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Thread: Engine Failure due to wiring harness

  1. November 21st, 2011, 13:35 #1
    Chet Owens
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    Engine Failure due to wiring harness

    My RS6 had 178,000 miles on it when the wiring harness that runs between the engine and the firewall caused the ECU to fail and cratered cylinder 2 and 7 due to pre-denotation. The problem was discovered after installing new short block. The Audi dealership mechanic spotted the harness having damage like some of the other Audi's and VW's he has seen in the past. He cut it open and the two of the main leads had shorted together due to the sheathing cracking and falling off. The new harness has two of the main wires with newer sheathing technology. I highly recommend checking the harness for heat damage. $1600 part can save you about $24k in a rebuilt engine.
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  2. November 21st, 2011, 13:47 #2
    MaxRS6
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    ^Ouch!!!! Thanks for sharing your horror story to warn others.

    What a design fail!. I had to replace my wiring harness with about 125K miles due to the sheathing cracking and essentially crumbling.

    Welcome aboard the

    Last edited by MaxRS6; November 21st, 2011 at 15:43.
    210K miles rolled
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  3. November 21st, 2011, 15:48 #3
    SteveKen
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    It's a good thing you didn't have to pay for the new short block. I'm guessing the dealer/shop or a warranty covered it?
    2012 Q7 TDI S-Line - 2010 GTI - 2007 A3 3.2 S-Line - 2003 RS6
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  4. November 21st, 2011, 15:54 #4
    hahnmgh63
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    Yea, I checked the harness price the other day on Genuine and it was a little over $1300, not cheap.
    2003 White RS6 2013 Midnight Blue S5
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  5. November 21st, 2011, 20:55 #5
    Chet Owens
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    Quote Originally Posted by hahnmgh63 View Post
    Yea, I checked the harness price the other day on Genuine and it was a little over $1300, not cheap.
    Audi USA is standing by the fact that there have not been enough failures of the wiring harness to have a campain recall. Short block was $7k on exchange
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  6. November 21st, 2011, 22:03 #6
    ben916
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    Got a VIN?

    Where are you located Chet?
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  7. November 21st, 2011, 22:52 #7
    Chet Owens
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    located in Dallas. Boardwalk Audi did the work. No one else would give a 12k 12 month warranty
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  8. November 22nd, 2011, 01:42 #8
    Chung
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    I am having issues with my MAF sensor harness and was thinking about just redoing the whole thing. I was able to resolder my MAF wire and it seems to be ok.

    How much labor is involved with replacing this harness?
    2003 Daytona/Silver RS6
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  9. November 22nd, 2011, 13:41 #9
    Chet Owens
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    It took about half the day to replace it. At first they said you had to drop the engine,which was not true
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  10. November 23rd, 2011, 05:30 #10
    snoopra
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    Can we all just email/fax/mail AOA pictures of the POS harness and demand a recall? Surely most if not all of us have deteriorated MAF wiring at minimum. Mine are just about to give up the ghost and my clock just turned 29K!
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