Reset my car????

A

aythree

Guest
Hi all, new here.

Got a 2.0 FSI (Sport version) and want to reset the car/ecu - by disconnecting the battery for about half an hour (is this the full and correct procedure?)

What I would like to know is - does doing this has any possible negative side effects I should be aware of?

Done a search of this forum (and some others) and have seen a few minor things e.g. one touch window up/down stops working but easily fixed, stereo will need to have code entered again.

Anything else I should consider before doing it??? Not gonna break my car am I??
Also, what's this "learning ecu" all about??

Sorry, i'm a wiz with home computers.... not so good with car computers!! :confused:

Thanks
 
Ok, no answers yet :confused:
Guess easter comes before the internet though :o.k:

One other quick thing, I did the system check thing on my DIS (pressing the left button once) and I got the following icon that I can't find in my manual.

It's the top icon, just above the brakes icon. Here's the pic:

dis1.jpg


Anybody know what it means?? It was the first one that came up, no beeps or anything.


The icon that came next was:
dis2n.jpg


That is in the manual as the bulb check.
 
They're both bulb problems mate. Have you done a lights check?

Why do you want to do a reset by the way? I think you've got everything right as far as I know.
 
staz1000 said:
They're both bulb problems mate. Have you done a lights check?

Why do you want to do a reset by the way? I think you've got everything right as far as I know.
Click to expand...


Thanks mate.

Do you know why the icons are different though?? Why does one have the brackets around it and the other doesn't?

All the lights outside the car work fine. Although thinking about it, the interior light and glovebox light do have their moments.

As for the reset, I was reading that the ecu adapts to different driving styles etc. Only had the car a week or so so just wanted to help it forget about the last driver and think only about me! I'm jealous like that ;)

Is a reset not recommended then??

Cheers
 
Oh I see! Perhaps it's a good idea then. You can't break the car doing the reset so you might as well give it a go.

It means different bulbs. Don't know which though. The interior light has fault detection but it needs both bulbs (or all 4 if you have the rear lights cluster) for it to tell you about it. The glovebox light doesn't have fault detection.

You need to get it checked with VCDS to tell you which bulb circuit is acting up.
 
staz1000 said:
Oh I see! Perhaps it's a good idea then. You can't break the car doing the reset so you might as well give it a go.

It means different bulbs. Don't know which though. The interior light has fault detection but it needs both bulbs (or all 4 if you have the rear lights cluster) for it to tell you about it. The glovebox light doesn't have fault detection.

You need to get it checked with VCDS to tell you which bulb circuit is acting up.
Click to expand...


Hmm wonder what the other bulb problem is then, i've only noticed the interior (both bulbs) and glovebox playing up.

VCDS............... a trip to the main dealers then I guess :3sadwalk:
 
aythree said:
Hmm wonder what the other bulb problem is then, i've only noticed the interior (both bulbs) and glovebox playing up.

VCDS............... a trip to the main dealers then I guess :3sadwalk:
Click to expand...

No not at all. Unfortunately as you're new too the site people are a little less willing to help you out, not because they being arsey or something it's just because they don't know you.

Where abouts are you? Someone might still offer their services.

If both interior bulbs have been playing up it could be that causing one of your faults.

Can I just check something. Do these faults flag up when you turn on the ignition or what? Why are the coolant and brakes warnings up too?
 
staz1000 said:
No not at all. Unfortunately as you're new too the site people are a little less willing to help you out, not because they being arsey or something it's just because they don't know you.

Where abouts are you? Someone might still offer their services.

If both interior bulbs have been playing up it could be that causing one of your faults.

Can I just check something. Do these faults flag up when you turn on the ignition or what? Why are the coolant and brakes warnings up too?
Click to expand...

Yeh I can understand that. I'm in east london (that is probably going to give me less chance of finding someone to help!!).

No, these faults don't flag up at all, no audible warnings or anything. They only come up, followed by all the other checks, when I press the button/stalk on the instrument cluster.

This is why i didn't think these were actual faults, thought it was just going through the different sensors checking them, as they only come up when i press the button.
 
aythree said:
Yeh I can understand that. I'm in east london (that is probably going to give me less chance of finding someone to help!!).

