VW Touran ABS/Computer Problem

[Yozza]

Hi, I have a '10 reg Touran 1.9 diesel with 20k on the clock. I have owned it from new and it has been serviced by my local VW garage. I have just returned from the US after seven weeks so the car has lain idle for that time. When I turned on the ignition to be confronted by the ABS and skid light on my dashboard. I have been on the MSE forum and am horrified to find that this is a dreaded problem common to VW.The computer is also up the shoot and the MPG readings are going haywire--this also happened to when the car had just been serviced last July and they said it would sort itself out and my initial reaction prior to going on the forum was that my would settle down with use. Am I worrying too much or is there something sinister about my probem? The only other problem I have had was a rear road spring snapping.VW wanted 96 pounds to carry out a diagnostic and then extra to have the job done.I had a good idea what the problem was and that is was no big deal to carry out so my local village replaced the spring for 70 pounds.
The prospect of going to the VW garage and forking out 96 pounds for starters doesn't appeal so has anyone any ideas as to what my problem might be?If I go along with some prior knowledge it might help me. Would I be likely to have any joy with Customer Services as the car is hardly run in! In the old Beetle days I was an ardent supporter of VW on reliability grounds but now I am beginning to have serious doubts!
Best wishes
Yozza

[zollaf]

charge battery then hook up to vcds for a scan.

[Yozza]

Hi,Thanks for such a speedy response. I have no starting problems and the battery seems crisp
Yozza

[Rob69]

Mine was similar, dash cluster gone haywire, still starting ok though. New battery sorted it. Suspect yours is the same especially if still original battery, 6 or 7 years old standing idle in cold weather.

[zollaf]

then give it a good run to charge up. in thats lenghth of not being used it will have gone a bit flat. i would drive for at least an hour somewhere, and if the light is still on, clear it with vcds. chances are its just a low volts thing thats upset the status quo.

[Yozza]

Many thanks for the help but charging the battery didn't didn't do the trick sadly so I contacted VW who,whilst being very sympathetic,could not help as it was out of warranty.I listened to the advice of fellow forum members and took it to non-VW specialist for the diagnostic which found that my ABS sensor had gone. I had heard that VW replace the entire unit for 1500 pounds after charging 96 pounds for the diagnostic! I was concerned that my ABS/ESP was not working so decided to get the job done asap by the non-VW specialist.However,I feel very strongly that VW have failed to recall a known fault with a component used by them and would like to attempt to do something about it if that is remotely possible.Both Trading Standards and CAB seem to have down-sized and the Sale of Goods Act only covers six years.Can anyone advise me on how to progress?i would at least like to think that I had done my best to drawer attention to this for the sake of other VW owners.

[Rob69]

So are you saying a wheel ABS sensor needed replacing or the ABS unit itself? how much have you paid?

[Yozza]

Hi and thanks to all those good folk who have offered advice.As pointed out,I have had the ABS/ESP kit fitted by a recommended VW/Audi/BMW specialist who,having run a diagnostic,found the this to be the fault.However,he is still struggling to remove the warning lights as the laptop shows pressure to be still there when the pedal is released.In fairness the mechanic has spent a lot of time trying to find the solution but I feel he is now clutching at straws. Has anyone any ideas as I would like my car back! I have also heard several folk saying that it was the battery at fault and in my case I had left the car standing for seven weeks on the drive in cold weather and the first sign of dash lights was when I switched on for the first time.I did charge the battery fully and even prior to doing that the car turned over briskly so am I now clutching at straws? How sensitive is the system to a battery which is six years old?Bit expensive to change on the off-chance
Many thanks for any advice
Yozza