Growing up as a teenager in the ’70s, I learned that my parents were not in a position to buy me a new car and I quickly conditioned myself to work hard for something I wanted and went on a mission to cut many lawns, deliver newspapers, provide grocery valet service in the ShopRite parking lot and even selling seeds door to door. This is what we did as teenagers to have the revenue to purchase what we wanted. I saved up enough money to buy myself an old 1953 Dodge pickup with a straight L-6 engine and a 3-speed manual transmission. This truck was fully serviceable and just about anything on that truck was rebuildable. I soon learned that a nearby antique “junkyard” was my best friend to keep operating costs low to perform any repairs I needed. It was the way of life growing up to earn, save and spend wisely.
Many things have changed over the years and now these “junkyards” are considered a gold mine for parts that are needed. These yards are now labeled as “salvage yard” or “recycled parts” and we dare not use the word “junk” anymore. Many collision shops are now being given the option to purchase used parts to keep operating costs low on insurance claims after an accident. There are also customers at repair shops that ask for an option to put used parts in the vehicle and it all boils down to the costs of repairs. There is nothing wrong about this operation because you're putting in the same manufacturer parts that still meet the quality of the vehicle but the buyer must be aware that the parts they buy may not be the correct ones at times and that they may be compromised by a prior accident or ruined by weather conditions.
Saving money or asking for trouble?
A homeowner was looking to save some money on purchasing a newer vehicle so he decided to buy a 2016 Audi S7 “Salvage Vehicle” for a very good price but it had a few underlying issues that he was aware of when he agreed to the price of the vehicle (Figure 1). These salvage cars can sometimes be a train wreck in itself or you can get lucky. It’s a buyer beware deal and you need to know what your purchasing and what issues the car has that might create deep pockets on your behalf. The one issue that was known with this Audi was the transmission case was cracked and leaking fluid from a prior accident and it was never addressed. The only fix was to replace the entire transmission assembly. If purchased new or rebuilt this might have been a very expensive venture so the owner of the vehicle opted to find a salvage transmission and hire out a transmission shop to install it for him.
The transmission shop was not obligated to give him ANY guarantees with the job because it was a salvage transmission and they were not taking any responsibilities and the only guarantee was the installation of the unit. The owner agreed and he dropped off the vehicle on a flatbed and it drove off the flatbed without ant issues and parked in the parking lot of the transmission shop. The salvage transmission was also dropped off for the shop to install (Figure 2). All things were now put into play and the customer was excited to get his investment of a low-cost vehicle on the road just in time for the summer. During the week the transmission was installed by the shop and the installation went smoothly but once the job was completed and the fluids were topped off, the vehicle would not go into "Drive" or "Reverse.” The owner of the vehicle was soon notified and then it became a blame game. The owner stressed that the vehicle did have "Drive" and "Reverse" gear issues before the installation and the transmission came out of a good running car. It was that “drive them in/push them out” syndrome but the transmission shop had already explained that there were no guarantees with a used unit.
Is it the tranny?
It was at this point that the owner of the vehicle Googled my service on the Internet for technical assistance. I interrogated the owner as much as I could to get all the information I needed to start building my Diagnostic Game Plan. Then I told him that I strictly work with shops but I would be willing to help him to get his problem resolved but explained to him that I needed to get the shops’ authorization to work on the car there. I called the shop and explained about my services and I had to do a second interrogation process to kind of dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”. The shop was willing to allow me to work with them but it was up to the owner of the vehicle to pay for my services. The shop was looking forward to meeting me for future support on their shop vehicles so it was a win-win situation for me but I needed to tackle this job first because I was now on proving grounds for two new parties involved with this “Salvage Audi.”
I had the Audi/VW factory ODIS tool so I was in good hands if I needed guided functionality. This was not just a basic scan tool but a tool that was PC-based, online and reprogramming capable. It also had a feature where you can click on a Trouble Code and it would guide you to resolve issues in a step-by-step procedure. The transmission shop was very knowledgeable and they believed that the transmission had to be programmed to function but this is a myth for most manufacturers because usually I encounter a mechanical or electrical issue for an inoperative transmission. But I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Many transmissions have control modules within them that if not flashed with software may not function properly and then others have external transmission control modules but need the valve body I.D.’s configured to the transmission module or premature failure of the transmission may be inevitable.
I placed my scan tool on the Audi and retrieved a Code P170100 for “Transmission Control Unit Locked” (Figure 3) in the Transmission Control Module and also a Code 2229 Transmission Control Module Immobilizer Data Not Adapted (Figure 4) in the Immobilizer Control Module. I did not expect these codes on this vehicle at all and this was not about reprogramming but rather configuring the transmission control module to match the vehicle. It was the manufacturer’s way of protecting parts from another vehicle to be sold on the open market just in case they were stolen. This transmission was locked into “Neutral Mode” and had to be unlocked by the Audi server. This would now explain the “Safe Mode” indicator above the mileage on the dash that I was unfamiliar with (Figure 5). Lucky for me I had the factory tool along with a Security Professional License through VW’s Gecko Security system that would allow me to perform the functions needed to get this transmission to work.
Let's fix it!
I navigated to the Immobilizer Functional Procedures menu and selected the Transmission (Figure 6). There were many other control modules protected on this hit list so it just wasn’t about protecting used transmission modules but many others on the vehicle that were on the proprietary list. One of the prerequisites to allow the procedure to start was the possession of the car’s registered key that had to be held by the key antenna insignia at the center dash panel (Figure 7). The key would have to be placed here until the scan tool told you it was done recognizing it. Usually, the placement of the key is with the Audi insignia facing out and in the upright position so that the key antenna can pick up the strongest reception of the key fob (Figure 8). Many manufacturers use this method to program new key fobs but sometimes these antennas can be tucked away in a glove box out of view or by the cup holder so you must know exactly where to place the key fob during the learning process.
Once the procedure was performed and I cycled the key, the “Safe” indicator on the dash was no longer visible and the transmission now shifted into Reverse and Drive. I next proceeded to clear the entire vehicle and perform some parking lot maneuvers. This vehicle had no temporary plates and was not registered yet so I was limited to fully testing the transmission so I left it up to the shop to find a way to make sure the vehicle had no shifting issues on the road. I did, however, perform a last full vehicle scan to make sure there weren’t any other underlying issues that the owner of the vehicle should be aware of. The only issue I did come across was a Code U023500 Font Distance Sensor (Figure 9). This would answer the question of why there was an Adaptive Cruise Control red icon on the dash in the speedometer area (Figure 10). I’m guessing whoever repaired the vehicle might have left the Cruise Control distance sensor out of the repair process to keep their operating cost low for the salvage vehicle sale because it was not communicating with my scan tool when I tested it.
My job was done and I had a happy owner of the vehicle and I forged a new relationship with another repair shop in the process. I can only tell you that technology is getting really out of hand now. A simple R&R is not as simple as it was back in the day. You now have to make sure that any electrical part you buy used is correct for the vehicle you are using it on and you need to make sure it is not one-time use. Many manufacturers will not allow an embedded VIN on a used component to be overwritten such as BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, and a few others but many salvage yards may be unaware of this and sell you the part anyway. Then other manufacturers such as Audi will lock down a part and render it inoperable until their server brings it back to life with an Audi user having proper credentials to do so. My only hope is that this story has enhanced what you know or don’t know. Buyer beware!!!
