Why new ABS Unit if no ABS warning light?

[kaygolf]

My Golf SE 1.6 is 2 weeks out of warranty and today I have been quoted £1353 for a new ABS Unit by a main dealership. The ESP light is permanently on amber and is showing as switched off (I cant switch it back on). What I can't understand is why, if I need a new ABS Unit, the ABS warning light isn't on.
Also, I've been having very intermittant problems with both the ESP and ABS lights coming on and the car juddering and feeling as though it's pulling to one side. A couple of times the car also lost complete power - totally dead, no lights on the dash, no turning over of the engine etc. After a few minutes, came back to life & no problems - mileage trip and clock restarted. Nothing revealed by main dealer first time - second time they replaced the fuel pump under warranty. Now further problems with the ESP and out of warranty.
Any suggestions - please help as I havn't a clue, but I feel as though it's a problem that should have been sorted under warranty and now I'm going to have to pay loads to get it fixed.
Thanks, Kay

[a8 tech]

Can only suspect the abs incorporating esp is munking the drive can up.

[kaygolf]

Thanks for your reply, but I really mean it when I say I don't have a clue - what does 'munking the drive can up' mean - sorry to be so green.

[a8 tech]

Hello Kay,did they give you a diagnostic printout with fault codes.Drivetrain is the communication type used for abs engine ecu amongst other important control units,these control units talk to each other very very fast so for example if you are slaming the brakes on and have a collision there is a crash signal sent down drive train can.The abs will see deceleration the airbag sensors will react to impact and trigger the message to deploy airbags and cut the engine and turn the hazards on via gateway and out to convience can.Any way you say your losing power as well,the abs control unit also sees and stores fault codes from drive train messages that are storing in engine ecu so there should be a fault code in both address 01 engine electrics and address 03 abs as the relation of these two control unit fault codes will lead you to your fault.If the fault code is comming back abs implausible signal/check sum error then this will permenantly illuminate esp light.Hopr this helps and i am not trying to blind you with bull.Munking up is my slang for Knackering etc.The dash resetting may be a gateway issue or even the hole problem is down to a poor earth which these control units share as its the most likely possibility.

[kaygolf]

Thanks for all your suggestions - it's all very complicated isn't it (plants & gardening are my thing - much more straightforward!). No, they didn't give me the diagnostic printout or fault codes - can I insist that they do? All they said was that it was an electrical fault with the ABS Unit, which sounds a bit vague, even to me.

[a8 tech]

Yes Kay they need to provide a clear diagnostic report and diagnostic log and i would fix it for you if you sorted my back garden out.Try and get some info off the dealer and let us have a look at whats going on.

[kaygolf]

Really appreciate your help - I'll speak to the dealership tomorrow - VW head office have said they will get back to me on Monday.
Kay

[kaygolf]

Hi - I've had some success with the dealership, and they've given me copies of the diagnosis log. The fault showing re the ABS is 01435, but the printout is also showing that the battery voltage was 11.6 and 11.95 during the diagnosis, but nobody said anything about there being a problem with the battery!??? I had a look at the battery and there is no colour in the little round window (in fact it looks empty to me) - they ran a check on it and it was showing fine, but then I had just driven to the garage - would that have charged it up again?
On earlier logs (April and July), there are also codes 668 (both times), 16475 (i think this was when they replaced the fuel pump), 18359 (says something about the coolant fan - i didn't know there'd been an issue with this), 02386 (rain/light recog sensor, function limitation due to excessive voltage) - I'd asked them to check the light sensors because they seemed too sensative but they said they were fine???, 00446 (function restriction due to low voltage).
I know I'm clueless about cars, but there seems to be a lot of mentions of voltage levels, which looks suspicious when the battery doesn't seem to be in great shape (we had to recharge it lots of times some time ago when the radio kept draining it). Any suggestions?
Thanks Kay

[Sam]

I've closed your other three? threads on this subject and pointed them all here.

I realise you're eager to get a resolution but one post is enough and it also keeps all the history in one place.

See what a8_tech has to say on the matter, if he can't help, then no one can

[kaygolf]

Hi - apologies for cluttering up the site, I know I'm a bit impatient, but am desperately wanting to be able to speak some sort of sense about the faults when VW get back to me on Monday! Will keep to this thread.
Thanks, Kay