Hi guys.

A few days ago some sort of reset took place on my Kodiaq infotainment system. All of my radio presets were wiped, the SOS thing went off, and since then the stop/start system will not kick in even when engine temp is sufficient and no other conv consumers active.

Do I need to just be patient or might I have an issue ? Many thanks

Ignore the seatbelt message, that was just while I took the photo.

Was there an over the air update, loose battery or just ran low while parked up. Some can operate around freezing ambient as soon as started and stopped after a few meters. The engine temperature need not be up to anything as in a particular Coolant or Oil temp for Stop / Start to operate. But too high a load will mean disabled. That can just be heated seats, screen, mirrors, etc, even AC on. PS. Stop / Start might not function if the interior / cabin is not at the requested temperature.

Edited 19 February19 Feb by Evolution13

11 minutes ago, Evolution13 said:

Was there an over the air update, loose battery or just ran low while parked up. Some can operate around freezing ambient as soon as started and stopped after a few meters. The engine temperature need not be up to anything as in a particular Coolant or Oil temp for Stop / Start to operate. But too high a load will mean disabled. That can just be heated seats, screen, mirrors, etc, even AC on. PS. Stop / Start might not function if the interior / cabin is not at the requested temperature.

Hi,

As you can see from the photos there is no extra load.

I don’t think I receive over the air updates - how would I know ?

Loose battery - what does that mean ?

I drove for 40 mins yesterday and it never activated.

@ngood77 Sorry but i see nothing that shows the demand on the battery is not high. I see the ambient temperature is showing 6.5 oC, but no setting for your Interior temp. was it set at more than 14*oC higher, eg 22 *oC? no idea if headlights on etc etc.

Sounds like a battery issue - it may have had a cell give up in the cold meaning the voltage is low and the car is preventing stop start to try and charge it? I'd get the battery load tested.

18 minutes ago, Evolution13 said:

@ngood77 Sorry but i see nothing that shows the demand on the battery is not high. I see the ambient temperature is showing 6.5 oC, but no setting for your Interior temp. was it set at more than 14*oC higher, eg 22 *oC? no idea if headlights on etc etc.

I turned the heater off entirely so as to remove as much load as poss. Running lights were on.

19 minutes ago, skomaz said:

Sounds like a battery issue - it may have had a cell give up in the cold meaning the voltage is low and the car is preventing stop start to try and charge it? I'd get the battery load tested.

And they may have been the cause of the radio reset ?

Hi,

Maybe a rodent attack... Did you check for footprints on the engine cover or any other plastic under your bonnet?

This happened to my wife's ex- Audi Q3. 3 harnesses damaged, with 25 cuts... It took a full afternoon to weld everything and set back to normal...

S&S did not kick in anymore...

Edited 19 February19 Feb by Bap33

9 hours ago, Bap33 said:

Hi,

Maybe a rodent attack... Did you check for footprints on the engine cover or any other plastic under your bonnet?

This happened to my wife's ex- Audi Q3. 3 harnesses damaged, with 25 cuts... It took a full afternoon to weld everything and set back to normal...

S&S did not kick in anymore...

Wow ! No haven’t noticed that

I’ve booked it into a garage for investigation but it actually started working again yesterday, typical.

Out of interest what does the i ON/OFF option actually do in the attached photo ? The user manual is vague. Thanks.

As far as I can remember, the i ON/OFF just activates or deactivates the messages related the systems status.

IMHO, it has low interest, so I don't use it. This explains why I may not remember 100% right... 😉

Edited 22 February22 Feb by Bap33

How old is your battery? If it is more than 5 years old I would replace it. When the battery starts failing you get all sorts of random errors. A new battery is a good investment. Replace it before it lets you down away from home and costs you double.

3 hours ago, AlecM said:

How old is your battery? If it is more than 5 years old I would replace it. When the battery starts failing you get all sorts of random errors. A new battery is a good investment. Replace it before it lets you down away from home and costs you double.

No idea. Going in garage this week for a check

31 minutes ago, ngood77 said:

No idea. Going in garage this week for a check

There is often a date code stamped on the top of the battery negative terminal (format is WWYY) very possible that your battery is original, therefore around 7 years old.

Rather than blindly replacing what is possibly a still serviceable battery, I'd suggest testing it for condition first.

My (Polo) battery is now 3 months into its 8th year (original). I noticed in the last few coldish days that if the ambient is < ~ 5C that the stop/start is inhibited and also, as per my DVM, charges continuously at 14.6/14.8V, once the temp rises above say 6C, then the charging returns to its normal 13.5ish, except on overrun where it (as normal), rises to 14.8V, and the stop/start returns to normal. I will be taking a set of VCDS battery condition readings very shortly and will post same.