No, these faults don't flag up at all, no audible warnings or anything. They only come up, followed by all the other checks, when I press the button/stalk on the instrument cluster.

This is why i didn't think these were actual faults, thought it was just going through the different sensors checking them, as they only come up when i press the button.
Click to expand...

In that case they're not faults mate! lol thought it looked a bit funny!

When you get a bulb fault you get a 3 second beep when you turn on the ignition and the bulb out icon on the DIS. That's if it detects a fault on cold diagnosis (hot diagnosis is when the light is actually turned on and a fault is detected).
 
staz1000 said:
In that case they're not faults mate! lol thought it looked a bit funny!

When you get a bulb fault you get a 3 second beep when you turn on the ignition and the bulb out icon on the DIS. That's if it detects a fault on cold diagnosis (hot diagnosis is when the light is actually turned on and a fault is detected).
Click to expand...


Haha :lmfao:, back to the original questions then!

Thanks anyway.
 
The top one is definitely a brake light warning. When it doesn't say which side, I think it refers to the "3rd brake light" on the tailgate...
 
aythree said:
Haha :lmfao:, back to the original questions then!

Thanks anyway.
Click to expand...

No worries!

Yeah I think stereo code and auto windows are the only things I can think off. There are no negative effects of doing this apart from those.

A learning ECU learns how you drive and adjusts the engine running accordingly. Don't know exactly what effect it has to be honest but it's worth a try.
 
RS84 said:
The top one is definitely a brake light warning. When it doesn't say which side, I think it refers to the "3rd brake light" on the tailgate...
Click to expand...

All of my brake lights work fine, normal rear cluster and tailgate light.
Thing is, none of these are displayed automatically with warning beeps, only come on with no sound when I press the instrument stalk.

Can anybody else press their button to see if they get the same please???
 
aythree said:
All of my brake lights work fine, normal rear cluster and tailgate light.
Thing is, none of these are displayed automatically with warning beeps, only come on with no sound when I press the instrument stalk.

Can anybody else press their button to see if they get the same please???
Click to expand...

A fault would defo appear with the ignition and on its own. Even if you have more than 1 fault it shows one after another.

I have tried mine anyway and it's identical.
 
Have you tried holding the reset button on the underside of the stalk? Might clear the DIS...
 
staz1000 said:
I have tried mine anyway and it's identical.
Click to expand...

Guess its ok then, thanks a lot.

Strange that its not giving me a fault for my dodgy interior lights though. Does it only show faults with the actual bulb, or does it also show faults with the related fuse/wiring.

Sorry to keep firing questions..
 
aythree said:
Guess its ok then, thanks a lot.

Strange that its not giving me a fault for my dodgy interior lights though. Does it only show faults with the actual bulb, or does it also show faults with the related fuse/wiring.

Sorry to keep firing questions..
Click to expand...

Not 100% but I think the cold diagnosis checks the circuit continuity from the start to finish. It would still flag the bulb as being at fault though.

With regard to the interior it'd have to be both bulbs open circuit to flag it. On hot diagnosis it measures current draw.
 
I was under the impresson that the interior lights werent on the bulb warning sytem?

I'm fairly sure that the stereo wont be an issue, the code only needs to be put in when 1st matched to a car. Cutting the power will only loose preset channels etc
 
Khufu said:
I was under the impresson that the interior lights werent on the bulb warning sytem?
Click to expand...

In fact now I think about it there isn't a fault flagged on the DIS, the car simply kills the power to the circuit. As was found when guys have changed all their bulbs for LEDs and they stopped working. That was only on hot diagnosis though. Putting the bulbs, or one at least one, back in turned the lights back on.

I'm fairly sure that the stereo wont be an issue, the code only needs to be put in when 1st matched to a car. Cutting the power will only loose preset channels etc
Click to expand...

You're right there too. If I disconnect my RNS-e and put it back in it doesn't need the code again.
 
staz1000 said:
In fact now I think about it there isn't a fault flagged on the DIS, the car simply kills the power to the circuit.
Click to expand...

I think this is what is happening to mine. I've got no power to my glovebox or interior light at all.
My boot light works fine though. Different circuit??
I've checked the glovebox bulb and unit by swapping it with the one in the boot and it works fine in there.


staz1000 said:
You're right there too. If I disconnect my RNS-e and put it back in it doesn't need the code again.
Click to expand...

