Audi A5 - Emission Control System warning

[Brendan Burgess]

I am getting this symbol and the handbook says

The warning lamp indiscates a fault in the emission control system. You should take the vehicle to a qualified workshop as soon as possible and have the fault rectified

Do I go to Advance Pitstop for this? Or an ordinary garage? Or do I have to go to a specialist Audi garage?

What is the level of urgency/

Brendan

 

[Boyd]

Usually any dash warning light is accompanied by a error code which can be read from the ODB2 port using a code scanner. The ODB2 port is often located somewhere under the steering wheel, though it varies from make to make e.g. Mini Cooper its behind the cigarette lighter. It would be handy if you know someone who has one as many main dealer garages charge anywhere from €50-€100 just to plug that in and read the code.

Emission lights can be fiddly, often being weather, dust, debris related or it could be one of the O2 sensors in the exhause system. Usually its not a big deal and the car is almost always fine to drive (but I wouldnt be doing overly long journeys or driving it aggresively at the same time).

See
http://www.audiforum.ca/showthread.php?t=52290

IIRC the emissions lights can be differing in colour, from yellow, to orange to red, and varying from flashing to constant, it might be worth rechecking the manual to see exactly what one you have.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Hi 123

Thanks for that. I had assumed I needed a new exhaust.

It's yellow, so I assume that is the least worrying.

I will drop it down to the guy who services it - I presume he has a code scanner.

Brendan

 

[rjt]

If it's a diesel, and you're doing mainly city driving, maybe Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) isn't getting a chance to clear "Regenerate". Googling a5 DMF should throw up info, though a good long spin, with some driving at higher revs might help-though I'm not a mechanic, so ask one first. If it's petrol ignore above!