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Help! My EPC (Emissions) or CEL (Check Engine Lamp) is on.


cjb

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Help! My EPC (Emissions) or CEL (Check Engine Lamp) is on.

There's a very simple thing to check first: your brakelights. If they don't work, check the brake pedal switch. It's a common fault. Also have a look for anything obvious like a loose or failed HT lead, or an audible air leak if that's appropriate for your car.

Other than that, you really need to get your car scanned by someone with VAG-COM (VCDS), a VAS computer (the one dealers have), or a OBD-II scanner.

Of these, the VAS or VCDS/VAG-COM is your best bet as it can read and decode more faults from the car.

You have several ways of getting the car scanned:

* You can pay a Skoda (or other VAG) dealer. Typically this will cost at least £40.

* You can pay an independent garage. This will be a bit cheaper, but unless the garage specialises in VAG cars, it will probably only have a generic scanner.

* You can ask here in the VAG-COM and diagnostics forum. Look at the member map. If there's someone near you, send them a PM, and negotiate a price- which may just be a pint or two.

* You could obtain VAG-COM/VCDS or a code reader yourself. This can cost as little as £20ish for an ebay cable and a limited downloadable version of VAG-COM, but a fully licenced version (with full capability and support from Ross-Tech) costs more.

For later cars (Octavia II and Superb II), you need a CAN-capable scanner or a version of VAG-COM and appropriate genuine Ross-Tech cable that supports CAN-only cars.

A scan really is the only way to try to diagnose a CEL/EPC light, and often odd running problems as well. If you post the logs from the scanner on this site, someone will have a chance of solving your problem. Otherwise, it's just wild guesswork and you could be checking and changing things for ever.

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  • 6 months later...

Mine came on too,

In a panic I rang the dealership, they were very relaxed, said don't worry it's safe to drive. On inspection they said a new part was needed, an exhaust sensor, that was done. All under the guarantee at 2+ years old.

Aren't Skodas great !!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi,

My Exhaust Management System light and EPC light are constantly lit on my dashboard. Took it to Skoda and they said it needs a new ECU costing £1800.00

Prior to that I took it to Nationwide who told me the car was chipped.

Skoda haven't been very helpful. They do not provide me with fault codes!! I took it back and now I just have the EPC light on. I think I will take it to an independant garage.

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Interesting been having problems with mine since before Christmas, and they have finally diagnosed it as a faulty ECU, which is thankfully under warranty having seen the cost in earlier post. Trouble is no stock, part is hopefully due in next Friday 5th Feb. The dealers have had my car longer than I have this year !!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought one of these code scanners off eBay for £20 (no commercial affiliation with the seller, link for illustration only!)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Diagnostic-Scanner-Fault-Code-Reader-OBD2-EOBD-II-U380_W0QQitemZ290375338019QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item439bb80823

... and I was quit happy with the result, was dead easy to use - however, I think that the manual badly translated from Chinese had mixed up the 'Scroll' button with the 'Erase' button (erase on the unit should have been labelled scroll) so for a while I was paranoid about pressing the erase button.

It's dead easy and doesn't require any pre-requisite knowledge - with only two buttons, there's only a limited number of ways you can screw it up ;)

However:

I really would like to get to grips with the dark art of VAG-COM, as having one of these little units has given me the confidence that I can find out the codes, bash them into Google and find out what's up with the car (the little book that came with the scanner seemed pretty useless - I guess as the codes were VAG specific?)

I think I'm going to fork out for a cable, and maybe VAGCOM - quick query, what is the difference between the limited and unlimited software?

Many Thanks,

Gavin

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  • 2 weeks later...

For those of you who have had this EPC warning problem, can u post here which ha been the outcome of it all? This would help the ones with this problem a lot.

May be something like:

Model: Octavia II

Problem : EPC (no other warning light on)

Solution: ECU update / brake switch exchange / Dealer cannot find solution ...

Price: Under warranty

Thanks in advance

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been told by Skoda it's a faulty exhaust pressure sensor. It should be changed under warranty.

With my scanner I got fault 1137 (found on Ross Tech web site) and lately 1139, but I can't find the meaning of 1139.

