Modern cars contain the latest gadgets and safety features. The electronic control unit (ECU) also records a lot of data, from engine temperatures to tire rotations per minute. With the built-in ECU, you would think this would make diagnosing a modern car easier. Actually, it hasn’t. If anything, it makes diagnosing more complex in some instances. This can especially be the case for Audi and VW vehicles.

Diagnosing A Modern Car May Be More Complex

We’ll illustrate our point with a story. We once had a client that came to us after both the ABS and air bag light came on and the car began bucking. The problem occurred whenever he switched on the stability control.

We hooked up the vehicle to a scanner and found faulty codes in the ECU. We cleared the code and returned the car to the customer. That seemed simple enough. However, the customer reported the same issue after another 60 miles of driving.

A computer diagnosis clearly wasn’t enough. Upon questioning the customer, we learned he recently replaced the factory tires with siped tires. The latter have slits cut into the tread for improving traction. Furthermore, the front and rear tires are not identical, causing the ECU to produce sets of unidentical rolling diameter data. After replacing the four tires, the problem never returned.

We tell this story to illustrate that simply hooking the car ECU to a scanner isn’t enough. This is especially true with respect to VW and Audi cars, both leading providers in auto technology. This is why trained technicians in German automotive engineering are necessary.

We Diagnose Modern German Cars

Whether you drive a 1972 VW Beetle or a 2017 Audi A5, bring your vehicle to Buttera Motors for maintenance. Our story explains our history in the industry and why we’re adept at diagnosing modern cars.

Edited by Justin Vorhees

Accurate German Car Diagnosis

VW and Audi service in Bothell, Bellevue, Kirkland, Kenmore, Redmond & Woodinville