Hellooo

 

I have intermittent battery and windscreen washer light coming up on dash. 

 

I filled the reservoir and cleaned and dried the negative battery terminal (the pos looked ok (and my hands were cold 😬)).

 

Previously, it was on really dimly.

Tonight (after cleaning etc)  it only came on when I put the headlights on.

 

I don't think it's the alternator, otherwise why would the windscreen washer light also be coming on 🤔

 

Would appreciate advice from those in the know 🙂

 

Thanks in advance 🙏

 

Reported to move to Mk2 forum, you could also look in there for any threads and posts on this.

 

How do you know it's a Mkii??

Embarrassed to say...I don't even know 😅

 

Age of vehicle. Style of dashboard used. @nta16 and many members years of experience.

 

welcome, we hope you find your answer! 
 

I sense this won’t be unique and quite possibly, something very unrelated to the obvious. 

@Triff ( @ColinD ) It might be me that's embarrassed as saw Triff's previous posts were in the Mk2 forum and forgot to check the range of years I've just noticed you've put your car as 2006 so a Mk1 if that's the case, or if 2006 is a typo and you mean 2016 then it's a Mk3 but I didn't recognise your dash photo.  Years of experience yes, but on my part failing memory, befuddled mind and incompetence should never be underestimated for me (plus pestering animal that is convinced it's fed time before it is).

 

@Triff photos on Wiki of the different mark body shapes. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Škoda_Fabia

 

Now it is time for feeding, got to be strict.

 

That's no way to talk about your child 😁

 

Yeah i noticed in my profile it still had my beloved 2006. That was 2 fabias ago 🫤 Wrote off a monte carlo in the snow last January 😭

 

This one is a workhorse for now. 

64 reg but 2015 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

Failing memory and befuddled mind...we must be related! 😃

 

🙏

IIRC there was no low screen wash sensor on the MK2. There certainly wasn't on my SE spec one so I believe it's a MK3. 

There was on my MK1 Elegance but not on my 2015 Rapid. 

Could be a short to earth somewhere I guess but obvs place is working from the fuses back. 

Back to mk3 then  

ETA: @ColinD - sorry, perhaps not yet, perhaps a check of NJ or 5J just to be sure.  My wife's car appeared to be made in April 2015 but was with dealer (or registered anyway until 30th September 2015.  Perhaps this car was swapped at birth. 😁 

 

 

@Triff Child would be easy, this is my owner, sometimes administers the keyboard, which can often improve what I've put.

 

I could have steered all wrong and yours is a MK3, it'll have NJ in the VIN if it's a MK3 and 5J in the VIN if a Mk2 (had to check on that Wiki page and the VIN for my wife's early Mk3).

 

Battery and washer is a funny one, presumably as you've checked the battery connections you have checked the connections are tight and checked the state of charge of the battery, low battery charge can upset the computers and get them to throw up all sorts of odd things.

 

There could be two separate issues or one thing causing or common to both.

 

Washer light could be sensor, (another thread had about Rain-X possibly causing issue, no idea if that's correct or possible), wiring, connections. 

 

Battery light is actually generator, alternator, this shouldn't be on when the engine is running so there is a fault there (another reason to check the state of charge in the battery before low battery charge causes more issues or stop the engine from starting or running.

 

If you have access to a wiring diagram and/or a suitable scan tool they would help but you still need to look at the wiring and connections physically anyway. 

3 minutes ago, ColinD said:

Back to mk3 then  

It's possible but unlikely the OP has a model that was left unregistered like some MkI Fabia SEs were (2007 plated) but I guess the definitive proof would be a pic of the car. 

7 minutes ago, nta16 said:

ETA: @ColinD - sorry, perhaps not yet, perhaps a check of NJ or 5J just to be sure.  My wife's car appeared to be made in April 2015 but was with dealer (or registered anyway until 30th September 2015.  Perhaps this car was swapped at birth. 😁 

 

 

@Triff Child would be easy, this is my owner, sometimes administers the keyboard, which can often improve what I've put.

 

I could have steered all wrong and yours is a MK3, it'll have NJ in the VIN if it's a MK3 and 5J in the VIN if a Mk2 (had to check on that Wiki page and the VIN for my wife's early Mk3).

 

Battery and washer is a funny one, presumably as you've checked the battery connections you have checked the connections are tight and checked the state of charge of the battery, low battery charge can upset the computers and get them to throw up all sorts of odd things.

 

There could be two separate issues or one thing causing or common to both.

