I have posted about the car in the welcome forums.

bassically I am getting the car very cheap, but it has some issues to it.

The trans has been rebuilt according to the previous owner.

Zthe car was an attempted theft, the column is broken open, and the ignition is damaged. The previous owner also said it had some ecu issues and the car does not want to start.

What I need to know is, Will I have to purchase an ECU and then have it registered to the car, or will any issue with matching codes plug right up and work?

Is there a proceadure to reset the immobilizer on the car from the attempted theft?

How do I pull codes on the car without a scanner?

 

ECU's generally need to be recoded with VCDS (VAG-COM).

Immo coding needs to be done by a dealer - their systems talk to the mothership in Ingolstadt.
I think VCDS can reset all the DTC's that would be thrown however.

I've heard of guys using the cheap code scanners you can get at parts stores.
They aren't going to begin to scratch the surface of what VCDS can do though, and are read-only MIL reset tools.

 

sounds like a plan, thanks for the information.

I called the dealer and they said it will take about 1 hour to complete, 2.5 if they have to do the manual reset. If there is a manual reset could I do that one myself for the immobilizer?

 

Not that I'm aware of.

 

I got the car home, was exactly as advertised.

the good news - no immobilizer, interior is in awesome condition.

the bad news - ecu was sitting in 2 inches of water, I pulled both the ecu and bcm out openend them and I am letting them dry out. Hopefully with a little time, and some effort I will not have to buy new ones. The ignition was ripped out and I am going to have to purchase a new one as the body of it was broken open.

final thoughts - all in all it is in very nice condition, and I think I will be able to get it driving with minimal effort, I hope. Wish me luck guys! And girls.

 

Hmm... If the ECU was in 2 inches of water, given its location, the car must have been in a few feet of water! It's mounted high in the engine compartment near the rear on the (American) passenger side on/near the firewall.

If the car was under a few feet of water, I would be concerned that there may be many more modules that may need to be aired out.

That would make it a "project car" in the purest sense.

 

well luckily it was due to the ecu cover having been left off and it has rained in the last week. I am airing out the modules now. I checked the rest of the car for mildew and the smell of mold, it's all gravy. Hopefully it will be ready for crank up monday. Oil change going to happen as well. Does anyone know the model of oil filter I will need?

 

ok everyone , got into the car today, put a brand new battery in it. I am getting fuel and spark but the car still won't crank, any ideas?

 

and it runs!!! just has bad fuel

 

well, I gotta drain the tank, fill it with fresh gas, put a new ignition in it and get it registered and inspected. I cant wait to get this car on the road! So far I am very impressed with it even for a 10 year old car!!! it has more options than most modern cars for its age. And it fits my 6'6" *** like a glove!