Had a recurring issue with my car, a skoda fabia MKII from 2013. For every 15 successful starts or so there will be one where I unlock the car, get in, put the key in the ignition, turn it and then absolutely nothing happens at all. Not even the hazards work when this occurs. 

 

I’ve realised that to fix this i need to get out of the car, lock it again remotely (why this works and the rest of the electrics don’t i have no idea), unlock it again and get in and then everything’s fine and dandy. 

 

Does anyone have any idea what’s going on here, I’ve literally never seen a car do this before in my life; I’m less concerned and more just genuinely in awe of how such a sudden and catastrophic failure of every single electrical system in my car can just happen sometimes and then ‘fix’ itself in a second.

Are you remote unlocking the car, does the interior light come on, do the warning lights come on when you turn the key to the 1st position and do they stay on when you turn to the starter position, can the head/tail lights operate when this happens - basically looking to what extent this is effecting the electrical supply, or even if this is just an ignition barrel issue. Have you just taken the key out of the ignition, put back in and re-tried rather than getting out of the car and locking. These extra details may assist in understanding the issue.

 

First port of call would be to check battery terminals are fitted correctly, clean and tight.

20 hours ago, KeithCheetham said:

Are you remote unlocking the car, does the interior light come on, do the warning lights come on when you turn the key to the 1st position and do they stay on when you turn to the starter position, can the head/tail lights operate when this happens - basically looking to what extent this is effecting the electrical supply, or even if this is just an ignition barrel issue. Have you just taken the key out of the ignition, put back in and re-tried rather than getting out of the car and locking. These extra details may assist in understanding the issue.

 

Hello there, nothing happens. I remote unlock the car but from there on nothing occurs at all. The ignition lights don’t come on, the interior lights don’t work, the exterior lights don’t operate either. Taking the key out of the ignition and putting it in again doesn’t work either. The battery terminals are all also both clean and tightly fitted. Sometimes the car alarm goes off if i keep trying the ignition but that hasn’t happened recently. 

Check the earth connection to the inner wing, this is I believe the only way the circuit is completed to the car on the negative side. If you have jump leads connect one to the earth connection on the battery with the other end to the metal on the engine with the key still in the ignition in the position where you expect the dash to light up - this must be when in a nothing happening situation. This will test negative circuit. Strange that power available for remote door solenoids only, but, strange issue - maybe solenoid current draw pushes resistance over the edge.

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

Do you have access to a scan tool?

 

ETA: Perhaps a good (landscape) photo of your engine bay are particularly the battery and connections and the earth to body might help to pick something out.

 

Edited 19 December, 20223 yr by nta16
ETA: