mpollan

Anybody that can Overnight the other key to her. Would be cheaper no?

ymir

If had starting problems with my A8 also. Symptom: with a previously known good working key: engine starts, but dies immediately, leaving the Check Engine Light on. After a few attempts the Check Engine Light (CEL) would flash and car would refuse to start altogether.

My emergency start procedure:
-----------------------------
This probably only applies if you've got an immobilizer that refuses to accept a previously working key, but this is how I forced the engine to start:
(1) lock the door (remote or manual)
(2) unlock the door (remote or manual)
(3) start the engine giving it a lot of power. Just push the throttle halfway down.
It forces the immobilizer into some kind of emergency/bypass mode and it will run!

I don't know if its a official hack, but it did work on my A8. Also, not advised for everyday starting, but worth a try if it saves you the roundtrip....

Two alternative causes
----------------------
Bad starting from a previously known good key could be any of these two:
1 - most probably: defective immobilizer wiring
Again if and only if you've got an immobiliser
see http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/electrical_equipment/immowirereplace.html
2 - broken ignition switch
see http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/electrical_equipment/ignswitchreplace.html

I actually had #1. My independent mechanic just sprayed contact spray on the whole immobilizer wiring assembly and it runs fine ever since.

Good luck!

ttuling

and if the gauges are lighting up and the immobilizer light eventually flashes, you might try removing and reinserting the key between each attempt to have the key recognized. You needn't crank the engine -- just turning on the key and waiting to see whether the immobilizer light goes out is enough.

Once the instrument cluster decides a key is bad and flashes the immobilizer light, it doesn't reread it until it's removed and reinserted (by experience with my car), and if the coil or connections are intermittent, it's worth trying a few more times.

If the problem is with the key or with the coil that communicates with the key and you have the four digit code, or the seven digit code plus dealer code, importer code, and date, you can use VAG-COM to log in and start the car despite the key not being recognized. Details in the service manual.

Tom

mpollan

That is great stuff to know in a pinch.

Mark

tx170754

She is on her way, with one of our friends, to get the other key (90 miles one way) let's see if it works, otherwise she will ( again !) go back home ( needs to be at work tomorrow morning ) and I will to see what I can do.
Thanks everybody for you precious inputs, I will keep you posted, maybe we can learn something.

naid

The local dealer is asking $112. Makes me wonder since they are also asking $155 for the Navigation switch in the center console (4D0-919-721-B-01C) while the Audipages parts PDF lists it at $69.

ttuling

The code you'd have used when setting up new keys to work with the immobilizer

mpollan

Hmm, I never did that. Would the dealer who did my keys have it you suppose?

ttuling

Not anymore, if ever they did. See the immobilizer question at www.ross-tech.com's FAQ