# Rear spoiler stuck in 'up' position



## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi folks,

I've done a little searching around the boards and I've seen a few other people have had issues with this, but I've not been able to tell whether anyone has found a root cause and solution for this as yet - hoping someone can point me in the right direction!

My 58 plate TTS has recently developed a problem with the speed-reactive rear spoiler, something similar to what I've seen flagged elsewhere - stuck in the 'up' position with the warning light on the dash - but shows no sign of going back to normal.

Nothing I've tried seems to help, the button in the cabin doesn't do anything (I can hear a sort of motor 'twitch' coming from the spoiler motor when I press it, but nothing happens), and I've even tried swapping out the entire mechanism and motor for a new one, to see if that helped. Interestingly, the new mechanism arrived 'closed', so I attached the power and manually extended it so that I could transfer my existing spoiler blade - this worked flawlessly, but since then it has also refused to retract and the warning light on the dash is on again, making me believe it's not necessarily a motor issue but something to do with the wiring perhaps, or a sensor?

Audi have quoted me £770 to replace and fix, but I'm really hoping there is a cheaper / easier solution out there somewhere as I can't justify that on a spoiler!

All the best,
Rich


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## Scottishpinz (Jan 31, 2016)

Sounds like it may be the switch that is causing the fault.


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## Nathanho123 (Jul 25, 2012)

mine got stuck down once i banged it gentley all the way along it whilst a freind kept trying the button inside and it came up and been fine since might be worth a go


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## lac (Jun 30, 2014)

If you do manage to get it moving again, Give the moving hinges a good spray with silicon spray. This helps so much


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks folks, I'll give that a try - been a bit nervous of applying too much brute force to it as I don't want to bend the spoiler itself! Might try it whilst I get a mate to operate the button in the cabin, see if that makes any difference.

In terms of other 'bits' in the process, I'm assuming that there is only really the motor assembly itself at that end of the car, the rest is controlled by some part of the management computer, with the switch acting as an override? Any other systems, fuses or relays in between?

All the best,
Rich


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## andez1781 (May 27, 2015)

penchant76 said:


> Thanks folks, I'll give that a try - been a bit nervous of applying too much brute force to it as I don't want to bend the spoiler itself! Might try it whilst I get a mate to operate the button in the cabin, see if that makes any difference.
> 
> In terms of other 'bits' in the process, I'm assuming that there is only really the motor assembly itself at that end of the car, the rest is controlled by some part of the management computer, with the switch acting as an override? Any other systems, fuses or relays in between?
> 
> ...


Have you any fault codes when there is an issue with any part of of the spoiler operation it goes in the up position for safety reasons.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Not sure if this will help, but it's a German video on repairing the rear hatch latch. But...you can at least see the spoiler motor and the position of the clips for the cover if you decide to take it off and check out the mechanics.


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi folks,

Thanks for the additional suggestions.

Andez - I get the warning light on the dash for the spoiler, but when I've tried interrogating the system for any error codes (I've got an OBDLink MX device which I'm connecting to via my phone), that seems to think there are no error codes present. Not sure if that's just the software I'm using unable to detect it however. Good to know that this is the default 'fail safe' position though, that's helpful.

Swiss - Thanks for that, I've managed to remove the panelling and have actually removed the entire spoiler mechanism, swapping it out for another one, but sadly still got the same problem which makes me think it's electronic somewhere, rather than a motor fault.

I've booked it in to a local independent specialist to try and get some further diagnostics done, as I'm a bit out of my depth now!

All the best,
Rich


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## gutsu (Mar 5, 2016)

This might sound like a daft 1 but I had to hold my button down for about 4 seconds


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## WoRkZ (Sep 19, 2015)

You did check the fuses, right?  There should be one for the spoiler motor. Most motors on cars are on a separate fuse from their control circuit...

Also, a lot of info about the spoiler can be found in this technical guide, starting on page 25:
http://www.volkspage.net/technik/ssp/ssp/SSP_382.pdf


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi folks,

I've just had the car looked at by IVC in Leeds (independant VW / Audi specialist) and they've narrowed it down to what they called the 'convenience features control unit'. They tested the motor, the wiring, the fuses and so on, and they were all fine, but when they tested this control unit thing they said it was sending both the 'up' and the 'down' signals simultaneously, hence the fault. They said that this unit also controls things like the electric wing mirrors etc, nothing system critical, but what you would regard as 'convenience features'.

