Brought my car out for the summer today and drove it for the first time for a few months

Have had the battery on a minder but noticed before I drove off it had been turned off at the socket (Probably the wife!)
Drove for ten miles (music up really loud! and I have a biggish aftermarket amp) parked the car, ran an errand got back in , drove off and got the dreaded fault messages: ABS/DSC not available message. First time ever I've had these.

Got home, cleared the faults, went for a drive and immediately 'Gearbox Fault' and a very hard shift, again first time ever.
Turned around, came home and parked up.

So I know from reading many posts on the forum that these faults can be the classic signs of an undercharged/weak battery. So the battery charger is on. I have already replaced the ground points behind the head lights and cleaned many others so its not that.

So the question is when the battery has had time to charge properly(I'll leave it for at least 24hrs) do I clear the codes before I try a test drive?

Any comments appreciated.

 

Which DTC's did you have?

I would clear the codes and see if they reappear.

ABS and DSC and maybe the gearbox need the speed signal from the wheel sensors.

Possible wheel sensor failure (not uncommon) if fault persists after battery is fully charged.

 

Thanks Meirion1,

I'll read the codes tomorrow and post back.
Battery is charging away overnight

 

How old is your battery?
They draw a lot of power setting around not being driven.
Both of mine needed a new one when purchased.
When you pay them less out the door, that their asking.
You get them as is, no warranty at all.
If you pay more there is a worthless warranty, that covers nothing.
You have three days in Ohio, to take it back,
So if there is a real issue.
Take it back, as far as i know it's still the law
A lot of people are unaware of this
So a battery, plus what i saw going in, isn't bad at all.

 

So cleared the codes and went for a drive this evening
So far so good, no more faults and codes have not come back
Looks like it was an undercharged battery that caused all the problems.
Hoping this is the end of it.

 

So this was not the end of it, codes and warning lights came back.
I have replaced the right rear speed sensor which was the culprit according to the code reader.
Have driven a short distance and so far so good

 

Great to get it solved, that sense of accomplishment, just feels superb!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just in case, you may want to test the battery's charge at the terminals following an overnight wait. That is how I finally found my weakened battery. I had many small faults prior to replacing it that I did fix as I went along. Just as your sensor needed replacing, everything I did was necessary. However, I found my battery with barely 12 volts first thing in the morning. She kept starting just fine and I even drove it to pick up a new battery. After replacing it I have not had a restricted performance code again (knock on wood). Hopefully you will be set for the summer driving season and enjoy all of it with no problems. Good luck and have fun.