Model Year 20/21 Radiator Fan prepping for take-off.

[adamth0]

My 21 reg Cupra Formentor PHEV has taken to spinning the radiator fan up to the max the moment the car is started or the charging cable is plugged in.
I can't find any reason for this on the vehicle status screens.
I've turned off the AC entirely and checked the coolant levels (which are fine).
No idea why the car has decided it needs to sound like a 737 about to take off.
I've driven it for over an hour like this, and the fan is still maxing out when I park up.
Any ideas what might have caused it to start doing this? Jealous of the recent high winds, perhaps.

 

[KJA]

Well I used to have jaguar f pace and the first fault I noticed there was this similar.
As if car would fly and when it would start it would not trip in between.
When complained they said water pump have issues but that is specific to jaguar f pace. Thought to share might be something going wrong with formentor in that direction. But constantly running fan at full speed is not normal. Its an electric motor and at some point this motor would die due to overload and engine would heat up and further issues.
So better go to dealership ASAP while fan is still operational. If you know what I mean.

 

[adamth0]

I've tried to get it booked in for a diagnostic with the local Citygate place in Slough, and they can't look at it for 3 and a half weeks. Since it's a central call centre, I asked about High Wycombe, and was told they don't service Cupra there.
So I tried Marshall in Reading, who said nobody from services is around and I'll have to call back on Monday.

Any recommendations for Cupra services between Reading and Slough part of the world?

 

[KJA]

Well I use Cupra Hatfield. Not that far from Slough. Check with them. But usually these bookings are like this a month away etc. My experience.

 

[James_R]

Unexplainable fan behaviour can be down to a temp sensor related fault, an internal fan control module issue or a loss of communication to the fan, so it defaults to full speed to protect other components.

Do you have access to a decent quality fault code reader?

 

[adamth0]

Unexplainable fan behaviour can be down to a temp sensor related fault, an internal fan control module issue or a loss of communication to the fan, so it defaults to full speed to protect other components.

Do you have access to a decent quality fault code reader?

I have some OBD2 thing somewhere. I'll see if I can dig it out.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[adamth0]

Well I use Cupra Hatfield. Not that far from Slough. Check with them. But usually these bookings are like this a month away etc. My experience.

Slough wanted to keep the car for 2 days (I was also going to get a service done).
I think maybe I was spoiled with Subaru on account of there being an independent Subaru approved garage nearby. Booking in for anything was usually a 2 or 3 day wait. A week max. And with the Jaguar Mondeo before it, it was about the same.
Perhaps next time I buy a car, I should choose based on proximity to an approved non-main dealer service centre.
The idea that if a serious fault developed and I couldn't use the car, I'd have to wait nearly a month before anyone would look at it, seems a bit substandard to me.
If I can't figure out what's wrong with the OBD2 reader, I'm going to try a local general garage and see what they make of it. I had been intending to keep to official Cupra/Seat places, but I think a wait of 3 or 4 weeks when the car is in a "you probably shouldn't drive it or you'll melt your engine or knacker the fan motor" state, is a bit much.
Am I making a terrible mistake in taking it to a non-Cupra local mechanic?

 

[James_R]

Authorised repairers (garages who are essentially a dealership but don't sell the cars they repair) are becoming a thing of the past with VWG.

They want large corporate presence in the form of huge, unified, copy and paste centres that cater for "all your needs".

If the car is out of warranty then you could take the vehicle anywhere you like, however, if the issue is battery related and you want goodwill or the battery warranty to pick up the bill then a dealer is your only choice.

 

[adamth0]

Authorised repairers (garages who are essentially a dealership but don't sell the cars they repair) are becoming a thing of the past with VWG.

They want large corporate presence in the form of huge, unified, copy and paste centres that cater for "all your needs".

If the car is out of warranty then you could take the vehicle anywhere you like, however, if the issue is battery related and you want goodwill or the battery warranty to pick up the bill then a dealer is your only choice.

Sounds like a really good idea, albeit only for VAG shareholders.
Can't say I'm experiencing any upside as a customer.

 

[adamth0]

No fault codes on the OBD2 reader, so a long wait for a dealership it is. :-(

 

[somerandomcupradriver]

@adamth0 Any updates on this? I'm having the exact same issue with my 2021 Formentor. Not sure If it's ok to drive it to the shop.

 

[adamth0]

@adamth0 Any updates on this? I'm having the exact same issue with my 2021 Formentor. Not sure If it's ok to drive it to the shop.

I took it to a dealership last week.
They said they can't fix it because it needs to go to a special dealership with a "BCC" facility (ie people who are trained to work with the battery).
So, no. No update, except they suggested I should probably buy some tyres from them.

 

[somerandomcupradriver]

It's been a month and I'm still waiting response from CUPRA regarding the warranty. Because it's inside the battery it makes sense that it's covered by the 8 year warranty.
The garage says they will need to replace the cooling pipes inside the high voltage battery. It will take them at least 4 days and it's extremely expensive (3k€).

 

[adamth0]

Ouch!
Mine is due in next week. Had a delay because Slough's "systems were down" for a week or so and they weren't taking bookings but would call back.
And they never called back. When I called them a week later, their systems were still "down" and they were doing pencil and paper bookings, and I got 11th March, and later they did call to say they couldn't do that date, but 25th would be possible.
It's a long old wait, and I'll be deeply unimpressed to be told I need to pay 3k.
I have pretty much already resolved to get it patched up, sell it, and buy something more reliable or at least with better service.

 

[adamth0]

So mine apparently has the same problem, with the cooling pipe thing.
Slough have quoted me about half that amount for fixing it, though.
They're currently querying if it's covered under warranty and expect to hear back any day now.

 

[adamth0]

Looked at the report again. It's just under 2k they've quoted for the cooling pipe, not the 1.5 I thought it was.

 

[somerandomcupradriver]

I've received 3 quotes already. Now it's also under 2k but not by much. (I'm pretty sure the garage has never done this kind of repair)
Apparently Seat/Cupra is going to cover it under warranty but the repair can only be done 2 weeks from now.

From what I understood only the battery cooling pipes (that contain the sensor) will be replaced.