Error: Start-Stop System

[andyvee]

Factory normally come back pretty quickly.

[andyvee]

Oh, and give SUK my case number.

[Web Ferret]

Does it come up with an Error message on the Maxidot and in the Car section on Infotainment?

None.

No warning lights or errors - simply doesn't restart on lifting brake pedal.

[andyvee]

Could be something as simple as a dodgy brake light switch then. If you aren't getting any errors or the message to restart the engine manually then the system isn't aware you have released the brake would be my guess.

[SamIOW]

Here is the update: factory have been working on it since last Friday and have got no further in resolving the problem. I now stand at 106 days ownership, 40 days spent in the garage! Customer services have said I will get a gesture of good will as compensation. New car with a few extras thrown in would be nice!!

[iDENTITi]

You'll be lucky... I got £100 good will and I haven't had mine since February. And a few weeks in between!

[SamIOW]

You'll be lucky... I got £100 good will and I haven't had mine since February. And a few weeks in between!

there was a bit of sarcasm in my last post but I was hoping for a bit more than that! What's up with yours!?

[SamIOW]

Factory now says to replace ECU. Garage will do this early next week. Still no guarantees this sorts he problem. Day 108 ownership, day 42 in the garage. Told customer services I am almost at the point of requesting a new vehicle, they said if I wish to do this I need to put it in writing, going to send the letter monday.

If I do reject the car not sure how this puts my relations with the dealer!? If they are doing everything under guidance of the factory I guess it won't put them in a bad light?

[andyvee]

Not the dealers fault. If the factory can't fix it, how can the dealer be expected to?

 

The only thing they could have done better is escalated to the factory sooner and not messed around so much.

 

If you reject the car be prepared for a wait for a replacement. I would put your rejection to them in writing (and to VWFS if it is on finance as they own the car) and give them another week to fix it.

 

A replacement ECU isn't the end of the world, faults do and can happen, but if that doesn't cure it I would have thought they are running out of ideas.

[gadgetman]

VWFS seem to be the primary route as paying for something you can't enjoy, so seek a refund of payments as well.

[SamIOW]

Cheers for the advice guys. Yeah I have been logging the equivalent finance payments I have been paying in relation to the time I have not had the car. They have given me a courtesy car, a 1.2L Rapid, not quite the equivalent to what I am paying for! If I do reject I would prefer a new car rather than money back because when I have had it, I love it. What does worry me is if I reject the car and they accept there will be a long wait for a new car and will they still give me the courtesy car!? Then I could be left with no transport for 5-6 months!

I just feel like I need to take some sort of action because this has been going on so long and I can't see the end point. Saying that, changing the ECU must stand a good chance of fixing it!? I would imagine this is an expensive bit of kit and a lengthy job so is the last resort, but a strong chance of fixing it.

Maybe I should give it one more week like you said Andy but also send a letter to dealership manager and finance company to relay my frustrations and say rejection is close to being my next step?

[andyvee]

No, tell them you are rejecting the car unless fixed in 7 days. You want a full refund of all finance payments made and an equivalent courtesy car until they provide an exact spec replacement from the factory, and you will start the finance from day 0 at that point.

 

You should not be inconvenienced at all, it is your money, but you also have to give them a fair chance to rectify issues. 50 days out of 120ish days ownership would be deemed reasonable by any court, and that is the test under SOGA. In fact, it is more than reasonable. If your dealer hadn't wasted so much time before escalating you may be in a different position. Your contract is with the supplying dealer, BUT VWFS own the car, not you, so if it isn't fit for purpose then VWFS have to rectify.

 

They will try and fob you off but put it in writing to both VWFS, SUK & the dealership. Tell them to get the Rapid back and give you an Octy III loaner until the factory car is ready. A bit of publicity in the local press goes a long way if they start being awkward.

 

Honest John has lots of advice on how to reject a car, worth reading it.

[SamIOW]

Took your advice Andy and said I am rejecting if problem not resolved within 7 days. No acknowledgement from garage but I know they forwarded the email to customer services as they told me when I spoke to them.

Today I learnt that there are no ECUs in stock in UK so one is being sent from factory. I have been given no timeline for when it will arrive in uk. Bare in mind the ECU swap was determined as nxt step last Friday!

