FR ST 180 lost all power

JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
Hey,

First post here and sadly not a good one, would appreciate anyone who can help/provide advice.

I bought my car last week and it's a 67 reg just out of manufacture warranty.

Long story short I was driving this morning when my car just suddenly lost all power, the dash display said all systems had failed (front assist, auto hand brake etc) and Engine management warning light came on the dash. I stopped and turn the ignition off, took the key out and sat for a minute.

I restarted the car and everything seems completely fine.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Appreciate any responses
Cheers
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
If the car is just out of warranty and has a full dealer service history my first action would be to take it to a dealer. Especially if you bought it from them. While legally they can walk away, they also have the ability to offer help outside of warranty if they think it will help build a long term relationship with you.

Did you not get some kind of aftermarket warranty?
 

JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
Yeah i got a years warranty with the car and rang the garage as soon as I got home. They are going to get a diagnostic on it tomorrow morning.

i was more worried as google does not return anyone else with a similar problem.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Yeah i got a years warranty with the car and rang the garage as soon as I got home.

As long as it's a decent aftermarket warranty they should sort it out. Remember it costs the garage nothing, the warranty company pays for it, so the garage have little reason not to help.

Also remember you have rights. If the car is a lemon and the garage can't fix it you have legal rights up to and including rejecting the car. In practice it can be very hard to get them to comply but that's a game you hopefully won't have to play.

It's also a good idea to invest in OBDelevel or another code reader at least so you can check faults yourself. Can save you money on repairs but also means the garage can't clear the faults then tell you they didn't find anything.

Also, try to document it. Exactly when it happens etc, take a video on your phone if you can. My dealer kept fobbing me off when the touchscreen was playing up, said they couldn't do anything if they didn't see the fault.

To be honest, if my car did what yours did I'd be getting rid of it. I've known a few people who had issues like that and did not find out what it was. One girl I knew had a brand new Renault with this exact fault, happened repeatedly. Dealer kept fobbing her off, saying there was nothing wrong with the car. Poor kid was in tears, she was scared to drive it. Eventually she just traded it in. Some cars are just trouble.
 

JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
As long as it's a decent aftermarket warranty they should sort it out. Remember it costs the garage nothing, the warranty company pays for it, so the garage have little reason not to help.

Also remember you have rights. If the car is a lemon and the garage can't fix it you have legal rights up to and including rejecting the car. In practice it can be very hard to get them to comply but that's a game you hopefully won't have to play.

It's also a good idea to invest in OBDelevel or another code reader at least so you can check faults yourself. Can save you money on repairs but also means the garage can't clear the faults then tell you they didn't find anything.

Also, try to document it. Exactly when it happens etc, take a video on your phone if you can. My dealer kept fobbing me off when the touchscreen was playing up, said they couldn't do anything if they didn't see the fault.

To be honest, if my car did what yours did I'd be getting rid of it. I've known a few people who had issues like that and did not find out what it was. One girl I knew had a brand new Renault with this exact fault, happened repeatedly. Dealer kept fobbing her off, saying there was nothing wrong with the car. Poor kid was in tears, she was scared to drive it. Eventually she just traded it in. Some cars are just trouble.

This has got me super worried, where would I stand demanding a refund?

Today it's the 6th day since i bought the car.
 
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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
..where would I stand demanding a refund?

I've never had to do it but i'd start with looking up your rights. So that when he says you don't have the right to return the car you'll be able to let him know that you know the score.

Hopefully it won't come to that. Any luck he'll be good about and they'll find the issue. If they can't then yes, I'd want rid of the car, no question. Any faults are bad but what happens if it cuts out on the motorway?
 

jcbmally

Started with nowt and still have most of it left.
Staff member
Moderator
Dec 26, 2013
1,271
549
Cybertron
This has got me super worried, where would I stand demanding a refund?

Today it's the 6th day since i bought the car.
You have full rights to demand a refund if it cant be repaired, the rejection process starts from the day you informed them of the issue/fault. If it cant be repaired then it is classed as "not as described/not fit for purpose" then you can demand a full refund in addition to any unforeseen costs. Hopefully they get the car sorted and with modern cars the odd electrical glitch happens.

If you buy a new or used car from a dealer and experience problems with it, you have some statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

The Act states the car must be “of a satisfactory quality”, “fit for purpose” and “as described”. (For a used car, “satisfactory quality” takes into account the car’s age and mileage.)

You have a right to reject something faulty and you are entitled to a full refund within 30 days of purchase in most cases.

