The hose you are talking about is breather hose. I really don't think that it will address the catalytic converter issue, but you never know...

As for the tranny fluid and filter. That is a good price. Parts alone will cost you about $100, and they are charging you about an hour and a half for the labor, which is not bad at all. You can do it on your own, but you need a jack, 4 jack stands, T-27 torx bit, 17mm allen head, torque wrench, hand pump, and VAGcom if you want to do it properly. I say $169 for labor is a good deal.

As for P0421, the worst case senario is that the dealer will claim it is your catalytic converter which is about $1600 to replace. Then ask the dealer to check the software level on your ECU. If I remember correctly if the version is below 5.0 (I maybe wrong) the reflash will usually fix the code issue. If the dealer is legit, they will tell you if it is the case or not. Our cars came from the factory with the threshold set too low and Audi released an update for ECU to correct it. Unfortunately it was not a recall, so you have to pay them to update it.

 

Thanks for the info , dealer quoted $64 for my radio lock code too , hopefully I can get them to include it in the " deal " They were very easy to deal with in 2001-2002....it seems they still are.

 

Get spare keys recoded (if you don't have already).

 

So my wife brings me the car to take to dealer, no CEL , gone , not lit... Ok off to dealer to chat. They do a " winter inspection " plus the VAG thing , get me my radio code and basically make me very happy especially since they charged me one fourth of what I expected !!

End result: no bad codes but several leaks which need to be addressed but are not urgent. They are camshaft adjuster seal , valve cover gasket , RR diff seal , headlamp squirters , trans output seal , and the after run coolant pump. None of these are hi volume but they will be dealt with over time. Plus I will take it back Friday to check trans fluid level as today it didn't have time to cool enough. Total cost today... $64 they have earned my loyalty.

 

On Thursday , CEL was back on so off to Dealer on Friday AM I went. Turns out they did not run codes when I was first there as CEL was off and it was a quickie checkover. Friday AM they run them : sporadic bad cat bank 1 , and the dreaded " torque converter stuck off " one. I had them change the fluid , flush and clean , service to the max the transmission as that fluid directly contacts the TC , it was a bit low when drained too. My gut tells me I haven't seen the last of the CEL but for now I am content ! I guess the most pressing other thing I need to do is the " after run " coolant pump as it was referred to by mech. It's leaking but not noticeable unless you are under car for a cold start up, then a dribble and stops when warm.
Also trans fl svc ran $ 300


Any feed back appreciated !!

 

Well wifey drove home for lunch and the CEL came back on when she was leaving to go back to work !!

Just gonna shut up and drive it at this point , will fix things as cash allows .

 

Get a VAgCom of your own and you'll live happily everafter -- OK OK It's a fairy tale but being able to read and clear codes is one of the fun parts of owning an Audi.

I use the Freebee Rosstech software with a $75.00 cable and my laptop. Do a search of this board and there is plenty of info about the other alternatives.

 

I agree and I will... Also the CEL is off now ! I can find the software , plus I am about to order a new laptop. What is the lowdown on the required cable and connector etc ???

Thanks in advance for the info too !!

 

Do a search in this section of the forum and you'll see a bunch of sugestions.

I got mine from OBDtool.com a few years ago. It uses a serial connection so I needed a USB-serial adaptor for my laptop and use the free Rosstech release 311.2 software. There are some that have a USB connector but I have no experience with them- I think they will use release 409

Many people get the adaptor from Ebay for around $20 delivered...

If you don't have a laptop just get a very long cable -- LOL

 

Here is a link to the cable I use it comes with the the driver and even had the version of vag-com that it was compatible with on the driver disk. It is a usb just be sure to follow the instructions on installing the driver and make sure when you plug it into a usb port that it shows as being a com port of 1-4 since vag-com only recognizes these ports.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/USB-O...motiveQ5fTools