27 14 24 2025360

Technical Service Bulletin
27 Low battery charge: Diagnosis tips and TAC instructions
27 14 24 2025360/3 April 29, 2014. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 27 number 12-12 dated
February 28, 2012 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)
Year
VIN Range
Vehicle-Specific Equipment
A4
2009 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
A5
2008 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
A5 Cabriolet
2010 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
A6
2005 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
A7
2012 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
A8
2004 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
Q5
2009 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
Q7
2007 - 2014
All
Battery Manager
Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision
Date
Purpose
3
-
Revised header data (Added model years)
Updated entire bulletin (Added ODIS information)
2
2/28/2012
Revised header data (Added model years)
1
8/8/2011
Original publication
• Customer may report that the vehicle does not start due to a discharged battery.
• The vehicle has one of the following control modules:
• Battery diagnostic management control module (J367)
• Battery energy management control module (J644)
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 1 of 14
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Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Background
This TSB provides basic diagnosis steps for discharged batteries, general tips for working with batteries, and
system verification steps to ensure that the vehicle is configured correctly.
For additional information on known current draw issues, refer to the following TSBs:
• 2014127: 27 Battery dead or low after returning to the vehicle (2007 A6, A8, Q7)
• 2019143: 27 Battery discharged on some vehicles with Advanced Key (2005 - 2008 A6, Q7)
Production Solution
Not applicable.
Service
1. Connect a battery maintainer to the vehicle.
2. Record the serial number of the battery.
3. If the vehicle is a Q7 and it has a sunroof:
• Inspect the amplifier to verify that there are no water stains on the component.
If the vehicle is an A4 Avant or A6 Avant:
• Operate the rear washer, then inspect the amplifier for washer fluid stains or water damage.
• If no stains or damage are found, take photographs of the top and bottom of the amplifier and of the
electrical connector, as a Technical Assistance Center (TAC) ticket may be required.
4. If the vehicle is equipped with a battery diagnostic management control module (J367), proceed to
Section A, below. These vehicles include:
• A6 (MY2009 and newer)
• A4 (MY2009 and newer)
• A8 (MY2011 and newer)
• Q7 (MY2009 and newer)
• Q5 (MY2009 and newer)
• TT (MY2011 and newer)
• A5 (MY2008 and newer)
• A7 (MY2012 and newer)
• R8 (MY2011 and newer)
If the vehicle is equipped with a battery energy management control module (J644), proceed to Section
B, below. These vehicles include:
• A6 (MY2008 and older)
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
• Q7 (MY2008 and older)
• A8 (MY2010 and older)
Page 2 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Section A (For vehicles equipped with a J367 control module)
Use the following procedure to determine if the discharged battery was caused by the customer:
1. Through ODIS GFF (Figure 1):
• Select Test plan (A).
• Select Select self test… (B)
• In the Test Overview window, select A Battery, manufacturer data (located under
Body >> Electrical equipment >> Battery,
Starter, Generator, Cruise control >>
electrical components >> A - Battery,
manufacturer data) (C).
• Select Attach to the test plan (D).
Figure 1. Selecting a test plan in ODIS.
2. Verify that the battery serial number displayed
in the scan tool (Figure 2) matches the serial
number on the battery.
If the serial numbers do not match, adapt the
correct value into the vehicle through A Battery, Adaptation after replacing, then
check A- Battery, manufacturer data again to
ensure that the new manufacturer data was
accepted.
Tip: For some vehicles, the scan tool may
only display a portion of the battery serial
number. If the string of characters displayed in
the scan tool matches part of the full battery
serial number, adaption is not necessary.
Figure 2. Battery serial number displayed in the scan tool.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 3 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
3. Test the battery through A - Battery, testing (located under Special functions >> General jobs >> A - Battery,
testing).
When asked if a new battery has been adapted in the last five days, select No to run the test.
4. View the test result (Figure 3):
• If prompted, replace the battery and
adapt the new serial number.
• If the state of charge (SOC) is low,
charge the battery according to the
instructions in TSB 2023282: 27 Battery
testing and charging - vehicles with BDM
(J367).
Tip: For some vehicles, the scan tool
does not display the SOC during the battery
test. For these vehicles, run A - Battery,
state of charge to get this value.
Figure 3. Battery test result.
5. Open the Control modules tab
(Figure 4):
• Right-click on the Gateway
module (19) (A).
