Wife was driving our 2016 Fabia when the EPC light came on. The car started vibrating and went into Limp Home mode. 10 mins after she got home I checked the car. There was nothing showing in the vehicle status and nothing on my code reader. Took it to our Skoda garage and they put it on the diagnostics equipment and again nothing came up. Driving ok now but any thoughts on why it happened and why nothing has shown up on the diagnostic test.

 

Thanks

Don't rely on the dash to show faults as when they do often it's too late.  Could be so many things as these computers and programs are so interlinked but I'd always start with having the car battery fully charged (or slow, low, long recharge off the car) regardless of the car starting and the lights seeming to be bright enough.  The computers run on a 5v system but I've no idea how low the battery can go before it interferes with the computers.

 

The garage should be able to read historic fault codes and make sense of them if they know what they're doing and spend enough time at it, if it went into limp mode surely there must be a fault code record of this and perhaps the triggers or at least other fault codes.  Did the garage give you the scan read off full report (hundreds of lines long) to show the lack of codes?  How deep did they go?  Did they road test whilst recording with scan tool?  (I've no idea how good or poor the scan tools are that they use but I've seen videos of scan tools that do no end and are very fast and in the right hands very good).

 

If they didn't clear the codes a machine that can get to them should give clues - but then you need someone with the knowledge and experience to use that information to fully diagnosis the true problem.

 

If it's a case the car battery is low then perhaps fully recharging it and clearing any codes (and any resets possible) might do enough for now as the garage have got nowhere it's worth a try.

 

Is the car fully serviced and any recalls or attentions dealt with, have you gone further than the basic service schedule?.

 

Is the car driven regularly and on longer journey journeys?

 

I'm sure others will come up with lots of possibilities and it might be one or any but I'd always start with a fully recharged battery.

 

Good luck let us know how you get on.

 

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by nta16

There were no historic codes and the car was only serviced 6 weeks ago. This was put on the diagnostic equipment at the main dealers. They told me they had road tested the car. 

How many miles has the car done?

 

Were the spark plugs changed at the last Service.

If they were changed does the invoice show what were fitted? 

You can get misfires that can cause the EPC light to come on and yet no misfire code logged because not enough in a cycle. 

 

 

By historic codes I meant after the service, if it went into limp mode sure that would throw up codes?

 

Was the road test just driving it or whilst recording data on the scan tool?

 

What were the conditions when the car went into limp mode, weather, electrical load, gear changing, accelerating, braking, whatever might be relevant.

 

Do you know if they visually or physically checked the car over or just scan tool 'd it.

 

A couple of weeks ago my wife's car said a bulb was out but when I checked it wasn't and back home no more dash warning, I change the bulb (new unused replacement bulb stored in shed didn't work which I've had before because of poor parts quality nowadays) and cleaned and all the other bulbs and connects just in case. but I've no idea what caused the warning.

 

I'll just repeat, fully check/charge the battery and that's me out of ideas.

 

I am sure a Euro 6 1.2 TSI can have misfires that have the EPC light come on and yet not have any fault code logged.

Going into limp mode should though. 

e-Roottoot as you know I'm not technical but I've seen videos of scan tools that can record such stuff but they need to be good and fast, so more expensive and perhaps up-to-date than dare I suggest some garages and Dealership might carry - but I don't know as I've never seen what they use.

 

ETA: Your post beat me to what I was going to put.

 

From what I've seen there appears to be on some cars (no idea with VAG) pretty wide margins before error codes are recorded.  I know by the time my wife's Fabia showed a TPMS error it was too late and pretty obvious the tyre had deflated - more stating the bleeding obvious, which may sometimes be need for some perhaps(?).

 

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by nta16

The car has done 48,000 miles. The plugs were changed 2 years ago at 38,000 miles

 

Think a visit to Kwik Fit for a free Battery check is in order

Best get them checked then.  All 4 out. 

 

Not going to mention E10 fuel as that should have no affect with Euro 6 1.2 TSI's or any other modern cars, but must just say.....

 

@nta16I take it it was not a TPMS Fault that showed, (it was not faulty)

but the TPMS working and showing a tyres circumference had changed.

 

As to 'Misfires' not having Fault Codes logged, i mean on Dealership / Licensed Professional Equipment not just 'cheap or not cheap' DIY code readers. 

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

2 minutes ago, Mikerp said:

Think a visit to Kwik Fit for a free Battery check is in order

I feel a new battery might be suggested but do bear in mind unless it's the same battery fitted (and I think they're not available) you'll need to get it coded-in for the car's computers (or best to).  Don't go for a cheaper battery, get a good quality and capacity.  I got an AGM.

 

 

The tyres are checked every time you go into the dealership. There were no faults shown at all, Only the EPC light. Don't plugs last longer than 10,000 miles

e-Roottoot, TBH I can't remember what it was the tyre was flat when she got home.

