Start Stop problem

[ECK54]

Hi all, Can anyone help regarding what the potential problem could be regarding my engine still runs when I come to a stop. This has just started to do this recently on my Fabia 1.2 tsi 2015 plate only 23,000 miles on the clock. The little asteric display comes on in the screen  as if it's working  however  the engine keeps running? Thanks for any replies.

[rum4mo]

The sign on the screen should come up with a line through it if Auto Stop/Start is not available due to power demands or battery charge health.

 

Are you sure that you are seeing the Auto Stop/Start available or not available.

 

Also, is the gearbox manual or DSG, and depending on which  type it is, does the screen accurately report which gear or mode it is in.

 

Also if it is a manual gearbox, when you come to a halt, take it out of gear and take your foot off the clutch, does it still continue running while the screen claims that Auto Stop/Start is available.

 

Finally check the dongle on the battery -VE post, is its cable plugged into it?

[lowedb]

There are many possibilities, especially in this hot weather, if you have the air conditioning on, and the car decides the interior isn't cool enough for example. I would expect if there was a problem that was causing it, you would have the engine warning lamp on.

[ECK54]

2 hours ago, rum4mo said:

The sign on the screen should come up with a line through it if Auto Stop/Start is not available due to power demands or battery charge health.

 

Are you sure that you are seeing the Auto Stop/Start available or not available.

 

Also, is the gearbox manual or DSG, and depending on which  type it is, does the screen accurately report which gear or mode it is in.

 

Also if it is a manual gearbox, when you come to a halt, take it out of gear and take your foot off the clutch, does it still continue running while the screen claims that Auto Stop/Start is available.

 

Finally check the dongle on the battery -VE post, is its cable plugged into it?

It's a manual gearbox, when I stop, the circle with the A  and a line through it appears on the screen as it always done, however now the engine keeps running and never cuts out now. Not sure what you mean by Finally check the dongle on the battery -VE post, is its cable plugged into it?

[Ootohere]

[rum4mo]

4 minutes ago, ECK54 said:

It's a manual gearbox, when I stop, the circle with the A  and a line through it appears on the screen as it always done, however now the engine keeps running and never cuts out now. Not sure what you mean by Finally check the dongle on the battery -VE post, is its cable plugged into it?

 

Other than the AC being on as mentioned above, or the BMS sensor lead being unplugged, or any of the other load demands being high, it might just be your journeys are very short with frequent engine starts, or that car might not be getting used much - or the battery is in poor health due to aging, compounded by the way the car is being used.

 

Having a voltmeter and checking the battery voltage is a handy to have in situations like this as it would give you an early indication of what the root cause of this problem was.

[ECK54]

3 minutes ago, Roottoot said:

Ok looks like its became unavailable for whatever reason, will prob get the battery checked out as I dont think it is any off the other reasons.

[mrgf]

From what I have seen and heard, it only takes a bit of a low battery to do this. I think around 70% charge or less!

 

This is most likely the norm on a five year old battery anyway!

[rum4mo]

We tend to treat the battery in my wife's August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI with a lot of consideration, well I tend to do most of the driving of this car and I certainly do as much as possible with the frequent use of the "Auto Stop/Start Off" switch, and I had been noticing a predictable drop off year by year in its capacity when tested using my CTEK (Midcounties designed) battery tester, and over the lockdown I've been treating it to occasional sessions with a CTEK charger/maintenance thing.  So, having time on my hands, while I was servicing it, I hooked it up to the CTEK, then on the next morning, I removed the charger about 09:00 finished off putting the Summer wheels on and tidying up the garage - decanting used oil  into a container and absorbing used brake fluid into sawdust etc. Had lunch and at around 15:00 I checked that battery using the tester, it was still sitting above the normal voltage for a fully charged battery, ie it read 13.1V but its capacity was up to its original rated value - so maybe the plan to fit a slightly bigger AGM battery along with a new battery tray and battery insulator will need to wait a bit longer, a pleasant surprise I must admit influenced slightly by the state of charge or PD across the battery.

I don't seem to have recorded that batteries manufacturer anywhere - yet.

[Eccles]

Firstly let me say that it won't work until the engine is well warmed up in my experience - say after 1/2 hour of running. Then in discussion with man in garage down the road the other day about battereries, etc., he advised me that if battery is getting on a bit, again, it won't work -as it no longer does for me. Probably why VAG recommend a new battery after five years and I will be getting one myself before the cold weather starts, my battery being now well past 5 yrs. Should be possible to get one for £80-90 unless you want to go to Halfords and get ripped off.

[Ootohere]

@Eccles

Your experience of stop / start not operating as you just posted is just that.

Not how they work in my experience of various models.  Stop start can operate from a cold start after reversing and stopping after a few feet if all is as it can be, ambient temp, interior temp setting, draw on the battery etc etc.

[rum4mo]

As above, my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI, in deepest winter, from a cold, stored in garage overnight, start, with cabin fan left off and bright enough for headlights to be off, reversed up a driveway, then driven 1/2 mile, if the first traffic lights are at red, and I've forgotten to switch OFF auto Stop/Start, that car will normally switch the engine off.

