'mechanic' has had 1998 Audi cabriolet for 3 wks - 1st time I took it in to first mechanic was for a flashing coolant light-said it was fixed that same day only to have to take it back the next day for same problem. Again they said it was 'fixed' but of course the mechanic that worked on it wasn't around (there's more to the story, but i'll spare you the drama) to tell me what happened. When i got it back, i drove it approximately 8 miles, parked and it didn't start back up again. Windows/radio work but engine did NOTHING. Had it towed to an 'audi specialist'&they have had it for 3 weeks (well, i did get it back for less than 1/2 hour and the speedometer didn't work and overheated 'horribly'). The mechanic had it towed back-he supposedly has replaced the heater core, but now the 'cooling fans' won't activate. And the speedometer doesn't work. The whole instrument panel is off. The valve on the 'vacuum actuator' got broke but was replaced - how could this happen? The tach didn't work when I bought the car, then the gas gauge started acting up - (not that these are the mechanics fault) but the speedometer & the coolant gauge worked. I can live without the gas gauge and tach, but the speedometer and the coolant are crucial. There have been some quirky things happening over the last year, but of course when I mention these quirks - I'm told they have nothing to do with anything and i'm 'dismissed'. Okay, so bottom line - why won't the cooling fans activated or how does he get them working so I can get my car back without it 'blowing up with steam/coolant'! Thanks for any info. He said he called Audi but they wouldn't help without bringing it in. QUIRKS - . turn signals suddenly blinking very fast/loud . the interior lights have never worked . ashtray light will pop on for a second or two . engine light goes on, but the goes off with long intervals in between - am told 'the code' is 'something electrical ' NO S$#T! . parking/back up lights suddenly stop working - when they fix one another one goes out a couple of days later. . cruise control stopped working if the high beams were on . now the high beams don't work at all! and these 2 last mechanics don't think it's a big issue what more can I add to this list of quirks and ARE THEY AT ALL RELATED? can't afford to go to Audi - but is this where i'm headed?
The car sounds like it got flooded with water, do you have a title to it? Does it say salvage? If not then the dash issue has nothing to do with the other non electrical issues. There maybe a BCM (body control module) that is bad. Sounds like there are wires that are not connected to the thermostat to run the fan or the fan relay is bad or unplugged. The entire cooling system needs to be pressure tested. The coolant should be 50/50 water and coolant, there is a lot of things going on with the car so how many miles are on it and has the ignition switch been replaced?
i have the title and mileage is just over 92K - there were no salvage issues and i don't ever remember having the ignition switch replaced. Would replacing the BCM help these cooling fans to be activated? and would this help the gauges?
Experts - this is week 4 that my 1998 Audi cabriolet out of commission - I went to mechanic to find out the latest - and the same old story 'diagrams' for the electrical system don't match what he is finding - he now has the back seat torn apart along with the dashboard - he says it runs - but again the cooling fans aren't activating and now all the 'gauges' don't work - tach, coolant, speedometer. I suggest that he look at what you guys wrote (i tried to put it in a nice way that maybe he is missing something) - with the current condition of the car how can I have it towed somewhere else and have no clue what this guy has done - do I continue to just wait? I can no longer afford rental vehicles - this is my worst nightmare!
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SOURCE: 2003 Audi A4 Cabriolet ...cooling fans come on at start up
Yes this car should have a temperature sending unit that tells the fans to kick on. If it has two fans one of them is for you Air-condiontion, and it will turn on whenever the ac is being ran. One other possibility is if you bought the audi used the owner before you may have hard wired the fan to run whenever the car ignition is turned on. The only reason someone would do that is if they were to lazy to fix it properly.
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Terri Lucas Experts - this is week 4 that my 1998 Audi cabriolet out of commission - I went to mechanic to find out the latest - and the same old story 'diagrams' for the electrical system don't match what he is finding - he now has the back seat torn apart along with the dashboard - he says it runs - but again the cooling fans aren't activating and now all the 'gauges' don't work - tach, coolant, speedometer. I suggest that he look at what you guys wrote (i tried to put it in a nice way that maybe he is missing something) - with the current condition of the car how can I have it towed somewhere else and have no clue what this guy has done - do I continue to just wait? I can no longer afford rental vehicles - this is my worst nightmare!
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