Hello everyone - I'm new and need some help/advice about my 2001 Fabia 1.4 petrol. A new-year's resolution for me is to know more about car maintenance, diagnosing/fixing probs, etc. Unfortunately I've been forced to start a bit early. If only I knew as much about the workings of car engines as I do about computers...

Anyway, the problem is this: I have recently had to take the battery out of the car, because it was totally flat. Turned out that it was really dry, and I topped it up with some battery water, recharged to fix this. On running the car the first time after the battery was put back in, I got two warning lights on the dash - the EPC and the engine one:

Looking what these mean up in the manual tells me nothing very useful: something is wrong with the engine/engine management; emergency program in operation, take to dealer ASAP, yada yada. The car still seemed to go ok - although presumably in some kind of engine "safe mode". On restarting it for my return journey, the EPC light was no longer lit, but the engine warning light persists. Obviously Christmas is upon us - what I want to know is:

a) Will I be able to drive the 220 mile journey I need to reach my family this Christmas ok? I'm leaving on Monday.

I presume me taking the battery out was the cause... although I don't understand why. Can someone enlighten me? Seems the one sort of computer I know nothing about are the sort that manage engines...

Thanks!

Generally speaking the DIY tool for talking to the controllers on these cars is VAG-COM. Also you will find that if removing/refitting the battery prompted fault codes to be SET - and their existance will be highlighted by the symbol on the instrument panel, then any fault conditions that have now disappeared will still remain logged in the individual controller's memory, but after a few engine starts will get "removed" from the instrument panel's symbol. Now it seems that you still have the "engine" symbol still on so I would assume that a fault still exists - maybe you disturbed some other wiring when removing/refitting the battery. I would look for that first then check if there are friendly BRISKODA folks near you that could read your fault codes with VAG-COM, at least that way you could start looking in the right area - instead of taking the needle in a hay stack approach. Just reveal where you live and someone might manage to help out.

Thanks for the info - so the engine warning light might yet go away on it's own? I've got to drive it today a few times, so I'll see if it clears.

I live just off Whiteladies Road in Bristol.

All is good now - all warning lights have gone.

Thanks again for your help.

All is good now - all warning lights have gone.

Thanks again for your help.

No problem, but I'd still put a call out to see where your local friendly Briskoda VAG-COM lives (spirit of Christmas and all that) so that they can read, print and clear the stored faults - just in case (for the future). I think that the dealers charge the thick end of £65 for this service - I am just quoting prices from other people as I have always used VAG-COM.