[Eccles]

Curiouser and curioser and like the curate's egg. Fitted a brand new fully charged battery yesterday, everything came back on - radio, settings menu, etc., but start/stop still did not get going until I had done about ten miles this morning. I did not turn it off and when I got to the end of our road (200 yds) and stopped to allow traffic to pass, it did not stop the engine and just showed the usual "A" with a slash mark through it.

 

 

[rum4mo]

@Eccles, did you do any recoding so that the car knows that the battery has been replaced?

If you old battery turned out to have become a "sick", and that is why you have replaced it with exactly the same type/technology without recoding it slightly, then the "smart" area of the battery charge maintenance  will  just be thinking that nothing has changed, though it will readapt the charging profile to suit that new battery eventually, or was the car recoded after the new battery was fitted but the new battery was well down in charge when you fitted it?

[Eccles]

No "recoding" done. The new battery was exactly the same type as the old one and I went through the computer stuff just to check if the car had a problem but everything seemed fine, radio worked, etc. From what I have read elsewhere so called "recoding" is only necessary if one changes the battery type. Oh and BTW this car has always not started to do "stop/start" until it has done a few miles right from when it was brand new.

Edited 21 August, 2020 by Eccles
omission

[rum4mo]

The car does not know its got another battery in it, why if you have a means of communicating with the car, did you not change the serial number when you changed the battery, I'd always do that or more if changing the capacity or technology of the battery?

[Eccles]

Confused now rum4. The "technology" of the new battery is exactly the same as the old battery, i.e. EFB start/stop 320 DIN,etc. and I am at a loss as to how the serial number makes any difference becuase I do not believe that the computer keeps a record of every battery serial number that might be fitted to the car. That simply does not make sense.

[Eccles]

After some further research I am beginning to get a vague idea what you are on about. If I don't change serial number computer will thnk it still has old battery to which it has adjusted teh charging level. Problem is how the dickens do i tell it a new serial number?

[rum4mo]

@Eccles, when you go into the area where the battery info is kept, ie look into CAN-GATEWAY,  and you should find the BMS sub section and in there you should find all the batteries info like, capacity (Amp hours) +  technology + manufacturer + serial number - all you need to do here is to change the last digit, or to help you remember when you fitted it, delete the last 6 digits and replace by the date.

 

If you like keeping an eye on things, look into Advanced Measuring Values and note what you find before making the serial number changes, then maybe again in a few weeks to see if things have changed and if so make your battery look a lot healthier - there should be a long list of stuff in there so you will need to scan down until you come across the ones relating to the battery.

 

The last time I did this sort of thing was back in mid February so facts are a bit vague, sorry.

 

Edit:- my my wife's 2015 VW Polo and my mate's 2018 VW T-Roc have the stored value for the battery serial number as 1111111 - ie lazy sods in the factory are not inputting the serial number from the actual battery being fitted, my daughter's 2019 SEAT Leon Cupra has all the correct info for the battery fitted into her car at the factory, so it can be done and some VW Group factories do make the effort, maybe Skoda do.

Edited 22 August, 2020 by rum4mo

[Eccles]

OK but I cannot see anything like CAN-GATEWAY when I press the various buttons along side the screen like "CAR" or "MENU" can you give me a clue as to how to access it.

[rum4mo]

I'd need to connect up to my wife's 2015 Polo to see/remind myself how you "get into things" - or, have you looked on the Rosstech website, it normally gives guidance for some standard procedures, it will probably show you 2 methods depending on age of car, your car will be the newer version.

 

Edit:-, ah, right, I thought that you had VCDS or similar, you will not find anything by just looking in via the infotainment system of your car.

Edited 22 August, 2020 by rum4mo

[Eccles]

Ah no I do not then have access, dam. Why don't VAG let owners get in without all this faffing about. Never mind, I have a very good (and reasonable) mobile mechanic who can probably do it, I will give a bell today.

[rum4mo]

Good, I'm sure that in USA at least, garages/battery outlets have focussed on this "battery needs coding to car" as a proper money earner, maybe even $100+ being a typical charge, lovely stuff for the battery outlets!

 

It will not just be VW Group that are doing this, I'd think that when BEM first appeared, many if not all modern cars makers ending up needing to do this.

[Eccles]

My man came today, he thinks the Yuasa battery which I fitted is probably better than the original MOLL. Then he says that the car has had another new battery in the past:- "The computer says JCB and serial no 1111111111". Er no says me I bought it new, LOL. So much for VAG's wonderful installation procedures eh? Of course it's an absolute disgrace that owners cannot use a simple procedure to replace a known and easily fitted renewable like they can with wiper blades, light bulbs and engine oil. Malcolm was happy with  a tenner for calling round and doing ten minutes work.

[AGFalco]

I have had front side light bulbs listed at 1 Hour labour to change one.

Some people have had fun with Fabia III headlight bulbs as well.

 

Everything is becoming harder if you ask me.

 

Thanks, AG Falco