No heating and "Electric drive not working correctly. Please visit workshop" warning

Faults and Technical chat for the CUPRA Born
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TheRobsterAlfa
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:22 pm

Post by TheRobsterAlfa »

I remotely air conditioned my Born V3 this morning to clear ice which worked fine with clear windows when I got in it. Headed off to work but noticed it was chilly inside so I cranked the CLIMA up to HI and just got cold air blowing at me through the vents. Had usual Front Collision Assist warning on dash which always appears when it's icy but I then got a yellow car silhouette light with an exclamation mark.
On arrival at work, I got the message "Electric drive not working correctly. Please visit workshop". I've contacted our company Fleet Services to report this issue for them to arrange a visit to Seat in Sheffield.

Dash image showing message.jpg

I did a bit of searching online and this is a common issue on the ID.3 (Cupra Born too new for anything like this to be reported yet)...in almost every case, the message goes away on it's own and is thought to be a software issue.
No-one else mentioned a heating issue though which concerns me.
I'll go out to car again shortly and see if message is still there.
Only a few weeks after delivery my car had to be recovered because it lost all drive and rolled backwards when selecting D or R. Seat in Sheffield had it several days and did nothing with it because it just fixed itself!!
My colleague's Born V2 had total battery failure 3 days after delivery...she is still awaiting updates from Seat UK regarding it going to a specialist battery centre for repair or replacement - she's been without the car for almost 2 months now.

TheRobsterAlfa
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:22 pm

Post by TheRobsterAlfa »

Just been back out to the car (been standing for 2.5hrs) and warning still appears and no heating whatsoever (heated seats and wheel work okay though but they use little power from main battery).
The only thing I did differently yesterday was to move the 20A rear 12v socket fuse into the "always live" position (which worked by the way so my mag beacon now stays on when I step out of the car) but following that everything was still fine and I had heating on my way home so can't be related (on low voltage circuit anyway).
Will keep you all updated.
TheRobsterAlfa
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:22 pm

Post by TheRobsterAlfa »

Earliest available slot to get into Seat Sheffield is 5th March!!
Have arranged for a tech to come out via Seat Assist as I am not convinced it is safe to drive and also with no cabin heating whatsoever I won't be able to demist windows whilst driving as well as freezing my gonads off!!
The last time a VW Assist tech came out to me, he took one look at the car and told me he would be arranging recovery as he knew nothing about the Cupra Born....never seen one before.
Tech expected early this afternoon so will update again after.
TheRobsterAlfa
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:22 pm

Post by TheRobsterAlfa »

Call from Seat Sheffield this morning to confirm issue is a faulty PTC heater module. The part will arrive with them tomorrow or Monday so should have car back mid week latest which is a great result. Sounds like mine isn't the first to suffer this fault.
I have to say that this is a fantastic response by Seat Sheffield although had I not used the Seat Assist option, I would have had to wait almost 6 weeks for an available slot in their workshop.
Graham B
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2022 6:30 pm

Post by Graham B »

I had exactly the same problem last autumn. Got into the car, put the demister to clear the screen during a heavy rainstorm and immediately got the drive fault. I submitted something on the Forum last year and got the same feedback that it often goes away, especially after a reset. Mine did not and CUPRA Assist were indeed useless. I continued to use the vehicle as the first available garage slot was over 4 weeks away. My garage appointment came at the beginning of last years cold snap and I then discovered I had no heating (I had been using the heated seats and wheel up to that point which worked fine). CUPRA had to change the dead Heating ECU before things got back to normal. I think the dead Heating ECU is somehow triggering the Drive unit to also display a fault. Cars today have too many ECUs and they all talk to each other!

I hope this helps and that CUPRA read this and start investing more in their support infrastructure rather than just selling more cars.

Graham
CUPRA Born V2 Quasar Grey May 2022 L-Tech Pack
Savage
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2022 3:46 pm

Post by Savage »

TheRobsterAlfa wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 1:29 pm Call from Seat Sheffield this morning to confirm issue is a faulty PTC heater module. The part will arrive with them tomorrow or Monday so should have car back mid week latest which is a great result. Sounds like mine isn't the first to suffer this fault.
I have to say that this is a fantastic response by Seat Sheffield although had I not used the Seat Assist option, I would have had to wait almost 6 weeks for an available slot in their workshop.
Glad its getting sorted. Out of interest what is/how to contact Seat Assist if ever needed ?
Cupra Born V2 58KWh AFV 230 Auto E-Boost with Tech Pack L in Geyser Silver.
BornIOW
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2023 8:17 am

Post by BornIOW »

@theRobsterAlfa

Interested in whether your part did come in that quickly? We have exactly this issue and have been waiting since start of Feb for the control unit, still not even a delivery date showing on the system.
Graham B
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2022 6:30 pm

Post by Graham B »

CUPRA Reading diagnosed the problem day one (Friday) part arrived and was fitted for next working day (Monday). Mind you CUPRA did want the loan car back URGENTLY over the weekend! Expected me to drive their car back to them, drive my car with no heating home and during the weekend before returning it Monday. I told them they would have to come and pick it up and return my car to me Monday and it suddenly did not seem so urgent!
CUPRA Born V2 Quasar Grey May 2022 L-Tech Pack
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