When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Less than a week later, my airbag light has come on again. Not sure I want to pay $50 to have it reset again, so looking into purchasing a scan tool to reset it myself. This video (NOT of my car!) shows exactly what mine is doing and I will look for the yellow plug he mentions to see if that fixes it:
Error code B100B1B "airbag value limit exceeded". As per my local indy shop, this is related to some sort of voltage fluctuation that some airbag sensor has received and it's outside of normal parameters, but that if it were a "more serious problem" the light would not be able to be reset. Apparently my airbag will work in case of an accident, but something (no clue what) is triggering this voltage fluctuation that triggers the light to come on. I'm not even sure if it's getting too low, or high, of a voltage signal that triggers the light.
Might tackle the PCM hard drive cloning this weekend....
I’m at a loss how you’re getting those kind of MPG. My 2013 GTS (had for almost a year now) has never been better than 13, regardless of mode or style (around town vs freeway). Runs great, well maintained, no codes and not a single issue. My 2016 Touareg (V6) gets 17 MPG around town so I just figured 13 for the GTS V8 was probably about right.
I’m at a loss how you’re getting those kind of MPG. My 2013 GTS (had for almost a year now) has never been better than 13, regardless of mode or style (around town vs freeway). Runs great, well maintained, no codes and not a single issue. My 2016 Touareg (V6) gets 17 MPG around town so I just figured 13 for the GTS V8 was probably about right.
I drive a ton. Yesterday it rained, so mostly 55mph on the highway, saw 22.3 highest, average was 21. Two days ago I was in the car for 10 hours, 350 miles, average was 21mpg. I filled up two days ago and the light hasn't come on yet, should see 450-470 this tank with mostly highway, some mixed city, lots of traffic and some sport mode driving.
I’m certainly open to suggestions on things to look for or change. That’s a significant difference between the same car/motor with similar driving styles.
I own two Audi Q5 with the 2.0T motor and both have averaged about 16 to 18 mpg (one of the kids has a heavier foot than the other...) over a span of nearly 5K miles, so getting 13 on a vehicle like the GTS is not that bad (relatively speaking), but of course, would love to improve this. I used to own a Hyundai Santa Fe with a 2.4L motor and that averaged about 16 mpg which I think is "OK" given the fact that the vehicle could barely get out of its own way regarding performance. I used to own a 955 Turbo and that thing would barely get 10 mpg overall. I'd hate to thing what kind of mpg I would get if I had purchased the Mercedes G500 I was about to get instead of this GTS. One last thing regarding mpg figures: these are all measured by taking the total mileage driven as per the odometer since last fill up divided by the amount of fuel put in the vehicle, not the onboard computer which tells me I get much better mileage.
Gonna head downstairs and see if I can find any plugs that are loose in order to avoid the annoying airbag light from coming on again (it will only turn off after using a scan tool).
Could install cheaper drives, but will not be as reliable long term or potentially bad since new. Option could be: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCJFBTR...v_ov_lig_dp_it ; I can remove the PCM myself and swap the drive in less than an hour, so there is that too...
Doubt: If I already updated my PCM (from 4.41 via DVD) to 4.76, will the clone have 4.76 installed, or will I need to update the cloned drive once installed in the vehicle? I would assume 4.76 would be already installed in the cloned drive, but I've found conflicting replies to this (updated or not, navigation works, sometimes it doesn't, etc.)
Log update: just performed this procedure (cloning the factory drive off the PCM). Lessons learned:
1- Removing the vents is tricky. Last time it took me 2 minutes, this time took me 10.
2- The four screws that held the original HDD to the PCM had blue Loctite on them and were very difficult to remove, so much so, that I stripped the heads on one of the screws and was only able to remove it with some locking pliers.
3- Cloning the drive with the WEme device could not be easier and it took exactly 36 minutes to clone the original drive to the Lexar one I purchased (
).
4- I was able to use the somewhat stripped torx screwdriver I used for the 4 screws that hold the drive in place, but I was not able to torque them nearly as much as they originally were, but certainly enough for the new drive not to go anywhere (the screws use a size that is smaller than T10, but no idea what size it is).
5- Put everything back in its place in a matter of minutes and the PCM worked perfectly. Perhaps it's a "wanna be" feeling (after all the work), but I feel that it has a much quicker start up.
6- Everything works on the PCM and the update I had performed (from 4.41 to 4.76 via the DVD I burnt the iso file into) was copied over to the new drive. Not sure how long this Lexar drive will last as it doesn't meet vehicle temperature requirements, but having gone through this procedure and having my original drive safely stored in my closet, if it fails, I can get another one in there in about an hour.
