ABS and TCS lights sometimes stay on when I start the engine

[gac]

.

 

[Willie]

If you have HID's these effect the voltage in the lighting circuit and causes the brake light to glow a bit.
Have you checked your brake fluid level, this can cause your TCS light. This can also be caused by the wear indicator on you front pads.
Do you have a NIME controller, if so this did the TCS light thing to my car, once it was removed it was all fine

 

[Willie]

Nope, standard headlights, and none of the other lights (internal or external) are flickering as I've read about with earth problems. It's probably just on its way out

I thought the wear indicators had a separate light on the dash next to the ABS one? I'm going to drop in to Kwik Fit or somewhere for one of their free brake checks, as when this started happening it occurred to me that I don't think I've had new pads fitted in the 40,000 miles I've had the car and I got no history of receipts with it when I bought it so I don't actually know how long the current setup's been installed :|. How long do brake pads normally last?

I don't know what a NIME controller is, so I'll assume I don't have one!

edit - a quick google later and I've got http://www.nime.co.uk/content.php?mk4fans which I assume is what you mean? I'm pretty sure I don't have one installed, at least I've never had one. I suppose it's possible that the first owner had it done in the first 3 years/60,000 miles though.

FORTY THOUSAND MILES!!!!
ON FRONT PADS!!!
Holey shamoly, do you ever use your brakes.
Mine last 20,000 miles max, and thats a disc change aswell.
Sounds like you wear sensor and its not a different light to the TCS one

 

[Willie]

Yup I think your right about the ABS/TCS lights.
The pads sensor would throw up an ABS light not a TCS.
But get your pads changed anyway