Electronic Stability Program
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Electronic Stability Program
Ok, so I have a button on my dash (ESP) by the cupholder that turns this function on and off. When off there is a light on the dash that comes on. It is a 3/4 circle with a triangle in the middle and inside the triangle is a exclamation point. I turned this off and drove for 250 miles to see if I could feel or notice a difference in MPG and performance (just curious). Well, nothing was noticed except the following: Now I can't turn it back on with the switch and the light stays on. Anybody know what to do?
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From: Warwickshire
You will notice any appreciable difference unless you are really pushing....
it a bit towards a drift or slide. It backs off the throttle and applies braking to re-balance the car in a way which no driver could, no matter how skilled.
There are limits as to how much it really is turned off, it will still cut in if it detects yaw and slip angles or vastly differing rotational speeds from the wheel speed sensors.
It should re-enable itself as soon as you switch it back on. It usuallyt takes a couplf of seconds to do a self check but should then be on as normal. I think that it should always default to be on as you start up but I have not tried that.
If it stays off - warning light on, despite re-starts and attempts to turn it back on then there must be a fault and you will need to download the codes it will have generated.
the most likley fault is a wheel speed sensor but it is strange it happened from just turning it off. It could be the control unit but they are normally very reliable.
You really need the codes.
There are limits as to how much it really is turned off, it will still cut in if it detects yaw and slip angles or vastly differing rotational speeds from the wheel speed sensors.
It should re-enable itself as soon as you switch it back on. It usuallyt takes a couplf of seconds to do a self check but should then be on as normal. I think that it should always default to be on as you start up but I have not tried that.
If it stays off - warning light on, despite re-starts and attempts to turn it back on then there must be a fault and you will need to download the codes it will have generated.
the most likley fault is a wheel speed sensor but it is strange it happened from just turning it off. It could be the control unit but they are normally very reliable.
You really need the codes.
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Conducted a search....
On this topic and only found 1 post. A guy had a similar problem but never posted the results of the fix. He just downloaded the code. Some people think this has to do with a bad ABS Hydraulic Pump?? I wonder if my warranty covers all of this--hopefully it should. I will try to find that post again to see what the code was. Reading more anout ESP was interesting. I would never notice a difference unless I was driving the car hard (which I wasnt).
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Biggest thing it does that you can't...
...is to apply the brakes on just one side of the vehicle when it detects a skid. As Edd noted, no amount of skill is going to allow that.
This topic has been discussed and the general consensus is that it should be left on at all times except when you are tracking your car and want to have intentional control over skidding. Otherwise, consider it a very neat feature that you hope you'll never need.
This topic has been discussed and the general consensus is that it should be left on at all times except when you are tracking your car and want to have intentional control over skidding. Otherwise, consider it a very neat feature that you hope you'll never need.
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Re: Conducted a search....
Ok...Found this posted by JWeb...The car is a 2.7T and I have a 4.2 Sport but I assume that the system is the same but not necessarily could mean that my problem is the same as his. I imagine there are many possibilities that could lead to this problem but here is what he saw when he check the codes.
1 Fault Found:
01422 - Hydraulic Pump for Electronic Stability Program (V156)
31-00 - Open or Short to Ground
Anybody have any other insight before I take her to the dealership?
1 Fault Found:
01422 - Hydraulic Pump for Electronic Stability Program (V156)
31-00 - Open or Short to Ground
Anybody have any other insight before I take her to the dealership?
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Make sure the dealership will download the codes for free...
...as a diagnostic measure. If they won't do that, you may want to see if you can find somebody with a VAG COM near you who can lend you a hand and download codes.
Unless you're under warranty, in which case, have at it.
Unless you're under warranty, in which case, have at it.
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Good Warranty...
that hopefully will cover issues like these. I suppose I should take it in for a vag-com session. Thanks for all the help and I will post results of the fix to inlude the codes for peoples future referece. Hope it's nothing serious.
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actually, you also want to turn it off when tires are on surfaces with very different friction
i.e. one side standing on snow, the other on asphalt. At least that's what it says in my owners manual.
If I floor it on wet roads with ESP it'll flash the warning light and thump the brakes, without ESP I'll spin the wheels (2.5TDI and fwd is a bad combo). Either way I'd accelerate faster by being gentler on the pedal.
If I floor it on wet roads with ESP it'll flash the warning light and thump the brakes, without ESP I'll spin the wheels (2.5TDI and fwd is a bad combo). Either way I'd accelerate faster by being gentler on the pedal.
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FYI...
Dealer people don't appreciate being told to check for a specific code. They become suspect at once for mods and stuff.
Better to play very dumb and simply say.
This funny light won't go out...can you fix it?
Better to play very dumb and simply say.
This funny light won't go out...can you fix it?