P.S.: Found on http://www.bentleypublishers.com/tech/audi/audi.dtc.table.htm

and http://www.myscantool.com/dtc/specific/volkswagen.html

BTW, just guessing how to correct a "Long Term Fuel Trim Add.Fuel,Bank1 System too Rich" (the same for Bank2) with standard ECU...

Edited by Genoa1893
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I've been told by Skoda it's a faulty exhaust pressure sensor. It should be changed under warranty.

With my scanner I got fault 1137 (found on Ross Tech web site) and lately 1139, but I can't find the meaning of 1139.

Im not sure if you mean p1137 , but then if you check here you will find this explanation

17545 P1137 Long Term Fuel Trim Add.Fuel Bank1 System too RichVW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborgini, Bugatti

Don´t know if it is related to any exhaust pressure sensor though :-(

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Im not sure if you mean p1137 , but then if you check here you will find this explanation

17545 P1137 Long Term Fuel Trim Add.Fuel Bank1 System too RichVW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborgini, Bugatti

Don´t know if it is related to any exhaust pressure sensor though :-(

Thank you, infact I found that.

Strange that Skoda found the pressure sensor, while my tool found such codes... perhaps, I should change my scan tool... ;)

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Hi there,

got the faulty sensor (which determined EPC light, then DPF, then General Engine Anomaly) changed with no probs under warranty by my Skoda dealer.

It's a black plastic module with 2 pipes coming from it at the top lefthand side of the engine bay just behind the plastic engine cover. Part No. 076906051A from seat/skoda/vw/audi.

HTH to reply to unreasonable "offers" to replace ECU or similar nightmares,

Stefano

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Thanks to Ben at Shark Performance for highlighting that my EPC and CEL light were on due to my car not having had a necessary ECU upgrade resulting in a checksum error. He advised me who to call at Skoda's local dealership and the car was done today all under warranty.

Cheers once again Ben.

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Hi there , I took my car to a idependant in January 2010 to have a airbag light sorted . Soldered f/o/s/ wiring under seat . Light came back on today 18/03/10 so I took to the same indie . They stated that it was the f/n/s seat now that nedded soldering . They reset the light and driving it out the engine management light has come on and the car stalled . I limped it back to them and they reset this and they stated that it was something to do with the throttle sensor £460.00 to fix ???? and the eml is now on and won't go off

Seems strange that it went in for a air bag light and came out with an engine management light and a big bill . I only had the cam belt done last week at main dealers for £450.00 with water pump and they said nothing of any fault codes does anyone have any ideas .

2006 vrs octavia petrol :'(

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hi i had the EPC light on my skoda fabia comfort and got it sorted in my local garage,the mechanic told me it was to do with my valves needing clearing or sumit,he cleaned it out though nd thankfully it aint cum on yet

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Thought I'd add the results of my experience.

'06 vRS petrol hatchback

Having had the diagnosis done at Skoda, the dealer told me I needed a replacement ECU.

This was because my car was registered as having had the 24K5 campaign update, but showed the fault.

After some conversation with Ben at Shark Performance, and reading out some of the detail from the diagnosis report, he assured me that I hadn't had the necessary software update to my ECU.

Apparently some unscrupulous dealer somewhere might have pocketed the cash from Skoda for having done the work without actually having done it.

Or, it might have been a mistake by them. Draw your own conclusions, I have.

I went back to the dealer and told them that I wanted the update done.

They did the update for me, and now the lights have gone out.

Total cost - £41 for the original diagnosis from the dealer, and a few phonecalls.

:thumbup:

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  • 1 month later...

My Engine Management light has just come on / Control system for Exhaust management and stays on and I also get / WORKSHOP EMMISSIONS come up when I initially start the car?

The car drives and runs perfectly fine could this be something serious, sounds like it might from the comments above ECU replacement..???

Or not only a software update or sensor replacment?

I haven't checked the brake lights yet as the first post states, -could this really be the issue brake lights for an exhaust error??

I have a 2006 1.9TD L&K manual.

