Cruise Control Not Working

[2000c43]

I have had my 2003 RS6 for many years and have to admit that I have never tried the cruise control until the other day only to find out that it isn't working. I'm taking the car on a long road trip and it may be nice to have the cruise control working. Any advice on where to check to see if the fix is something obvious? Thank you.

[mrdave]

Have you scanned for codes?

[2000c43]

No...Unfortunately I do not have a code scanner to use.

[Jimmy]

It may be turned off...but you'll need a vag-com scanner to turn it back on while the car is running. Have a good indy that can help? Might take all of 5 minutes to diagnose and fix.

It's in block 6 I believe.

[2000c43]

mrdave and jimmy...thank you very much. I'll see if I can find an independent shop and check to see if it is disabled.

[lswing]

Just a note, I experienced complete shutdown using cruise last year, and it's happened to a few others.

When accelerating using the slider on the cruise stick, car lost all power, all lights on dash lit up, shaky RPM's. Coasted over luckily, restarted, good to go.

Problem is rumored to be something like throttle or ABS sensor, or maybe just CC stalk wiring, but something went very wrong. Haven't tried to fix it, just don't accelerate under cruise using the stalk anymore.

[4everRS]

Definitely get it scanned. I would invest in a cheap code scanner at a minimum. Ideally you should get a RossTech cable and software.

If no codes show up it's probably the stalk itself.

[G2]

A "cheap code scanner" while helpful and nifty, won't be able to read OEM level codes. It will be handy for generic codes and most major issues that arrise. VAG COM is otherwise needed. ** It's well worth the $ to get a generic code scanner that reads Live Data, not expensive anymore.

A few years ago I had a similiar issue on a S8. No codes. Long story short it was that the CC function had to be reset. I'm not sure what the root issue was, however. Could have been due to the battery being replaced, bad brake switch or ABS/TCS issues-- just guessing.

Otherwise it was working well for years, until the new owner totalled the car.

The stalk control was fine, especially so after replacement. If you're lucky could just be a fuse....

[4everRS]

I agree 100% G2. I keep a 30 dollar code scanner in the car at all times. I rarely need to use it, but it's been convenient to have.

I really believe that a VAGCOM should be a requirement of ownership.

[2000c43]

Thank you all for the help. Is this what the vagcom reader looks like? Any other suggestions for brands?

http://dx.com/p/1-5-lcd-vag-scanner-...A#.UvrtMUJdW9c

[lswing]

Ross Tech makes the complete one, need a windows laptop. There are some other systems I believe.

Not to go off topic, but found my old thread, threw an abs and torque code, odd...

http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/24...5-yikes!-Cause

[humantic]

I had the same problem on my car last year. Dealer had to reflash the ECU to get it to recognize the cruise control. Since then it has worked flawlessly.

[2000c43]

The cruise control issue ended up being a failure in the stalk itself. Seems obvious now but never really thought that the stalk itself was the cause. I don't use cruise often so not going to rush to fix it. Thank you for the suggestions on how to fix it.

[Dmb408]

You can actually see this happening if you go on ECS tuning a lot because the stalks have started creeping up as a popular purchased item for our car/platform.