Help re ABS control unit & power steering pump

[Athena7]

Hi guys,

I hope you could help me.

I just spoke to Skoda garage regarding my ABS and power steering light being on my dashboard.

They said I need a new ABS control unit and power steering pump in order for the lights go off so I could pass my MOT test.

They quoted me over £2,000 for the job :eek::eek: That seems awfully lot!! Do I need that doing to my car?

I need to get the ABS warning light off my dashboard in order to pass my MOT (which has now passed). I really don't want to spend this kind of money as my car is almost 10 years old and is not even worth this much.

Can anyone advise what to do? Can I ask a non-Skoda garage to disconnet my ABS light from the dashboard so I can pass MOT? Where could I buy the ABS unit by myself rather than getting it from garage?

All your help would be greatly appreciated as I'm desperate and obviously without a car at the moment! :(:(

[LouisTsui]

So, is your ABS and power steering working at all?

About the ABS light, you might want to read this thread, which I contributed some time ago.

http://briskoda.net/maintenance-performance/abs-pump-replacement/118934/

[Athena7]

Well the power steering comes and goes but mostly it is working and the ABS .... to be honest I don't feel any difference when braking so I don't really know if it does or not.... I cannot tell the difference.

Thank you for the link!

I'm just going to the garage to pick up my car, they told me they put it on diagnostic machine and it came with LOTS of faults (I assume these will be mostly electrical) so I'm not looking forward to it!

I just read a review somewhere that it might be something to do with with battery? I haven't had mine replaced since I bought the car new 9 years ago... or maybe the alternator?

[LouisTsui]

The power steering might just need a new sensor (cheap fix IIRC), I replaced mine years ago (same problem), steering light never came back on.

Good luck

[Woolfy]

Well the power steering comes and goes but mostly it is working and the ABS .... to be honest I don't feel any difference when braking so I don't really know if it does or not.... I cannot tell the difference.

Try braking very hard on a slippery surface (somewhere where there isn't any danger of hitting anything or anybody hitting you., like a mud or grass car park) and you will hear a very noticeable banging/knocking of the ABS working and you should feel the vibrations at the brake pedal as well. If all you get is the squeal and/or slidding noise of locked up sliding wheels then you know your ABS isn't working.

Hope you can resolve it:thumbup:

[Quirrel]

Years back my mate got my car through an MOT by putting his hand behind my dash and physically stopping the ABS light, permanently

Those were the days.

[ric04vrs]

wiring loom water corrosion above the N/S inner wing can cause all sorts of problems with the ABS , maybe get that checked out before spending loads of money

[Athena7]

Thanks guys!

I spent about 20 minutes at Skoda garage yesterday and it came out that they don't actually know if it is the ABS control unit or the pump that is faulty. This is after paying £88 for an hour of diagnostics!!! Surely they should have found out by doing this which one it is?

So after all it came out that it might be just the pump that is faulty.

They said they also replaced a fuse inside the ABS control unit (part number N10424902) and that didn't make the light go off the dashboard.

As I really cannot afford to pay £2,200 for new ABS unit (inlcuding labour) or buy a new car at the moment - I was thinking has anyone tried disconnecting the ABS unit from the dashboard so the light disappears??? Anything to get me through my MOT :((

[TriggerFish]

Disconnecting it won't work as I believe they have a chart that shows the cycle of the lights on the car (or something like that) and any mechanic worth his keep can tell if a car has ABS, espeacilly on the Fabia as its so easy to see.

[Athena7]

Thanks TriggerFish! Not good news though....

I believe now that it might be something to do with my battery or alternator, as I'm experiencing lots of different problems at the same time. To name few .... engine reving up when stationery; alarm going off at random times (without the lights flashing!); power steering light on; engine management light on ...

I have not yet replaced the battery on my car since it was new (now coming to 9 years old) so I think I will do that first and also check the alternator and fuses before I commit myself to buying a new ABS unit!

[ric04vrs]

I believe now that it might be something to do with my battery or alternator, as I'm experiencing lots of different problems at the same time. To name few .... engine reving up when stationery; alarm going off at random times (without the lights flashing!); power steering light on; engine management light on ...

hence the reason why i mentioned to get the wiring loom checked , as it causes all sorts of faults

[fordfan]

As far as Skoda parts go the control unit comes as part of the ABS pump. Why are you taking a car of that age to a dealer?, as they have no real option but to fit parts sourced from Skoda to your car.

As your car is an Elegance model it will have the ASR in with the ABS unit. From experience these particular units are difficult to source from a breaker and do not come up new or reconditioned on e-bay, I recall that the Skoda price new on these is around £750 + VAT, so where they are getting £2,200 from is puzzling.

If your electrics check out OK, what I would do, in your position, would be to source one of the more common non ASR units, either from e-bay or from a breaker and get it fitted by an independent who know what they are doing, remove the ASR switch and put in a blank.

To put us on a more level playing field with your dealer, it would be nice to have the fault codes from the scan.

[webley]

I to have got an ABS light glowing at me,also an ASR light ,also a red Brake warning light which constantly flashes

To cap it all every time I switch on the ignition I get 3 warning beeps.

