B5 Models Please discuss all 1996 - 2001 B5 A4 topics here...

need some help

Old Jan 20, 2011 | 06:43 PM
  #1  
jdcavanee's Avatar
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Default need some help

Hello new here.... my daughter bout an A4 2 years ago and is having issues with it I have not seen it in awhile but she tells me it will not pass inspection for the fact that the ABS light is on and the airbag light is also on.
Any help or link you could provide would be great.
I'm a member of a BMW forum and have a 740 that I have maintained for 8 years but I'm looking for help on this one.
 
Old Jan 20, 2011 | 07:09 PM
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Welcome to AF (even though you're a bimmer guy )

Sounds like a couple of fairly common problems there. For starters, it would be best to have the car scanned for codes and come back with those. That would be the most efficient (speaking of both time and money) way to diagnose the problems. AutoZone or Advance will do it for free, but I don't know if they'll be able to pull codes for those two lights since they aren't the "check engine light." You may need VAG-COM here.

That said, the ABS light is usually caused by a faulty ABS module or wheel speed sensor. Brand new ABS modules aren't cheap, but I *believe* you can have them rebuilt for a reasonable price. Check out modulemasters.com for info on that one. Never replaced a wheel speed sensor, so I can't really say one way or another.

The Airbag light is also a common problem and is usually caused by a faulty electrical connection underneath the driver's seat. That would be this little guy:



That zip tie you see in the picture is the fix. Unfortunately the airbag light won't go away unless you clear it with VAG-COM. If you post up your location, there may be a member local to you who's willing to help.
 
Old Jan 20, 2011 | 07:20 PM
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Default easy fix??

I can reset the codes but I can't pull them up with my reader.
is there a site that I can figure the codes out with.
 
Old Jan 20, 2011 | 07:21 PM
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Default sorry

I'm in utah 84040
 
Old Jan 20, 2011 | 07:34 PM
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Just do a google search for "OBD2 codes" and you'll find sites that list every one of them. The connector in the pic above is the airbag connector. As for wheelspeed sensors, they're not too hard to change, and a vagcom scan will tell you which one is at fault, if one is bad.
 


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