Thanks

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My control and emissions light came on in my 05 Fabia VRS (diesel), the car was running fine. I took it to main dealer who charged me a bucket of cash and it came back on the next day. Phoned them up again and they said they would charge me more.

Took it to an independent yesterday, told me it was the coolant temperature sensor. He is sorting it for £100, still loads but at least I will get it sorted...

I am not going back to the dealer again - Henry's in Glasgow, they are not helpful.

Jim

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had this on my Octy Scout. Went into limp mode, I found a Maidstone Skoda dealer who had me back on the road within an hour and a half, and the sender was replaced under warranty as my car is almost, but not yet, 3 years old.

Result, and good service.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Model: Octavia II Scout 2.0 TDI PD 140

Problem : EPC warning light error code P0473, limp home mode at 1500 metres in the French Alps on a dirt track :0(

Mileage 24K

Solution: Faulty Sensor causing DPF regeneration to respond incorrectly ( well thats what I understood with my limited French)

Price: Under warranty replacement I hope, collecting from French dealer day after tomorrow.

Credit to Skoda Assitance/RAC in France very efficient in getting car to garage and a replacement. Although hire car replacement was not up to the job 1.6 Citrion C5, does not seem to work on dirt tracks :D

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Model: 2007 Octavia II 4x4 2.0 TDI

Problem : EPC warning light, drives as normal, no limp mode

Mileage: 89,500

Solution: Faulty exhaust pressure sensor

Price: £42.50 for sensor and £51 for diagnostics and fitting - plus VAT

Had to wait over the weekend for the part as the garage had fitted their stock sensor earlier last week.

Service manager advised that the DPF does not regenerate properly with this sensor failed and if the DPF light came on not to use the car more than necessary as prolonged use could clog the DPF beyond recovery, even through forced regeneration. Thankfully this did not happen to me and replacement went ahead OK and all is now well again.

Full marks to Victoria Garage, Maud, for helpful and efficient service, as always.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The yellow light for "Control system for exhaust" stays on when I'm driving, after a while the yellow light "Glow plug system" starts blinking. That results in no power in the car, turbo is out.

Went to the Skoda dealer, they did a system check. They did not know what to do. They are in touch with the Skoda manufactor for a solution, they will give me a callback.

They said the car is safe to drive, just ignore the lights.

Model: 2010 Skoda Octavia 1,6 TDI 105hk CR

Problem : Control system for exhaust warning light. Glow plug system warning light starts blinking after awhile.

Mileage: 7200 kilometers

Solution: Hole in a vacuum hose. It got replaced, now all good.

Edited by Zailens
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Had the yellow control system for exhaust light come on today. Called at Skoda dealer who carried out a scan . Error message "Coolant pump B control circuit / open" They reset system, said they had not seen that error message before. Drove back 70 miles no problems, have tried car several times since, no further problems.

Model 2008 Skoda Octavia vrs 2ltr TDi CR

41,000 miles

Anyone else had coolant pump error message ?

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  • 2 weeks later...

The yellow exhaust light came on approx 6 weeks ago on my car. A local garage got code p2100, Throttle Actuator control motor circuit open but they stressed that their equipment was perhaps not up to the job.

I then went to a local Renault specialist I trusted and have known for years. He subsequently collected my car and was to borrow the proper scanner and check the problem out. He also told me that he was in the process of buying a VAG System at a cost of over £2000. The car was returned with a new part which cost me £300 plus £30 labour. I wasn't very happy with this, had he phoned me I wouldn't have replaced the item as the car was driving well. I later found out he hadn't borrowed the proper kit as promised . Of course the light came on again the following day and he keeps fobbing me off, telling me that he has definitely ordered a new VAG scanner.

I got another code a few days ago from another garage but the owner was too busy to spend time investigating and, by his own admission, is not an expert; 12546 Motor for Intake Manifold Flap no signal. We couldn't find this code, anyone got any ideas? This is a case where I probably should have gone to a Dealer or Specialist in the first instance

Next problem now is that the passenger doors won't unlock from the remote fob, which is a real nuisance. I didn't even like having to press the fob twice originally and now will waste time stripping out the drivers door to try and find the fault.