 

Washer light could be sensor, (another thread had about Rain-X possibly causing issue, no idea if that's correct or possible), wiring, connections. 

 

Battery light is actually generator, alternator, this shouldn't be on when the engine is running so there is a fault there (another reason to check the state of charge in the battery before low battery charge causes more issues or stop the engine from starting or running.

 

If you have access to a wiring diagram and/or a suitable scan tool they would help but you still need to look at the wiring and connections physically anyway. 

 

I may have a PDF of the wiring for MkII on a drive but not for a MkIII 

Not owned a MkII for, wow, six years now. 

Following as my brain might not 

Edited 19 January, 20251 yr by Lee01

I'm putting more travel on this car than the owner, sorry.

 

I saw 2006 in Triff's name plate looked at his posting history and saw Mk2 forum (until this thread, in Mk3 forum at the time) then went to give Triff a link to HatBoyHarvey vids where I noticed it had Mk2 2007-2014 so wondered if 2006 was a typo for 2016 or if possibly a Mk1 even - confused you soon will be, anyone remember Soap, Billy Crystal).

 

Some members can have wiring diagrams available based on VIN and are good at reading them and electrics generally.

 

Alternator and battery are like a couple if one is suffering then the other will be too to some extent and at some point and they can cause each other's breakdown, particularly not wanted at this time of year, and week.

 

Edited 19 January, 20251 yr by nta16
spelling

Yeah @Breezy_Pete is one of those fellas with good access to such stuff so tagged him in. 

Still be nice to get a pic of it to clarify 👍

Hope this might help, stolen from another thread, Mk2. (more rounded lines) -

 

 

And stolen from same thread Mk3. -

 

 

Edited 19 January, 20251 yr by nta16

Morning 🌻

 

So the log book says registered jan 2015.

But also says Type: 5J

 

I would've said it looks like the first pic, but prob best to not go by that anyway as i had the 2006 one for 10 years and it's prob that stuck in my memory. 

 

I will try to test the battery charge today 🤔

 

Thanks for all input so far 🙏

With a "battery" (it's not really the battery) light on I would double up on my usual advice of fully recharging the battery using an appropriate battery charger following the instructions for the charger and for the car in your car's Owner's Manual.  If you've lost your very useful paper printed copy you can down load a free pdf copy from the following VWŠkoda website link, you'd be best to enter your VIN for this. - Skoda Owners Manuals - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

As much as possible you want to recharge the battery as low (charge rate) and slow as possible rather than higher rate and faster, if the battery is low this may take many hours on lower rates and if the battery is very low, though you should have had other warnings or signs for this, then the battery will take many more hours at lower charge rate.

 

A battery in lower state of charge can cause other issues and hinder diagnosis of electric issue whereas a battery in full charge can help and mean the diagnosis can go on for longer more successfully.  This is the time of year owners and drivers flatten their batteries, just see the breakdown recovery reports.

 

Good luck.

 

Soooo I finally got out to put the charger on to see what numbers came up. 

It said 12.4v 2a

 

On a quick Googling.. it looks like this is low?

Driving today, no battery light coming up but then suddenly a flashing battery light, then nothing. 

 

So am I correct in thinking... Remove the battery and slow charge it? 

Or might it be a computer glitch? 😬

Or other? 

 

🙏

12.4v isn't bad or too low really but it does depend on how and when you took the reading (see below) but as I put fully recharging the battery with a battery charger following the notes I put before is a good idea when you have electrical issues and particularly if you might have alternator / generator battery charging issues.

 

Sounds like you might have a wire/connector, to the alternator, issue perhaps, worth having a good look and check in case, perhaps you'll find some gold coins rubbing against a wire down there. 😆

 

Best to take a reading of battery voltage as many hours after last use of the car as possible otherwise it can give a higher reading from the alternator charging when the car was being driven.

 

From VW gawd bless 'em themselves - 

 

VW

Charge level             No-load          voltage

1.28 g/cm3                 100%              12.7 V

1.21 g/cm3                 60%                12.3 V

1.18 g/cm3                 40%                12.1 V

1.10 g/cm3                 0%                  11.7 V

 

From 

my ex-neighbour's (semi-pro) Ring battery charger/tester -

 

12.7v - 100%             12.5v - 90%               12.4v - 80%               12.3V - 70%

12.2v - 60%               12.1v - 50%               11.9v - 40%               11.8v - 30%

11.6v - 20%               11.3v - 10%

 

HTH.

 

Edited 25 January, 20251 yr by nta16
typos