Hi all,

          Looking for opinions on very recent events.

 

• 2017 1.5 petrol SL, so near on 6 years old with original Exide battery.
• Yesterday the start / stop system stopped working with "Error: start-stop".
• Figured Ok, battery is 6 years old and if the car-brain is going to shut off any systems in response to an old battery this makes sense.
• Today Halfords changed the battery (old one 28% capacity, so it was knackered) - coincidently for another Exide.
• However, even after coding the battery (car starts and runs, so they must have done so, yes?), they could not reset the brain to remove the error - the start-stop system still does not function and the error message persists.
• They tried two new batteries - no joy.

 

• So I drive to franchised Skoda garage to ask what is going on, can you help?
• They say, and I paraphrase, "Bad boy, not a Skoda franchised / sourced battery, so car will need to be plugged into our magic computer to possibly reset error / recode battery, however, problem is the bar-code on your new but un-franchised battery might not be accepted by our magic computer, if so even we cannot reset your start-stop system".
• Oh, and by the way reset or not, that will be £80 please.

 

• What do the more knowledgeable / informed make of that?

Coding or not coding a new battery in will have no effect on whether the car will start and run.

The rest of it may be down to the start/stop error not being a battery fault, but something else.

 

I hope you didn't pay the Skoda dealer after that nonsense?

I just had a recent battery replacement. I knew about the possibility of errors and faults after a battery change, so I decided to use a secondary battery to power the car while the old battery is being replaced. Simply used a jump lead to put on the terminal in a way it's possible to remove the battery from the car and replace it with a new one.

Not a single error message, I didn't even have to set the time.

After that with the help of VCDS, I updated the information on the battery stored in the car. Technology, Brand and Serial Number. That was it.

 

To my knowledge, only the battery tech, serial, brand and capacity is what describes the battery for the car. I believe the only actual value you need to change is the serial number. It is enough to increase the number present by 1 at the end to tell the car something changed.

If this doesn't solve the problem, it is highly likely something else is wrong with the start-stop system, and will require further diagnostics.

This may be unrelated but I had all four tyres changed recently on my 2018 Karoq 1.5TSI.

When I collected the car I had six new faults show up on the dashboard all relating to the Stop/start system even though nothing had been touched other than removing all four wheels to fit new tyres.

The tyre fitter said that he had seen or heard of this issue on other VAG vehicles.

He plugged in the OBD scanner and cleared all faults and everything has been fine since.

 

Your issue might be triggered by the new battery but any independent garage with an OBD laptop/machine should be able to clear the fault and certainly for less than £80. It only takes a couple of minutes

Good day everyone, and thanks to those who have read and commented.

 

I have been holding my fire until I visited Skoda garage and they 'plugged-in'.

Outcome - somewhat speechless, annoyed and shocked.

Also, feeling somewhat naive concerning the modern, franchised garage system.

 

So, the update is this.

• There is likely nothing further wrong with the Start-Stop system, the low and old original battery was the likely cause for the system to be shut-down.
• However, Skoda cannot re-initiate the Start-Stop system.
• The Skoda garage cannot 'code' the battery.
• Why?
• Because although the Halfords fitted start-stop Exide battery is technically 'fit-for-purpose' - it does not have Skoda 'identity' - it lacks the 'right' serial / identity numbers.
• What I think that means in real-speak is that the battery lacks - alongside its Exide Bar-Code, a Skoda sticker with the numbers that their computer would accept!

I had to grit my teeth every time they used the term "Skoda battery", as if Skoda actually make their own batteries.

 

So that is it, if I want the Start-Stop system re-initiated I need to replace the week old Halfords battery for a new 'Skoda' (probably another Exide) battery.

Oh, I did check the owners manual concerning changing the battery.

As well as the standard HSE, all it really advises is that the battery change procedure should be done / checked by a 'specialist'.

Nothing about it having to be a done by Skoda with a 'Skoda' battery.

Whereabouts are you @Buttie?

I think someone/anyone with VCDS could solve this for you in a short time.

 

Hi Breezy_Pete,

The back-water apparently that is the Isle of Wight.

