If you have a relatively new car, there’s a good chance that it has computers in it that control almost every aspect of it. While cars with computers in them used to be few and far between, almost all of the cars out on the road today rely on computers to carry out even the most basic functions. The EPC in Audi vehicles, which stands for electronic power control, is one great example of this. If you drive an Audi, you’re going to count on your EPC to be firing on all cylinders, and you’re going to need to be at least a little bit concerned if you see your EPC light appear on your dashboard. Learn more about what an EPC is, and what the electronic power control warning light means.
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What Is Electronic Power Control?
In a little while, we’re going to talk at length about what an EPC light might mean and what you should do if you ever spot one. But before we get into that, you need to have a basic understanding of what electronic power control is. The EPC in Audi vehicles is an ignition and engine management system that is completely computerized, and it plays an important role in many of your car’s functions. Many of the other systems in your car, including those that are used for stability and cruise control, use your EPC to do their jobs.
With this in mind, it’s not hard to see why you need the EPC in Audi vehicles to be working the way it should at all times. It’s going to be responsible for keeping many different parts of your car humming along nicely. You might not pay any mind to your EPC as long as your car is driving smoothly, but there is a chance that you may see your EPC light come on at some point in time. If it ever does, you’re going to need to spring into action right away and make the necessary repairs to your car to get your EPC working properly again.
Why Is the EPC in Audi Vehicles Important? – Electronic Power Control Warning Light
Now that you know a little bit more about what the electronic power control in an Audi actually is, let’s discuss what makes it so important. Since the EPC in Audi vehicles is in charge of powering up many of the other systems in your car, the slightest problem with it could cause complications that will affect your entire vehicle. If your EPC goes down for one reason or another, it can also lead to it disabling some of the other functions within your vehicle. As a result, you might lose the ability to use something like cruise control until you have your EPC fixed.
Because of this, those who drive a vehicle with an EPC in it need to be on the lookout for any problems with it at all times. You need to get into the habit of maintaining your EPC so that you don’t see your EPC light come on at any point. Although some EPC issues are minor in nature and won’t have any impact on your ability to drive your car, others could disable your car completely and prevent you from being able to use it. You, therefore, need to monitor your EPC and do what you can to maintain it to make sure that it’s always in good working order.
What Is an EPC Warning Light?
There are a series of warning lights that can appear on your car’s dashboard at any given moment. From the check engine light to the light indicating that it’s time to have your oil changed, you should look for these lights and act accordingly if and when you ever spot one. The EPC warning light is one of the many warning lights that you might see on your dashboard. It’s easy to spot since all that it consists of is the letters “EPC.”
What people don’t always realize, though, is that when the EPC light comes on in your car, it might also lead to other warning lights coming on as well. Since the EPC in Audi vehicles helps with things like stability and cruise control, it’s not out of the ordinary for your stability control and cruise control systems to be disabled when your EPC goes down. And this might lead to your stability control and cruise control lights flashing on your dashboard right next to your EPC light. You might even see your check engine light come on in some cases. All of these things will serve as notices and let you know that you likely need to get your car to a mechanic right away.
What Does an EPC Light Mean?
The EPC light on your dashboard is a little bit like the check engine light. When it comes on, it could indicate any number of issues that are going on with your car. It’s not automatically going to point to one particular issue. There could be something wrong with your Audi that will call for you to make a quick fix, or you might have to spend a lot of time and money fixing whatever is wrong with your car in an effort to get your EPC light to go off.
But generally speaking, when the electronic power control warning light turns on in your car, it means that there is some kind of problem that is being sensed within your car’s engine. There are lots of sensors located within your engine, and one of them is telling your car that there is a problem with your EPC. The only way that you’re going to be able to tell what’s going on is by using a code scanner to pull codes from your car’s computer. This will let you know what triggered your EPC light to turn on. It’ll also tell you what you’re going to need to do to turn your car’s EPC light back off.
What Will Happen When Your EPC Light Turns On? – Electronic Power Control Warning Light
When the EPC light in your Audi first turns on, there might not be anything that happens to your car right away. You might be able to continue to drive it normally for the time being. But at the same time, there is a chance that your car will stop driving normally as soon as your EPC light turns on. Or it might drive normally for a few minutes and then show some signs of serious trouble.
