Hello everyone,

Although this is my first post, I've been an enthusiast for some time.

I recently re-took possession of my 2001 Allroad (87K mi) which I had lent to my brother in law over a year ago (that's a whole other saga). Over Christmas I asked him how the car was and did he like it, his reply - O'yeah I got a truck from work so I parked it in the back of the barn and its been there ever since. WTF!!! I meant to call and let you know but somehow got busy and it slipped my mind.

Next day I went to see it, very sad to say the least: dirty, almost overgrown with weeds, covered in tree sap, sitting on the bumps and somehow filled with water in the back.

Towed the car back to CT and started assessing the damage and then make a decision as to its fate.

Post assessment findings:

Pro:
87,234 original miles
Body in great condition
I already own it and a decent used car in this area cost at least 20K

Con:
Immediate needs - Battery, Alternator, Tires, Air ride issues, back breaks and figuring out how the water is getting in.

It’s a great car and I'm keeping it so into my garage it went

So far I have:
Drained every fluid and flushed every possible thing that takes fluid.
Replaced the Alt, Battery and Air Compressor.
Sent front headlights and Fascia/bumper cover to auto body shop for repair and paint.
Removed every airbag and bench tested them overnight for leaks - none, sweet.
Numerous relays and various fittings.

Help needed:
Relay - Names, locations and numbers
Neutral safety switch relay location
Entrance points for water - the spare tire well was full and the front passenger side floor board had about an inch of water in it - (air cabin filter holder maybe)

Any help is greatly appreciated, I'm sure some of these issues have been addressed before so please excuse my revisiting of these concerns as I couldn't find the answers to help remedy them.

Thanks so much,
Kevin

 

Not sure how much I can help, but as for the water issues, most Audis are susceptible to water ingress through 2 or 3 locations. Try cleaning 1)sunroof drains 2)battery tray drains and 3)check around A/C lines going into the cabin.

Best of luck with it!

 

OK, where are the sunroof drains, I'd guess inside the A pilar, accessing them through the interior cover?

 

I think they're inside the sunroof area, like if you slide it open, there should be some holes inside the track. I'm not sure about with your car, but you could probably call a dealer and ask.

 

definitely take good look at those drain locations,one under battery tray and one under brake booster,maybe go as far as to remove the grommet ,any needles or tree leaves clog these up,also take a good look at your cabin air filter is it wet? if so check windshield cowl make sure its snug against the glass. lastly check your TCM its under the carpet on pass side in a black box in front of pass seat,you dont want to find water in there ..... good luck

 

This just keeps getting better and better - Thank you to "silverAr" for the insight to check the TCU under the from passengers side carpet - it was completely submerged in water from the from battery drain being clogged, just received the new unit purchased from a guy parting his out on craigslist. The numbers were a complete match so I'm hoping the unit works without any having to get it reprogrammed.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REACHED OUT, YOUR ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY ALLROAD SITTING UNTIL I DECIDED TO SCRAP IT OR POUR THOUSANDS INTO IT. I'VE TACKLED MOST OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE HELP OF THIS COMMUNITY, ENOUGH CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE SHARED I'M HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL.

Kevin