I've got a small electrical problem at the moment which my dealer is trying to sort out. The orange "blown bulb" light is on permanently and the MaxiDot showed "Check rear left indicator," then "Check Reversing Lights," followed by "Check Right Front Fog Light," in sequence. The left-hand flasher produces that double-speed ticking usually associated with a blown bulb, but the front left and left mirror repeater indicators work normally. The left rear indicator flashes three times, then remains on.

Since the first dealer visit, the "Check rear left indicator" warning no longer appears, whereas the other two still show in sequence, as before. A new left-hand rear light unit was tried, so maybe that explains the reduction in warning messages. The orange warning light remains on all the time. The car is booked in again later in the month, when it is possible that the whole dashboard may need to be removed (dealer's words, not mine). Skoda Technical are in the loop but would appear to be requiring tests on all units before replacement, hence the possibility of the dash removal.

Being a bit of a computer buff, it seems that the very simple thing that's not been tried so far (I checked) is what - in computer terms - I'd refer to as a "cold re-boot."

Right - that's long-windedly (sorry!) set the scene, now the question.

To do this, I'd need to take the battery leads off for a while, then re-connect them. This, in normal usage (admittedly, at a point well down the road), would be normal practice for battery replacement, so is there a length of time built in to allow the Columbus to continue working on re-connect, or does any disconnection - however short - require the radio code to be entered?

I'm told that the car has to be "plugged in" to re-code the radio, so if I'm going to try this, I suppose I'll need to be close to the dealer.

Any ideas?

Ray

Edited 10 March, 200917 yr by Argee

You're under warranty, so get the dealer to do it. If they can't fix it then they need to get you a new car.

You're under warranty, so get the dealer to do it. If they can't fix it then they need to get you a new car.

if only it were that simple !!

I am still having problems with my alarm going off and they cant fix it. Went off at 5am this morning and woke my 2yr old up. I am getting fed up but i suspect "getting a new car" will be a very difficult process

You're under warranty, so get the dealer to do it. If they can't fix it then they need to get you a new car.

Yeah, right - I'm going to get a new car because a warning light is on, aren't I? That's not the issue, as the dealer is only part-way through investigating the fault. The question was about battery disconnection.

RG

To do this, I'd need to take the battery leads off for a while, then re-connect them. This, in normal usage (admittedly, at a point well down the road), would be normal practice for battery replacement, so is there a length of time built in to allow the Columbus to continue working on re-connect, or does any disconnection - however short - require the radio code to be entered?

I'm told that the car has to be "plugged in" to re-code the radio, so if I'm going to try this, I suppose I'll need to be close to the dealer.

Ray

Answer: I specifically asked this when I took delivery - because I asked for the code then! What I was told by the technician is that you have 'about an hour' to reconnect the battery during which time the code is held in memory. IF you fail to re-connect the battery in that time then it needs 'plugged in' as stated. Skoda have however tightened up on security and it is no longer as easy for the technicians to get the 'code' for a car. They have to specifically log into the system using their own personal details to request the code. As they hadn't actually done that when I took delivery they were unable to say if the code would be instantly available to them or whether it would be sent by Skoda separately to him.

Chris - thanks very much for that comprehensive answer. Based on that, I'll do a 5-minute disconnect and see if that helps. I'm not hopeful, but I just think it ought to be tried.

Ray