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Both 12v and 48v batteries failed after 75 miles - waited 4 weeks for batteries

misterp27

New member
Picked up my new Golf Style on October27th and drove a few miles around town. Seven days later I then drove 20 miles to Lewes without any problems. On my return I started the car to drive home and a message displayed about the 12v battery not charging. Looked in the manual and it suggested start the engine and let the it run in idle, which I did for about 15 minutes. I started to drive off and another similar message displayed and mentioned the 48v battery was not charging and warned not to drive. Waited 3 and 5 hours for 2 AA visits and car eventually towed back to garage.

Batteries were on backorder, were expedited by the dealer on November 4th and I have just had a phone call on 3rd December to say that the car is now working correctly and is ready to collect.

Apparently the problem was down to a glitch in the computer software, which has now been updated with the latest version, which seems unbelievable to me.

Anybody else suffered a similar problem?
 

burnsie

New member
Yes, I had a similar error showing that the 12v battery was not charging. The next day it was totally dead and I couldn't start the car (Let alone open the doors using central locking). AA came and jump started the vehicle, I drove it back to the garage and they said that they needed to drain both the 12v and 48v battery completely and then re-charge them to resolve it.

Not sure if that resolved it or not, as my car is still in the garage after 3 months with a myriad of other software issues and warning messages that are "awaiting a software update" to be resolved.
 

aitcheff

Passed Driver's Ed
Well, in addition to the keyless entry problems and mobile phone connection problems I've been having., my car is now marooned on my drive with the 48V and 12V errors. The car will no longer start and I get about 10 other warnings and errors when I turn the ignition on..

The car was booked in next week for a software update to fix the keyless entry issue, but this is more serious.

I've only had the car for about 6 weeks. I feel the car is not fit for purpose and I'm going to explore the possibility of returning it for my money back. Does anyone have any advice on how to best approach that under UK law?
 

aitcheff

Passed Driver's Ed
Thanks that's very helpful. It seems that because I bought it with VW Finance I can get them to refund me or replace the car. I'll see what the dealership says tomorrow. If they can"t repair it in a short timescale I'll go for a refund.
 

misterp27

New member
Thanks that's very helpful. It seems that because I bought it with VW Finance I can get them to refund me or replace the car. I'll see what the dealership says tomorrow. If they can"t repair it in a short timescale I'll go for a refund.
Hi
Just an update on my particular problem. After 30 days of waiting for new batteries (and updated software) my problem was apparently caused by a software glich that meant that the batteries were not getting charged. I have had the car back for almost 2 weeks and no further problems (touch wood). I referred the problem to VW complaints department. They disowned the problem and said come to an agreement with the dealer re compensation and they would help the dealer financially. The only compensation offered was a free 3rd year service (which is no good too me as I change cars every 3 years).
I had already discussed returning the car as it was not fit for purpose but the manager refused point blank. The dealer did give me a replacement car while mine was sitting in the garage.
I hope you can get your problems resolved quickly
 
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aitcheff

Passed Driver's Ed
An update on my 48V battery problem.

I can't fault VW customer service. I rang the dealer first thing Monday morning. They told me to ring VW roadside assist. A technician arrived in under an hour and confirmed that he couldn't resolve the problem and that the car would have to be collected and taken to the dealer. 10 minutes later Enterprise Plus rang me to tell me I had a courtesy car arranged for me and ready to collect. Then about an hour later a truck arrived to collect my car. Soon after that the dealer rang to confirm they had the car and that they would update me on status either that day or the next depending on their technician's availability. Sure enough at about 11.30 the next morning the dealer rang to say that the battery had been replaced and I could collect it once they had valeted it. They said I could just leave the hired courtesy car with them.

Very impressed. Of course it would be better if the car didn't have any faults. Also I am concerned that the battery fault might reappear if the issue is also software related.

The car needs to go in again once they have fixes for my other minor issues and I'll then get a chance to talk to their master technician and find out more about why the battery failed in the first place. In the meantime I feel much better about the car. I guess we early purchasers of new models have to act as beta testers, but I think once the issues have been resolved this will be my favourite car ever.
 

Eric of Ayr

New member
Yes, I had a similar error showing that the 12v battery was not charging. The next day it was totally dead and I couldn't start the car (Let alone open the doors using central locking). AA came and jump started the vehicle, I drove it back to the garage and they said that they needed to drain both the 12v and 48v battery completely and then re-charge them to resolve it.

Not sure if that resolved it or not, as my car is still in the garage after 3 months with a myriad of other software issues and warning messages that are "awaiting a software update" to be resolved.
Can I ask if and how this has been resolved it sounds like the same issue I have
 

burnsie

New member
Can I ask if and how this has been resolved it sounds like the same issue I have
That was only one of about 10 issues I had with the Golf. I got sick of it being in the workshop every other week, demanded they take it back with a full refund and bought a Peugeot instead. It is a shame, I really liked the car but probably not what you want to hear...
 

Eric of Ayr

New member
That was only one of about 10 issues I had with the Golf. I got sick of it being in the workshop every other week, demanded they take it back with a full refund and bought a Peugeot instead. It is a shame, I really liked the car but probably not what you want to hear...
Indeed not i am coming to same conclusion
 
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