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ABS control module fix

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  • 13-06-2019 7:33pm
    #1
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭


    Hi, my wife has a 2014 Golf petrol. In last month I started to get random errors on the car. Everything would start shutting down including the ABS, pressure tire monitors etc

    Took to garage and they said the car is full of errors. Everything is pointing to the ABS Control Module. They are surprised it has failed in such a new car. Just wondering has anyone experience of these failing? they said to look around to see if common in case VW will replace outside warranty as they expect it will be expensive.

    Also can you fix these? they said it was a computer which interconnects the car system and when it fails everything that is connected to it comes up.

    The car drives and it is very very random. Just want to fix


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    #2
    Toyotafanboi
    Registered Users Posts: 12,917 ✭✭✭✭Toyotafanboi


    I could be wrong, but it doesn't really sound like they know what they are talking about, I'd get a second opinion.

    If it does need a module, you can get reconditioned units. That model Golf is extremely popular and ABS module failure certainly isn't common (dare I say heard of at all) in them.

    You could just be unlucky but I think a second opinion is a good shout here.


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    #3
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    Toyotafanboi wrote: »
    I could be wrong, but it doesn't really sound like they know what they are talking about, I'd get a second opinion.

    If it does need a module, you can get reconditioned units. That model Golf is extremely popular and ABS module failure certainly isn't common (dare I say heard of at all) in them.

    You could just be unlucky but I think a second opinion is a good shout here.

    I asked the garage to look at it, when I asked VW they wanted 120 quid just to run the diagnostics. They said they would have a look and see if they could pull up some errors.

    How do you mean they don't understand? he said all the errors point to it failing.....


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    #4
    Toyotafanboi
    Registered Users Posts: 12,917 ✭✭✭✭Toyotafanboi


    Superfoods wrote: »
    I asked the garage to look at it, when I asked VW they wanted 120 quid just to run the diagnostics. They said they would have a look and see if they could pull up some errors.

    How do you mean they don't understand? he said all the errors point to it failing.....

    How much did you pay that garage to look at it?

    If they found the fault, they would have said "the ABS module is faulty" or "an ABS sensor is faulty" or "there's a broken wire to the module" etc.

    "All symptoms point to the module" is a non committal way of saying, we think, but we aren't 100% sure, in not so many words. You can picture them saying "all symptoms pointed to the module" when they fit a module for €1000 odd of your money and it hasn't worked.

    A second opinion is key here IMO, VW might be dear but you'll get a confirmed diagnosis which could save money and fluting around in the long run.


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    #5
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    Toyotafanboi wrote: »
    How much did you pay that garage to look at it?

    If they found the fault, they would have said "the ABS module is faulty" or "an ABS sensor is faulty" or "there's a broken wire to the module" etc.

    "All symptoms point to the module" is a non committal way of saying, we think, but we aren't 100% sure, in not so many words. You can picture them saying "all symptoms pointed to the module" when they fit a module for €1000 odd of your money and it hasn't worked.

    A second opinion is key here IMO, VW might be dear but you'll get a confirmed diagnosis which could save money and fluting around in the long run.

    Ok, maybe need to take garage out of it as they are doing this as a mate. He is not taking the module out. He just ran the diag to see if they could see any error codes. It was to save the 120 quid that VW would charge.....

    Sorry when you said they don't understand, did you mean the types of errors could be something else? not the ABS module?


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    #6
    Toyotafanboi
    Registered Users Posts: 12,917 ✭✭✭✭Toyotafanboi


    Yeah, look, to me the other garage is where the whole thing falls down, having a quick look as a friend and actually diagnosing a fault are different things, similarly there is usually far more to accurately diagnosing a fault than scanning a car for fault codes, they are just leads, not causes. That, to me, ties in with the wishy washy "everything points to", non committal "diagnosis".

    I'm not saying take it to VW specifically, but you paid no money and got no answers so far IMO. Take it somewhere, pay them for their time and get a diagnosis.

    The Golf Mk7 aren't known for ABS module, or any ABS system defects really and while that doesn't mean your car doesn't need a module, it does mean it's statistically very very unlikely. Could need a sensor, could be a broken wire, could be a software fault, could literally be anything. Jumping straight to the most expensive component on the system based on nothing more than a hunch is madness IMO.

    If, for example a single ABS ensor went down, the car would be riddled with 8-10 faults for ABS, TCS, TPMS etc and to the unfamiliar or to someone "just having a look" it could appear that the situation is much more grave than it actually is until it is properly analysed.


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    #7
    martinr5232
    Registered Users Posts: 2,298 ✭✭✭martinr5232


    I think he means there is more to doing a diagnostic check than just plugging in a computer and saying it points to this. Did anyone check power imput or grounds ? Is the module responding on the can line ? Cheap diagnostics usually end up expensive.


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    #8
    Mad_Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 1,624 ✭✭✭Mad_Mike


    Not sure where you are located, but @George Dalton posts on here and specialises in VW and is based in Laois.

