Problem with my Golf

[katy]

Hey guys, the dashboard display lights won't go off when I switch off the ignition. Any ideas?

[Devils Advocate]

Which lights Katy, the warning tell tales or all of it?, ie back lit clocks etc.

Do they go out when you pull the key out and lock up?

[katy]

All the normal dash lights not warning ones. When I lock up the lights are still on. OH went to look and said they have now gone off, about half hour later. Started with a flat battery, was Ok. When I set off but when I went back to the car some hours later the door wouldn't open, had to do it manually. Some kind person in the car park used the jump leads and it was when I arrived home that the lights stayed on. Neither of us know anything about cars.

[Lyric]

Which Golf is it, the latest one ?

[costakid]

With Katy’s money it must be a new one. If thats the case it will be under warranty.

[Lyric]

I have one as a replacement at the moment and EVERYTHING is computer controlled, beyond fixing by normal humans. Take it back.

[scotty]

Some kind person in the car park used the jump leads and it was when I arrived home that the lights stayed on. Neither of us know anything about cars.

The jump start may have upset the ECU (Brain) of the car. If it's under warranty take it to a VW dealer.

[katy]

Actually it is just over two years old. I had trouble with a sensor on the last one, remember DA helping me out. I never buy new cars it was fine when I set off earlier. I am wondering if it's just the battery. Looked on a couple of car forums and I don't know what they are talking about. They mention censors, units

[El Cid]

Jump starting these cars requires a diffent technique. You must not just connect the cables to the positive and negative terminals on the battery. The negative cable must be connected to the chassis/engine, not the battery on the "flat" car.

If the car has a stop/start system, the negative lead must be connected to the engine/chassis on both cars.

Failure to do this could present all sorts of problems. Best to take it to a dealer to sort it out.

Sid

[costakid]

Best use a descent jump pack not a set of jump leads. You may have spiked the ECU. You could try disconnecting the battery and charging it off the car.

[Devils Advocate]

Just let the dealer's sort it Katy, the car is still in warranty.

[katy]

So I should beware of men carrying jump leads I have recently had it serviced at a local garage, hope they don't hold it against me. Sounds plausible what Sid says. Annoying as I have a couple of days where I really need it even though I normally don't live an exciting life

[costakid]

Your warranty is still valid wherever the car was serviced as long as the garage used genuine parts.

[El Cid]

So I should beware of men carrying jump leads :

Yes you should. I have the SEAT equivalent of your Golf, about the same vintage. I was amazed to read in the handbook just how different the jump lead instructions are. Unless you had read that section of the handbook, right at the back, you could be excused for not knowing that. However, a friendly motoring Samaritan armed with his jump leads is very unlikely to know how different the instructions are.

Modern cars now have such complicated electronics that if it doesn't work, the best thing is to call out a recovery vehicle and get it to your local dealer.

Sid

[Devils Advocate]

Katy, some time today if you've not already taken it back to the dealers, just go outside and try all of your lights on the car, headlights, sidelights ,fogs, everything....just to rule a blown bulb causing this.

Just remembered this last night, on some modern cars this can cause very strange happenings.

[katy]

I took it in and they did the diagnosis stuff on the machine. They say it is the battery. Was ok. bringing it home. Will see tomorrow. Thanks for all the suggestions

[katy]

I was a bit dubious when they said it was the battery but it is fine today Still not convinced and I am driving friends to Portsmouth today. they said when a battery is low it turns off some features to conserve charge and sometimes they go haywire. I don't know what a lot of the features are, they are too complicated these days. I am a Luddite, all I need to know is my speed and when it needs filling up.

[Devils Advocate]

Katy, thought I'd posted back this morning but it appears I didn't/

Glad they found the issue, I'd assume the battery has a 3 year warranty so surprised they never just swapped it, especially if the car is in constant use and not layed up. Once they do this they're normally finished.

I should have mentioned the battery yesterday, doh ...... as the same thing but with different symptoms only happened to me 3 weeks back.

I bought a new (pre registered by the dealer) car and when I went to pick it up and the sales guy was going through things with me when the central locking started popping up and down, also the hazard warning light flashed a couple of times.
He called service over, I assumed it to be the battery as the car had lay in the showroom for a while. Service checked it and apparently a cell was down on the battery,I'd never have expected that
They obviously replaced it and no issues since then.

Any other none normal occurances Katy just get it swapped, maybe the long run today may sort it!

[katy]

Yes they have put a new one in and no charge. Just about to leave. Will be lots of cursing if they are wrong

Looking on the bright side I looked in a folder in the car and there are lots of hints and tips, even tells me what all those symbols that light up mean.

Had a problem a few weeks ago driving home. Pinging all the time to say I hadn't fastened seat belt. Adjusted it, still the same. Happened again a few days later and eventually realised that both times I had dumped a lot of shopping on the passenger seat instead of using the boot

Don't think I will buy a golf next time

[Nimrod]

Nothing wrong with the Golf,you'll posssibly get battery issues with any modern car.
But having said that I bought a brand new Golf Gti 4 years ago and had 2 new batteries within 6 months.
They were unable to hold a charge.
After that I had 3 years of trouble free motoring before I bought a new Beetle Sport (more power than my GTi) and that has been absolutely trouble free.
Touch wood!