I asked customer services what the 'gesture of good will' would amount to if by some miracle the car was returned this week! I was told they do not give cash compensation. I would get a voucher to purchase skoda accessories or money off a service, I have 3 years free servicing already!

I have gone beyond anger and frustration now, just amazed at how long this saga goes on!

[andyvee]

Make sure you notify SUK and VWFS as well. Shame it has to end like this. I an sure if they look hard enough there is an ECU in an equivalent car in the showroom - it has been done before when parts are unavailable.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

[SamIOW]

I got the car back today! So far the new ECU seems to have sorted it, but let's give it another 100 miles or so!

[gadgetman]

Great news. I'd still push VWFS & SUK for some sort of refund of your payments

[SamIOW]

Had the car over a week and new ECU is holding just fine! Managed to get £450 towards anything on skoda network after heavy negotiation! Getting a new sat nav, hot and cold box, boot storage bag and a load of cycling gear. Happy skoda owner once again! : )

[SamIOW]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

The fault is BACK. Driving this evening and the error warning came up again after nearly 4 months with no problems.

I have only done 3400 miles!

After several months of messing around last time they changed the ECU which seemed to do the trick. Wander what they'll try now!?

[iDENTITi]

Mine came back too, on a new car.

The only problem with this error is for some reason it doesn't log fault codes.

Hasn't happened since but I've been noticing I sometimes get a large red X on the start stop status page.

Odd.

[iDENTITi]

Wrong thread... Whoops

Edited 24 November, 2014 by iDENTITi

[iDENTITi]

Car went back in for a week, can gateway replaced (it was randomly spiking battery draw apparently)

All sorted, all explained completely. Very happy.

Jump back in it, high power draw message still there.

Call over the manager, "oh that's normal as you've just started it, unless there's a light on there's no fault"

But no other cars I've had have done this...

"And?"

Not happy now.

They'd been running the engine at idle for nearly an hour previously, no reason for the battery to be drawn down. Average mpg 9mpg over 2miles (nice).

Cars being refused on Monday, I'm not trusting this piece of scrap over the Christmas break, seriously so bloody angry it isn't even funny now.

Two cars, with the same problem. Skoda really need to sort this crap out or it's going to trading standards/watchdog etc.

[andyvee]

Is your dashcam still plugged in to a permanent live?

 

The low mpg will be because they had been idling it for ages. It takes 2 hours doesn't it for the 'Since Start' consumption figures to reset?

 

Are you getting the errors on the Start Stop still?

[iDENTITi]

Is your dashcam still plugged in to a permanent live?

The low mpg will be because they had been idling it for ages. It takes 2 hours doesn't it for the 'Since Start' consumption figures to reset?

Are you getting the errors on the Start Stop still?

Dash cam was unplugged (they had it)

The idling was them before i picked it up, therefore the battery should have been charging all that time. It was still warm when I started it.

No error since, but I haven't had it for a week.

They had a dash light up when they had it, but they wouldn't elaborate what.

[andyvee]

If you clear the error does it come back - they might have had it in the workshop with the interior lights on for ages or something daft. The high power draw doesn't mean your battery is flat, it means that the car was drawing current with the igntion off after it has put all the systems to sleep. Usually caused by something plugged in or connected to a permanent live (have you wired the adapter for your dashcam straight into the fusebox?) or a wiring short or component failure.

 

You need to take any additional electrical items out of the equation, so if you have your dashcam hardwired in pull the fuse and see if the error comes back.

[iDENTITi]

Dash cam is into the cig lighter. It's unplugged when I stop. I have the bits to hardware it into ign live, but with all these problems it hardly seems worth it!

I've raised the issue with skoda and finance again for review on Monday and told them I'll keep a log of it over the weekend.

Going to have to borrow the missus laptop later as I cracked the screen on mine!

The issue with the car originally was the can bus controller not shutting down when the car was turned off before, randomly turning systems on and off while the cars "sleeping"

It's been replaced and recoded to the car, but for that message to pop back up so quickly just concerns me.

I've got a work do tonight so it's perfect time to test it. Nice long 25mile motorway drive, 3-4hours parked up and another drive home. Typical conditions it does it in.

We shall see!