    Might be worth giving him a shout either. You can contact them on www.daltons.ie


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    #9
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    Thanks for all the help. To be fair to guy in garage he said he was no expert, he was going to ring VW and see what they say etc. He just said it seemed from the errors on the system to point towards the ABS control module but he was not telling me to go out and buy one to stick in.

    I did talk to my wife, the errors are random. Very random. It could happen every time she drives the car for 2-3 days, then not happen again for over a week. Then it may return with just the tyre pressure giving an error. Then start up again with everything turning off again.

    The only error which was more regular was the tyre pressure. This could be giving an error on/off for 1-2 days, then all the system turn off again.

    Once she turns off car and starts it back again in most situation the errors will go and she could drive for another 50km or even another couple of 100km before it will come up again.

    If it was a constant error I guess it would be easier to pinpoint, but it is irregular which could suggest a loose connection/cable.


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    #10
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    martinr5232 wrote: »
    I think he means there is more to doing a diagnostic check than just plugging in a computer and saying it points to this. Did anyone check power imput or grounds ? Is the module responding on the can line ? Cheap diagnostics usually end up expensive.

    I probably worded the first post wrong, he was up front on been no expert and was just hooking up to see if it could tell me what was wrong, the problem is the system is full of error codes.

    They have checked none of the above, but he was never going to check them anyway.


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    #11
    DublinDilbert
    Registered Users Posts: 5,367 ✭✭✭DublinDilbert


    I'm not an expert on that model of golf, but sounds like a power or CAN bus problem to me, lots of ECU's throwing faults randomly?

    If a single ECU has/is failing, you should mainly see faults from that ECU and no others. On many BMW's if the engine ECU goes off line, pretty much every ECU in the vehicle will throw faults.


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    #12
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    DublinDilbert wrote: »
    I'm not an expert on that model of golf, but sounds like a power or CAN bus problem to me, lots of ECU's throwing faults randomly?

    If a single ECU has/is failing, you should mainly see faults from that ECU and no others. On many BMW's if the engine ECU goes off line, pretty much every ECU in the vehicle will throw faults.

    I am an idiot with cars, I start it and it goes great, if it doesn't then I call "the man"

    I thought it might be a battery issue but they checked that and battery is good.

    CAN bus?


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    #13
    dmc17
    Registered Users Posts: 3,728 ✭✭✭dmc17


    DublinDilbert wrote: »
    I'm not an expert on that model of golf, but sounds like a power or CAN bus problem to me, lots of ECU's throwing faults randomly?

    If a single ECU has/is failing, you should mainly see faults from that ECU and no others. On many BMW's if the engine ECU goes off line, pretty much every ECU in the vehicle will throw faults.
    Superfoods wrote: »
    I am an idiot with cars, I start it and it goes great, if it doesn't then I call "the man"

    I thought it might be a battery issue but they checked that and battery is good.

    CAN bus?

    I had an issue with an ECU getting wet in a car before. It threw faults related to air flow meter and throttle body and changing these did nothing, for obvious reason in hindsight. If it is giving random error codes for different parts, it might be no harm to keep ECU/electrical system in mind before throwing parts at the problem.

    Edit: Also had an ABS module fail in another car and got it reconditioned by ecutesting.com


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    #14
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    Ok, strange new symptom my wife has remembered. When she would turn off car you would have this really low noise going in/out. Dat dat dat dat on the car. Like a vibration. If you stuck foot onto the brake it would stop....

    She wouldn't hear it unless everything was off in car and it would only happen for maybe 10-15 sec after she turned off car. It was really faint. It seemed to resonate from behind the steering wheel going up towards the left hand side of the window screen, so would have been right at the top of the engine on left hand side if standing looking into engine.

    Maybe that is standard, it was so low she didn't think about it at all but just remembered now.

    Now the car has been fully serviced every year, passed NCT no issues so she never thought about it till now. Maybe we are just reading too much into it.


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    #15
    Blueshoe
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,964 ✭✭✭Blueshoe


    Pay to have it diagnosed professionally or live with it.
    Those are your options


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    #16
    George Dalton
    Registered Users Posts: 5,728 ✭✭✭George Dalton


    I've never seen an ABS control module fault on a Mk7 Golf, on previous generations yes, but not Mk7. The only ABS related components we have had to replace on Mk7 so far have been wheel speed sensors. Wheel speed sensors can cause multiple fault codes and affect multiple systems in the car leading to several warning lights on the dash, so it is possible that it is the problem in this case.


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    #17
    Superfoods
    Closed Accounts Posts: 322 ✭✭Superfoods


    Blueshoe wrote: »
    Pay to have it diagnosed professionally or live with it.
    Those are your options


    The plan was always to get experts to review the system. I just wanted to check was this a regular occurrence, doesn't seem to be based on the helpful comments on here so next stage will be to bring to experts....

    The recommendation above for the garage is great


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