Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
overflowing. Managed to push out a grommet in the vicinity of the battery to
drain it & eventually got water out from front & rear driver side footwells
(UK Right hand drive car,,,) More or less dried everything out, but seems
to have left me with a few electrical gremlins

1. Electric windows do not work.
2. Alarm does not arm, or at least the direction indicators do not flash on
locking the car
3. All interior lights no longer work. Courtesy and reading lamps

All the fuses in the panel at the driver door side of the dash are intact.
Are there any boxes of electronics on the floor, or low down near the floor
behind any side trims that are associated with any of the functions affected
? Is the central locking control unit perhaps common to the problems? Where
is it located ? The wiring diagrams show the supply to all the interior
lights coming from it. Door switches are associated with both alarm and
courtesy lamps I guess.

Any sugestions folks ?
Ian

 

I am not familiar with the A6 specifically but the A4s have several electronic
controllers under the floor mats and susceptible to corrosion when the floors
are flooded due to a clogged battery drain directing water to the interior floor.

Best to pull the carpets and dry any electrical components. Try using CRC tuner
cleaner from electronics shop to clean / dry and protect wiring.

Ian Gaskell wrote:
> Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
> 2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
> overflowing. Managed to push out a grommet in the vicinity of the battery to
> drain it & eventually got water out from front & rear driver side footwells
> (UK Right hand drive car,,,) More or less dried everything out, but seems
> to have left me with a few electrical gremlins
>
> 1. Electric windows do not work.
> 2. Alarm does not arm, or at least the direction indicators do not flash on
> locking the car
> 3. All interior lights no longer work. Courtesy and reading lamps
>
> All the fuses in the panel at the driver door side of the dash are intact.
> Are there any boxes of electronics on the floor, or low down near the floor
> behind any side trims that are associated with any of the functions affected
> ? Is the central locking control unit perhaps common to the problems? Where
> is it located ? The wiring diagrams show the supply to all the interior
> lights coming from it. Door switches are associated with both alarm and
> courtesy lamps I guess.
>
> Any sugestions folks ?
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

I am not familiar with the A6 specifically but the A4s have several electronic
controllers under the floor mats and susceptible to corrosion when the floors
are flooded due to a clogged battery drain directing water to the interior floor.

Best to pull the carpets and dry any electrical components. Try using CRC tuner
cleaner from electronics shop to clean / dry and protect wiring.

Ian Gaskell wrote:
> Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
> 2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
> overflowing. Managed to push out a grommet in the vicinity of the battery to
> drain it & eventually got water out from front & rear driver side footwells
> (UK Right hand drive car,,,) More or less dried everything out, but seems
> to have left me with a few electrical gremlins
>
> 1. Electric windows do not work.
> 2. Alarm does not arm, or at least the direction indicators do not flash on
> locking the car
> 3. All interior lights no longer work. Courtesy and reading lamps
>
> All the fuses in the panel at the driver door side of the dash are intact.
> Are there any boxes of electronics on the floor, or low down near the floor
> behind any side trims that are associated with any of the functions affected
> ? Is the central locking control unit perhaps common to the problems? Where
> is it located ? The wiring diagrams show the supply to all the interior
> lights coming from it. Door switches are associated with both alarm and
> courtesy lamps I guess.
>
> Any sugestions folks ?
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

I am not familiar with the A6 specifically but the A4s have several electronic
controllers under the floor mats and susceptible to corrosion when the floors
are flooded due to a clogged battery drain directing water to the interior floor.

Best to pull the carpets and dry any electrical components. Try using CRC tuner
cleaner from electronics shop to clean / dry and protect wiring.