It’s not uncommon at all for a car’s computer to put it into so-called “limp mode” when the EPC light comes on. When your car is in limp mode, you’re not going to be able to drive it like normal. It’s going to feel very sluggish and will go extremely slow without much power behind it. It’ll be just enough for you to drive your car home or, better yet, to drive your car to the shop to have it looked at. You’ll need to be prepared for this since it can catch people off-guard when they’re not expecting their car to slow to a crawl out of nowhere.
Is It Safe to Drive With an EPC Light On?
As we just mentioned, you might not run into any major issues right away when your car’s EPC light comes on. It might keep on driving just like it always does, which could lull you into a false sense of security and make you think it’s safe to continue driving in it. But more often than not, your car is not going to be safe to drive when the EPC light is on. You need the EPC in Audi vehicles to be controlling all the various systems in your car, and if it’s not able to do it, it could result in issues for you.
You might be tempted to continue to drive in an Audi despite the EPC light being on. But this could result in you having to deal with a brake pedal that doesn’t work, a bad throttle body, or even power steering that won’t work. All of these things could put you into harm’s way and result in you getting into an accident. It’s why you’re going to want to stop driving a car when it has the EPC light on and get it to a mechanic sooner rather than later for repairs.
How Can You Get an EPC Light to Shut Off?
Once you bring your car to a mechanic and have them take a closer look at it, they’re going to be able to figure out exactly what your EPC light has come on. This will tell you exactly why the electronic power control warning light is turning on. It’ll take them just a few minutes to hook your car up to a code scanner so that they can see what the issue seems to be. And the truth is that the problem could be almost anything.
There are some instances in which the EPC light in an Audi will turn on because of a bad steering wheel sensor. There are other cases where the anti-lock braking system in an Audi will experience issues and result in the EPC light coming on. And in a truly worst-case scenario, you could have a malfunctioning engine on your hands that is going to lead to the EPC light coming on and staying on for the long haul until you fix it.
Regardless of which category your car falls into, you’re not going to be able to simply ignore the EPC light on your dashboard for long. A mechanic will have to look for the reason for it and then take the necessary steps to get your EPC light to shut off. This will involve taking a portion of your car apart in most cases and making repairs to it.
How Much Will It Cost to Turn an EPC Light Off?
When you see the EPC light in your car come on, you might start to panic. And for good reason! You’re immediately going to wonder what in the world it’s going to cost to fix whatever is causing it. Since it could be almost anything, the cost associated with shutting off an EPC light can vary quite a bit.
The good news is that the EPC light coming on in your Audi doesn’t automatically mean that you’re going to have to pay a small fortune to fix something. There are some minor issues that can cause an EPC light to turn on. They’ll only cost a few hundred dollars to fix. But the bad news is that you could also find yourself in a tough spot if you’re facing one of the more serious issues that can cause an EPC light to turn on. You could end up having to shell out thousands of dollars to turn off the EPC light in your car.
Rather than stressing out about it too much, your best bet is going to be to drive your car to a mechanic immediately to get an official diagnosis for your vehicle. It’s better to do this than to continue worrying about how much it might cost to fix the EPC in Audi vehicles. This way you know exactly why your electronic power control warning light is turning on.
Can You Sell a Car When the EPC Light Is On in It?
If you take your car to a mechanic and they tell you that your EPC light is on because of a serious engine problem, it might not be worth fixing it. This is going to be especially true for those who drive slightly older Audis that aren’t worth all that much money. You might then decide that you’re going to get rid of your car rather than fixing it.
You’ll be happy to hear that a bad EPC in Audi vehicles isn’t going to prohibit you from selling your car. You can still sell your car and get top dollar for it as long as you take the right approach. You’ll want to call on a company like Cash Cars Buyer to make you an offer for your car. We’ll give you cash for it and haul it away for you so that you don’t have to put yourself into danger while bringing your Audi to us. Contact us today if you’re interested in selling a car that has the EPC warning light on inside of it.