BRAKES! warning message

[drcarrera]

Several times in the last couple of weeks, the warning message "BRAKES!" has come up on the DIS when first turning on the ignition. Turning off and on again usually clears it! It always seems to come up when the car's been sat for about an hour - never when cold.
It's strange, because according to the manual, brake warning messages are accompanied by further information as to the specific area of the problem, but this isn't what's happening here.

However, today the same thing happened, and again cleared with a ignition off/on. But then when I started the engine, it ran really roughly and the traction control warning icon came on together with the ASR warning.
I restarted and the engine was OK, I drove off and a few hundred metres down the road the warnings went off (extinguished).

Has anyone seen this before or have any idea what's going on? Could it be electrical gremlins rather than an actual mechanical fault?

I had the front disks replaced last week, although the initial BRAKES! warning was happening before then, so in theory it's not related, although the ASR one could be I suppose.

[Brooner]

I would get it check on vagcom see if it throws up any faults i have had a few spurious brake faults pop up but that was pad warning light nothing like you discribe check it out to be on the safe side

[drcarrera]

Don't have vagcom but I'll get it back down to the dealer anyway. Just a bit worried that I may get stranded if the ASR/misfire problem happens again and doesn't clear.

[MB2]

May depend what fault you have if anything shows up - I know when I had an intermittent pad sensor warning light (didn't say brakes) nothing was logged in the memory for VCDS to read

[adsgreen]

Bit of a curve ball - I had all sorts of warnings when my eldest son left the headlights on and flattened the battery. Might be worth a check?

[drcarrera]

Happened several more times over the last few days. BRAKES! warning, engine starts but misfires, and traction control and EPC lights are on. Restarting allows engine to run normally and warnings go out after a few hundred yards.
Very strange!

No sign of a flat battery as engine turns fine, even if the car's been stood for a while.

I've got it booked in now, but as I'll need a loan car they can't look at it for a month! May try another dealer!
They did suggest calling Audi assist if it happens again and I may be able to get a car through them, but I'm not sure they'd do that on the basis the car "may" break down rather than actually having done so!

[P_G]

They do. Work colleagues just had his Allroad taken off him by Audi Assist and a hire car given because fault code thrown up that inlet manifold needed replacing (apprently common on 3.0TDi V6) even though it drive reasonably well / wasn't close to blowing up.

Sounds like you have a short in the diagnostic circuit or program, i.e. when the ECU's do their initial start up systems check. Just a guess.

[MikeD]

Get the dealers to check for a loose earth wire on the bus, if one of them is loose it will throw all sorts of errors.

[2manytoys]

I had my Traction Control and ABS light come on and the fault was the MAF Sensor!!!

[drcarrera]

I had my Traction Control and ABS light come on and the fault was the MAF Sensor!!!

That's interesting! I guess a MAF fault may make the engine run lumpy as well.

Here's a picture of the warning displays I got with my camera phone when it happened yesterday, although in this instance the engine ran OK and the EPC light wasn't on.

[drcarrera]

I had my Traction Control and ABS light come on and the fault was the MAF Sensor!!!

Have a gold star! Car's been in this week, and it has a faulty MAF sensor!
Apparently also has a throttle valve problem and some switch or something is faulty as well (can't remember exactly what!).
Just glad they found something wrong, as intermittent faults can be tricky.

Warranty expires in two weeks as well, so lucky this happened when it did!

[2manytoys]

Good one