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2007 1.2 Fox draining battery - throttle body?


BevP
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Hi there

Has someone got any advise please before I throw the towel in?

A bit of back history because I’m not sure it’s not the auto electrician who has caused this. Being a single female I feel like I am being walked all over and I just want someone who knows what they are doing to fix the car. We live near Bournemouth, so if anyone can suggest someone local who knows these cars, please let me know!

I bought my daughter a 2007 1.2 Urban Fox (which is turning into an expensive mistake) to learn to drive in. Unbeknown to me it was sold to me with a faulty speedo, after a fight with the garage through trading standards they offered me £250 towards the repair. I didn’t want to take the car back to them because they were quite a distance away from me and they weren’t exactly nice when I reported the issue to them “what do you expect from an 11 year old car”

My ex brother in law owns a garage, they are a BMW Specialist. He replaced the speedo with a second hand one as we couldn’t get a new one through VW. There were various issues, the auto electrician said he knew what he was doing. To start with when we had used the lights, turned the car off etc we got a buzzing noise from behind the speedo. The only way I could stop that was to remove the fuse from the fuse box, then reinsert it. The guy apparently switched a circuit off and this stopped that issue.

Since I have had the car back, the battery goes flat. Have had the battery replaced (recovery company told me it was an old dead battery) and still it happens.

It sounds to me like the throttle body is activating every 1 minute and 48 seconds, it comes on for 10 seconds then clicks and goes off. Doesn’t matter whether the car is locked or unlocked, still does it. It never did this with the old speedo.

My brother in law had the car back this week, but told me the noise isn’t happening and that the new Bosch battery was faulty. Recovery company came out yesterday and replaced the battery. The car is currently sat outside whirring away nicely, guessing this battery will be flat before I know it and I don’t have a spanner to disconnect it! I have taken a video of the noise and sent it to him. He doesn’t have a mechanic to look at it today!

There are also several other things happening now which I am unsure aren’t related to the new speedo being put on:

It has no sidelights on the first click of the stalk; it goes straight to dipped beam. This is a new stalk which was replaced Dec 2018 (the fog lights weren’t working). The guy who did that job knew VWs inside out but I can’t get hold of him any longer. The new stalk worked fine up until this speedo was put in.

I’ve also noticed that the speedo, revs and petrol needles are lit up even when I don’t have the lights on. I don’t remember this being the case with the old speedo. Can anyone with a Fox advise me if this is correct please?

The interior light stays on for ages when the door is shut and driving away.

I also seem to remember that the lights even when turned off stayed on until the key was pulled out of the ignition. This isn’t the case now. Again can anyone advise please?

Also, the radio keeps coming up with LEARN when switched on. If you switch it off and on again the station displays and plays.

The auto electrician says none of this is due to what he’s done.

The central locking has never worked. The boot will not unlock with the key, only when driver’s door is unlocked. Neither are huge issues.

I’m sorry for the essay, but advice would be greatly received. At least I can either tell my brother in law what we think is wrong, or I can take it to someone who knows what they are doing!

My 1980 T25 never caused me this many issues in all the years I owned it!

Thanks

Bev

Edited by BevP
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Well, truth be told, most garages have no idea about electrics with cars. Just wait till electric cars need fixing. A mechanic will be useless... 

So, the reality is that they'll try various things but mostly it's a stab in the dark unless they really understand how the various computers work and what they control.

my hunch is that from your description, it's something to do with the door locks. Interior light staying on is a good indicator. Door locks can also control fuel pumps... indirectly. But it could also be an intermittant main power relay, or ignition switch (radio in learn mode or a light switch crossing wires - dash illuminated is wierd.) good luck.

but if this is of any help, ANY post 1996 car can exhibit wierd behaviour because of electrics. 

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No offence but there's nothing that VW about a fox, they're South American and a lot of things are very different.

Knowing inside and out will get you nowhere on this.

Fit a big red kill switch for the battery.

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Thank you both for replying and the advice.

Yep Rich, wish I’d looked into the origin of the Fox before I bought one for my daughter. It was what she wanted, and having not had a problem with any other VW I’ve owned, I just bought it. Regretting it now though! When VW said they couldn’t get a speedo from Brazil I should have just given up I think.

The kill switch is a great idea - thanks.

Now just to find out why the first click on the stalk no longer gives me sidelights just dipped beam.

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I hope it isn’t the stalk again, I had that replaced Dec’18 as the fog lights weren’t working it was the stalk which was faulty. 

Do you want me to ring my local scrappy (Trents) tomorrow to see if they have a window mech for you? They did break a Fox recently.

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