No Dashboard Lights - Engine wont start

[_Hellfire_]

Hi all,

Long time no posts - car seems to be a PITA what with a few Dealer created problems... take it in for a service and they dont tighten the Oil Filter properly.... leaving me stranded on the M60/M67 one night sat in a pool of Oil...

Anyway - that's sorted!

Now I dont have any Dash Lights but engine will turn over - AA man came out messed with a few fuses and relays... bypassed Engine/Chassis Earth and got some dashboard lights!! Car Starts and keeps running - Steering, EPS and Tyre Pressure Warnings still evident... Manual says to take for a brief trip... so I did! All warning lights reset after 0.1 miles. Came home - switched off car... restarted - all ok.

Got ready to go out - same problem! Waiting for recovery...

I'll doubt I'll ever have a SEAT again - Dealers are terrible, car is just not reliable!

Steve

 

[Nath.]

Sounds like a faulty battery connection, could happen on any make of car TBH.

 

[_Hellfire_]

Sounds like a faulty battery connection, could happen on any make of car TBH.

OK - now I have a Courtesy Car and a little more time to explain...

Firstly - I have very extensive knowledge of Repairing and building Cars - I am a specialist in vehicle wiring - a battery connection would have been the first thing I looked for but I understand the comment Nath as I didn't explain very well as I was bl**dy furious at the time!!!

So - a more detailed description is as follows:
1. Went to the car this morning
2. Turned the Ignition Key - no dash lights, self retracting mirrors extended, radio came on
3. Questioned myself
4. Turned Key for Engine Start, engine turned over - fired, started but almost immediately died.
5. Sweared and cursed a little.
6. Tried for Ignition again - still nothing.
7. Popped Bonnet
8. Checked Fuses and Relays - nothing out of the ordinary...
9. Removed under dash inspection panel - checked Relays - nothing untoward.
10. Try again - same...

I'd like to point out at this point that the Car is NOT mine - it is a company car... therefore I dared not go any further.

Called out AA (company policy)
1. He checked out all that I had just checked.
2. Checked on his database for common problems - common problems indicate dodgy Earth Leads on N/S Inner Wing.
3. Unscrewed - and re-tightened, had no effect - same problem
4. After many calls to his buddies - he disconnected Battery Terminals and reconnected - no effect
5. Bypassed Battery / Chassis Earth Strap connecting directly Engine Earth to Battery Earth
6. Ignition Lights came on
7. Car started - ESP, Power Steering and Tyre Pressure Lights illuminated.
8. Looked through manual for help - states that tyre pressure warning light can be reset after battery disconnection by driving for a brief trip - which I did. AA Man waited in anticipation cause he stated that he actually hadn't done anything to warant a CURE!!! Warning lights went off!!! Yayyyy.... returned home.
9. Turned into drive, switched engine off.
10. Restarted - great, problem seems to have gone...

AA Man said he expected further problems as he had not done anything... AA man left!

11. Went in for a drink...
12. Came out with all me gear - ready for a Sunday Days visiting....

13. CAR BACK TO NORMAL - NO IGNITION LIGHTS & NO ENGINE STARTING!!!!

I say again though - I'll never have a another SEAT....

Looks nice, but as a reliable tool - forget it, I'm sorry to say all my recommendations are against SEAT... the car has become a laughing stock with my many clients.

Steve

Steve

 

[Nath.]

HHHHHMMMMMM, sounds like an intermittent relay to me. The problem is, there are lots of relays and they aren't all the same.

Sorry mate

If you still have any interest you may want to do a search under Relay, I know that there are a few threads on non starting that end up being a faulty relay.

In defense of the car, as I'm sure you know, the relays are not really a Seat or even a VAG part, they are a generic part that you can find in lots of different makes of car.

Maybe that some of these relays in the mk2 are running close to their tolerance with regard to current rating.....

 

[ZBOYD]

Not a common complaint though is it, as there would be numerous threads on here about Leon's with electrical problems. If you put it into context the cars are very reliable, as Nath points out relay issues have been seen occasionally not in anyway frequently. Relays are not made by SEAT, as with most manufacturers they are usually produced by the lowest bidder.

Reliability seems to be luck of the draw with most vehicle manufacturers. I know many people that have had Audi's, Honda's and BMW's and many others with just as many problems if not worse. Its not always brighter on the other side of the garden fence.

Did the AA man plug any kind of diagnostic equipment into the car, I don't believe they have the proper kit most of the time. The issue may not be electrical but rather electronic or ECU related, especially if it's intermittent. The battery disconnect may of rebooted the ECU, but the fault has comeback due to a circuitry fault. If the ECU has had some moisture ingress, this can be a cause of corrosion and short circuits.

 

[jcp]

Looks like an earthing fault as far as one can guess from the detailed description you gave and the AA mans "success" with by passing the main earth from the battery. I can easily see why you are hacked off- but it is not by the sound of it a Seat specific fault- no doubt it could happen to,say, a golf or A3.

 

[robdf2]

To be fair , unless any of you have actually had a problem and dealt with SEAT with the mk2 you probably wont share the op's frustrations, yes it may well be just a faulty part costing less than a quid , but thats not the point , the dealing with the garage and customer service is the nightmare.
SEAT customer service is non exsisitent , when i had my mk1 i was lucky enough not to need to speak to customer service and had no experience with them whatso ever , so i gladly bought a mk2 and its been the worst 14 months of car ownership i ever had.

Good luck in fixing the problem mate but i wont hold my breath if i were you.
My delaership had my car for 14 weeks trying to fix a fault , i would not buy another SEAT again , but then again who is to say any delaer network is better than someone else.

 

[ZBOYD]

I agree, customer service levels at some dealers can be very poor and are probably more responsible for poor problem diagnosis and on-going issues. SEAT are not unique though in that regard.

 

[thaiffer]

What was the fix for this problem in the end? My altea FR has just recently suffered the same fault.

 

[samcar98]

i have found the fault with mine, after abit of digging around, found the main loom to the fuse board under the bonnet had slightly rubbed through on battery tray, looks like its been doing this for some time. think they have shorted to positive, hence no earth to start vehicle,