That's the good news, in that at least I think I know what the issue is. The bad news is that they quoted £540 ish to replace it.

Anyone know anything more about what this control unit is or does?

All the best,
Rich


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Aha - a little googling and I think this is all starting to make sense now...

Looks like the proper name is Comfort Control Module, and there is a thread on here (http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=154447&p=1576139&hilit=rear+spoiler#p1576139) which also talks about it in relation to spoiler issues too, so I think that's probably the culprit. It also flags it as being responsible for the AC unit too, which I have noticed starting to behave oddly recently too, so looks like it's all stacking up.

Looking on eBay, there appear to be quite a few replacement modules available, but I'm not sure how to identify the correct one without pulling the old one out of the car - which leads me on to my next question - anyone know where it is on a Mk2 TTS?

It would certainly be cheaper to get a replacement off eBay and do it myself if I'm able!

All the best,
Rich


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## andez1781 (May 27, 2015)

penchant76 said:


> Aha - a little googling and I think this is all starting to make sense now...
> 
> Looks like the proper name is Comfort Control Module, and there is a thread on here (http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=154447&p=1576139&hilit=rear+spoiler#p1576139) which also talks about it in relation to spoiler issues too, so I think that's probably the culprit. It also flags it as being responsible for the AC unit too, which I have noticed starting to behave oddly recently too, so looks like it's all stacking up.
> 
> ...


540 that's crazy money for a few plugs and possible bit coding how much is the module ? Anyway am sure it's under one of the seats I'll check up for you unless someone else pipes up before hand bud .


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

I've done a bit more digging and I *think* I've identified that it lives in the boot, behind the pannelling on the passenger side.

Going to have a go at pulling that apart and see if I can find it, and see what state it's in. One other thing I've seen cropping up is reports that it's quite susceptible to water damage (presumably water leaking in through the boot lid seal or something?), so I'm going to check and see if it's just corroded contacts that I might be able to clean up and protect somehow.

Failing that, I'll need to replace the unit I guess - there look to be a few on eBay, but I'll need to check the model number on mine to know which one to get I think.

If I have any resounding success (or even comedic failure!), I'll report back on here.

All the best,
Rich


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

@ Penchant - When you get around to replacing the module, please post some pictures so we all know where it lives and any issues you encounter swapping it out. Pictures, as the saying goes, say a thousand words. Would be interesting to know if it lives somewhere else in a roadster.


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Will do, I'll try and take some snaps of the state it's in too, and the model number on it, in case that helps others with the same problem.

All the best,
Rich


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi folks,

Ok, going off on a slight tangent here, but I could do with some advice.

Just taken the car to my local carwash (yeah yeah, I know, I can hear the intake of breath already), and it's one I'd not used before. It was unclear how you were supposed to align the car within the bay - there were two guide rails, and from a glance it wasn't clear whether you were supposed to drive between them, or 'straddle' them (as you do in automatically-guided car washes). I drove in as best I could, and then large shutters rolled down both in front and behind the car (effectively sealing it inside the carwash unit).

I pulled forward until the machine told me to stop, and then the mechanism began. It wasn't until it started forwards that I realised how close it was to the drivers side of the car, and by the time I'd twigged that, it was already merrily mashing into the front wing of the car. I tried backing up to realign the car, but couldn't because the shutter had closed behind me - all the time the machine kept advancing and crushing the wing.

Eventually I managed to shuffle the car so that it was away from the machine, and it was able to pass overhead without impacting, but needless to say the damage was done.

Naturally, as soon as I got out I went back and reported it to the garage. They were very sympathetic, but ultimately said it would be down to the decision of the garage parent company, and if they decided it was down to me being 'misaligned' in the car wash, then tough buns (my paraphrasing obviously!).

I'm more than happy to acknowledge that it was indeed caused by me being mis-aligned in the carwash itself (my own stupidity), but there was no guidance as to how you were supposed to align the car when you drove in. Added to that, when the shutters came down there was nothing I could do to avoid the collision - nowhere for me to go, so it feels like there should be some responsibility on the part of the garage / petrol station too, despite the usual 'use at own risk' type signs.

Ultimately, I guess I'm asking for any thoughts or advice on what my options are here. Anyone had a similar experience, and what did you do about it? If I have to pay for this myself, it's likely to be expensive - the drivers-side wing is pretty badly crushed and scratched, and I've had to use a crowbar to stop it catching on the tyre, to make it drivable.