• Select Guided Functions (B).
• In the Guided Functions window,
select Reading history data (C).
• Select Perform (D).
Figure 4. Accessing Reading history data through the Control modules
tab.
6. Select 6. Data for energy critical
vehicle condition (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Select -6-.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 4 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
7. Inspect the values in the Energy critical vehicle
conditions readout, paying close attention to the
highlighted areas shown in the image at right
(Figure 6). These areas show information about the
critical energy state of the battery, with battery
history fields separated by an asterisk. Fields
include:
• The date the critical energy state occurred (A).
This example shows May 9, 2010.
• The time the critical energy state occurred (B).
This example shows 2:48 PM.
• The status of the exterior lights when the critical
energy state occurred (C). This example shows
that two exterior lights were on when the battery
Figure 6. Energy critical vehicle conditions readout.
reached critical state.
• The status of PRNDL (D). This example shows
that vehicle was in “P” when the critical energy
state occurred. Any gear other than “P” would
be represented by a “1”.
Tip: Some BDM vehicles do not show
PRNDL status. In this case, terminal 15 status
will immediately follow the light status.
• How long terminal 15 was on, in hours (E). This
example shows that the ignition was on for 3.0
hours.
• How long the data bus was awake, in hours (F).
This example shows 3.1 hours.
Tip: The data bus was awake during this
time because terminal 15 was on. Data bus
awake time without terminal 15 on could
indicate a problem with a module.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 5 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
8. Return to the Reading history data menu and
select 4. Shut-off stages history.
In the example Shut-off stages printout (Figure
7), the three sets of data (battery history fields)
that are outlined in red were recorded on the
date of the critical energy reading. When
reading shut-off history, all information within
~24 hours of critical energy is valid.
Starting in the top left corner of each battery
history field, the information presented
(separated by asterisks) is:
• Date and time
• Shutoff stage
• Auxiliary heater
• Battery SOC
• Available charge
• Current battery draw
• Exterior lights status
• Auxiliary heater
• PRNDL status
• Terminal 15 on (in hours)
• Data bus awake (in hours)
Figure 7. Shut-off stages. The reading highlighted in yellow
was taken when the battery SOC reached zero, the
readings highlighted in blue and in gray were recorded on
the same day, before the SOC reached zero.
For example, the battery history field highlighted in gray
shows the battery SOC at 41% (041) on May 9, 2010 at
1:59 PM (2010-05-09-13:59). It also shows that two (out of
six) exterior lights were left on (0-0-1-1-0-0), and that
terminal 15 was on for 2.2 (02.2) hours.
9. Review the shut-off stages history. The final battery history reading (highlighted in yellow in the example in
Figure 7) shows the battery SOC at 0%.
Investigate the battery history reading that occurred just before the final reading (highlighted in blue in the
example in Figure 7) for customer-induced conditions. In the example, two exterior lights were on and the
ignition was on for 2.5 hours, which show that the condition was customer-induced, as both the critical energy
status and the matching shut-off stage show that energy-consumers were left on by the customer.
• If both sections of the history do not show a customer-induced condition, proceed to step 10.
• If both sections of the history do show a customer-induced condition, proceed to Section C: Additional
Tasks.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 6 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
10.
On equipped vehicles (A5, Q5, 2009+ A4, 2012+
A6/A7, 2011+ A8), check the Keep-Awake Manager
to determine if any modules kept the CAN bus
awake (Figure 8):
• Select Test plan (A).
• Select Select self test… (B)
• In the Test Overview window, select Read Data
Bus Keep-Awake Manager (located under Body
>> Electrical equipment >> 01 - On Board
Diagnostic (OBD) capable systems >> 19 - Data
Bus On Board Diagnostic Interface | J533 >> 19 Data Bus On Board Diagnostic Interface
functions >> 19 - Read Data Bus Keep-Awake
Manager) (C).
• Select Attach to the test plan (D).
Figure 8. Selecting test plan in ODIS.
11.
The Keep-Awake Manager will display the keep-awake events (Figure 9). The most recent event will be
displayed at the top of the list. If no data exists, then no data is shown.
The example below (Figure 9) shows that on January 9, 2014 (09.01.2014) at 9:38:16 PM (21:38:16), the
control module with diagnostic address 44 kept the CAN bus awake for 0.64 hours. If the date and time
listed match (within 24 hours) the date and time in the critical energy reading, then the first control module
listed is most likely the cause of the complaint.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 7 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Figure 9. BDM Keep-Awake Manager.