You are both spot on, i've now disconnected/reconnected my battery and no radio code needed.


Not sure where else to go with lighting problem though. I've checked fuses and all seem to be fine. I know the glovebox bulb and unit are fine as they work in my boot. The interior bulbs "look" ok, and anyway, could a faulty one stop all the other bulbs from working??

:confused:
 
As long as you have 1 good bulb the power is still provided and it would work.

The interiors are on a different cicuit to the glovebox and the boot.

If you know which fuses are the right ones then check that there's 12v at the fuse.
 
staz1000 said:
As long as you have 1 good bulb the power is still provided and it would work.

The interiors are on a different cicuit to the glovebox and the boot.

If you know which fuses are the right ones then check that there's 12v at the fuse.
Click to expand...

Found a wiring diagram for the interior wiring but it lost me.

So it's coincidence that the glovebox and interior have both stopped working then.
Wonder if there is a single point which supplies the various interior circuits?

Yep, I'll check the voltage at the fuses. Cheers.
 
aythree said:
Found a wiring diagram for the interior wiring but it lost me.

So it's coincidence that the glovebox and interior have both stopped working then.
Wonder if there is a single point which supplies the various interior circuits?

Yep, I'll check the voltage at the fuses. Cheers.
Click to expand...

Electronic diagram which you can share? I need to install elsawin again one day.

Nearly all the circuits in the car are supplied by a central electronics unit. I don't know a lot about it though.

I'm not 100% that it's separate circuits to be honest. I'm only going by what was said in the LED thread where changing the 4 (in that case) interior bulbs for LEDs killed the power. I could be wrong.

I learned a long time ago that with electrical fault finding coincedences are rare.
 
staz1000 said:
Electronic diagram which you can share? I need to install elsawin again one day.

Nearly all the circuits in the car are supplied by a central electronics unit. I don't know a lot about it though.

I'm not 100% that it's separate circuits to be honest. I'm only going by what was said in the LED thread where changing the 4 (in that case) interior bulbs for LEDs killed the power. I could be wrong.

I learned a long time ago that with electrical fault finding coincedences are rare.
Click to expand...


If i'm honest, I did so much searching I can't even remember where I found the diagram in the end. It was in ETKA or Elsawin though.
I'll have a dig about in the two again.


One last thing about my interior lights though.... when i reconnected the battery and then opened my door I heard a strange buzz for a second or two. Wonder if that was the lights tripping out or something again?!?!
 
Khufu said:
where did the noise come from, maybe it was just the fuel pump priming?
Click to expand...


Sounded like it was coming from inside the car, but I can't be totally sure. Happened the second I opened the door.

I heard something else buzzing from outside the car when I switched the ignition on. Maybe that was the fuel pump??? I'm guessing again though.
 
Hmm.....I didn't realise that you could perform a system check on the DIS (haven't really read the manual tbh!). So, after having a quick read about it in the manual I decided to have a go and I've got the same warning lights as you.

I thought the system check was supposed to be running with the engine and therefore the driver should be alerted to any problems as they happen. Having done a bit of reading, a fault should also be accompanied by a warning chime. Now, on my car, I'm not getting any fault appearing when driving - only when I activate a system check. There's no warning chimes either.

aythree - have you resolved your problem?
 
davemk said:
Hmm.....I didn't realise that you could perform a system check on the DIS (haven't really read the manual tbh!). So, after having a quick read about it in the manual I decided to have a go and I've got the same warning lights as you.

I thought the system check was supposed to be running with the engine and therefore the driver should be alerted to any problems as they happen. Having done a bit of reading, a fault should also be accompanied by a warning chime. Now, on my car, I'm not getting any fault appearing when driving - only when I activate a system check. There's no warning chimes either.

aythree - have you resolved your problem?
Click to expand...

You are correct, everything is constantly being monitored. But by pressing the button on your DIS you are effectively forcing a complete check there and then.

As for my problem.... the photos of the "warnings" i posted weren't actually "warnings". They were just checks.
Still got the problem of no interior or glovebox lights though :uhm:
 
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