I have checked the codes and get the following.

00283 ,wheel speed signal left front G47

00285 wheel speed signal front right G45

00287 wheel speed signal right rear G44

I can not believe 3 wheels sensors have failed.

When checked on a snap on Scanner no live data is received from any of the wheels when the vehicle is moving.

My next move is either,

1. remove ABS controller from pump and send away for testing and repair.

or

2. fire 28 gms of no 6 shot at flashing lights.

The car is Fabia 1.9 Tdi Comfort X reg.

Any advice also appreciated.

Has anybody used ECU-testing .com

[Athena7]

I to have got an ABS light glowing at me,also an ASR light ,also a red Brake warning light which constantly flashes

To cap it all every time I switch on the ignition I get 3 warning beeps.

I have checked the codes and get the following.

00283 ,wheel speed signal left front G47

00285 wheel speed signal front right G45

00287 wheel speed signal right rear G44

I can not believe 3 wheels sensors have failed.

When checked on a snap on Scanner no live data is received from any of the wheels when the vehicle is moving.

My next move is either,

1. remove ABS controller from pump and send away for testing and repair.

or

2. fire 28 gms of no 6 shot at flashing lights.

The car is Fabia 1.9 Tdi Comfort X reg.

Any advice also appreciated.

Has anybody used ECU-testing .com

I have the same problem! My brake light (red warning signal) is on too and beeps three times when I switch on the engine and then continues flashing when I drive. I've been told it is connected with the ABS light so if one is on the other one comes on soon too....

I had sensors replaced on 3 wheels (ABS sensors), been told my wheel speed sensors are ok.

I would also be interested to hear about testing of my ABS unit ....

[Athena7]

As far as Skoda parts go the control unit comes as part of the ABS pump. Why are you taking a car of that age to a dealer?, as they have no real option but to fit parts sourced from Skoda to your car.

As your car is an Elegance model it will have the ASR in with the ABS unit. From experience these particular units are difficult to source from a breaker and do not come up new or reconditioned on e-bay, I recall that the Skoda price new on these is around £750 + VAT, so where they are getting £2,200 from is puzzling.

If your electrics check out OK, what I would do, in your position, would be to source one of the more common non ASR units, either from e-bay or from a breaker and get it fitted by an independent who know what they are doing, remove the ASR switch and put in a blank.

To put us on a more level playing field with your dealer, it would be nice to have the fault codes from the scan.

£2,200 is including labour! Not good ... very pricey indeed.

What is ASR please?

I'm going to ask my Skoda dealer who did the scan to give me the codes and they I will post them here.

Thanks!

[ric04vrs]

What is ASR please?

Skodas name for traction control , as Fordfan said , there should be a button on the dash above the radio , if it is fitted

[Athena7]

Hi guys,

Just spoke to the mechanic at Skoda garage that looked at my car and the following came out:

1) they didn't run the FULL diagnostic analysis! on my car - apparently they stopped at lambda probe because it was getting too expensive???!

2) they didn't check the wiring, battery or alternator

3) they told me it cannot be due to the alternator because apparently if the alternator is giving out excessive voltage it would shut down other systems like radio etc ?? Not sure if I believe that. And that it would come out during their diagnostic test.

What do you think? I've just asked him to send me the full list of codes so when I have them I will post them here ....

I'm becoming quite an expert now - soon to open my very own women only garage hahahaha

[fj1200a]

With due respect to you it sounds like they are treating you like a fool. My advice is take it to a reputable independent, pay half the labour rate and get someone who knows what they are at. The chance that it is your battery especially if it is original, is well within the realms of possibility. £2200 - THEY ARE HAVING A LAUGH

[KenONeill]

Yeah, as other thread(s) I'd suspect the battery, more so since ISTR the Furbie having electric PAS, which can draw more at peak load than the alternator can kick out.

[Athena7]

Thanks guys!

For sure I won't have any repairs done at this garage - maybe I was a fool thinking that if it was Skoda dealer it would give me better service! Oh well....

The problem is to find a reputable independent garage ...

Any recommendations for Manchester and surrounding areas please??

[ric04vrs]

AwesomeGTI , a site sponsor

[AndyPandy]

regardless of amount of use,I have never had a car battery to last more than 7 years.

The average is about 4 years.

In order of faults things to check are:-

battery is the first (Battery ,cheap replacement ,or over 4 years old).

Second is the Alternator (including blue wire).

Third is Steering Sensor ( electronic fault of actual sensor).

Last is Steering Pump ( PCB inside gets wet and corrodes) .

Edited 21 August, 2009 by AndyPandy

[KenONeill]

AwesomeGTI , a site sponsor

:iagree:

[Athena7]

Saga continues ....

I asked my Skoda dealer for the list of fault codes and it came out that they LOST them! So I will be going there again so they can run the full fault code reading again .... aaargh!!

In the meantime - does anyone know where to buy a good reconditioned ABS control unit from (including the pump inside)??

Thanks!!

[cjb]

Did Wardy not get back in touch?