Hey guys I tried searching for a few hours and wasnt able to find the answers I need. I'm also aware that I have a similar thread for this. My apologies.

I have a 97 2.8 12v (Quattro). Long long, long, long Effing story short I need a "new" ECU in it. The tech at the shop I currently have my car in quoted me about 1200 for a brand new ECU and was also talking to me about instead replacing it with a used one. Obviously I would much rather save 1100 dollars so I wanna know what all I need to check out in reference to swapping ECUs.

Is there some kind of part number I need to verify? Are there any security bits I need to know about like anti-theft, immobilizers, problems with gauge clusters, or anything like that I haven't been able to think of?

I'd really like to drive my car once or twice before heading to Afghanistan :-P

 

Coming from the 1.8T, my experience has been that if the part numbers are the same and from the same country you shouldn't have an issue. Ideally they will have been used with the same transmission type, but this can be worked around.

Basically if you go into VAG-COM, you can check the coding value on your current ECU, and right it down. After plugging in the new ECU, go into the engine module coding and enter your old digits in. Usually it's as simple as that... to my knowledge U.S. Audis didn't get immobilizers until 2001.

 

check Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market most junkyards use this for inventory. i searched in north carolina and there are any ecu's for less than 100 for your year amd engine

 

Still waiting on the numbers on yours.

 

If FASTER's ECU doesn't work out, check ebay. I bought a stock ECU for $80 shipped (granted for a 1.8T) and it was in perfect working order. Just make sure the seller stands behind the parts they sell in case it's faulty.

 

Alright I finally made it up to the shop to snap a pic of the ECU, please advise

 

I have that same ecu code in my garage. Thought I had a bad one and it was something else. I just tried swapping it into my 96 12v and it started right up and I have a 266A ecu stock. Shoot me a pm with a reasonable offer and it's yours

 

Update, received the replacement ECU from CincyTT yesterday and dropped it off at my mechanic today. Hopefully all goes well, I'll update this thread as I am updated myself.

Thanks again Cincy

 

Got a call from the shop today, and for the first time in ******* forever.... MY CAR RUNS YAAAAAY!!!

Needed an ICM and the ECU which I supplied, for the ICM and labor it came to $829 :-/

 

Wow, that's like $700 in labor for jobs that should take 45mins tops to do together. That's a lot of diagnostics.