The Audi e-tron is a fancy electric car that looks like an SUV. It runs on electricity instead of gas, which is better for the environment, and it has lots of cool features and a comfortable space inside.
The front bumper is the part of the car that is at the very front. It helps protect the car in case of a crash and can hold important parts like sensors or charging doors.
A warning light is a signal on your car's dashboard that tells you something might be wrong. It's important to pay attention to these lights and check what they mean.
A hybrid car is one that uses both a gas engine and an electric motor to drive. This helps save fuel and is better for the environment than cars that only use gas.
Parking sensors are tools in your car that help you know if you're getting too close to something when you park. They beep or light up to warn you about nearby objects.
An EV door is the part of an electric car that covers the place where you plug in to charge the battery. It helps keep the charging area safe and clean.
A lock and switch mechanism is a part that keeps a door shut and lets you open it when needed. In electric cars, it helps keep the charging door closed until you need to charge the battery.
An emergency release is a way to open the car door if something goes wrong, like if the power stops working. It helps people get out safely in an emergency.
Park sensors help drivers park their cars by warning them if they are getting too close to something. They use sound waves to detect objects around the vehicle.
Pawlik Automotive is a car repair shop in Vancouver that specializes in fixing different types of vehicles, including electric ones. They are recognized for their good service.
LIVE
Hi, it's Mark Bossard. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver,
BC, Canada. And we're talking cars. How are you doing, Bernie?
Doing very well. So today we have an EV guest appearing
on the show. It's a 2017 A3 e-tron. What was going on with this vehicle?
So there was a warning on the dash that was a little bit perplexing and we can show pictures
in a minute, but it took us a while to figure out what the actual warning meant. Looked through
the owner's manual, nothing, all our repair information, nothing, a few phone calls to some
of our tech experts, nothing. Finally, after a while, we figured out what it was. There's a
switch and a lock for the EV door on the front bumper. And that turned out to be the problem.
Very expensive part, by the way. I'll just say right up front and maybe we can get in some pictures
and have a look. Okay. So no other problems that the owner was experiencing, just the warning light?
No, nothing else. Just this warning light on the dash. We scanned the vehicle, did a full vehicle scan
for codes, nothing at all in any system. There was fully free of any defects of any sort, which
you know, is usually indicated. But of course, if the warning light's on, that's often the item
functioning properly. So there's our beautiful 2017 e-tron. This is a hybrid, by the way,
not a full electric. There's our light there. I didn't put an arrow to it, but just below
where it says EV, there's a little light on the front. And at first we thought, oh, maybe there's
something wrong with one of the parking sensors or maybe the radar sensor for the lane changing
operations. But we did a few tests just around that area. There was no codes, a system seemed to
operate properly. And usually there would be another warning on the dash, but there wasn't. So
that was that. Finally, after a great deal of time, I'm embarrassed to say, we figured out that it
was to do with the EV door. You can see this is when the driver's door is open. It's actually a
beautiful graphic. If you look up close, it actually looks like a real door being open and
closed. It's pretty cool. But unfortunately, with that EV door, it just showed a little red dot.
So it took a while to figure out. So there's the EV door, which is the Audi logo in the front grille.
And this is where it looks like open. That's what it looks like open. This is a view from underneath
and that red arrow is pointing to the part we replaced. Yet there's a front view of it open.
You can see the charging port is to the right. And that arrow points to the piece we replaced.
So this is a lock you mentioned? It's a lock and switch mechanism. And basically keeps the
door closed. But I mean, it was always closed. It was never a problem. And the owner had no
complaints. You know, the charging door worked fine. So it wasn't like it was an actual issue.
It was just like an electronic issue. And actually, had we not replaced it, I mean, it may not
have ever been a big deal. But of course, it's annoying when you have a warning light on a dash
on a nice car. Well, where are the potential problems? If that lock didn't work, would this
pop open perhaps? Well, it could, but that door spring loaded. So it actually stays closed naturally.
It takes a slight effort to open it. So I suppose going down the highway at, you know, a certain
speed or back up really fast. Yeah. Or if you're in some kind of huge crosswind that might do
something, this part came with the switch and this was completely missing. This is a little
plunger that goes into that switch. It's part and parcel and that piece was missing.
Of course, we didn't realize till in hindsight, okay, that part's missing. We just realized
after diagnosing it for some time go, okay, the switch is defective and this all came part and
parcel in one piece. So this part was broken. What we're looking at here is broken, you know.
Yeah. Well, that part is actually fixed. That's the new part. The plunger sits in a different spot
and clips in. It's telling the car that it opens it or what's the function of the plunger, do you
think? It basically tells the car that the door is closed and it'll actually lock the door in place.
I assume that's when it's moving because when you shut the car off, you can open the door, no
problem. And this is the item. I'll just put it out there. Just over $800 Canadian dealer only
for this little piece. And that little red tab there, which comes with a cord on it is basically
an emergency release. So assuming that the thing locks up somehow and won't release or
you lose electrical power, something happens, you can pull out and it'll release the
charging port door. So once you diagnosed and found out what the problem was, replaced the part,
what happened? The light was off, all fixed. Vehicle run good. Looks pretty good shape for
2017, 100,000 kilometers. Yeah, fantastic shape, even less than 100 actually. Yeah,
fantastic vehicle, really nice. You know, we have a lot of expertise and sometimes our expertise is
challenged because new things come in the door and just take some time to figure out what it is.
Sometimes we have to use our noggins. So you mentioned you looked for this and your team
looked for this in the owner's manual. There was no definition on it, even on all your resources
because you guys have lots of resources across North America on experts who deal with all these
types of cars and nobody had seen this before. No, no. You know, it just took a lot of head
scratching and finally looking, okay, this makes sense. Then once we finally found it,
we're going, duh, you know, I don't know if it's a duh, it's not even showing exactly where it was.
If we look at the picture, I know you look at the picture doesn't even show it being on the center.
So it's kind of odd the way it's positioned. It showed up being right in the middle or even to
the left, it would actually make more sense. So it's over here on the right. Yeah, exactly,
which was just kind of perplexing. We're going, well, maybe it's something to do with the park
sensor because that's kind of where those things are located. It could be like a right hand,
there's a couple of park sensors there. It could be that could be out, but yeah, it doesn't show
it. It was right in the middle or maybe even to the left, you go, okay, that kind of makes sense.
Yeah. Now we know. And so whoever's watching this video, if you have an Audi 2017 Audi e-tron
and you have that light on your dash, now you know, with their complicated charging door,
instead of just the door, it's all hidden. Yeah, that's right. Exactly. And as always,
complication is wonderful until it goes wrong. Exactly. Yeah. So if you're looking for service
for your Audi e-tron, hybrid EV, the people to see in Vancouver, BC are Pawlik Automotive. You
can reach them at 604-327-7112 to book your appointment or you can go online at pawlikautomotive.com.
You can book your appointment right there. They'll get ready for your appointment.
They're experts. 25 times voted best auto repair in Vancouver by their customers,
Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thanks so much for watching and listening.
Thanks, Bernie. Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.
About this episode
A perplexing warning light on a 2017 Audi A3 e-tron leads to an in-depth discussion about the vehicle's unique charging door mechanism. Mark and Bernie explore the diagnostic process, revealing how a faulty switch and lock for the EV door caused the issue. Despite the absence of any other problems, the duo emphasizes the importance of resolving warning lights for a seamless driving experience. They also share insights on the complexities of modern EV systems and the challenges technicians face in diagnosing them.
