2004 A6 questions.

Hi all!

I bought a used 2004 Audi A6 a few months ago. Awesome car, very happy
with it. Recently, 2 diagnostics issues have come up and I was hoping
for some advice before I take it for service. Unfortunately, the car
was originally from Quebec, so the owner's manual is in French (I will
be purchasing once in English asap after these issues).

First, out of the blue, I frequently get this hair raising alarm beep
with a red exclamation mark surrounded by brackets on the dash display.
This is intermittent, that is, it comes and goes. At first I thought
it had something to do with the tire pressure sensors, since it seems to
happen going around a corner a lot, but what little I can gather from
the manual, tells me it's something to do with the brakes. Can this be?
If it was just a warning about the brakes needing service, would it
really scream at me like that 10 times a day?

Second, and this has me concerned there's a problem, now there is a
constant circle with a cross through, what appears to be a bomb in the
middle of the dash (I only think it looks like a bomb because I'm pretty
sure I can make out the French word for fuse in the owner's manual for
this warning logo, maybe it's something else).

Can anyone help me diagnose these issues prior to going to a dealership
for service so I have some clue what I'm in for?

Thanks in advance for any help.

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:40:44 -0400, against all advice, something
compelled pawn >, to say:

> Second, and this has me concerned there's a problem, now there is a
> constant circle with a cross through, what appears to be a bomb in the
> middle of the dash (I only think it looks like a bomb because I'm pretty
> sure I can make out the French word for fuse in the owner's manual for
> this warning logo, maybe it's something else).


You have a headlight out.
--

Real men don't text.

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:40:44 -0400, pawn > wrote:

>Hi all!
>
>I bought a used 2004 Audi A6 a few months ago. Awesome car, very happy
>with it. Recently, 2 diagnostics issues have come up and I was hoping
>for some advice before I take it for service. Unfortunately, the car
>was originally from Quebec, so the owner's manual is in French (I will
>be purchasing once in English asap after these issues).
>
>First, out of the blue, I frequently get this hair raising alarm beep
>with a red exclamation mark surrounded by brackets on the dash display.
> This is intermittent, that is, it comes and goes. At first I thought
>it had something to do with the tire pressure sensors, since it seems to
>happen going around a corner a lot, but what little I can gather from
>the manual, tells me it's something to do with the brakes. Can this be?
> If it was just a warning about the brakes needing service, would it
>really scream at me like that 10 times a day?
>
>Second, and this has me concerned there's a problem, now there is a
>constant circle with a cross through, what appears to be a bomb in the
>middle of the dash (I only think it looks like a bomb because I'm pretty
>sure I can make out the French word for fuse in the owner's manual for
>this warning logo, maybe it's something else).
>
>Can anyone help me diagnose these issues prior to going to a dealership
>for service so I have some clue what I'm in for?
>
>Thanks in advance for any help.

The red exclamation mark within the circle and brackets is indeed a brake
system fault indicator. fwiw, the symbol is supposed to look like a wheel with
brake shoes :-)

The crossed out "bomb" indicator is for a light malfunction. If the "bomb" is
inside of a circle inside of brackets, that's for a brake light failure. If
there are no circle and brackets, that's for a headlight or marker light.

Not sure on A6's specifically, but it could just be a faulty sensor on
your brake pads.

pawn wrote:
> Hi all!
>
> I bought a used 2004 Audi A6 a few months ago. Awesome car, very happy
> with it. Recently, 2 diagnostics issues have come up and I was hoping
> for some advice before I take it for service. Unfortunately, the car
> was originally from Quebec, so the owner's manual is in French (I will
> be purchasing once in English asap after these issues).
>
> First, out of the blue, I frequently get this hair raising alarm beep
> with a red exclamation mark surrounded by brackets on the dash display.
> This is intermittent, that is, it comes and goes. At first I thought
> it had something to do with the tire pressure sensors, since it seems to
> happen going around a corner a lot, but what little I can gather from
> the manual, tells me it's something to do with the brakes. Can this be?
> If it was just a warning about the brakes needing service, would it
> really scream at me like that 10 times a day?
>
> Second, and this has me concerned there's a problem, now there is a
> constant circle with a cross through, what appears to be a bomb in the
> middle of the dash (I only think it looks like a bomb because I'm pretty
> sure I can make out the French word for fuse in the owner's manual for
> this warning logo, maybe it's something else).
>
> Can anyone help me diagnose these issues prior to going to a dealership
> for service so I have some clue what I'm in for?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.

daytripper wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:40:44 -0400, pawn > wrote:

Thank you both for the responses. Questions:


> The red exclamation mark within the circle and brackets is indeed a brake
> system fault indicator. fwiw, the symbol is supposed to look like a wheel with
> brake shoes :-)


So, I really don't know how advanced the detection system is. Could
this mean something as simple as needing new brake pads or is it
typically something more serious?

> The crossed out "bomb" indicator is for a light malfunction. If the "bomb" is
> inside of a circle inside of brackets, that's for a brake light failure. If
> there are no circle and brackets, that's for a headlight or marker light.

It's too bad it isn't in brackets, because then I would assume the two
problems are related, but no brackets.

Thank you very much for the help.

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:16:08 +0100, against all advice, something
compelled Alastair Grant >, to say:

> Not sure on A6's specifically, but it could just be a faulty sensor on
> your brake pads.

I have an '04 TT with 57xxx miles. The last time I took it in
for service, they said I had 25% of my front brakes left.

The A6 is a heavier car, and chances are it's just due for a
break job. I'd have it looked into, sooner rather than later.



--

Real men don't text.

Steve Daniels wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:16:08 +0100, against all advice, something
> compelled Alastair Grant >, to say:
>
>> Not sure on A6's specifically, but it could just be a faulty sensor on
>> your brake pads.
>
> I have an '04 TT with 57xxx miles. The last time I took it in
> for service, they said I had 25% of my front brakes left.
>
> The A6 is a heavier car, and chances are it's just due for a
> break job. I'd have it looked into, sooner rather than later.


Thanks gain for the awesome responses everyone!

KJ