MuHyC

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anybody had problems starting their car after a car wash?

Yesterday I washed my car in the underground carwash of my condominium.
I used a hose a bit to sprinkle water on my car and then continued the wash with a bucket/sponge. No engine cleaning whatsoever, just a regular exterior bodywash.
Afterwards I was not able to start the car for an hour or so. I could hear the spinning of a starter ( i hope i named the part correctly) and that was pretty much it.
I thought that water must have gotten in one of the components/wires etc so I decided to let the car sit for a bit. Didn't feel good about the whole thing as it was already 11-30 pm not to mention that the underground car wash spot is not easily accessible by a tow truck and it would be a pita to move my car out of it. Probably I would have to call two tow trucks: regular one to pull the car out of the spot and a flatbed one to tow it to the service.
Luckily I was able to start the car from the first attempt after one hour. I guess it must have been some kind of a short circuit? Are there any particular components, areas that I should be looking into in order to avoid this from happening in a future?
I guess if it happened after carwash then it could easily happen after rain too.

Any thoughts, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PS the battery looks OK and the battery indicator shows 100% in MMI. My car is Audi A8L 2004.

Thank you!

Mister Bally

I wash the living daylights out of mine. Both by hand & hose and at automatic drive through ones. Never a problem with my 2004.

You have something else starting to act up like the fuel pump or something. Hopefully not though.

Projekt 8E

when it started up the second time, did it start immediately just as it would any other time or was there some delay?

Brozee

Sounds stupid but it may be this. I also had the same problem. Although, wasn't when washing my car. I had to move my car up halfway into the garage so that my fathers car could get in the driveway from behind me. Somehow after i turned it off and walked back to it I believe I tripped a ??security feature?? that disabled me from being able to start the car? I tried 15 minutes later and it worked perfectly. I wouldn't get a failed car start sound or like it was even trying, just a small click and it wouldn't start the engine. So possibly it was a security measure maybe??

derfA8L

Does your car have the keyless start? If so, I had a similar experience this past winter with my '08 A8---although no washing was involved. Car was in shopping center parking lot, and when I pushed in the START button the starter motor engaged and kept on going without starting the car. I had to hit the STOP button to disengage the starter. Car started up normally after a couple of minutes. Same thing happened the next morning. Using the key to manually start the car was not an issue; only using the keyless function. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem, but one of the techs said he'd seen that happen with a C6 A6. On a hunch they changed the battery in my key fob--- and I haven't had the problem re-surface since (knock on wood).

MuHyC

Thanks for the responces! FYI,I also tried to lock/unlock the car as I thought that i might have pressed the lock button accidently during the wash,but to no avail.

Projekt 8E, yes, the car started right away (as it normally does) from the first attempt.

Brozee, could you please elaborate on a "security feature"?

derfA8L, no, the car doesn't have a keyless start.

Mister Bally, thanks for the fuel pump heads up. Is there any way to check if it works normally?

Update. Just happened again,no carwash though. I guess it's time to go for a service..

MP4.2+6.0

except for one item.

The unrelated categories might be fuel pump problem as Mr. Bally mentioned. See the other post today on that theme. Or, maybe the key fob battery idea and issues with the security interlock. Try another key if in doubt there.

The one other thing to mention since this involves water and a hose is the infamous Audi cowl drains. Make sure water is draining in the area behind the firewall (where the cover is/should be) and that the cover is fit correctly. If problems occur there, it can enter the car interior and all kinds of wiring stuff. Infamous on the C5 where the tranny computer is under the passenger floor and it is a straight shot from the HVAC filter intake right under that cover at the windshield edge. The D3 design is better, but worth checking and in general giving the area a good air hose blow out (with the cowl cover off) if you see any real debris (leaves and such) in there.

MuHyC

Thanks MP4.2+6.0!. I'll definitely check the drains.

As I mentioned before I've had experienced the problem again.
I did try a second key fob, but it didn't help.

Again waited for about 45 min and the car started as normal from the 1st attempt. I didn't notice any unusual behavior during/after start-up.

Anyhow, I drove the car to a service (not a stealership) and left it there. Hopefully they will be able to figure it out.

Mister Bally

The service center should run diagnostics and perhaps find a reason for no start such as security sensor not reading the key fob or fuel pump not running or ignition module fault etc.

I undersood that even with no battery in the key fob, you can manually unlock the car and start it as the ignition switch assembly has a sensor that reads the key fob for a proper code to allow startup.

Intermittent faults are a PITA although with modern cars and the ability to store faults in memory, many are easier to troubleshoot. Ten years ago and longer they really sucked, especially for a cheapskate do-it-yourselfer like me!

A possibility would be the contact points in a security relay being oxidized/pitted where they don't allow continuity to activate the starter or fuel or ignition system although the proper key is inserted and read. Those are the kinds of things even the latest diagnostics cannot always find. Good old troubleshooting techniques (and lots of money at a dealer) are the way to go.

MuHyC

Small update:
The car is still in the service.
VAGCOM showed only one faulty code - Crank sensor.
Waiting for it to be shipped from Texas. It must have been the closest place to Toronto besides Germany... Hopefully new one will solve the problem.

Once again, thanks everybody for your input.