Hey,

I've had a weird problem with my 2011 Fabia. Once upon starting the car up, most electronic components fell out of order, like:

• Rear lights (including brake lights)
• Blinkers (including hazard lights)
• Interior lighting
• Dashboard lighting
• Screen wipers
• ABS, ESP according to the dashboard
• I had low pressure in the tires, according to the dashboard
• Whatever else I didn't notice

Later I tried to detach and reattach the battery, thus "force resetting" the car, and the issue went away. It really sounds like some computer problem, so I'm curious if there is some computer that controls all these things. Or is there another single point of failure?

 

I have two other known electric issues, if that's important: front fog lights don't work despite every bulb and fuse is perfect, and the trunk won't open sometimes, as if some electric contact would be unreliable at the opening button.

(Also, sorry if this is a repost, I honestly don't even know how to search for this problem.)

There are other computers beside the engine management system that control the car electrics. Personally, I wouldn't worry to much if the issue you had does not re-occur. It is a computer after all. It just takes a glitch to upset things and a reset can clear them. Just like switching your home computer off and on again.

Your other issues are a different matter but I am sure someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to offer advice.

A weak and/or under charged battery could cause this sort of thing to happen - as the battery's voltage will dip down when the starter motor is turning the engine over.

 

VW Group call all the "computers" or "smart controllers", controllers, and there will be quite a few of them in your car, now if you had a good scan tool, like VCDS, you could check everyone of them for stored or logged fault codes - doing that might allow you to work out what was happening.

6 hours ago, sfphoton said:

Hey,

I've had a weird problem with my 2011 Fabia. Once upon starting the car up, most electronic components fell out of order, like:

• Rear lights (including brake lights)
• Blinkers (including hazard lights)
• Interior lighting
• Dashboard lighting
• Screen wipers
• ABS, ESP according to the dashboard
• I had low pressure in the tires, according to the dashboard
• Whatever else I didn't notice

Later I tried to detach and reattach the battery, thus "force resetting" the car, and the issue went away. It really sounds like some computer problem, so I'm curious if there is some computer that controls all these things. Or is there another single point of failure?

 

I have two other known electric issues, if that's important: front fog lights don't work despite every bulb and fuse is perfect, and the trunk won't open sometimes, as if some electric contact would be unreliable at the opening button.

(Also, sorry if this is a repost, I honestly don't even know how to search for this problem.)

 

 

ABS Controller (03) is these:-

• ABS, ESP according to the dashboard
• I had low pressure in the tires, according to the dashboard

Central electronics controller (09) will be this:-

• Rear lights (including brake lights)
• Blinkers (including hazard lights)
• Interior lighting
• Dashboard lighting
• Screen wipers

 

Sounds like your battery has a problem..or the main earth cable from the battery to the car body

6 minutes ago, fabdavrav said:

 

 

ABS Controller (03) is these:-

• ABS, ESP according to the dashboard
• I had low pressure in the tires, according to the dashboard

Central electronics controller (09) will be this:-

• Rear lights (including brake lights)
• Blinkers (including hazard lights)
• Interior lighting
• Dashboard lighting
• Screen wipers

 

Sounds like your battery has a problem..or the main earth cable from the battery to the car body

 

Wow, awesome piece of information! Are those numbers in brackets some references I could read up on?

 

Funny thing is, I can measure 12.2 V on the battery and the car always starts up effortlessly. Rookie question, but can I somehow measure the state of the battery? I have a multimeter.

18 minutes ago, sfphoton said:

 

Wow, awesome piece of information! Are those numbers in brackets some references I could read up on?

 

Funny thing is, I can measure 12.2 V on the battery and the car always starts up effortlessly. Rookie question, but can I somehow measure the state of the battery? I have a multimeter.

 

 

The numbers in brackets are the designations of the controllers as they will show up in a fault code scan of the car...

 

It doesn't matter if the car starts, ...the ABS module always asks for quite a lot of power.....& showing 12.2V is not good...with the engine off & all lights etc off, it should be above 12.6V...with the engine running it should be around 13.5V to 14.5V

On 20/12/2023 at 21:07, sfphoton said:

 

Wow, awesome piece of information! Are those numbers in brackets some references I could read up on?

 

Funny thing is, I can measure 12.2 V on the battery and the car always starts up effortlessly. Rookie question, but can I somehow measure the state of the battery? I have a multimeter.

The really critical thing is what the battery voltage drops to when the starter motor cranks the engine over - it is a very big load. An impromptu load test could be done with your meter probes on the battery terminals while someone starts the engine, perhaps with the headlights on too. The meter reading will be very fleeting and difficult to read - especially if your meter is a DMM with a slow update rate.