Captive audience and electricity has only just arrived!😏

How many times have you used the car in total since the new Exide battery was fitted?  If not many, I still think the car will adapt itself to the new battery in the same way it learnt about the old one.

 

There is/was a member based in Newport with VCDS on the owner's map of this forum, but they haven't been on here for a few years.

Nothing to lose by trying to message though: https://www.briskoda.net/forums/profile/158542-greengolf69/

Edited 18 October, 20232 yr by Breezy_Pete

Daily, over a week of normal driving since battery change.

8 mile commute each way to work plus weekend similar.

Non motorway, semi rural.

 

I did wonder if Halfords having 'successfully' fitted the new battery - in that they tell me they were able to successfully tell / update the car's computer via their equipment of the fitting of the new battery, would the car eventually, through self-diagnostic feed-back, reset itself and re-initiate the Start-Stop system.

Sounds a bit old school naff, but could it just need a bit of a motorway 'thrash'?

 

I am taking the car back to the now ex-Skoda franchised garage from where it was purchased.

I have run the scenario past them, and they are slightly sceptical about the currently franchised outlets opinion that the answer is a 'new' battery from them.

 

Nothing to lose in getting a second opinion, from gamekeeper turned poacher.

My Start/Stop rarely works due to the usage the car gets.  No warning however.

 

The car charges the battery when other power demands are low.  S/S needs a battery with a good state of charge.  Also charging is often on overrun.   I did a 130 mile journey last week and surprise surprise the S/S returned.  Back to my normal short journeys and it disappears.

 

You could try putting the battery on a charger and see if a fully charged battery clears the message.

 

tom 

Hi Sanqhar.

Ironically for a car that has likely done done 95+% of its 36,500 miles in short, low speed/rev, start-stop semi rural driving, the S/S has always worked, no problem.

 

When the error came up, 'Error: start/stop system', I suspected that the cause was the original 6 year old battery, and Halfords confirmed - 28% (capacity / efficiency?).

So they changed the battery - the car has a brand new Exide S/S battery.

And I suppose this is the relevant point as far as the Skoda garage are concerned in terms of clearing the error - the error was present when Halfords changed the battery (Exide like for like coincidentally), and they (or their computer diagnostic equipment) does not / cannot accept the Exide bar code to clear the error and re-initiate the S/ S system.

 

Good day all.

Been a while, but here is what I hope is the final update.

 

• I took the car to the garage I bought it from in 2017.
• This garage lost its sales franchise in 2022 (to the new place that spun the yarn about needing a 'franchised' battery), but is still an official Skoda service centre.
• Re-counted the story / scenario - again, asked for a second opinion on the need for a 'franchised battery', i.e. the Halfords Exide battery was not good enough.
• They plugged-in their diagnostics.
• Battery 'coding' to car was fine in that they could not see any errors. Big-up to Halfords. 🙂
• However, they found a stored fault 'neutral indicator sensor', that was responsible for the Start / Stop system not working, even with the needed Halfords fitted new battery.
• This stored fault had not been picked-up in the two diagnostics performed by the currently franchised sales / service garage.🙄
• Why not, I do not know?😒
• Old garage investigated and found a broken wire from sensor, repaired it and now S/S system works.
• Not sure exactly what to make of all the above.
• It does raise conspiracy theories over the series of events if I had taken the new garages 'advice' and gotten them to fit their 'franchised' battery - when would the sensor error have been found, would they at any point acknowledge that the need for a 'franchised' battery was never the problem or needed, etc., etc., etc.

 

• Oh, on a related point to old / new batteries I indirectly solved an issue that had been bugging me for about 18-24 months.
• The auto door lock system had developed an annoying repeated, multi-clicking sound every every couple of minutes or so after initiating door locking.
• Like it was testing itself, so I disabled it.
• New battery, so for curiosity sake I re-enabled the system, no clicking, result.

Thanks for closing this out with so much good info.

 

When I speculated that the start/stop fault might be unrelated to the battery, I have to admit that I had no idea what exactly that might've been. 

 

Hats off to the honest Skoda dealer who sorted it.

Big swerve away from the other one who seemingly are either incompetent at computerised diagnosis;  devious; or even possibly both.