I have a 2002 A4 1.8T Q - 76,000 miles. Today I was leaving work and my car would not start, my clock and dash lights flashed for about a second but other than that, nothing. So I got it jumped and it started but the clock, radio, date everything was reset and the gas gauge said empty even though I knew I had a quarter tank. So I go to the nearest gas station, fill up and it won't start again. Get it jumped and then it still says empty. Any ideas? Please tell me this one is not expensive, I have had $6,000 in repairs since October, and I really just want to get it fixed so I can get rid of this car!!

 

sounds odd.. any water damage? ever?.... may be a long shot, but it could be something as simple as a bad ground but i doubt it idk man... good luck

 

Theres bad news and good news...
Bad news is you probably need a new battery or alternator... either one or the other, or possibly both, have someone test to see which is bad.
Good new is the gauge showing empty is a normal issue when your car battery dies and will solve itself after a little while. No worries, it will slowly climb back to normal in a day or so.

 

So it was the battery but now they are saying I need a new instrument panel since my gas gauge is not working. Do you think this is true or should I wait it out and see if the gauge re-sets?

Thanks

 

Battery is acceptable, but who ever says you need a new instrument gauge needs to f**k off... give it a few days and it will return back to normal... I know cause i have this problem whenever my car sits for more than 3 days... stupid lightweight racing battery[sm=headbang.gif]

 

SOunds like it could be your fuel level sender thats needs to be replaced. The resistance may be off and not reading correctly.

 

hey man i had the same issue on my car. with the gas gauge not resetting. wait it out. a few weeks..... i know it sounds lame. but its better then shelling out a bunch of money if it fixes on its own. that happened to me a few months back when my battery was going out..... sounds familiar.

wait it out. and monitor your fuel through your trip odometer.