Technical Service Bulletin
17 Range display (distance to empty) in on-board computer
17 14 49 2028440/2 April 3, 2014. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 17 number 12-26 dated January
20, 2012 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

All Audi

2005 - 2015

Not Applicable

Trip Computer

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

2

-

Revised header data (Added model years)
Revised entire bulletin for clarity

1

1/20/2012

Original publication

• The customer complains of one or more of the following issues:
• When the vehicle is completely refueled, the vehicle range (“distance to empty”) that is displayed is different
than the vehicle range that was displayed the last time the vehicle was completely refueled.
• The displayed vehicle range drops inconsistently.
• After the vehicle is refueled, the displayed vehicle range does not change for a long period of time.
• When the vehicle is driven on hilly roads for a long period of time, the displayed vehicle range suddenly
changes by a significant amount.
• There are no DTCs related to fuel senders stored in the instrument cluster control module, J285 (address word
17).
This condition does not involve or affect the accuracy of the fuel level indicator, but only the estimated distance to
empty display on the on-board computer.

Technical Background
The primary purpose of the vehicle range display is to help prevent the vehicle from running out of fuel. As soon as
the fuel gauge needle enters the red zone (well before the tank is empty), an audible warning and a low fuel
indicator light activate, and the vehicle range display may show 0 miles (see owner’s manual for reserve fuel
capacity volume).
The average and instant consumption figures shown in the on-board computer are not used for calculating the
range. Instead, the range is calculated using an internal weighted value. Two different calculation methods (filter
algorithms) are used for determining the range display.

© 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
For vehicles older than model year 2009:
Only consumption figures of the last 50 kilometers (31 miles) are included in the calculation. The last kilometer
has the most weight and the first kilometer has the lowest.
If the vehicle is driven efficiently right before the vehicle is refueled, the displayed vehicle range could be much
higher than it was after the previous fill-up. Conversely, if the vehicle is driven aggressively right before the vehicle
is refueled, the displayed vehicle range could be much lower than it was after the previous fill-up
For vehicles from model year 2009 and newer:
A gradual driving profile is built from the last 50 kilometers (31 miles) and from the last 500 kilometers (310 miles).
The short-term consumption figures over the last 50 kilometers (31 miles) and the long-term figures over 500
kilometers (310 miles) are included in the calculation, which is also based on the tank volume. With this method,
the range display can only rise when the vehicle is driven efficiently for extended periods, resulting in a more
accurate vehicle range.
Tip: In both methods, the range display after fill-up depends on the driving style before fill-up, so the range
displayed after fill-up will not always be the same. In addition, the displayed vehicle range does not refer to the
whole tank volume; it only indicates a trend based on the short-term to medium-term fuel consumption.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
Explain the Technical Background to the customer.

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

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2028440) 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 2 of 2

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.