Hi there,

Hoping you knowledgable folk on here could offer me some advice or guidance please? Hope this is the right place to post.

Thank you for reading if you do - hopefully the post isn't too long by the time I've finished!

I have an Automatic 05 plate Octavia 2.0 TDI - one owner I think before me, I bought it in 2008. Now just coming up to 100,000 miles and has served me really well over the years.

Took the car into Kwik Fit to have a full service around maybe March or April this year and have a few tyres fitted and a brake light replaced. All work was done but when drove out after 2 minutes the faulty light icon appeared so I drove straight back and they put another in. All fine. A day or two later the faulty light came back on so I just presumed it was another faulty light and stupidly drove around with it on for a few months without looking at it until I took it back to the same place for MOT in August. They had to fail the MOT due to not being able to get the back brake light working after numerous bulbs and told me to take it to a dealer to get diagnostics done.

I took it to an indy garage who did some work, I cannot remember for the life of me what they said exactly but something about the wiring not working right so they did a temporary fix with the wiring to get the back brake light working but - as a consequence of the fix the faulty light icon would remain on. They said they would have to get into the car (under the seats??) to work out why and it was going to be a costly job so to come back when I could afford for them to do this.

A few days later after the car had done a few long motorway runs which it hadn't done for a year or so, the EML came on but the car was still driving fine. I took it back to the same garage who cleared fault codes and the EML light went off. A day later, the EML light came back on so I called the garage and they advised a lot more work would be needed and mentioned a possibly faulty ECU but that was just one possibility.

Cash has been tight and is even more so now so I never got round to going back to them since August. Car has been running fine since then still with the EML light on and the faulty light icon (even though brake light works etc) until the cold in December when wouldn't start - no power so a new battery was fitted.

Car still running fine after new battery with the EML light still on until yesterday. I was making a quick trip when I suddenly felt there was no power when putting foot down, engine running fine but no gear changes (Automatic) so I pulled over. I noticed a light down near the Air Con had come on ARS OFF was lit up yellow and wouldn't go green when pressed. The automatic gear icons on the dashboard display were all flashing. I turned the engine off for a few mins and then restarted, all seemed ok but within a minute same happened again but this time the EPS icon came on yellow. Turned off again and waited a while before restarting. No lights came on this time (apart from the EML and faulty light etc) and I could get going, I reversed the car to turn back round to go home and the car went for about a minute before the power went again, gear lights flashing ARS OFF and the EPS Icon came on RED and this time a few warning sounds went off. So I called breakdown.

Breakdown came out, I drove round home and breakdown followed (a few miles). Car drove fine but the seatbelt icon came on (I was wearing it) and the ESP (not EPS this time) came on.

Arrived home but asked the breakdown to take it to the garage I have used earlier who know the history as I figured with all that happening, it's going to happen again right? And there is definitely something wrong?

So, after all that (apologies for the maybe unecessary detail) I spoke to the garage this morning to explain to them what had happened, I explained about the gear lights flashing and no real power but engine still running etc and he said "So you think it's a faulty gearbox?" I said "No, I don't really have a clue what it is so am just explaining what happened." I then mentioned to him about what he had said back in August that it may need a new ECU and he said "Ok, they'll look into it and get back to me." It's going to be a few days before they can look at it though.

Basically my questions to anyone here who can offer advise is, is it a faulty ECU? I see they cost quite a lot and I am literally down to zero cash at the mo. :( Does the ECU need a software update? Is it just mis-reporting? Is it even anything to do with the ECU??

Sorry I know I'm basically asking for advice when I have no fault codes etc but I wondered what you guys would do as Octavia owners? Is there anything that stands out from what I have said?

Sorry it's so long and thank you for reading and offering advice if you can folks.

Edited 8 January, 201313 yr by trisco

You need to get the fault codes, and with that level of blackpool illuminations some fault codes will definitely be logged.

I seem to remeber faults being linked to the break light switch in the past? maybe worth looking into?

