So I noticed my car feeling very sluggish yesterday. Primarily at low speeds and under light throttle. The best way I can describe it, as weird as it sounds, it was like a nightmare where you're trying to run and can't go anywhere... anyway, I looked down and the ABS light was on as well. I didn't put it all together until one of my co-workers came up to me 8 and a half hours later and told me my brake lights were on.
Sure enough, my brake lights were stuck "on". Then it all made sense. ABS light comes on, car feels sluggish, brake lights on all day.
Somehow, the brakes must be stuck "on", right? That would explain all three symtoms, wouldn't it?

But the real question is, what's the source and how can I fix/diagnose it?
Would a VAG/COM be able to diagnose/pinpoint ABS malfunctions? I called my indie shop, and he said it doesn't sound like a typical problem, so he'd have to investigate. Meanwhile I'm stuck without a way to get the car to the shop and back and forth all day. I'm wondering if there's any diagnosis I can do on my own....
In the meanitme I have to take out the fuse for the brake light whenever I turn the car off because the constant brake light from yesterday killed my battery....
Any ideas?
Thanks~

 

Given your sluggishness I'd sugest that you have a hung caliper or an e-brake problem.

VAGCom will not help with mechanical failures -- but it dosen't hurt to see what it says.

I would do the following.
1. make sure you have enough brake fluid.
2. check the brake light switch
3. make sure the brake peddle cameback up
4. make sure the e-brake is off
5. Jack the car up and see if you can rotate or easly move each wheel
6. see if the brake pads are OK
7. Remove the wheel that you can't rotate and see why.
8. if all that fails drive the car for a short distance and carefully touch each wheel to see if one is hotter that the others- if so it is probably hung up
9. after that it could be a bad master cylinder - ABS unit - or your Audi HATES YOU.


8.

 

I wouldn't suspect the E brkae only because the ABS light came on too. I would think caliper. I haven't checked the brake fluid yet...

 

If the e-brake is stuck you could wear out an inner pad and screw things up like the ABS sensor etc.. I would guess that 25% of rear brake problems are due to e-brake another 25% due to stuck slides and the reaminder due to the pads wearing out.