After 30 days you lose the short-term right to reject the goods.

You’ll also have fewer rights, such as only being able to ask for a repair or replacement, or a partial refund.

In fact, you’re legally allowed to return it up to six years after you bought it (in Scotland, it’s five years after you first realised there was a problem).

But it gets more difficult to prove a fault and not normal wear and tear is the cause of any problem.
 

Speedbird

Active Member
Aug 10, 2018
268
135
If the car is under warranty, have the fault investigated and fixed before starting to worry and wanting to return the car etc.

13 days into ownership of my Leon ST, it broke down, flashing warning lights on dash etc. It turned out to be a faulty oil pressure switch which was replaced under warranty.


Since then I have had 2.5 years and 30k miles of trouble free motoring. Leons are great cars.
 
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JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
Thanks for the replies all, If the fault disappeared after i switched it off, is the car ecu or anything likely to hold a record of that fault?
 
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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Thanks for the replies all, If the fault disappeared after i switched it off, is the car ecu or anything likely to hold a record of that fault?

Yes, it should. If you scan the car with a reader there should be some kind of fault list and an event like this should definitely throw something in there. Modern cars show faults for nothing.
 
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BillyCool

Active Member
Jan 16, 2020
645
244
Leicestershire, UK
As others have said, keep your powder dry before going full bore with the refund option.

It could just be a bad switch/wire/sensor that has put the car into LIMP mode. It's designed to do that to protect the car.

I had similar with my old Mk1 Leon with a split turbo hose. Very minor issue that put the car into limp mode under power (higher revs) but cleared as soon as I restarted. Garage found it easily using the fault code and sorted it.

I'd also see how proactive the dealer is to sort it. The last thing they want is you giving the car back. If you don't feel that they are repsonsive enough, then consider handing the car back.

Cars have issues - doesn't mean you've been sold a lemon.

For future reference, a Carista dongle is a great investment for self-diagnostics.

 
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JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
It's going back to the seller on Wednesday, so fingers crossed small.

Thanks for the advice on the Bluetooth dongle I've ordered one, do you have experience with them?
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Thanks for the advice on the Bluetooth dongle I've ordered one, do you have experience with them?

I have OBDeleven and it has been well worth the money. Lets you check what the car is up to really easily and also tweak things, like switching off the stop-start.
 

JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
Live been desperate to turn that off since I got the car! Did you pay for the in app purchase?
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Live been desperate to turn that off since I got the car! Did you pay for the in app purchase?

No. You get free points by logging in and watching adverts, six points a day. I'm up at about 2,500 now ;0)

Most apps cost 10 points, some cost more and some things you do in 'long coding' and it doesn't cost points at all. basically, once you've bought the device and licence you don't need to pay for anything else.
 

BillyCool

Active Member
Jan 16, 2020
645
244
Leicestershire, UK
Live been desperate to turn that off since I got the car! Did you pay for the in app purchase?

I think you get 30 days Free Carista app and can use that to sort stuff out (you may have to sign up so make sure you remember to cancel). I pay the annual subscription of about £30 as it's worth having (and I forgot to cancel!)

I use VAG DPF to monitor my DPF and inCarDoc Pro for other stuff. So even if you don't want to pay for the Carista app, the dongle works with loads of other apss, paid and free.

Bearing in mind you can get charged £40+ just for a fault code scan, it pays for itself.

There is a whole thread dedicated to Carista:

 

JamesH85

Active Member
Feb 7, 2021
12
10
Update: Managed to get my car back to the seller, they have put their diagnostic machine on my car and their service dep said that there are errors missing and the ECU is all over the place, he has recommended it goes back to a SEAT dealer.

I am really not sure where to go from here, other than let the warranty run its course.

I have rang the previous SEAT garage that did all the service and m.o.t on it and they said that there was a non start issue with the ECU 2 years ago that got rectified. Could this be a resurface of the problem?
 

BillyCool

Active Member
Jan 16, 2020
645
244
Leicestershire, UK
Update: Managed to get my car back to the seller, they have put their diagnostic machine on my car and their service dep said that there are errors missing and the ECU is all over the place, he has recommended it goes back to a SEAT dealer.

I am really not sure where to go from here, other than let the warranty run its course.

I have rang the previous SEAT garage that did all the service and m.o.t on it and they said that there was a non start issue with the ECU 2 years ago that got rectified. Could this be a resurface of the problem?

Hard to tell.

Just send it back under dealer warranty and see how it plays out. Don't get fobbed off and be prepared to get a refund and walk away if you have to.
 
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