[Helen7]

Mine had a service yesterday (not at a dealership) and they told me they can't clear the Electronic stability control (ESC) light which has been on for a while and it's the ECU costing aprox £600.
I haven't had any starting issues and think the fuel consumption's OK. Should their be more symptoms?

I have the Q3 SE 2.0 TDi Quattro, 2013, 63K miles.

Many thanks

 

[RSQ3John]

ESC is a system with two functions in that is designed to help the driver control a skid by detecting the Yaw rate and lateral acceleration (i.e. is the car starting to drift sideways) by using the anti-lock braking system to brake individual wheels, and activate if the wheels loose traction (wheel spin). You have a Quattro, so for the wheel spin part the Haldex in the rear axle should be activated and your Q3 would become 4 wheel drive.

Not having ESC operational has to regarded as a safety issue.

 

[Mr c]

Also besides what John has just said about safety any warning light now on your dash board will be an MOT failure.

 

[spike]

Not sure if there is an issue with terminology here. As you indicated, the ECU is normally related to engine management which is why you may be questioning its replacement when your engine runs just fine.
ECU however is often used as a general term for any electronic control unit and in this case the garage is probably referring to the J540 Control unit for electronic parking brake, which incorporates the yaw plus lateral and longitudinal accel sensors.
Any major problem with any of these sensors normally triggers a 'limp home' fault which will reset once the ignition is switched off and on again. Are you only getting the warning light with no other obvious symptoms?
Do you have the fault codes the garage logged as it could help us to offer more advice.

Cheers Spike

 

[Helen7]

Wow, thank you very much for your replies! I'm new here and didn't expect that.
Yes, I may well have an issue with the terminology. The warning light that the garage said is the ECU fault is the car symbol with the 2 skid marks.
'DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL, DSC
DSC prevents the driven wheels losing traction when you pull away from rest or accelerate.'

I checked with them again yesterday, he said he'd need the car for a week to send the ECU away and then fitted! I asked if they had the latest Audi diagnostic machine, he replied no but your car isn't the latest. I left it that I'd go to Audi for a second opinion and he agreed but advised I won't pass my next MOT with the light on.

Many thanks

 

[Helen7]

& yes it's a still light not flashing and no other symptoms 👍

 

[Gromit]

Hi Helen, welcome to the club!

I think you need a new garage, these guys don't sound as competent as they should. Try to find a local VAG (Audi/VW/Skoda/SEAT) independent - they tend to be just as good if not better than an Audi main dealer and one heck of a lot cheaper. I don't know where you hail from but have a look through this thread and see if we've got one listed near you.

 

[Helen7]

Hi Helen, welcome to the club!

I think you need a new garage, these guys don't sound as competent as they should. Try to find a local VAG (Audi/VW/Skoda/SEAT) independent - they tend to be just as good if not better than an Audi main dealer and one heck of a lot cheaper. I don't know where you hail from but have a look through this thread and see if we've got one listed near you.

Cheers Gromit, I think you're right! I used the same garage for 15 years, now due to divorce, I don't! I thought I'd use Hi Q for the service as it was a fixed price, they were nice when they did my tyres and a thought a national company wouldn't rip me off

 

[Gromit]

Hmm... there's a huge difference between the likes of HiQ, QuikFit et al, and a proper garage, fully equipped and properly staffed with experienced technicians. I wouldn't entrust any car of mine to either of them, they're really only geared up for tyres, oil changes and brake servicing, nothing more technical than that. Also at least one of the two is widely known for ripping off customers and is/was regularly featured on consumer watchdog programmes for just that. It is also appallingly sad but true that being a lady of the female persuasion seems to bring out the worst in them.

If you'd care to post your nearest town there may be somewhere reputable that members can recommend or suggest you try.

 

[manfrotto]

You may even find one of our members in your area with a scan tool will be willing to do a proper scan and provide the fault codes the ECU comes up with for you. Chances are it is not the ECU, but a component a sensor has deemed faulty.

 

[Helen7]

You may even find one of our members in your area with a scan tool will be willing to do a proper scan and provide the fault codes the ECU comes up with for you. Chances are it is not the ECU, but a component a sensor has deemed faulty.

 

[Helen7]

Thank you, my nearest city is Exeter, Devon and closest town is Honiton.

 

[mwcltd]

I would find a good Audi indie or an Audi dealer and get them to properly scan the cars computer systems. There could be many reasons why the DSC light is on, I would put sensor at the top of the list and ECU at the bottom. I am sorry I can't help with a good indie as I come from Leeds, a little bit away from you. One piece of sound advise, once you find a good indie then stick with them.

 

[Gromit]

Thank you, my nearest city is Exeter, Devon and closest town is Honiton.

OK, a swift Googling (they can't touch you for it) comes up with the following...

D & N Autocare in Wellington, Somerset
Volkscraft in Exeter

...neither have yet featured in our Recommended Independents thread but they're the sort of people you're looking for - follow the links and check them out. Hope this helps!