Audi Case Study · 149

Audi A3 ABS sensor, replaced.

An Audi A3 came in with the ABS warning light on. A faulty wheel speed sensor was the cause. Replaced and the system reset, the warning gone.

Job done

Electrical Repairs Brakes Audi Specialist
Audi A3 parked at the workshop, in for ABS sensor replacement.

The brief

The A3 had its ABS warning light on, on and staying on. He brought it in to get the system back online. When the ABS light comes on, the most common cause is a faulty wheel speed sensor. Each wheel has a small sensor that reads how fast it's turning, and the ABS uses those readings to know if a wheel is about to lock under braking. When one of those sensors fails, the ABS can't trust its picture of the road, so it puts up the warning and steps back, leaving you with ordinary brakes that work fine but without the anti-lock function. A failed sensor doesn't recover, so it needs the sensor changed.

The diagnostic scan showing the wheel speed sensor fault on the Audi A3.

The diagnosis

On the scanner the codes pointed cleanly at one wheel speed sensor, its signal dropping out, and a meter check at the connector confirmed the sensor itself was the failed component, with the harness and the tone ring it reads off both fine. That's a sensor replacement. A failed wheel speed sensor doesn't come back, so the sensor was getting changed.

The old ABS sensor removed from the hub.

The work

The car went up, the failed wheel speed sensor was unbolted from the hub and a new genuine Audi-spec sensor fitted with a fresh O-ring, the harness clipped back into its proper run so nothing rubs. Then the stored faults were cleared from the ABS module and the system checked over. A road test with a series of braking events confirmed the warning stayed off and nothing came back.

The new Audi-spec ABS sensor ready to fit.

The outcome

ABS warning off, the anti-lock system back online, and no codes after a drive cycle. The A3 went home with the braking electronics working properly again. The ABS is there for the moment you need it, so getting the failed sensor changed and the system reset put the safety net back where it should be.

Got something similar?

ABS light on your Audi?

If your ABS warning light is on, the team can run diagnostics and find whether it's a wheel speed sensor, the wiring or something else, and put it right. Drop us a message.

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