Starting Problem B9.

[Onion_Bhaji]

I've had this motor approx 8mths now, 2015 plate, about 7 weeks ago early morning I turned the key only to find she wouldn't turn over, same symptoms as a flat battery.
After several attempts she fires up as if nothing was wrong, & since then not a hiccup till this morning, the same again.
Little box appeared on the screen with words to the effect of engine fault, repair needed & the eco flashed on/off a couple of times.
Voltage 12.8v on before I try & start her, then turning the key it drops to 11.8v, then goes up to 14.7v charging.
Any members encountered this before.?

[Sol]

Poor battery or bad earth cable to the body / chassis / engine - or slack main terminal at the battery / fusebox main cables / hot (Red) terminal cap - best to get the battery load tested somewhere and all nut / bolt connections checked & tightened (carefully) on all main thick cables.

Otherwise your starter brushes may be worn but usually last a while (is the mileage very high or done a lot of stop-start driving?)

11.8 is a tad low with just the ignition on. 14.7 sounds fine, alternator is charging so suspect the battery or the connections to and from it.

[Onion_Bhaji]

Thanks for that Zion, appreciated.
The last time it happened I was only able to tighten one terminal nearest the front because the back one is difficult to get to.
Mileage is 80,000 ish, shes due a service this week so will ask for the battery/terminals to be checked.
The box that popped up saying "engine fault, repair needed" have you an opinion on that.?
Cheers.

[Sol]

That's a generic message; I've had it for a DPF additive pump comms fault, but yours may be due to low battery voltage when you tried to start it, as that always throws up lots of weird errors.

When my battery went flat, I had the same - loads of codes, wipers on by themselves, headlights on, no crank just clicking, it was all from a flat battery.