 

It was lifting a tyre 1" off the ground and it slipping from the centre before I could get a bolt in when moving the wheels around for the new tyres (I replace in pairs despite the tread left on the other) that twigged my back.  F-ing wheel bolts instead of studs (so much for "German engineering").  I got about 20 minutes of sciatica that night when I went to bed and thought later how luck I was not to get more.   . . . Two years later and my legs feel a bit funny and now my back is uncomfortable, sometimes just standing can be uncomfortable.  I bought two screw-in rods to act as studs but too late the damage was done.  F-ing wheel bolts.  😄

 

@Mikerp

Spark Plugs last lots longer than 10,000 miles.   (Except one plug often in a 1.4 TSI Twincharger.)

 

But you have no idea if the Tech put the plugs in without checking all 4's gap, or if they knocked one,

Or even really replaced all 4.  

 

But that might be a red herring, but then the Dealership has not diagnosed the fault. It should not be a Misfire, a plug worn or the likes, 

but then when i was a mechanic we checked anyway.  10 minutes spent doing a diagnostic, or a check on past work others did. 

 

@nta16

Point i am making is TPMS Faults are something the Owners manual tells you to check for.

Check system, check tyre pressures. 

 

The TPMS worked if a light showed and there was a puncture.  So was not Faulty.   Big difference is it not,  faulty system, or working system.

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

11 minutes ago, Mikerp said:

The tyres are checked every time you go into the dealership.

Yes they should be, the tyres was my off tangent example of warning systems but sensors and wires are also in those areas.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Mikerp said:

There were no faults shown at all, Only the EPC light.

Something must have caused it to come on (whether it needed to or not, sometimes the computers are misled).

 

17 minutes ago, Mikerp said:

Don't plugs last longer than 10,000 miles

eRoottoot is probably answering that now as I type. 

21 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

nta16

Point i am making is TPMS Faults are something the Owners manual tells you to check for.

Check system, check tyre pressures. 

 

The TPMS worked if a light showed and there was a puncture.  So was not Faulty.   Big difference is it not,  faulty system, or working system.

Yes sorry I didn't make my point very well, to put it plainer, the 'idiot lights' should not be relied on to the exclusion of using the human brain, the cars computer did show a fault but this was after my wife, who's not an idiot and an experienced driver and used to (over-priced and over-valued) cars called "classics" going faulty, had worked out there was a fault.  I've always told her, if safe to do so to drive and not stop with a tyre that's deflating as she's much more valuable than any lump of metal.  Luckily it was only a short distance from home and she has enough brain power, knowledge and experience to make the decision of what to do, get home, ring for recovery, abandon the car if required, it's insured.

 

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by nta16

First thing I will do is get the battery checked.

1 hour ago, Mikerp said:

First thing I will do is get the battery checked.

Get them to do a full load test and alternator test too if they do that just for the sake of it if it's free.

 

IF it needs it now is a good time to replace the battery as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder.  Most years the first cold snap highlights the weaknesses in car batteries (and home central heating systems) and the second cold snap breaks them (if the battery can't be fully recharged successfully).

 

Unfortunately car batteries are one of the most oversold car parts because many no longer have the patience or time to charge them properly but on the other side modern cars are so dependant on them and work them hard that they don't last as long as they used to and are often best changed for new to avoid unnecessary problems and breakdown call-outs.

 

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by nta16

First thing I will do is get the battery checked.

Does the garage code in the battery or can you do it yourself?

 

Depends where you get the battery from VW have their own system but if you have the tool you can do it yourself, it's what brought me to this site so details are here.

 

Or if you have a relevant scan tool you can do it yourself, I had a site Member do mine as it was all new to me and I don't even have a (misnomer) 'smartphone'.

 

What are the specs of your AGM battery and where did you get it from?

S5 A05 Bosch AGM Car Battery 12V 60Ah Type 027 S5A05 (5 year warranty) - Bosch don't make batteries it's a Varta apparantly.

 

I got it from Tayna, usually arrives next day but you might have missed the cut off point now, I have their Enduroline battery on my car and it's been fine.

 

But I did change the battery before I needed to as my mate's still using it but it gives my wife peace of mind (so me too) that it's done, paid hassle money, (money paid out just to avoid hassle) and it was higher priced then than it is now (with cars I often have bad luck).

 

https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/types/027-agm/

 

HTH.  

Edited 3 October, 20214 yr by nta16
speeling and stuff

Thanks my battery says 12v 59ah 320A DIN AND 640 A underneath. That battery will be fine?

If you look for the thread on here you'll see photos and details I put up or I can add a link here if you want.

 

There are different measuring systems for battery specs (I can bore and link to those if you want) hence the 320a DIN, yours sounds like ours was the original Moll battery.

 

Does that make a difference?

The battery does indeed say Moll. So it must be 5 years old