Hi all

Just wondered if anyone can help

I have a 2010 Octavia ii 4x4 estate (diesel 2litre)

Bought second hand January 2014 and has been a super reliable delight.

 

Yesterday it wouldn’t start- got starter motor clicking and flashing warning lights then the exhaust Control system light stayed on.

 

Checked the battery with a multimeter, it was low so charged it up and put it back in the car.  Engine started first time.

 

Exhaust control system light went out but amber steering light stayed on. Drove up the road and it went out quickly so I was guessing that the lights were just a temporary ECU brain fart from having the battery low? Drove for a few minutes to check steering felt fine.

 

Later in the evening took it out for a 40 minute drive to check all felt well. It did. 

 

Looked through all the windows when it was dark to see if any lights were on to create a drain. They weren’t.

 

This morning checked battery with multimeter. It read 12.34.  This seems low for a battery that’s been fully charged then used to start the vehicle twice and driven for 40 minutes?

 

Had a read on here that suggested that the alarm siren can be a drain so checked the siren. It works.

 

When idling the battery read 14.19

 

My smart charger has an ‘alternator check’ setting but it needs a full battery so charged the battery to full again and did the alternator test both with the car idling and with the car idling and with radio, blowers and full beams. Both came back ‘alternator fine’

Steering warning light showed again. I didn’t drive the car at all through so perhaps this would have gone out as before.

 

The smart charger is also meant to do a rudimentary check on the battery before it charges it and didn’t show any problems.

 

So I guess my questions are:

1. Is the reading of 12.34 this morning a problem? and if so does it likely indicate:

- A knackered battery? (I don’t know its history as the car was second hand and we may have done a lot of short journeys recently but probably no more than usual. It’s also survived winter with no problems

- A drain somewhere in the system?

1. Should I be concerned about the warning lights or is it just a temporary symptom of battery issues?

 

In case its relevant when I used the key to open the windows (by holding down the ‘unlock’ button,, which I swear is the most ridiculous feature in the world) they all opened but when I used the holding down the ‘lock’ button to shut them, only those on the drivers side went up the first couple of times I tried. Guessing that’s not relevant but thought I’d mention.

 

 

Thanks as ever for your help. I'm a mechanical idiot so please speak slowly

Battery readings seem good to me , the steering warning lights are a sign that the battery has been flattened/disconnected, normal goes away after a short run , don't know about the exhaust control one. !

New battery time, these threads are extremely common.

 

A low or failing battery can have strange effects on the Octavia.

 

Each time the battery is disconnected (or goes flat) the warning lights are on whilst the systems re-calibrate, they go out after a short drive, perfectly normal.

 

Try to find a Varta E44 (096) battery, these are identical to the Bosch S5 - a very good battery.

Thanks gents.