Radio low frequency beep

[Noige]

Hi folks

Been away from the board for a while as my now 5 year old Yeti with 48K miles on the clock has performed faultlessly through 3 variable services and one tyre change - excellent reliability.

But now I have a little tiny fault crept in. Last winter I noticed a low frequency beep when I locked the car, this went on for some minutes and happened on a number of occasions. I asked the garage to check it out at the most recent service and apparently it is the radio making the noise as it requires a software upgrade, which takes 'a very long time to do sir so we couldn't do it as part of the service'.

Has anyone else come across this little wrinkle?

[Urrell]

What has caused your radio to require a software upgrade?

If it's been working OK for 5 years something must have cropped up that hasn't happened in the last 5 years if an upgrade will fix it.
A software upgrade takes a little while but not longer than a service.

[Ryeman]

I guess it would be up on the hoist for most of a service so would end up an all day job........strange fault though to appear after all this time and yet be fixed by a software upgrade.

Interesting thread.......

[Brijo]

One of those 'low battery' things?

[Ryeman]

One of those 'low battery' things?

First thing on the list for me also.

[Llanigraham]

One of those 'low battery' things?

 

Agreed!

Especially considering the age of the car.

[silver1011]

A well documented question over in the Octavia forum.

 

It is the car telling you that the battery is low, I'm surprised (actually I'm not) that the dealer gave you some weird story about the radio asking for an upgrade 

 

On some models it is accompanied by a message on the radio display itself.

 

It is often noticed when people are cleaning their cars with the engine off but the interior lights and radio on etc. all draining the battery.

[Noige]

Thanks guys - I think you may be correct especially as it first happened in very cold weather at the end of January when the car had been standing for a month unused. I have also noticed in cold weather it is a little reluctant to start.

 

Unfortunately our dealer (now Blade Skoda in Gloucester) has been taken over by a chain and the service managers are all new and seem a little unsure of themselves and it does seem a strange story, if I had been more on the ball I would have questioned it.

 

I think I will take the car down to our local ATS, who are excellent,  and get them to check/replace the battery as I don't want to get stuck next winter.  I'm thinking about handing maintenance on to a local garage as I'm now well out of warranty and paying for servicing at Skoda prices isn't a great idea if you get mis diagnosis of faults.

[silver1011]

Skoda have a reputation for fitting low spec batteries.

 

If ATS stock the Varta E44 or Bosch S5 go for one of these, very good batteries.

 

Better still buy online and fit yourself, it's a pretty easy DIY.