bakoaaron

I own a 2017 Audi A4 which has sat idle for about 2yrs (I've had some severe health problems). Yes! It has not been started for 2+ yrs. Now that I'm feeling better I want to try and get it running again. Obviously the battery is dead. I tried to charge it but that didn't work. I'm in the process of ordering a new battery and installing it myself. Are there any other issues that may arise? Do you all think with a new battery it will start right up or am I missing something? Any advice would be much appreciated.

KevinGary

You may want to drain the gas and replace it with fresh gas. Once you get it started you may also want to flush and replace the brake fluid.

bakoaaron

Thanks for the reply Kevin! For some reason I fear, once the new battery is installed, it's still going to be dead. Hopefully not.

142 guy

So much of this will depend on the conditions under which the car was stored. Parked in a climate controled garage you are likely to have few if any issues. Parked outside under the snow offers more potential for bad stuff.

When you install the new battery, do not try to start the car right away. First, check the engine oil level - just because you want to be safe. I would purchase the dip stick measuring tool to do this because I would not trust the MMI - just yet. With the new battery, first initiate an unlock to make sure that the car responds (don't lock and then try an unlock in case something screws up). If the car responds to the unlock this suggests that the remote is talking to the gateway and that the security stuff is getting passed back and forth. Listen to make sure that the fuel pump primes when you open the driver side door. Do the prime a couple of times to make sure that the fuel system is completely primed as it may have incurred leak down during its two year sleep. If the fuel pump primes, you know that the ECU is at least not completely dead. Check some simple stuff such as headlights, MMI to make sure they seem to work normally which would be an indication that the primary electrical system is functional. Then you can give the engine a try.

A dead battery should not brick the car. When you replace the battery, you should have the battery management system reset with the new battery BEM code. Failure to reset the system can result in over charging of the battery and shortening its life. You need a scan tool such as VCDS or OBDeleven to recode the battery management system - or take it to a shop that specialises in Audis for this after you have installed the new battery.

I expect that the engine will start. The next step would be a trip to the dealership to have the 2+ year old motor oil replaced.

The A4 fuel tank does not have drain plugs, so 'draining' is not an option. On the TDI engines, the SM describes siphoning fuel out through the filler port with a special tool. This does not appear to be an option for gasoline cars; but, the SM does not elaborate on why. For gasoline cars you have to access the opening for the pump / level sensor cassette on the top of the tank and siphon it out there with a special (or improvised) tool. This is a non trivial exercise. If you want to try to remove the fuel, I suggest you purchase the service manual from Audi Erwin and check out the details.

The Audi B9 has that reverse camel hump left side and right side tank which is why I expect that siphoning from the filler is not an option. It might be possible to do a partial drain down of the right side by siphoning from the filler tube which would reduce the amount of old gas that you have to burn through. I defer to others as to whether this will work.

I expect that the car will start up with the existing fuel in the tank. Modern cars with sealed evap systems do not suffer the historic problems of fuel oxidation and moisture accumulation in the fuel, particularly if the tank was close to full when parked which reduces the potential for oxidation and moisture contamination. I expect that two year old fuel will have deteriorated; but, it will still be quite combustible. Assuming it was premium it will not be quite so premium any more so don't go driving enthusiastically.

Audi's recommended interval for brake fluid flush is 2 years which seems extreme. The rest of the world is more like 5 years. So, you are due for a brake fluid flush if you go by the maintenance schedule; but, that is not something that you need to do to restart the car.

mikeru

I"m glad to hear that you're feeling better. As I get older I become more and more aware of just how important good health is. These guys have pretty much covered everything. I just want to add that you should make sure your tires are properly aired up before you try to drive the car.

bakoaaron

Thanks for the great response 142 guy! And thank you mikeru for the well wishes! Well, the battery arrived and was installed. The car would not start right off the bat. It did start but in was kinda in stages. I could feel it slowly coming back to life. I felt comfortable when there were sparks while hooking up the positive side of the battery. One reason it wouldn't start is because the battery in the key fob was bad. I had to watch a video on where exactly to place it so the car could read it. I replaced the battery and the fob works fine now. It starts right up and there doesn't seem to be any issues. Fingers crossed!

The car was garaged and climate controlled when it wasn't in use. I do plan to get a full maintenance on it 142 guy however I have tire (and possibly wheel) issues. I have about 3/4 of a tank of gas. I think I'll just fill it up to dilute what's in there (but there doesn't seem to be any issues). Right before I became ill the rear drivers side tire blew out. Wasn't able to get if fixed before I unintentionally shut it down. All the tires were low so I aired them up. The bad tire would not hold any air. I also saw some cracks in the wheel itself. Not sure if the blow out caused this or if it was preexisting. I would love any input on if the wheel has to be replaced asap or if this is simply cosmetic. I will eventually get it replaced but I may opt for 4 new tires first and then the wheel down the line. I also still need to reup the tags which will be a pretty penny.

Here are a few pics of the wheel...

142 guy

Those marks look cosmetic. Take a little polishing compound and see if they polish off.

For future reference, when you remove a battery you disconnect the Neg terminal first and then the Pos terminal. When you install the battery you connect the Pos terminal first and then the Neg terminal. This prevents sparking at the Pos terminal and the disastrous consequences of the wrench used to tighten the Pos terminal slipping and contacting the vehicle body during tightening of the positive terminal which creates a dead short across the battery with you leaning directly over it.

bakoaaron

Thanks again 142 guy! For some reason I always thought the pos was last when installing.

On the top photo there is a very large crack. Definitely can't be polished out. What are your thoughts given its a crack?

142 guy

Last when removing , first when installing.

How deep is the crack? If it is a surface scratch that is probably a non issue. If it is a crack that you can shove your finger nail down into, that is an issue. It is impossible to discern the depth from the photos. If you live in a fairly large urban area (anything > 1/4 million), there will probably be a wheel repair specialist someplace close to you. They should be able to advise as to the status of the wheel and as to whether they can repair it; however, they will likely be biased towards 'needs repair'. Aluminum rim repair prices tend to be market driven rather than cost driven. They sometimes price at around 40% - 50% of the OEM replacement cost of the rim and Audi MSRP price is high. You might be able to find an undamaged rim from a salvaged car for a much more reasonable price.

A true tire blow out (as opposed to a puncture and leak) while the car is in motion is an automatic new tire for me. When you talk to the tire dealer about sourcing a new tire, perhaps they can arrange the rim repair or point you in the direction of a rim repair service.

bakoaaron

Thanks again for the great info 142 guy! It's a pretty deep crack. I'm gonna take the rim to a tire shop on Tuesday. If they deem it needs replacement I might go the ebay route (they run around $250ea there). If they don't think replacement is necessary, then maybe 4 new tires. No way I can afford the high-end tire brands. What are your thoughts on Kuhmo tires? I know they are lower end but beggars can't be choosers.