us know what they are if any)and see what happens.

 

hmmm, i dont know much about brand new chipped 2.0T's but my advice would be to return your car to stock form and then take it to the dealer and let them fix whatever happened under warrenty....

 

What is limp mode?

Will the ECU have any fault codes if no lights were ever displayed?

The start-up issue isn't an issue anymore. It just happened a few times after I was trying to switch between stock and chipped mode. I think it's because the map wasn't fully uploaded or something.

 

Limp mode is usually caused by over boosting, meaning too much boost/air which can create a lean condition which can kill your engine. Too much boost is a lot of hot compressed air, it makes the fuel combust too early in the stroke cycle and can litteraly blow a hole out of your engine. The ecu/sensor in your intercooler detects this and cuts your fuel/boost/timing. Usually simply restartingthe engine will get you out of limp mode. Just because there is no CEL doesnt mean you dont have a fault code stored. Get the ecu scanned and cleared of codes at autozone for free. Record the codes if there are any and post them here and we'll try to help more if we can.
A lot of times, if you just recently got chipped, it takes a while for the ecu to adapt to the new settings. When people get multiple programs (stock, chip, race, valet) they switch back and forth so much the ecu doesnt get a chance to fully adapt. Even with just one program it can take a few weeks for the ecu to adapt. A lot of times youll go into limp mode and get some crazy fault codes along with it until the ecu fully adapts. That was the case for me and is with many others, and thats why you should get the codes cleared and see if they come back. If they come back there may be a real problem. Its possible there is a fault code stored that is keeping you in limp mode, until its cleared.

 

Thanks for the help. I'll go to the zone tomorrow and get it checked out.

 

Let us know how it goes, and make sure they not only read the code(s) but clear them too. Dont forget to write them down... Of course this is all assuming you even have fault codes and what happend was in fact limp mode.. We'll see.

 

So I went to AutoZone tonight and they had the ODB-II reader in stock. I just had to put a refundable deposit down. It was so easy to use, this thing had like 4 buttons... read, erase, up and down. So I hooked it up and it didn't pull any codes so I guess I am in the clear. Thanks everyone for your insight, I have peace of mind now. My car is running fine and I brought it up to 120 tonight for a second without any hesitation from the engine. So I guess it was just a one time deal. Thanks again.

-Chris

 

Good to hear... Althugh i have to admit i was a little excited to help diagnose a problem.. damn you and your car.

 

LOL, maybe next time.