Think about yourself driving quietly on board your Audi A3 and suddenly an engine signal appears on your dashboard ! The typically seen kind of reaction is the worry of risking a critical issue. To know what exactly this light corresponds to, you will have to learn how to read an Audi A3 fault codes, you may have previously heard about OBD system, this is exactly what we are going to discuss. Our writers have decided to compose this content to help you quickly locate the source of this default code and to give you peace of mind. To accomplish this, we will first examine the nature of a fault code on Audi A3, then how to read an Audi A3 fault code, and finally how to erase this fault code in order to turn off the light on your dashboard.

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What is a Audi A3 fault code?

A fault code is a generic or standard code common to all manufacturers , they are also known as DTC (Data Trouble Code), the goal is to be sure that any diagnostic OBD can interpret them. They will be symbolized by a standard format, like for example: P0255. Each data will have a particular interpretation. Default codes are codes issued by the calculators of your Audi A3. These ECUs will constantly monitor your vehicle’s exhausts, pressures, mixtures and when the values exceed the limits set by the vehicle’s ECU, the fault code will emerge. The advantage of understanding how to read a fault code on your Audi A3 is that you will have be able to access to complete info about your vehicle which will let you to figure out what problem you are struggling with.

How to read a fault code on my Audi A3?

In this second part we will now focus specifically on what brings you on this website, how to read a fault code on Audi A3. To gain access to this precious data you will need to to get a diagnostic tool, also known as OBD 2, named after the socket on your Audi A3 to which you will have to connect. These diagnostic tools are easily available for purchase, you will be able to find some in Bluetooth version which connects to your phone and some standard versions with a reader associated to the socket, as far as price is concerned, you will be able to find models between 30 and 100 euros. Once you have bought an OBD2 diagnostic reader, you will need to discover the diagnostic plug on your Audi A3, it is found on the left side of your steering column on the lower part of your dashboard, behind a hatch. It is easy to locate because it is triangular shaped and has 16 pins. All you have to do is connect with your diagnostic tool to read the fault code of your Audi A3.

How to erase the fault code Audi A3

Finally, to finish this content page, we are going to describe you the manipulation to do to erase a fault code on your Audi A3. Once you have navigated through the menus, you will access the list of active fault codes on your car. However, you will have to ask yourself an essential question, is it really advantageous to erase this fault code on Audi A3? Indeed, erasing a fault code without solving the issue corresponds to burying its head in the sand. Moreover, the computer of your Audi A3 is made to take resolutions depending to the data it collects, if a vital fault code is present, it will likely modify the engine overall performance to protect it. So if you get rid of the fault code, be sure you fix the problem to which it is linked. Some OBD diagnostic tools do not allow you to do this. You have a dedicated navigation menu on most diagnostic tools that should allow you to clear this fault code on Audi A3.

To get more tips on the Audi A3, take a look at the Audi A3 category.