12.
• If the source of the draw can be determined from the Keep-Awake Manager (in the example above, it is
the control module with diagnostic address 44), proceed to Section C: Additional Tasks.
• If no data exists in the Keep-Awake Manager, proceed to step 13.
13. Determine if draw currently exists on the vehicle by using an ammeter with an inductive pickup (VAS6356 or
similar tool, such as the Fluke Meter) to check battery draw using the steps below:
• First, start the vehicle and operate all consumers (radio, lights, heated seats, door locks, sunroof, power
liftgate, etc.).
• Next, shut off the vehicle. Open left and right front doors, hood, and rear lid. Manually latch all opened
items in order to gain access to the fuse boxes.
• Next, zero the ammeter and attach the amp clamp to the negative battery cable. Lock the car using the
remote and observe the ammeter, which should spike briefly as the doors are closed. This confirms that
the ammeter is operating correctly.
• After two hours, the ammeter should read under 0.040 (40mA). If the reading is above 40mA, attempt to
locate the source of the excessive draw. Refer to VW TSB 2016076: Battery, Discharged, Diagnosis for
Excessive Static Current Draw.
• After diagnosis is complete, or if the diagnosis is inconclusive, proceed to Section C: Additional Tasks.
Section B (For vehicles equipped with a J644 control module)
1. Inspect the mounting point for the ground of the 61 module. Verify that it is clean and free of corrosion.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 8 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
2. Open the Control modules tab (Figure 10):
• Right-click on the Battery Regulation
Module (61) (A).
• Select Control Module OBD (B).
• In the OBD functions window, select
Identification (C).
• Select Perform (D).
Figure 10. Performing Identification.
3. In the Identification screen (Figure 11),
highlight the battery line (B).
When the battery line is highlighted, the
serial battery serial number will be displayed
(C).
Figure 11. Identification screen.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
4. Verify that the displayed serial number
matches the serial number on the battery.
(Depending on the vehicle, the scantool may
only display a portion of the serial number. If
the displayed digits are contained within the
complete 10-digit serial number on the
battery, they are a match).
If the displayed digits do not match the
serial number on the battery, adapt the
correct value into the vehicle (Figure 12):
• Open the Test plan tab (A).
• Select Select self test…. (B)
• In the test overview window, select ABattery, replacing and coding (located
under Body >> Electrical equipment >>
01 - On Board Diagnostic (OBD) capable
systems >> 61 - Battery Control >>
Electrical components >> A-Battery,
replacing and coding).
• Select Attach to the test plan (D).
Figure 12. Selecting test plan.
5.
Test the battery through A-Battery, test
(Figure 13). When asked if a new
battery has been adapted in the last 5
days, select No to run the test.
• If prompted, replace the battery and
re-adapt the new serial number using
the instructions listed in step 4,
above.
• If the state of charge (SOC) is low,
charge the battery. Follow
instructions in TSB 2023330: 27
Battery testing and charging vehicles with BEM (J644).
Tip: Some vehicles will not
display the SOC during the battery
test. To get the SOC for these
vehicles, run A-Battery, state of
charge.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Figure 13. A-Battery, test.
Page 10 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
6.
• Open the Test plan tab (A).
• Select Select self test…. (B)
• In the test overview window, select
J644-Energy Mgt.Ctrl.Mo.,read
history data (RG.27) (located under
Body >> Electrical equipment >> 01 On Board Diagnostic (OBD) capable
systems >> 61 - Battery Control >>
J644-Energy Management Control
Module, functions >> J644-Energy
Mgt.Ctrl.Mo., read history data
(RG.27)).
• Select Attach to the test plan (D).
Figure 14. J644 Read history data.
7.
Select 3. Critical energy balance to
view the state of the vehicle at critical
energy (Figure 15).
Figure 15. J644 Checking history data main menu.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 11 of 14
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Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
8.
Inspect the values in the critical energy
readout. Pay close attention to the
values that indicate whether or not the
ignition or any exterior lights were left on
at the critical energy state of the battery,
and the date and time (Figure 16).
• If these values identify that any
component was left on, record the
date and time indicated and continue
to with step 9.
• If no component was identified,
proceed to step 11.
