Hi everyone, I apologize in advance for my naivety..

I purchased a 2017 Audi A4 at auction recently, as it seemed like a great deal. The auction states that the car can be started, and run at idle, but that there are transmission issues. I sourced a good, used transmission, for replacement, and had the car towed to a transmission shop. However, the shop owner tells me that he cannot get the vehicle started to even to run diagnostics on the transmission. I called Audi, and they report that the car had previously been stolen, and of course want a ridiculous amount of money to repair everything, so I really want to avoid the dealership..

After doing some digging, I see that the vehicle has an Immobilizer system on it, and I'm fairly certain that this is what is preventing it from starting. Doing a little research, it looks like there are options to swap out the ECU, or "flash" the ECU with some equipment. I'm fairly tech savy, so could handle some small tech tasks, but would likely rather pay someone else to help if the cost is not too prohibitive. The vehicle is also located a few hours from my normal residence, which of course complicates things further.

My questions are:
1. Is there a way to bypass the immobilizer system fairly easily, just so the mechanic can at least run diagnostics on the transmission? And possibly, allow me to drive it back home so I can work on things further here?

2. What are the other solutions/more permanent fixes to correct this? Is my only option to go to the dealer? What sort of costs am I looking at?

Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate the assistance. Happy to provide more details if needed.
 

Thanks for the help, fluke9. I am the rightful owner as I purchased this vehicle through a copart auction, and have the ownership papers.

OK, sounds like the best option is to tow the vehicle back to my location, purchase the VCDS cable and software, and do some diagnostic work. Is there any way to know that it is indeed the immo that is preventing the car from starting? I have two FOBs, but I suppose they could not be coded correctly.

Here's what the dash shows:

That wont work eather. My friend has been robed, and tieft stole him car keys. He went to audi dealer for new keys, they give him the key. But it can only unlock the car, it can'not unlock the sterring wheel or start the car, they say he must tow the car to audi dealer so they can program new key

I do have two keys with the vehicle, but the mechanic reported that he couldn't get it to start. I suppose it's possible that the batteries on the FOBs are dead, though I doubt it. He did report that the car battery was completely flat, and charged it up a bit. Perhaps it wasn't charged up enough to recognize the RFID.

It was my assumption that, after talking with the dealer, that possibly the thief had altered the ECM or cluster somehow, and that's why I was thinking this might be related to IMMO. The dealer was a complete jerk to me over the phone, so I am pretty hesitant to give them any business. I suppose I could have it towed to another dealer, as there is still free tow coverage associated with the dealer. I had hoped that the warranty would cover possibly transmission repairs, but the dealer claims that as it was stolen, they aren't responsible for those repairs.

I will tell the mechanic to try and put some new batteries in the FOB, and make sure the battery is fully charged. It's frustrating because the auction stated that the car could be started and put in idle, but so far have had no success with that.

Anyways, sorry if this is not a nefmoto issue, I was just confused where to go and have been screwed by dealers before. Will still end up getting the VCDS interface, as I like the possibility of doing some mods. Thanks again for your help everyone.

Put the key where it's supposed to be put jfc. Once you have that message on the dash, the car won't start until you PHYSICALLY put the key against the correct place so the RFID can be read.

Read the owner's manual.

If someone really swapped the BCM you're fucked, go to dealer, order new BCM, have it programmed, then have the keys programmed to it.

Thanks cherry.

I am pretty certain that the mechanic attempted to have the RFID read by putting it in the right spot, so I imagine it is going to be a more complicated repair... I looked in the manual and know where the RFID key needs to be placed, so I will make sure tomorrow he is putting it there. Next step is just going to be to tow the car back to me so I can start fiddling around.

I have been reading online, and it looks like with the right equipment (like the VCDS interface and VAG K+) it might be possible to reprogram keys? Obviously this is out of my element, but am just curious.

Also, if the parts are operational, do they all have to be replaced? Or is it possible to flash the cluster and ECM to get everything recognized.

Thanks for all your help

Thanks for all the help, guys.

Update: So the guy at the transmission shop towed it to his Audi specialist, and they apparently worked on it for 8 hours to "reprogram the software". After that, the car started, and he checked it out, and told me that the "transmission is fine, mechanically car is perfect, you got an amazing deal". So that was somewhat relieving.

So I finally have the car, and it drives great. However, there are still issues with it:
1. Audi drive select doesn't work, and is telling me to take it to the dealer to fix.
2. MMI does not work, nor does bluetooth. Cannot enable bluetooth settings.
3. Telephone or wifi settings do not work.
4. Passenger side airbag light is on, and says there is a safety malfunction.
5. Hood release in the cabin is broken, and spare plastic part was in car. I managed to force it once, and get the hood open, but can't anymore.

So I am wondering what the best next steps are. I don't have a VAG-COM cable, but am thinking of purchasing so that I can see what codes come up. When I did get the vehicle, the rear seat was unseated, so I was wondering if they disabled or unplugged something in the bag. Checked the cables, and everything appears fine. Also had a quick look at the fuses, and don't see any unplugged.

Looking for some guidance as to what to do about airbag/MMI/nav. I am considering getting a cable, but would love it if someone in Edmonton could let me borrow one. Happy to provide additional info. I do see that there is a recall related to the airbags, so I suppose the airbag issue could be related to that. Wanting to avoid dealer as they have not been helpful so far, and wanted to replace the whole transmission for 15k...

TIA

Thanks for your advice, fluke9. I think I will purchase the Rosstech VCDS cable (thought it is a bit expensive).

Do most people on here use the official cable from Rosstech, or purchase a discount cable? I see that there is a forum for other cables that work, so am naturally wondering if I can save some money and use one of those. Will that cable work with the VCDS system, and for coding? Will it work to do all the things in the video you linked, if I follow the steps?

Thanks