How to fix the inconvenient Battery Warning Light on in an Audi A3 E-tron
A staple in German engineering. The Audi A3 provides a fun and exciting drive with a touch of class. For decades, the Audi A3 has been a compact hatchback serving the premium vehicle market worldwide.
Their latest A3 vehicles have so much technology packed into their small form factor, but occasionally they can go wrong. Despite all the efforts of German engineers and hours of research and development, an A3 has components that wear down or lose power, just like all other cars on the road.
This A3 came into our shop with its owner Mr B, complaining of a battery warning light illuminating. The warning message on the dash also showed it was urgent. Something that our expert technicians needed to look at immediately.
Mr B’s 2015 model came in a vibrant red colour scheme and was an otherwise excellent example of what Audi is known for. Mr B mentioned the battery system check appearing on the dashboard and alerting him immediately to attend a workshop for one of our experienced technicians to inspect it.
Batteries house the power needed to start and run the vehicle, and without a fully functioning unit you may get stuck on your driveway, or worse, at work when you finish up at the end of the day. The high current from a car’s battery is needed for the starter motor to turn the engine over and get those pistons firing. It’s a good job that Mr B entered our workshop when he did, as the risk of the car not starting the next time was at its highest.
Our technician Matt came to Mr B’s rescue, and he attended to the issue right away.
Fault Discovery
We at Fitch Autos have a set procedure to follow when it comes to fault finding. Using the latest Audi diagnostics tool, named Odis, we were able to connect to the Audi’s brain to find the root cause of the battery warning message. With this scan, the diagnostic came up with the trouble code B1802F1, indicating a fault in the energy management system.
The A3 that was brought to us was also a hybrid model. Named the e-tron, this edition came out in 2014. It is essentially a plug-in hybrid version of its famous compact hatchback. This hybrid system works in conjunction with an electric motor and battery pack to produce a more efficient vehicle with an improved fuel economy. This battery pack is separate from the vehicle battery pack that is used to start a normal non-hybrid vehicle and is much more of a complicated setup, with much more that can go wrong.
Our technician then performed a test drive to see if any vehicle functions were not working properly. Before moving on to the hybrid system itself to inspect the battery and hybrid units, checking for any damage. Then the technician looked at testing the 12V system which is the core system for the major vehicle functions.
Identifying the root cause of the issue
To solve Mr B’s warning message, we used the strict diagnostic procedure in our workshop which we train all our technicians with. Our technician was able to research and understand the diagnostics code B1802F1 and determine that the battery needed replacing. Replacing the battery can be more complicated with modern vehicles such as Mr B’s Audi A3, even more so because it is a hybrid model.
To ensure it was definitely a faulty battery, the technician performed live data checks on the entire hybrid system. This involved live readings of voltage, current, temperature, and battery health of the hybrid components deep inside the vehicle using the Odis tool that Audi allows approved workshops to use.
After all these health checks, the hybrid system was determined as not faulty. Thus, confirming the technicians’ original diagnostics of only the 12V system being at fault. From here, the necessary repair steps need to take place to perform a precision battery renewal on Mr B’s Audi.
Fixing the battery warning light issue
Ensuring that no other vehicle functions were affected, our technicians need to effectively replace the battery with the correct unit to make it last for years ahead. Determining which battery is used in this bespoke Hybrid model, the new battery was ordered in straight away.
Ensuring a quick turnaround time, but also performing the right steps for repairing a fault is a fine art in mechanics workshops. The simple battery replacement on older vehicles can be done at home, but the A3 e-tron needs to be hooked up one again with the dealer tool, Odis.
The Odis tool is used to code the gateway module and reset applications on the vehicle. This gateway module is the core of the vehicle’s communications and network management. Essentially it transmits data across different functions of the vehicle including engine, lighting, interior, entertainment, diagnostics and more.
The vehicle’s adaptions need to be reset too. As without it, the vehicle doesn’t know it’s had a new battery, which could cause Mr B problems later down the line.
The car is not handed back to the customer at this point because at Fitch Autos we double-check that everything is working perfectly. This meant that the new battery needed testing, and our technician took the vehicle on a short test drive to determine there were no further faults.
The test drive was followed with a complete system check to ensure all the vital functions were operating the right way. That included rechecking the hybrid system to ensure the major voltages and readings were functioning normally.
We were only able to hand back the Audi to Mr B when we saw everything was OK. As we strive for 100% customer satisfaction and ensure the customer is left with no problems on their prized possession.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
As other garages may not be as thorough with checks, Mr B came to us at Fitch Auto knowing that his car will be fixed. Not only were we able to turn the battery fault around in one day, but we also checked several functions of the vehicle’s systems to leave the car in a better condition than when it arrived.
Batteries can be a common failure after a few years. With alternators, belts and electrical systems all affecting the battery, they can fail if any one of these systems are at fault.
Our specialist technicians work tirelessly to get to the root cause of the problem. Making the customers life easier by being equipped with the latest in dealership diagnostic tools to communicate with Mr Bt’s Audi effectively.
Which is why at Fitch Autos, we see hundreds of customers each month and have the knowledge to fix any vehicle fault. Each of our technicians are especially trained to strict industry standards. This includes servicing, mechanical, electrical and air conditioning issues and more.
Every customer is taken through their vehicle fault, including the steps taken to determine and fix the problem. With a breakdown of costs used in the repair process. We only use the best quality, OEM recommended parts for our vehicle repairs too, leaving no stone left unturned at Fitch Autos. Therefore, so many of our customers rely on us to maintain their car. So much so they keep returning to our garage.
If you have a problem with your Audi or any other vehicle, contact us today on 01543 401 254 to book an appointment. We have the best customer service staff here to help.
