Hi all, ongoing saga of intermittent no crank issue.

Took the car in for a full service. When i collected the car they asked if i'd ever had issues with starting which i never have. Was ok for a day then started intermittently getting worse, just no crank at all. Can hear solenoid engaging but not trying to turn over. Any possibility they have damaged something during the battery load test?

Took it back to the Garage they have had a look and say showing strange power fluctuations, they are not a skoda dealership. They suspect is a failing diode below/behind the fuse box in the engine bay. Would this make sense to anyone? Unfortunately their auto electrician is away for two weeks so they can't look into it further.

Thanks guys.

Is it sitting in P with front wheels locked?

Can you shift to N to see if it will start there with a foot on the brake pedal or will it not come out of P?

Hi, also won't start in N. However think i might have found a visual clue. The engine earth strap was touching on the side and looks like was arc-ing across.

Well done on potentially finding the solution.

That looks a bit of a mess and perhaps not fully seated or tighten down (connector cage not sitting parallel and snug to fitment nut under it) but I'm confused why you would have any issue at least whilst it's in that orientation as if the strap was touching the engine that's the earth - but - if the strap was loose and shorting out at a different place intermittently then that's a bad connection.

Some very basic lessons perhaps to be learnt here, schoolboy error(s) by someone.

I would remove the connection fully clean everything up, fully seat correctly and snugly and tighten for secure fixing, all electrics and electronics and their wires want to be clean, secure and protected from the battery(ies) and its post terminals all the way through wires/cables, connections, switches, components, modules, etc. to all end terminals.

ETA: and possibly another case of live side of electrics/electronics being checked but not the earth side.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by nta16

I'd read that arcing as an attempt to complete the ground connection through the bare cable - rather than through the terminal connection. As NTA16 says, remove terminal, thoroughly clean all terminal connection faces, then refit tightly.

One way to determine if that connection is a cause or partial cause would be at point of showing a bad or poor reading to then connect a good earth from battery negative clamp to engine (using a (car starter) jump lead is a good way) and if improves or stops the poor reading you have conformation of that point of weakness.

There again the cleaning, (protect/ing/tion) and securing work needs to be done anyway.

Abd I should have put we've all balls'd things up before creating more hassle and work for ourselves or others, doing things quick and taking short-cuts often work out to make things a lot slower and longer overall, the boring basics are best not avoided and even done and checked and double/treble checked if things don't work out.