MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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A friend's 2015 Sharan has broken down twice while I've been driving it in the last 2 weeks. The electrics stop working. No warning just instant nothingness. The first time we were at Watford FC and almost at the ground. The electric handbrake came on and the car could not be moved to somewhere less awkward. After a 4 hour wait the AA took the car home. Today, the same thing but luckily it happened 200 yards from his house and I managed to coast to his driveway. The first time the garage found a fuse had blown. It was for the main control board. The car shut down and seemed to think it had been involved in an accident. The windows dropped an inch which I'm told happens if the car thinks it's been in an accident. Not sure if this is true or not.
Today, on the way back from Watford the same thing. At least we got to watch the game. They lost 4-1. His wife will get the garage to pick the car up on Monday. Anyone have similar experiences of total electrical failure? Not sure why the fuse would keep blowing. Last time the garage, a VW main dealer claim to have checked the wiring and not found a fault.
Fuese don't just blow. They are designed to melt and prevent fires if a circuit is drawing too much current. Usually this turns out to be because something is earthing where it shouldn't be (a short circuit).
I'd be amazed if a main dealer checked the wiring after changing a fuse and finding the problem had gone away. Most likely they plugged a code reader in and didn't find a problem as it was fixed by then. This may well be a problem that takes some time to sort until the problem becomes more general (ie, further damage has occurred).
I'd consider a proper auto electrician rather than any sort of general garage or main dealer.
According to the geeky car guy in our motor vehicle department who does a presentation for us. In modern cars if you were to put a car loom from end to end wire at a time the total length is about a mile combined. I'm impressed the garage checked all of that as it didn't sound like they had it for long, however, from the symptoms it does sound like a wiring gremlin which can cause all sort of weird behaviours.
Any gadgets plugged into cigarette lighters? Any extra stuff been wired in?
Should we be asking his wife if she is dealing with the garage?
Shirley at 2015 it's still under warranty? I'd be having serious words with v dub
3 years/60,000 Miles
First two years is unlimited mileage
^^^^ That's what she's going to be doing come Monday morning. I was just curious as it's happened twice while I've been driving it. There's nothing plugged in to the 12v power socket.
It is a brotherwood conversion for his wheelchair, but it's been fine since new and I've been driving it since day one. When it happened the first time I thought about sticking a couple of 7.5 amp fuses in my pocket. I'm not sure if just replacing the fuse would get the thing to start of if it would need the electrics rebooting from a lap top or similar to clear any codes orcreset it. It's fuse SC39 if I remember correctly.
it would make sense, with the latest security and crash cage type stuff going on getting the doors to unlock and be operable during a crash is getting harder. Making it easy to smash a window sounds sensible.The windows dropped an inch which I'm told happens if the car thinks it's been in an accident. Not sure if this is true or not.
Try checking things like airbag and lock harnesses if the car thinks it's crashed.
I'd be poking around near any moving parts that have been modified. Even the high end/expensive modification companies are bloody useless at planning ahead. Cables running over sharp edges/pinch points all the time. A mate crashed his in the summer when the control yoke harness got snagged on the steering shaft. The cable bundle was left just resting on the steering shaft. 🙄It is a brotherwood conversion for his wheelchair, but it's been fine since new and I've been driving it since day one.
It was odd in that anything that you needed to work before you got in the car or with the ignition off still works. Central locking, radio, hazard lights and the running lights that come on when you open the doors.
Its everything else that comes to life when the ignition is acivated that doesn't work.