Only thing I can say at the moment is I wouldn't have a lot of confidence in your garage knowing what they are doing from what you have said.

Have you checked for water in the fuse box in the engine bay or a leaking rear washer pipe - water in the spare wheel well is the usual give away for this.

Many thanks for your replies and advice both of you.

Yup I'm going to ask for the fault codes I think once they have ran diagnostics, I've never asked before so I guess there is no real problem in me asking is there?

I'll do a bit more digging regarding the brake lights on this form to see if I can find similar situation. I previously searched for ECU problems.

Nope I haven't checked that andyvee. What is that likely to cause? All the unit to mis-report and go hay wire? Would that cause it to go into sort of limp home mode where the gear selection does not occur automatically?

Actually, funny you should say regarding the rear leaking wash pipe. You mean the back window? That stopped working either late last year or early this - no water at all comes out? Is that significant?

Not what you want to hear if cash is tight but with the type of problems you have there's no way I'd be going anywhere near an Indy. I do use them regularly but there are some things that you really are better off visiting the dealers for.

Leave the Indy's to MOTs, servicing, exhausts/brakes, etc

Thanks for your reply m.a. Yup, I'm beginning to think I need to do that.

I have a gut feeling this Indy may be slightly flummoxed by the problems. They are a really reputable garage though so not sure why I get that impression.

The thing that frustrates me is that the car runs and feels fine. Feels really good and no different to when I first got it really. Just these darn lights which I guess must mean a lot though.

Anyone think it could be all be due to something simple like water leaks as suggested earlier? Could that make the ecu mis report?

Kwik Fit is one of the few places I would never let touch my car, having had a majorly bad experience with them in the past. ECU faults are very rare, usually the issues are elsewhere and the fault codes will reveal all.

I believe ya mannyo, a few days after I'd had the car in the branch had been closed down!

They actually put down on MOT recommendations that the back tyres needed changing forgetting they'd replaced them 3 or 4 months earlier.

Agree with mannyo on this. ECU's are pretty reliable, however water in connectors and junctions boxes, faulty or damaged sensors are a fairly common sources of difficulties.

Having someone with model specific experience can save you shed loads.

I doubt it needs an ECU if it does it needs 4 as 4 different systems are affected. Without looking my guess is either a heavy power drain or an alternator fault or faulty power/alternator cables. Multiple system failures is a sure sign of power or more importantly current loss.<br />

Edited 8 January, 201313 yr by 07 vRS Taxi

Might even be a failing battery...

Yeah he's had one though.

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My alternator failed on my vw transporter yesterday and I had almost every warning light in the dashboard lit up. It's one of the first things I would get checked on a car that is displaying similar symptoms.

I have a gut feeling this Indy may be slightly flummoxed by the problems. They are a really reputable garage though so not sure why I get that impression.

I have a local garage run by a VAG soecialist that I use. I'd trust him to strip down my engine and rebuild it any day. He has about thirty years experience and will fix things rather than the dealer trick of using a computer to identify a list of porential problems and swapping parts until the fault goes (modern service techs are more 'fitters' than 'mechanics').

When I asked the above Indy to take a look at a headlight issue on my old car he didnt know how to get the headlight out. I showed hom and then he broke te carrier putting the light back in.

As I said, there are some jobs where it is appropriate (and even best) to use a trusted independent and other where you shouldn't let them near your car.......

Yeah he's had one though.

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He did say though that with the new battery the car seemed ok - then it went again, so perhaps not charging properly.....

He did say though that with the new battery the car seemed ok - then it went again, so perhaps not charging properly.....

So we are agreed an alternator/cable fault

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Seeing as the fault started with a rear brake light issue and the rear washer stopping working I would be looking behind the near side trim panel in the boot, I reckon the connector will be soaked and shorting out to earth.

I would also get the indy to remove whatever bodge they did to get your lights working - hopefully this hasn't damaged a control module.

Once you have it all dried out and cleaned up take a look at the alternator as others have said. The fault codes logged will reveal all, but you need to get whatever bodge the indy did out of the equation.