*sigh* I think this is going to be an expensive month.

R


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

Not sure you have any come back. Your paint work will be ruined all over now too from the brush bristles.


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## TonyZed (Jun 14, 2005)

penchant76 said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> Ok, going off on a slight tangent here, but I could do with some advice.


You have a pm

TonyZ


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi folks,

Right, I've managed to locate and get to the Convenience / Comfort Control Module - turns out it's behind the panelling in the boot on the drivers side of the car, if anyone else is looking for the same thing.

Mildly fiddly to get to, but not too bad overall - have to take a fair bit out of the boot, but most of it is just clipped in. I took pics as I went, but I'm not sure how to insert / embed them in a post here, so I've popped them in a shared album in Google Photos here:

https://goo.gl/photos/zpuUyyosKCdojLcL6

Hopefully that link will work, and you can see the various steps involved.

Basically, you need to:



Remove the plastic trim that goes across the back of the boot (about four clips I think, just need to pull it very firmly upwards)
Remove the folding boot liner (just lift out)
Remove the foam inserts from the boot which hold the tools and jack etc (again, just lift out)
Remove the luggage strap-point from the side panel (two torx screws)
Remove the side panel cover from the drivers side of the car (about four clips I think, mostly along the top edge, I just pulled carefully starting at the back of the boot and worked my way forwards)

Once that's done, there is a unit right at the back of the boot which has fuses, and on mine a space that looks like it could be for some kind of upgrade module perhaps? Anyway, mounted to the side of that are two control units, one above the other.

They just slide in, with plastic clips moulded into the fuse unit to hold them in place.

On my car, the top one is the parking sensor control module - I took that out first so I had a bit more space to play with and could see the lower unit more clearly. The lower unit is what I believe to be the comfort control unit (it matches all the descriptions I've found online anyway!).

I removed it and took it into the garage to take a better look at it - the back just prises off via a sequence of locking tabs. Once you've done that, you should see the back of the circuit board of the control module.

The next bit was rather mode fiddly. The circuit board and components are held in the casing via a series of clips formed around the connectors on the front. There are two per connector block, and trying to prise them all apart at the same time to release the casing was tricky. I ended up using a series of stanley knife blades wedged between each one, so that they were released together.

When I finally got to look at the module, it was obvious there was some corrosion / water damage to one corner, so I'm hoping that's what has caused the issue here. I gave it a good clean up, and treated it with some silicone grease to try and prevent water getting in again (I did the same with the contacts and connectors too), and then put it all back together again. Refitting was the reverse of the above.

Sadly, it's not sorted the problem, so I suspect the unit is too far gone for a simple clean up to recover it, but at least I've confirmed the module part number, so I know what to look for as a replacement. I'll see if I can get one off eBay, and then see if that does the trick.

Hope the above info is of use to anyone else looking for the same thing at least. Let me know if you can't access the pics for whatever reason, and I'll provide an update if I manage to get a replacement module.

All the best,
Rich


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Ok, another update on this.

Managed to get hold of a replacement unit off eBay, and fitted it tonight.

The good news is that it's completely sorted the spoiler issue - now goes up and down automatically as before, and the manual override button works too. Hurrah!

Bad news is that it looks as though the remote keyfob functions are controlled through this unit too, so the car no longer recognises my remote key to lock or unlock the car, or remotely pop the boot. The key still works just fine in the door lock and the ignition, and will start no problem, so I'm assuming it's not upset the immobiliser / alarm.

Anyone know if there is a straightforward re-sync that can be performed on a keyfob, or do I need to get a specialist to do that?

All the best,
Rich


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Another quick addendum - I've tried following the re-sync steps detailed in the TT owners manual (press 'unlock' then manually unlock drivers door within 30 secs, then press unlock / lock) and no joy, nothing happens. Tried this with both my keys. Both can manually unlock the doors and both are accepted in the ignition to start the car, but for some reason neither of them seem to work with this re-sync step as detailed above.

Any ideas anyone, or is it a trip to the dealer?

All the best,
Rich


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## andez1781 (May 27, 2015)

penchant76 said:


> Another quick addendum - I've tried following the re-sync steps detailed in the TT owners manual (press 'unlock' then manually unlock drivers door within 30 secs, then press unlock / lock) and no joy, nothing happens. Tried this with both my keys. Both can manually unlock the doors and both are accepted in the ignition to start the car, but for some reason neither of them seem to work with this re-sync step as detailed above.
> 
> Any ideas anyone, or is it a trip to the dealer?
> 
> ...