Figure 16. The outlined area shows the values that indicate
whether or not the ignition or any exterior lights were left on at the
critical energy state of the battery, as well as the date and time.
In this example, the ignition was left on for 2.7 hours and all of the
exterior lights were off when the battery reached critical state.
9.
Return to the Reading history data menu
and select 4. Shut-off stages history.
In the example Shut-off stages printout
(Figure 17), the sets of data outlined in
red were recorded on the date of the
critical energy reading. When reading
shut-off history, all information within
~24 hours of critical energy is valid.
In each line, the key information fields to
review are (starting from the leftmost
highlighted value, separated by
asterisks):
• Battery SOC
• Date and time
• Exterior lights status
• Terminal 15 on
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Figure 17. Shut-off stages. The readings outlined in read were
recorded on the date of the critical energy reading. The reading
Page 12 of 14
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Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
highlighted in blue was the last reading taken before the battery
SOC reached zero.
The reading highlighted in yellow shows the battery SOC at 31%
(31) on September 29, 2011 at 11:22:52 AM (2010-09-29,
11:22:52). It also shows that two (out of six) exterior lights were
left on (0-0-1-1-0-0), and that terminal 15 was on for 1.5 (01.5)
hours.
10.
Investigate the reading that occurred just before the battery SOC reached zero (in the example above, this
reading is highlighted in blue) for customer-induced conditions. In the example, two exterior lights were on
and the ignition was on for 1.6 hours, which show that the condition was customer-induced, as both the
critical energy status and the matching shut-off stage show that energy-consumers were left on by the
customer.
• If both sections of the history do not show a customer-induced condition, proceed to step 11.
• If both sections of the history do show a customer-induced condition, proceed to Section C: Additional
Tasks.
11. Determine if draw currently exists on the vehicle by using an ammeter with an inductive pickup (VAS6356 or
similar tool, such as the Fluke Meter) to check battery draw using the steps below:
• First, start the vehicle and operate all consumers (radio, lights, heated seats, door locks, sunroof, power
liftgate, etc.).
• Next, shut off the vehicle. Open left and right front doors, hood, and rear lid. Manually latch all opened
items in order to gain access to the fuse boxes.
• Next, zero the ammeter and attach the amp clamp to the negative battery cable. Lock the car using the
remote and observe the ammeter, which should spike briefly as the doors are closed. This confirms that
the ammeter is operating correctly.
• After two hours, the ammeter should read under 0.040 (40mA). If the reading is above 40mA, attempt to
locate the source of the excessive draw. Refer to VW TSB 2016076: Battery, Discharged, Diagnosis for
Excessive Static Current Draw.
• After diagnosis is complete, or if the diagnosis is inconclusive, proceed to Section C: Additional Tasks.
Section C: Additional tasks
1. If it is necessary to contact TAC for additional guidance, please prepare the following information before
opening a ticket. If TAC assistance is not necessary, proceed to the next step.
• How many times has car been in for a battery concern?
• When did the vehicle come in?
• Was it towed in or jumped?
• What day did the customer have the concern?
• Is/was the date/time in cluster correct? If not, what was/is the date/time displayed?
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 13 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
• When did you start working on the car?
• What is the battery serial number in the vehicle?
• Are there any other electrical concerns on the R.O.?
• Attach a full GFF Log with complete battery history data and Keep Awake readout (For BDM vehicles).
• Attach pictures of the amplifier for Q7, A4 Avant, or A6 Avant vehicles if the amplifier shows no obvious
signs of water damage.
2. Before returning the vehicle to the customer, test the battery SOC and verify that it is above 85%. If the
SOC is below this value, charge the battery until at least 85% is achieved.
3. If the low SOC was due to customer influence, explain the situation to the customer.
Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi warranty.
Additional Information
More information on this system can be found in the following resources:
• SSP: 972703, Audi Vehicle Batteries and Energy Management Systems
The following Technical Service Bulletin(s) may be necessary to complete this procedure:
• TSB 2023282, 27 Battery testing and charging – vehicles with BDM (J367)
• TSB 2023330, 27 Battery testing and charging – vehicles with BEM (J644)
• TSB 2014127, 27 Battery dead or low after returning to the vehicle
• TSB 2019143, 27 Battery discharged on some vehicles with Advanced Key
• VW TSB 2016076, Battery, Discharged, Diagnosis for Excessive Static Current Draw
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2025360) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 14 of 14
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.