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Problems with Audi Q3 Diesel: Black smoke, check engine lamp and loss of power - experience and solutions wanted!

Hello everyone, I have some problems with my 2015 Q3 Audi Diesel. When accelerating, black smoke comes out of the exhaust and the check engine light comes on. The engine has also lost power and the DPF regeneration doesn't seem to be working. The exhaust also smells very strongly. I suspect that it could be due to the heavy loading of the diesel particulate filter. Do any of you have experience with problems like this and can give me any helpful tips? I would be particularly interested to know how you got this solved in the workshop. Thanks in advance for your help!

(Translated from German)

4 comment(s)

Hey, I had a similar problem with my 2013 A4 Audi Diesel. Just like your Q3, I also had black smoke coming out of the exhaust and the check engine light came on. It turned out that the DPF was defective due to high mileage. I don't have much experience yet, but I took it to the garage and they fixed it for 1550 euros. I would recommend that you take it to the garage as well. Could you maybe give more details about your car? How many kilometers do you have on it? When was the last time the DPF was changed or cleaned? With more information, I might be able to give you even better tips.

(Translated from German)

Hey, thanks for the quick reply! My Audi Q3 is a 2015 model, diesel, with currently 184432 km on the odometer. The DPF has never been changed or cleaned as far as I know. Your tip is great, thank you. I had a feeling that the DPF might be the culprit. Your experience sounds pretty similar to my problems. I think I'll probably have to go to the garage too. 1550 euros is a lot of money, but safety and reliability are also important. Thanks again for your help!

(Translated from German)

Hey, the problem looks very familiar to me. I had something similar with my VW Golf 2015 diesel. I was also wrong at first and thought it had something to do with the charge air temperature sensor. But you're right, that's exactly what I suspected. The fault was then read out in the workshop and the charge air temperature sensor was indeed the culprit. The symptoms matched perfectly: extreme smoke development when accelerating, the engine ran unevenly, consumption went up and there was a loud whistling and hissing coming from the engine compartment, exactly as you describe. The repair wasn't cheap, it cost me around €200 at the time, but since then the Golf has been running perfectly again. Replacing the sensor is not particularly complicated, but troubleshooting can be expensive if you don't find the charge air temperature sensor straight away. I hope my experience helps you and wish you the best of luck! Please let us know how it turns out. Cheers!

(Translated from German)

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful to hear that someone has had a similar problem and has overcome it. I suspected the charge air temperature sensor, so that really could be the cause. 200€ doesn't sound cheap, but if the car runs again afterwards, I probably won't be able to avoid it. I will now try to have the error read out as soon as possible and then we'll see. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. Thanks again to you both!

(Translated from German)

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