Hey guys. Just bought a 2005 Audi a4 with ~80k miles on it. Car seems pretty dang solid. After having it a few days, a check engine light popped on. And the code read "P0089" which I heard is a faulty fuel sensor or something. Any suggestions?
The esp sensor keeps going on and off also. I know this is a common problem also but I just want to see what fixes you guys suggest.

Other than those problems, it seems the car is in great condition. Thanks for the help!

 

P0089 could be the low pressure fuel sensor. That's the cheapest thing to try first. It's entirely possible, though, that it's the low pressure pump. A good Euro shop can test it to see if the pump is failing. I believe anything over 60% duty cycle is probably bad. I think mine was around 80-90% (running nearly all the time) when I finally had to have it replaced.

Not sure about the ESP light.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm going to try swapping the sensor asap and see if it fixes the issue.

Would also love to here some maintenance things I should look into since its about 80k miles and Im not too positive whats been up to date.

 

King and I will differ on this, but the timing belt is due or close to being due. I did mine at 100k while King says do it around 75k. Also, check and replace your cam follower. Those tend to wear and can create havoc if they fail. Other than that read the posts at the top of this page for additional information.

I recommend getting a code reader (even a cheap one will work fine). That way you can pull any codes you get with out having to take a trip to a service shop or your local auto parts store that will pull coded for free. Not unusual to get a phantom code from time to time. Nice to be able to clear those and then see if they come back.

Here is a link to some additional information on the P0089 code:

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0089

I like this site as it gives lots of information and possible causes with recommended fixes.

 

Sorry for the double post. Here is some things that might effect the ESP light. I just googled 2005 Audi A4 ESP light and read a few of the posts:

1. MAF sensor dirty or going bad. No idea why this sensor would make the ESP light flicker, but it apparently does. Someone said they had some oil on theirs and after cleaning it was fine. Another said the dealer replaced the MAF and it cleared their issue.

2. Faulty brake light switch. This came up multiple times.

3. Dirty connection to the ABS unit. Someone else said cleaning this might help.

 

Well, if it's really a 2005, it's a B6 and those were definitely a 75k mile service interval on the timing belt. I think, though, since it's a 2.0T, it's probably a 2005.5 and even if you follow Audi's original spec, you should get that belt and water pump replaced since it's been 10 years now (assuming you can't prove it was already done). Belts degrade over time and even with low mileage, the years can be rough on them. You don't want it to snap.

I dealt with P0089 off and on for over a year. It's likely to turn out to be your fuel pump, but you'll only know if you can diagnose the duty cycle. The sensor is like $50, so if you want to try that first, sure, but a proper diagnosis could save you the $50.

Definitely a good idea to get a scanner. There are some great Wifi/Bluetooth OBD dongles now that you connect to with your smartphone. They're inexpensive and that's the route I'd go. because I have an iPhone (needs Wifi). If you have Android, you can get the BT only ones if you choose to.

 

Thanks for the research and help. I'll try cleaning the maf sensor and abs unit and see if it helps.

 

Do you guys know if a tune is required for an aftermarket intake?

 

I don't think you have to get one, but I am no expert on this. I think the MAF should adjust the mixture correctly. It might also depend how big you go. Best thing to do is research the intake and then google what others have experienced. On our cars it seems most recommend a chip first as it will provide the most bang for the buck to start. Then depending on the stage you will have to start upgrading some other items (fuel pump, intake, exhaust, etc...)