View Full Version : Engine Failure due to wiring harness
Chet Owens
November 21st, 2011, 13:35
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.
MaxRS6
November 21st, 2011, 13:47
^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
http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz195/MaxRS6/Ozzy%20at%20Emerald/CrazyTrainPoster1.jpg?t=1293713060
SteveKen
November 21st, 2011, 15:48
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?
hahnmgh63
November 21st, 2011, 15:54
Yea, I checked the harness price the other day on Genuine and it was a little over $1300, not cheap.
Chet Owens
November 21st, 2011, 20:55
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
ben916
November 21st, 2011, 22:03
Got a VIN?
Where are you located Chet?
Chet Owens
November 21st, 2011, 22:52
located in Dallas. Boardwalk Audi did the work. No one else would give a 12k 12 month warranty
Chung
November 22nd, 2011, 01:42
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?
Chet Owens
November 22nd, 2011, 13:41
It took about half the day to replace it. At first they said you had to drop the engine,which was not true
snoopra
November 23rd, 2011, 05:30
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!