As per a post from @silver1011 quite a few years ago, there are at least 9 parameters that must be met for automatic stop-start to be enabled - coolant, ambient and battery temperature are three of them.

This the date bit ?

Coolant temperature plays no part in my stop/start, if the ambient temperature is greater than -2C, the stop/start operates as soon as you drive the mandatory 0.5kms even when the car has been parked overnight for 8 or 10 hrs which means the coolant temp is the same temp as the ambient temp on start up and (via VCDS) only risen to 20/25C after 0.5kms.

No it isn't, that's a part.

It may be other fault(s) but often the first sign the 12v battery needs charging is when the stop/start doesn't operate when it should and needs charging up and often just driving the can may not be sufficient.

Buying and using an appropriate battery charger maintainer (they can be inexpensive and do a great job) and using it preferably for preventative charging to 100% (car only does about 50%) will help vastly reduce the many issues of a 12v battery in a low state of charge and health that can cause the owner/driver a load of hassle and unnecessary expense. The battery with get better, more reliable service for longer and battery useful life can be extended by many years.

Or you can pay a garage to do a quick higher rate recharge of the battery with their battery charger or possibly prematurely replace the battery at a high cost plus 'coding'.

7 minutes ago, ngood77 said:

This the date bit ?

No, look at the top of the terminal itself - I can see it is / 18 (2018)

Ok I see. That’s what garages are for, I’ll help oil the wheels of commerce - he’s a good and trusted mechanic I’ve used many times before. Cheers

FYI - that white thing, VW AG 5QA915181C, is the battery management sensor that rules your life with and use of your vehicle. 🙃

Jan 2019 Polo 40,062kms, 24,893miles. original 59AH EFB Battery.

VCDS Battery Scan

11:52:26 07032026 Engine OFF.

IDE01834 Battery voltage 12.081 V

IDE01836 Battery current -4.997 A

IDE01837 Temperature of battery sensor 16 °C

IDE01839 Battery charge level 73 %

IDE01841 Battery internal resistance 8.2 mOhm

IDE01842 Usable battery charge 21 Ah

IDE01843 Battery voltage at rest 12.4 V

IDE01948 Battery internal resistance not normed 7.6 mOhm

IDE07681-MAS06086 Battery total charging throughput-Total re-charge 3706.5 Ah

IDE07681-MAS06087 Battery total charging throughput-Entire energy throughput 3908.8 Ah

6 minutes ago, Johngerard said:

Jan 2019 Polo 40,062kms, 24,893miles. original 59AH EFB Battery.

VCDS Battery Scan

11:52:26 07032026 Engine OFF.

IDE01834 Battery voltage 12.081 V

IDE01836 Battery current -4.997 A

IDE01837 Temperature of battery sensor 16 °C

IDE01839 Battery charge level 73 %

IDE01841 Battery internal resistance 8.2 mOhm

IDE01842 Usable battery charge 21 Ah

IDE01843 Battery voltage at rest 12.4 V

IDE01948 Battery internal resistance not normed 7.6 mOhm

IDE07681-MAS06086 Battery total charging throughput-Total re-charge 3706.5 Ah

IDE07681-MAS06087 Battery total charging throughput-Entire energy throughput 3908.8 Ah

Useully under 80% charge the car will shut down the start stop I had the same problem new battery all is fine now.

Just now, Tonyduncan said:

Useully under 80% charge the car will shut down the start stop I had the same problem new battery all is fine now.

The AH is low is it an AGM

3 minutes ago, Tonyduncan said:

Useully under 80% charge the car will shut down the start stop I had the same problem new battery all is fine now.

It might depend on 80% of what, but my understanding is that the VW system works on the 12v battery being charge to say about 80% (figures seem to vary) leaving 20% room for the regenerating charge that's supposed to be about fuel and emissions savings (on big heavy cars with just one occupant most times travelling short or very short journeys).

That is why I recharge the 12v battery to 100% of its capacity using an appropriate charger maintainer (and following the instruction for it and in the car's 'Owner's Manual') as it usual is below 100%.

I know the car's system will have it back down to around 80% but the 100% charge is good for the battery (and alternator).

The 12v battery was and remains one of the most oversold car parts.

The need for battery chargers generally went away decades back but returned with the likes of VW's s/s and all the modules, sensors, convenance and comfort items users demand, all the "aids" and "assists", from what, 2005 with VW, so guess how much more a battery charger maintainer might be needed in 2026.

Unless the 12.081 volts is while the battery is under load, that figure on a EFB is a fraction over 50% SOC - not 73% as stated by your scan.

Battery health would appear to be around 30%.