Although economy is great and the boot is very spacious for my needs, the above faults, coupled with excessive road noise and a sluggish DSG box at low speed mean that I'm fed up with the complications of modern car ownership after only 4 months.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Folks,

I am new to the forum and really not techie when it comes to cars, but I was wondering if someone would be able to help me out at all.

Car : 2007 Skoda Octavia 2.0T VRS (Petrol)

Issue : EPC & CEL lights on, warning P0601 (Internal Contr.Module MemoryCheck Sum Error), no loss in performance/economy.

After reading various forum threads it became apparent that this could be an issue under Skoda's 'Field Campaign 24K5'. Rang Skoda and they said that my car was an affected model but it had already had the update done on 20th Nov 2008 and claimed for along with the usual sticker being booked out for the work. No sticker in boot under carpet though, and my car shows all the symptoms of this fault . Had my local dealer have a look to try and confirm that the update has physically been done and they said 'we have plugged our device in and it doesn't state that the car needs updating - meaning the update is current' i.e. field campaign 24K5 has been resolved previously on my car by the update in 2008. They cleared the error from the logs and the light went out, but came straight back on when engine restarted (second time this has been done). They have said that it needs a replacment ECU and have quoted me £1,687.68p, which is obviously a lot of money for what seems to be just a light on the dashboard. Oh and the usual warranty time bomb, car is out by 3 months!! Bloody typical!!

Assuming I have a genuine fault, my options are 1) ECU replacement by Skoda which will entail a remortgage and a divorce. 2) ECU repair (which will involve getting someone to remove/re-install the ECU and being without a car and running the risk of a no-fix situation). 3) Leaving it the hell alone and never being able to sell the car or pick up on any other faults as the light will always be on and also having to explain to everyone who gets in the car why the dashboard is lit up like Blackpool pleasure beach. or 4) Hoping that a Boeing 747 lands on it. (If there are any Boeing pilots out there, then please PM me for my address).

Really I have a couple of questions :

1) Is the ECU really faulty? Should I get the dealer to do an update regardless of what their box is telling them? They don't seem to have the real in-depth knowledge like people of this forum and tuning professionals and the processes they use are basic flowchart procedures given to them by Skoda.

2 ) Has anyone used the remove and send off for repair service for ECU's? Have they managed to fix the units? I don't want to spend hundreds to be told that it can't be fixed or hasn't been fixed or no-fault-found situation and then have to go back to the dealer after selling the cat on ebay and half my garden to the neighbours.

3) H E L P!!!

4) I could phone Skoda UK and ask if they will help towards it as a good will gesture considering its just outside warranty.

Additional info for techies :

Engine code : BWA 2.0l FSI / 147kW

Motronic Engine Managemnt System : 1Z0907114A

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, just as long as the text doesn't contain "Ha Ha" "LOL" "ROFL" or "£1,687.68p"

Many Thanks, Unhappy Richard.

Edited by BiggusDickus
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Just an update in case anyone is out there. Ben at Shark Performance was more than helpful and I was gonna do the 360 mile round trip for him to sort out my problems, but in the mean time I told my dealer that I wasn't happy with the price (trying to weigh up my options at that stage before making a decision) and that I would like them to consider a good will gesture. They logged my request with Skoda UK and I then had a phone call back from my dealer saying that Skoda will contrbiute 70% towards the part, if I paid the remaining 30% and the 2 hours labour which in total equates to £664, just over a grand off. This means I will have some kind of come back etc... and can get the work done at the local dealer hassle free. This is the option I have gone for and it is booked in Tue for the replacement ecu to be fitted.

Thanks to Skoda for offering me a better option to help me out of the hole I was in.

Bigger thanks to Ben as he knows far more about this than the dealer does for sure and was a close call on the my choices, it was 50/50 in the end.

Still unhappy but less stressed Richard.

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  • 1 month later...

hi my diesel octy 2.0 dpf light came on followed by a flashing glow plug and the engine management light came on, rang skoda assist they found fault to be a faulty sensor (exhaust gas pressure) also he ran egr program to clear fault which took about 20 mins.

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