Do you have vcds , did you copy the coding from the original module and recode the new one ? , maybe that will solve it .


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## ReTTro fit (Nov 9, 2014)

46 central conveinence module is in the boot

09 central electronics is in the drivers footwell

Only pre facelift cars have 46

Facelift cars have everything incorporated in 09

On iPhone using Tapacrap


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## ReTTro fit (Nov 9, 2014)

1. Take the key you DO NOT want to program and put it in the ignition. Turn it one click forward.
2. Close and lock the drivers door with the second key.
3. On the second key (the one in the drivers door) press the 'UNLOCK' button ONCE only. The lights will flash on the car, but the doors will remain locked
4. With the second key still in the drivers door, unlock then lock the door again.
5. Pull the key from the slot and test remote functions.
6. Open drivers door, remove key from ignition.

If both of your remotes don't work, do the above for the first key, but on step #3, press the 'UNLOCK' button twice. The lights will flash twice, then continue on with step #4.

On iPhone using Tapacrap


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi Andez,

I have a mate who has VCDS, so going to try and take a look this weekend. If I plug the old unit back in, it should be possible to take a backup then, and 'restore' this to the new one? Can it be done selectively so I only copy across what I need? Sorry, not really very familiar with this side of things - I can just about hold my own with a spanner and a socket wrench, but fiddling with on board computers is a little daunting!

ReTTro - I tried that too and no joy I'm afraid, though both my keys still manually unlock and start the car.

All the best,
Rich


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## ReTTro fit (Nov 9, 2014)

They will unlock manually as you haven't changed the blade

They will start the car because you haven't changed the immobiliser chip

Try putting the key in the ignition, turn to position 1 then press button on the fob whilst it's in the ignition 
Then turn ignition off, remove key, test fob

On iPhone using Tapacrap


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## andez1781 (May 27, 2015)

You need to put the original unit back in and check the keys work ,open up the module in vagcom and write down the coding then put the new unit in then add the new values that is of course if that's the problem but I always thought that if you replace any modules you should put your original coding in . you should check Ross tech website for all the guides you need and will explain it better . that is if rettro guide doesn't work , he knows his stuff.


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi ReTTro,

Still no joy I'm afraid - just the same after trying that.

I think I need to try Andez suggestion next - get the old unit plugged back in, and then get my mate to help me try and find the old settings, and then copy them across to the new unit. I'll take a look on the Ross Tech website to see if there are any hints.

All the best,
Rich


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## ReTTro fit (Nov 9, 2014)

I think The problem is the the module probably has its max amount of keys synced to I so you'd need vcds to remove the old keys ( from the donor car ) then add yours 
You need vcds on it anyway to code the module to the car

On iPhone using Tapacrap


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks ReTTRo - I did wonder, when you look in the DIS menus on the car dashboard, it says it has '2/2' keys set up, would that be related to this do you think? Two previous key configurations stored in the module from whatever car it came from?

In terms of other things to look out for, what else should I be aware of that might need re-configuring for my car specifically (as opposed to anything that's just 'general' and not car specific)?

They don't exactly make it easy for the lay person to just swap a broken component for a new one do they!

All the best,
Rich


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## TonyZed (Jun 14, 2005)

Hi Rich

Did you ever get to the bottom of the key programming issue? Like you I bought a module off eBay as mine was full of corrosion and the spoiler button didn't work. That's all ok now but like you the remote function on my keys won't work.

I still have battery issues, caused by something that shares the Satnav fuse, but I need to sort the module first.
(I need a wiring diagram to see what shares that fuse)

TonyZ


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## penchant76 (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi TonyZ,

I chickened out of trying to sort it myself (via VCDS etc) and took it to my local Audi dealership. Wasn't too bad in the end, they charged me £90 to reprogramme both keys and reset the other settings in the second hand comfort module, and check that everything was working correctly again.

That sorted everything out. Still worked out much cheaper than getting a new unit from Audi though - that would've been somewhere in the region of £600 or so (part plus labour etc), whereas it only cost me about £40 for a second hand unit, and £90 for it to be reprogrammed inc keys, so around £130 all in.

Hope that helps?

All the best,
Rich


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