Here are some random pics I took for mental/visual note taking:
The youngest of the identical twin boys giving me a hand. Wanted to make sure the orientation of the drive and ribbon cable. Nearly had a heart attack when realized that my son stripped the screw and tool being used. That fokin screw on the right delayed the whole thing by a couple of hours.. Need a new tool that fits into the screws that hold the drive in place. It's smaller than T10 WEme doing its magic in 36 minutes. No need to use a computer. Results after the clone = identical to original drive (update included and AUX BT working). Identincal information to the original drive.
Only thing I've done to it since March is add one can of Keropur to a full tank of gas and not sure if it did anything. I made sure to do quite a bit of "spirited driving/Italian tune-up" to ensure the product reached all over the fuel system Used up that tank with Keropur relatively quickly... The second refill after adding it yielded less "cough and rough" start after refueling, but not sure if it was due to the fact that the tank was half empty, not fully empty when I refilled it. Speaking of fuel, in the 5,100 kms (3,170 miles) I've driven it since I got it nearly a year ago, my average running consumption is at 17.52l/100km (13.91 mpg).
Two weeks ago, I took it to the place that did the ceramic coating right before I purchased it for its "semi-anual refurbishment". I sort of forgot/skipped the one in December... Never had a car with this coating on it and not sure I like it. Good ole wax will do just as well. Maybe the previous owner got duped? It's OK, but not "mind blowing" and definitely not worth the initial $2k process. These "semi-anual refurbishment" are $100 each. I'm used to claying/polishing/waxing my cars annually myself...
What I have noticed is that my wheels (the polished part) have gone to hell and not sure how/when it happened... Has anyone seen their wheels turn like this? If so, what did you do to remove what appears to be some sort of acid etch/water mark/stain? The rest of the car is spotless, so not sure what is going on with the reflective part of my wheels... Anyone know if I try and polish that surface with Flitz I would be creating a worse situation? They look "fine from afar", but upon closer inspection, they look like crap (to me). See:
Just bought a set of 3" polishing pads on Amazon to be used with my drill. Going to hit them with Flitz and hope for the best. Will also use some Collonite 850 metal wax that I used to use on the boat and worked wonders to remove water stains off metal surfaces.
The person that washes my car only uses the products I give him and I purposely don't use wheel cleaner as I have heard horror stories and truth be told, labor is cheap down here so scrubbing with a sponge and soap takes care of 99% of the mess. I never wash my car when hot (sun or from driving around). Really stumped about this, but convinced that I will not spend $200 per wheel to have them refinished. I simply don't use the car enough.
That looks similar to some discoloration I have on my silver roof rails. The previous owner told me he suspects it might have been the ceramic coating that the detailer used but he wasn't sure.
Took a look at pictures of my vehicle when I first got it and it appears as if the stains on the rims were there from day one, just a lot less so and less noticeable, but definitely some sort of "milky residue" on the polished surfaces.
After about 2 hours of using my 20+ year old corded drill, some Flitz metal polisher, and a 3" blue foam "wave" pad from Amazon, I removed all of the stains from my rims. When I did the first spoke, I was amazed as to how easy the stains came off and realized how after 15 seconds, the result was a "mirror finish" on the spokes. Nothing left to do but continue and do them all this way. I'm on the fence regarding the final result (wish it would be less shiny), but definitely better than stained rims. No clue if I damaged my wheels or not, but it is what it is and I'm not going to worry about it. It's a 11 year old vehicle that will be used regardless of weather and not be some concours queen. Judge for yourself and let me know what you think. Ignore the curb rash...
tons of reflections even under artificial lighting close up of the final finish on spokes; use dark gray and caliper for reference no more "milky spots" staining
Have pretty much same spec car as you. question -did you ever figure out the auto off feature? I'm able to hit the button once, which disabled the auto off every time. Low profile tires- the ride was too harsh for me also so i went with a slightly taller tire profile with 285 /40. Helped significantly with the harshness. Mileage just at 95K miles.
The auto start-stop (A.S.S. for short ) feature is coded from factory. As per post #25 on this thread, it all depends on what option your vehicle came with from factory. All I know is that I somehow managed to put a diagonal crack on the button that disables this feature as I press it every single time I get in the vehicle. By far, the most annoying thing I can think of.
I have plenty of tire tread left, not sure what I will replace it with, but since major roadwork repairs are now reactivated, perhaps I'll keep it stock after all.