57 Remote control key inoperative
57 17 38 2017082/13 March 23, 2017. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 57 number 13-85 dated
March 4, 2013 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A3

2005 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

A4, A6, A8

2000 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

A5, R8

2008 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

A5 Cab

2010 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

A7

2012 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

TT

2000 – 2015

All

Not Applicable

allroad

2000 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

Q5

2009 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

Q7

2007 – 2017

All

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

13

-

Revised Service (Updated the procedure for A6, A8, and
Q7)
Revised header data (Added MY 2016 and 2017)

12

03/14/2013

Republished to correct Elsa display error

11

02/05/2013

Revised header data (Added A6 (4G) and model year
2015 for all vehicles)
Revised Service (clarified model codes)

Central locking via remote control does not work either sporadically or permanently. The locks
can still be operated manually.

Page 1 of 4
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
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 Background
 Missing synchronization between the remote control key and vehicle because the battery has been
disconnected or the battery of the remote control has been replaced.
 If other senders operate in the same frequency range (mobile phones, TV stations, wireless headphones, baby
monitors, other vehicle remote controls, etc.), the remote control key may have been temporarily switched off
because a clear identification of the remote control key is not possible. This is necessary to prevent an
unintentional unlocking of the vehicle by other unrelated senders.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
1. Perform the synchronization between each remote control key and the vehicle according
to the following instructions.
A4 (8D, 8E, 8H) 1996 - 2009:
a.

Open the vehicle mechanically with the key.

b.

Press the unlock button of the remote control key.

c.

Insert the key into the ignition lock and switch on the ignition.

d.

Switch the ignition off again and remove the key.

e.

Press the unlock button or the locking button of the remote control key.

f.

Model year 2002 or later: If the synchronization procedure was not successful, adapt
the remote control key(s) to the comfort system central control module, J393 (address
word 0046), using the VAS Scan Tool. Follow test plan J393-central control module
for comfort system, adapting remote control key via adaptation (channel
21). Sometimes following the “erase all memory positions first” test plan produces
better results.

R8 (4S) 2008 - 2015, TT (8J) 2008 - 2015, TTR, A3 (8P and 8V) 2005 – 2013 and 2015 2016, A6 (4B) 1999 - 2005:

Page 2 of 4
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
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.

a.

Press one of the buttons of the remote control key.

b.

Lock or unlock the vehicle once mechanically with the key.

c.

Press one of the buttons of the remote control key again.

d.

The complete process must not take longer than 30 seconds.

e.

Up to and including model year 2009, if the synchronization procedure was not
successful, adapt the remote control key(s) to the comfort system central control
module, J393 (address word 0046), using the VAS Scan Tool. Follow test plan J393central control module for comfort system, adapting remote control key(s). Sometimes
following the “erase all memory positions first” test plan produces better results.
From model year 2010, if the synchronization procedure was not successful, adapt
the remote control key(s) to the BCM2 vehicle electrical system control unit, J519
(address word 0009), using the VAS Scan Tool. Follow test plan J519-Vehicle
electrical system control module, adapting remote control key(s). Sometimes
following the “erase all memory positions first” test plan produces better results.

A4 (8K) 2009 – 2016, allroad (8K) 2013 – 2016, A5 (8T) 2008 – 2017, A5 Cabriolet (8F)
2010 – 2017, Audi Q5 (8R) 2009 – 2017, A8 (4H) 2011 – 2017, A6 and A7 (4G) 2012 –
2017:
a.

Press a button on the remote key within the range of the vehicle.

b.

If necessary open the vehicle with the emergency key on the door lock.

c.

Switch the ignition on and off.

A6 (4F) 2005 - 2009, A8 (4E) 2003 - 2010, Audi Q7(4L) 2007 – 2016:
a.

Open the vehicle mechanically with the key.

b.

Insert the key into the ignition lock and switch on the ignition.

c.

Switch the ignition off again.

2. If the synchronization does not help, check whether there are any interfering senders
nearby.
3. Check whether there are any interfering senders in the vehicle.
4. If interference was responsible for the condition, explain the Technical Background to the
customer.

Page 3 of 4
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
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.

5. If the synchronization procedure was not successful, adapt the remote control key(s) to the
comfort system central control module, J393 (address word 0046), using the VAS Scan
Tool. Follow test plan J393-central control module for comfort system, adapting remote
control key via adaptation (channel 21). Sometimes following the “erase all memory
positions first” test plan produces better results.

Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi Warranty.

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2017082) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
©2017 Audi of America, Inc. 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.

Page 4 of 4
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
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.