EPC Light

[dag]

Hello,
I have a problem with the better half's Ibiza. The EPC light is on and the brake lights don't work. So I fitted a new brake switch............... and nothings changed. I have looked at a few posts but am none the wiser. Can anyone help?

 

[cabmantdi]

same thing happened to me mate, my epc light was on and the brake lights were staying on... then realised it happened when my lights were on only! i checked the brake lights and i had the wrong type of bulb in... lol

 

[dag]

Hello again,
Has anyone got any ideas? I've replaced both side light/brake bulbs (they were both ok but I changed them anyway), brake fluid level is topped up, connections to throttle body appear ok and the brake light switch looks to be seated ok.
Another prob...the lower dash trim appears to be held by a metal clip on the clutch side so I can not remove it completely to check the clutch switch. Has anyone got a tip on removing this please?
Thanks in advance.

 

[zippyijk]

Dag, i'm in the exact same situation at present.
We're selling the wifes 06 1.4 sport, then after changing the brake bulb (its defo the right type) the EPC and Engine electronic light came on.
The brake lights were working perfectly, though I decided to change the brake switch anyway. Made no difference. I got a VAGCOM and connected it up, cleared the error. It didn't come back until the other day, then I realised it only appeared after the reset when I had the lights on (I hadn't used them in a few days). I've tried a couple of times now, same thing, only comes back when the lights are on

I did notice that the beeping sound for when you open the door with the lights on, now happens when I've the door open, the light off and I press the brake pedal, also the front lights light up slightly at the same time. Seems like a short in the wiring?

The bloody car is only out out warranty a couple of months, feckin typical, and it'll cost me a fortune at the stealers

Sorry for jumpin your thead dag

Did you try to clear it with a VAGCOM and see if it comes back?
Are the brake lights back working now?

 

[dag]

Hi zippyijk,
Thanks for the reply. The brake lights are still not working and I have no access to VAGCOM.Incidently, should the EPC light go out itself after the brake light switch is replaced or does it need to be reset (there appear to be conflicting reports in the searches I have done). This may seem a stupid question but, if the brake switch had been at fault, should the brake lights now work with a new switch or will they not work until the EPC fault is cleared? Given that the brake lights are still not working, does that mean that the fault is not with the switch but with something else?

Confused, annoyed, frustrated, dejected, cold, bad back, sore finger & very sore ears and low self-esteem from the wifes observations of my technical skills.

BTW zippyijk, sorry to hear of your woes, but it does sound like a short somewhere.

 

[zippyijk]

Hi zippyijk,
Thanks for the reply. The brake lights are still not working and I have no access to VAGCOM.Incidently, should the EPC light go out itself after the brake light switch is replaced or does it need to be reset (there appear to be conflicting reports in the searches I have done). This may seem a stupid question but, if the brake switch had been at fault, should the brake lights now work with a new switch or will they not work until the EPC fault is cleared? Given that the brake lights are still not working, does that mean that the fault is not with the switch but with something else?

Confused, annoyed, frustrated, dejected, cold, bad back, sore finger & very sore ears and low self-esteem from the wifes observations of my technical skills.

BTW zippyijk, sorry to hear of your woes, but it does sound like a short somewhere.

I doubt the EPC light has anything to do with stopping the lights working, its just a warning light. When I replaced the brake switch the light stayed on until cleared it with the VAGCOM. I did notice that I could get the EPC light to disappear, when I turned the car on, i.e if I turned the key fully past the normal position its in when running (basically all the way until it cant go any further) and left it there for a sec, the EPC light would disappear?? You could try that. If it doesn't work, then disconnect the battery (make sure you have you're radio code!) and that should clear the warning lights.

I know how you feel mate, I'm an engineer and my wife has been questioning my skills since I can't fix this

 

[dag]

Already tried disconnecting the battery, the clock & odometer reset, so I guess it was off long enough, but the *@~! EPC light stayed on!
All fuses appear ok aswell.

I'm going to try and book it into a garage tomorrow to see if they can read any errors/reset the light as I'm lost for any further actions to take.

 

[dag]

Just to let everyone know, the local garage reported a "number" of faults on diagnostics, chief of which was the brake light switch. So back to the dealers who, to be fair, were sympathetic and swapped the switch for a one that "will definately work mate, just come in today!" Yeah right........but it did! Deep joy.

I don't know if there is a lesson to be learnt here, apart from don't assume that the "new" part you get is working as it should.

Thanks to all who took the trouble to reply.

 

[benditchburn]

Good stuff