Have any of you had problems with warning lights and messages of faults with your car, to have it checked and no problems found?

 

Yes, and this applies to modern cars generally.

Serious faults are stored immediately and the MIL put on.

Less serious faults are known as pending faults. If they don't recur they're cleared. No MIL as no stored fault.

All the above may also result in a message on the dash. (Or not.)

The exact details of which condition does what are (almost all; I think they missed some) in jtis.

However.... you wouldn't really expect any of this to keep happening without one or more underlying reasons, of course.

 

Thanks for that reply. So far the car has had warnings for the airbag, gearbox and park brake. All have been checked and found to be fine.

 

Just in case someone does a search with a similar problem in the future; the solution was a new battery. It would appear a lack of current from the old battery was causing the ECU to react with various warnings.

So, if you find this problem get you battery checked first before you sepnd money on costly diagnostics.

 

Good advice Delta66. Batteries that have reached the point where they are just starting to fail can cause some strange and unpredictable happenings in today's electronically-complex vehicles. Especially during the cold winter months when batteries have to work their hardest. Many OEM batteries are built to last through the vehicle's factory warranty period but not much longer unless you live in warm weather all year round. So once your vehicle is out of warranty, do some quick battery research so you'll be ready to pick one up at a fair price from a trustworthy source....

Best battery I've ever had was a Wal-Mart $42 special that I installed in my 1999 Dodge Ram pickup in September 2002 when the factory battery died seven months after the factory warranty had run out. That Wal-Mart battery is still going strong nearly 7.5 years later and my truck sits outside 24/7 so it lives in temperatures that drop into the low teens every winter. As long as I clean the battery terminals a couple of times a year, that battery keeps crankin' like it was new. I never would have expected this from a cheapo Wal-Mart battery....

Worst battery I've ever had was the Sears Diehard back in the 1970s and 1980s. I had a 1974 Datsun 260Z that did not like starting in cold weather and it would eat up those Diehards about every two years. Those Diehards cost about $60 or $70 back then, a lot of money for a battery back in those days....

 

I concur with the battery issue; Dodgy batteries, and sulphated terminals can cause data havoc inside any programmed logic controller. It's not just cars either. We had all sorts of error codes with a Rowe-Ami compact disc jukebox back in the 1980s, and it was caused by the starter switch for a 40watt fluorescent lamp illuminating the selection board. It was a spin-off fault from a huge mains transformer fitted in the bottom to convert british 230volt mains to the jukebox's 110volt american mains/powerline.
If you have to change your battery, clip a small well charged 12volt battery across the terminals with croc. clip leads (observing polarity or you'll have an instant fire) so power is maintained to the various computers AND THE RADIO! Saves much faffing around later. Also I've heard there is a gizmo that can be plugged into the cigar lighter that does the same job.
Leedsman.

 

I had the battery fitted by Halfords for a massive £5. They used a gizmo plugged into the cigaette lighter to retain codes. It did not work for the radio though.

To think I had two diagnositcs done for £50 before I had the battery checked and a Jag dealer wanted another £167 to do another, the blood boils.

I phoned the dealer back to tell them what I had had done, just in case they can learn something from this episode.

 

Re. the gizmo plugged into the cigar lighter... In the old days the cigar lighter was wired direct to the +12volt supply from the battery via a safety fuse. This meant that current could be sent INTO the socket as well as delivering current to the heating element. But nowadays many cigar lighter sockets have a power regulator/current limiter for safety (in case the cigar lighter shorts and causes a fire). So a back-flow of current will then be impossible. If the computer uses non-volatile memories (e.g. eeprom etc.) then IT won't lose its memory. So I can guarantee a small backup battery clipped across the main battery's connectors during the change will indeed save the radio code. Handy if you don't have the code!
Leedsman.

 

So when I replace our S-Type's battery I have to enter my specific radio code somewhere in order for the radio to operate properly again? Where is this code entered?

My wife is out in her S-Type today so I don't have access to the owners manual. I assume these details are in there, but maybe not....

 

You enter the code using the number pad that is part of the phone. Just type the four numbers and thats it.

 

Thanks. I assume when the new battery is installed and the ignition is turned on, I will be prompted by the radio's display screen to enter the code. Guess I'll find out when new battery time rolls around. Right now our 2005 factory battery is doing fine....

 

I do not think the battery on my 2003 has been changed, I should look into it...7 years old...

I wonder what brand my shop will recommend...

 

No need to replace a battery simply because it has reached a certain age. As long as your car continues to start normally (especially in cold weather) and all the electronics are working normally with no cryptic messages or warning lights randomly popping up, continue to run your battery. The key is to check it periodically and top up the cells with distilled water as necessary. In the nearly 14 months since I purchased our 2005 S-Type, I've topped up the cells at least twice....