1.2S Beezer Problems - It's dead

[Ruddmeister]

Seat called out the AA for the Wednesday, flat battery on the 1.2S Beezer car hadn;t been used for 3 days, AA man found that with keys removed from the ignition the internal fans still worked!.

Switched off the fans, ran the car for 30mins and car restarted OK soonafter, next day though and another flat battery!.

Power steering now also getting heavy, warning light on, also wipers twitch from time-to-time. Dumped it at the local dealers who are taking a look when I got there (20 mins drive) tried to restart it and it wouldn't :(

Any ideas guys?, thought it was a relay or alternator at first but not sure now power steering is affected??

[Ruddmeister]

Well according to my dealer, and lets face it they are never wrong!, there is an ECU which controlls all the interior functions and non-mechanical electrical stuff e.g, internal lights, aircon, fans etc. I think he called it a comfort ECU

They have ordered a replacement and it gets fitted tomorrow, so that's only 5 days off the road!.

The car has only done 1,650miles - let's hope it wasn't in the Friday afternoon menana run

[Son]

Once I was talking on the phone in my car and was playing with the ignition. All of a sudden I noticed I had the key in my hand but the fans and (exterior) lights were still on! :blink: Couldn't reproduce anymore, though.

[cpufreak]

ahh.
in my mum's old MK2 Golf GTi, and my MK3 Golf 1.9TD, I was able to get the fans and windscreenwipers and radio etc to come on without the keys.

I can't remember exactly how, but it was something like, if you turn the lights on, hold down the mainbeam, you'd be able to get the washer jets going, and fans going etc.

Oh, and with this ibiza, I can if driving fast enough in heavy enough rain, disable the windscreenwipers temporairly (for 90seconds or so).
I've been told this is a feature, not a bug, as they're designed not to move if the wind/rain forces are strong enough to cause them damage/rip them off.
Means I either drive slower, so they work (sensible choice), or I discovered the first time it happeend back in november, when my car was a week old, was standard, and had only done 2,000 miles or so, that if you go a little faster (only sensible if the roads are clear), the slipstream clears the screen for you. :p

[Son]

ahh.
in my mum's old MK2 Golf GTi, and my MK3 Golf 1.9TD, I was able to get the fans and windscreenwipers and radio etc to come on without the keys.

I can't remember exactly how, but it was something like, if you turn the lights on, hold down the mainbeam, you'd be able to get the washer jets going, and fans going etc.
My brother had managed to do this with his '86 Audi 80, just by accident. I tested it with my '90 Jetta and the same thing.

[Ruddmeister]

Guys am I getting some Bull here from my dealer, they tell me there are three ECU's on the car.

They have replaced the "Convienience ECU" and now they are replacing "Central Control ECU"

They are saying the car will be back with me early next week making it THREE weeks off the road :censored:

The car has 1,650miles on the clock and was bought in March - Is it 'Fit for purpose'

[cpufreak]

they're right about the ECUs.

there's the main one (which you get remapped :p ), the 'comfort/convience' one, and the 'airbag/blackbox' one.

[Ruddmeister]

they're right about the ECUs.

there's the main one (which you get remapped :p ), the 'comfort/convience' one, and the 'airbag/blackbox' one.

Does the air/bag and blackbox one control otherthings as well?

[cpufreak]

Does the air/bag and blackbox one control otherthings as well?o

that I don't know. it might have some stuff to do with ABS, possibly...but I'm really not sure.

thanks

andy

[Ruddmeister]

I have phoned Seak Uk and suggested what I bought was not fit for purpose when they sold it to me....they will get back to me apparently.

I won't hold my breath.

[cpufreak]

I have phoned Seak Uk and suggested what I bought was not fit for purpose when they sold it to me....they will get back to me apparently.

I won't hold my breath.

Did you get the name of the person you spoke to?

some of the people I've dealt with have been great (see http://www.SEATCupra.net/forums/showthread.php?p=391499#post391499 :) ).

Good luck getting it sorted.

[Ruddmeister]

Well, if anyone is interested the problem has been resolved.

The car has been off the road FIVE WEEKS AND TWO DAYS in total including being returned twice to me only to be sent back 'cos it wasn't fixed.

The dealer replaced two ECU's and has spent countless hours on the car, and what was the problem - a small cheap electrical relay under the Dash.

Why is this so Ironic?, becaue it was what I suggested the problem might be 5 weeks ago, and what the AA who recovered the vehicle also thought it might be. Did I tell the dealer, yes, did they listen.....apparently not, doubtless that wasn't what the diagnostics told them when they plugged it in :rolleyes: .

So five and a bit weeks for one relay :clap: I passed being angry on week three, I passed phsycotic on week four and now I am just disallusioned :blink: :thumbd:

[muddyboots]

Ruddmeister, I can understand how you feel, when mine was quite new the airbag warning light came on. They took it in, and I got it back 3 weeks later....having said that I think it was quite an obscure problem, and there were no fault codes stored to help them trace it. So it was king of trial and error replacing things, but of course each part had to be ordered in, with a wait of several days each time.
But like you say, you go through periods of increasing anger first (especially when driving a base model Arosa 1.0 courtesy car for 90 miles a day), then you just give up caring.

Cpufreak -> I remember being able to perform a similar trick in my old Mk1/2 Golfs too ! Ah those were the days with simple electrics and fuseboxes, and Haynes manual wiring diagrams that you could understand after a fashion...oh and a weedy headlamp wiring circuit that travelled approximately 1 mile around the car resulting in about 8volts across the headlights. Those were the days eh ?