Ian Gaskell wrote:
> Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
> 2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
> overflowing. Managed to push out a grommet in the vicinity of the battery to
> drain it & eventually got water out from front & rear driver side footwells
> (UK Right hand drive car,,,) More or less dried everything out, but seems
> to have left me with a few electrical gremlins
>
> 1. Electric windows do not work.
> 2. Alarm does not arm, or at least the direction indicators do not flash on
> locking the car
> 3. All interior lights no longer work. Courtesy and reading lamps
>
> All the fuses in the panel at the driver door side of the dash are intact.
> Are there any boxes of electronics on the floor, or low down near the floor
> behind any side trims that are associated with any of the functions affected
> ? Is the central locking control unit perhaps common to the problems? Where
> is it located ? The wiring diagrams show the supply to all the interior
> lights coming from it. Door switches are associated with both alarm and
> courtesy lamps I guess.
>
> Any sugestions folks ?
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

I am not familiar with the A6 specifically but the A4s have several electronic
controllers under the floor mats and susceptible to corrosion when the floors
are flooded due to a clogged battery drain directing water to the interior floor.

Best to pull the carpets and dry any electrical components. Try using CRC tuner
cleaner from electronics shop to clean / dry and protect wiring.

Ian Gaskell wrote:
> Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
> 2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
> overflowing. Managed to push out a grommet in the vicinity of the battery to
> drain it & eventually got water out from front & rear driver side footwells
> (UK Right hand drive car,,,) More or less dried everything out, but seems
> to have left me with a few electrical gremlins
>
> 1. Electric windows do not work.
> 2. Alarm does not arm, or at least the direction indicators do not flash on
> locking the car
> 3. All interior lights no longer work. Courtesy and reading lamps
>
> All the fuses in the panel at the driver door side of the dash are intact.
> Are there any boxes of electronics on the floor, or low down near the floor
> behind any side trims that are associated with any of the functions affected
> ? Is the central locking control unit perhaps common to the problems? Where
> is it located ? The wiring diagrams show the supply to all the interior
> lights coming from it. Door switches are associated with both alarm and
> courtesy lamps I guess.
>
> Any sugestions folks ?
> Ian
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:43:00 GMT, "Ian Gaskell"
<welbeck@wotnospam.BTInternet.com> wrote:

>Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
>2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
>overflowing.

The real question in my view is HOW DID THIS WATER ENTER THE CAR?

I leave my '98.5 A4 outside all the time in all sorts of weather and
have never had water enter the vehicle that I personally did not bring
in myself, viz. snow on my boots and the like.

 

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:43:00 GMT, "Ian Gaskell"
<welbeck@wotnospam.BTInternet.com> wrote:

>Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
>2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
>overflowing.

The real question in my view is HOW DID THIS WATER ENTER THE CAR?

I leave my '98.5 A4 outside all the time in all sorts of weather and
have never had water enter the vehicle that I personally did not bring
in myself, viz. snow on my boots and the like.

 

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:43:00 GMT, "Ian Gaskell"
<welbeck@wotnospam.BTInternet.com> wrote:

>Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
>2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
>overflowing.

The real question in my view is HOW DID THIS WATER ENTER THE CAR?

I leave my '98.5 A4 outside all the time in all sorts of weather and
have never had water enter the vehicle that I personally did not bring
in myself, viz. snow on my boots and the like.

 

On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:43:00 GMT, "Ian Gaskell"
<welbeck@wotnospam.BTInternet.com> wrote:

>Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
>2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
>overflowing.

The real question in my view is HOW DID THIS WATER ENTER THE CAR?

I leave my '98.5 A4 outside all the time in all sorts of weather and
have never had water enter the vehicle that I personally did not bring
in myself, viz. snow on my boots and the like.

 

This has been discussed often on AudiWorld.

The cause is the clogged battery compartment drain causes overflow that enters
the cab. I am not sure of the route but it happens fairly often.

KLS wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:43:00 GMT, "Ian Gaskell"
> <welbeck@wotnospam.BTInternet.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Lots of rain recently. Came out to my car, sat in and put my feet in about
>>2 inches of water. Opened bonnet and the battery chamber was almost full to
>>overflowing.
>
>
> The real question in my view is HOW DID THIS WATER ENTER THE CAR?
>
> I leave my '98.5 A4 outside all the time in all sorts of weather and
> have never had water enter the vehicle that I personally did not bring
> in myself, viz. snow on my boots and the like.