I've had a load of lights come up all together. The yellow power steering warning, ABS, intermittent ESP, flashing red exclamation mark and an emissions workshop warning all came on when I started the car a couple of days ago. Additionally the speedo has stopped working and the fuel gauge needle won't settle. I took it to a local VW Audi specialist who plugged his laptop in and told me it's "probably" the ABS ECU as the software was unable to communicate with it.  I get that the ABS can affect the ESP and power steering but would it also affect the speedo and fuel gauge? I'm not convinced it isnt a dashboard problem.  Any advice would be appreciated. The car is a 2007 2.0 TDI estate if that helps

1 hour ago, PaulThePie said:

Any advice would be appreciated.

With multiple failures like this, it's always a good idea to test the battery properly before assuming anything electronic has failed.

Thanks KenONeill, I'll get that checked today

 

Going by the vehicle's age and inability to communicate with the ABS I would imagine the wiring and/or connections have failed somewhere especially given your symptoms.

 

Failed solder joints in the instrument panel are also a possibility but given a "VW Audi specialist" couldn't get access to a major system I would concentrate on more accessible items first such as fuses/relays and wire continuity.

 

A good auto electrician should be able to trace your fault(s) easily unlike dealer fitters who scan and replace parts until they hit the target at your expense.

dont know if this helps you, i had similar issue with mine, sometimes it read codes but couldn't with abs, most of the time no comms at all, all warning lights on, even while driving, once switched off couldn't get it to start, new bat, new fuse box, ecu and cluster checked, after alot of faffin about turned out to be water getting into canbus, (rainy days) cleaned it and problem sorted, ive put new canbus since and never had problem again.

 

 

3 hours ago, 111zah111 said:

water getting into canbus

That's very interesting; CANbus is a communications protocol, not a piece of hardware.

6 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

That's very interesting; CANbus is a communications protocol, not a piece of hardware.

canbus gateway module

 

 

I had a similar problem earlier this year after the car was stood unused during a period of nearly two weeks of rain. 

Several other people had reported similar random dash board warning lights. In all cases the clue was that the faults lights changed depending on what else was switched-on as shown in attached photos.

 

I fixed mine by leaving all the windows open on the first sunny day. Likely to have been moisture condensation. No problems since then.

 

 

21 hours ago, KenONeill said:

With multiple failures like this, it's always a good idea to test the battery properly before assuming anything electronic has failed.

Battery checks out fine.

14 hours ago, 111zah111 said:

dont know if this helps you, i had similar issue with mine, sometimes it read codes but couldn't with abs, most of the time no comms at all, all warning lights on, even while driving, once switched off couldn't get it to start, new bat, new fuse box, ecu and cluster checked, after alot of faffin about turned out to be water getting into canbus, (rainy days) cleaned it and problem sorted, ive put new canbus since and never had problem again.

 

 

That's helpful. I've had an airbag warning light on and off for a while too. I had it done a couple of times and the guy said it was water in a joint in the drivers side footwell. Weirdly though it was on for months then went out a week or so before this new problem started. Certainly worth taking a look. Thanks for the suggestion

A diagnostic tool should detail which airbag(s) are showing as faulty so rectification work can be undertaken e.g. if the driver's side airbag in the seat flags up then the first place to check is the electrical connection under the seat.  Again the vehicle's age comes into play as 14 year old connections oxidise/suffer from movement and wires chafe/corrode.

Thank you all. Problem solved. I'm scrapping it and I've bought a new one 

I had a similar issue last year, also after heavy rain.

 

The ESP and skid lights came on and the power kept failing to certain things on turning left, such as the wipers (meaning I had to stop and restart the engine after every roundabout in the rain).    The headlight dash light and illumination also failed, though the lamps themselves stayed on.

 

The next day... fine. 

 

And fine since.   I did push in all the fuses and relays in case one was loose, and perhaps it was just rain in the wrong place?