Audi A3 8V MIB Main Unit Failure

The MIB main unit main board has failed on my Audi A3 8V 2014
I have found a 2nd hand replacement on an auction site as Audi want £3K for a replacement
My question is, Is it just a case of coding the replacement to the same spec as the previous version or is it more complicated than that

Thanks in advance

Dulux: Alas, retrofitting a hex5F unit (even with exactly the same specs) on a MQB platform vehicle (like your A3 8V) ain't plug-and-play. Unfortunately, this module is captured in what the manufacturer calls the "Component Protection (CP) constellation".

CP is touted as Audi's answer to the back market trade in stolen parts. I'm not sure that this is the real reason for CP (it does further cement dealers in the process of module exchange), but the official way of dealing with with CP errors is to hook-up the car to VAG's FAZIT system (which is a centralized database). Only registered agents (dealers, mostly) have this facility. There are other ways of hacking the new MIB to avoid dealer costs, but these are unofficial. You might want to check with the seller whether CP has been hacked on the £3K unit (sounds pricey?).

Don

Thanks for the quick reply
Nothing is ever easy

The £3k price is the audi cost
A 2nd one is somewhere between £300 to £500 but I'll ask about the CP before handing over any money

Thanks again

Hey what's an emulation or emulator device?

Do you smoke the CAN raw, with resistor pull up or with filters?

Could there be a majestic wire and defined value?

Jack: removing CP errors from the hex5F unit is pretty much black magic to me - but if my understanding of the CP principles is correct, the official procedure likely involves re-registering the car's VIN in the module (somewhere in fireware)- probably other stuff as well.

I'm not sure how the hack process works (I don't believe it involves hardware, or "smoking the raw CAN"). Given the awesome expertise on this forum, it is reasonable to conclude that more than a couple of our colleagues here participate in the wizardry of unofficial CP deletion - so they are better placed to answer your question, However, I suspect that anonymity probably prevails to deter such responses!

Anyhow, from the auto-scans that I have seen involving hacked modules, the CP errors often remain in the auto-scan report (ether in both the CAN Gateway and the hex 5F module, or only in the hex5F module).

My hunch (guess really) is that the hacks concentrate on the "effect", rather than the "cause" of CP: I suspect that the hacks are not interested in actually deleting the CP errors, rather they work by defeating the consequences of the DTC - like no, or limited volume. Again, this is just guessing - more than happy to be advised otherwise!

Don

Just mere eeprom changes you seek by DMA so no disassembly required and a rechargeable battery with diode to light forever tomorrow?

I thought the Chinese already make all the MMI unit's brand NEU & for peanuts, unlocked with plug and play with more feature's?

I bought one for my old Jetta and it beats that RNS POS.

Later ones exist too plus Android and Apple kits or Alpine complete upgrades.

This is why I avoid the genuine ones for theft issues and plus they just plain suck.