[Vernerbongo2]

What is the craic with emergency call & service button if used after 3 years of ownership, does it still work 🤔

 

[Impala]

Emergency Call Service and Security & Service Basic both last for 10 years (till 2029 in my case)

 

[twist]

Never had or read of any such false alerts & calls.

It sounds more like some problem on your car (perhaps a sensor) rather than a general issue affecting other cars that would be fixed (?) by a software update.

Have you tried the usual Infotainment reboot ?

You have an OBD11 I believe, so have you checked if there are any fault codes logged ?

I think @Ray Cathode had the same message (he commented earlier in this thread). I thought there had been a few people with it but just went back through the messages and it’s just him. However a Google suggests this is a known issue and requires an update

It didn’t actually make the call, just briefly popped up twice and then disappeared.

It didn’t happen today but I’ll see how it goes.

 

[Vernerbongo2]

@Impala I didn't know that, I bought mine pre registered and didn't get that information with my car.
I knew the app connect finished in 3 years so assumed everything else was the same 🤷‍♂️

Thanks 👌

 

[Vernerbongo2]

@twist I think most reported faults are "emergency assist unavailable" or similar 🤔

Very strange after so many years its decided to do this 🤷‍♂️

 

[Impala]

Yes, most of the reported problems are about SOS unavailable. Don't know if any of those have had a fault repaired by a dealer, but the unsolicited SOS call activation could be another manifestation of a faulty emergency call module. So same source just a different symptom.

 

[leossmith]

Sadly I too got the sos unavailable error. I took it in to VW dealership and they cleared it up for me. Button turned green and I left. After driving like 10-15km away, the error message came up again and button turned red. So I am going back to dealership tomorrow.

 

[leossmith]

So I have an update after my morning visit to VW. The mechanic said that these modules have an internal battery inside (maybe sos works also in case of cut off power?) And that might be faulty.

He will replace it as they have done on Tiguans before to avoid replacing the module as my car is already 3yo ( got it used).

 

[Vernerbongo2]

@leossmith never heard that one before, hopefully it works 👌

 

[leossmith]

@leossmith never heard that one before, hopefully it works 👌

It felt a bit strange to me too, but it seems they couldn't figure it out either on the spot. My father is a retired car dealer and body shop owner, so he has a good relationship with local VW and they try to figure it out, but the dealership mechanic told us a couple of times that they have specific , regular, problems on troc (and tiguan that share parts).

Edit:
Apparently this is the battery (officially there's no replacement part) in the upper right corner.

 

[twist]

In fairness it does make sense to be on a completely different power fallback since it’s supposed to call the emergency services in the event that your car is mashed potato, potentially destroying the main battery or wiring. I imagine it’s somehow protected too.

 

[leossmith]

In fairness it does make sense to be on a completely different power fallback since it’s supposed to call the emergency services in the event that your car is mashed potato, potentially destroying the main battery or wiring. I imagine it’s somehow protected too.

I took a quick look and it seems it is in the "emergency/connected services" box which is located in a place that if destroyed, you probably don't care for emergency services anymore. I hope this is the issue. It feels strange that a lot of VW cars has this sos issue and it is not mentioned anywhere.

 

[Impala]

I took a quick look and it seems it is in the "emergency/connected services" box which is located in a place that if destroyed, you probably don't care for emergency services anymore. I hope this is the issue. It feels strange that a lot of VW cars has this sos issue and it is not mentioned anywhere.

Yes, you would expect such information to be distributed across VW dealerships as part of the fault analysis procedures they must work to.

Is your battery being replaced free of charge as an early life failure ? I'd expect such a battery to be rechargeable and on a constant trickle charge and have a long lifetime.

 

[leossmith]

Is your battery being replaced free of charge as an early life failure ? I'd expect such a battery to be rechargeable and on a constant trickle charge and have a long lifetime.

I have no idea yet. I asked if car is still under warranty for such things but never got an answer. However due to "relationship" with the dealership I was not charged for any fault clearing or diagnostics for it. From what I can see, the battery costs 65€ internally (prices VAG dealerships get), so I wouldn't mind paying it. As long as I don't need to replace the whole emergency unit (around 650€ internal price).

Once I know more I will update you.

 

[Impala]

At that sort of money, if mine goes the same way then I will survive without it. I've never had it on any previous cars and I've been driving for 55 years and I'm still here 😁

 

[Vernerbongo2]

At that sort of money, if mine goes the same way then I will survive without it. I've never had it on any previous cars and I've been driving for 55 years and I'm still here 😁

Agreed, maybe get it coded out to stop the fault messages 👌
I think I'd do that with other stuff if it went wrong 🤔

 

[leossmith]

Yeah, I feel the same. I am checking if I can disable it with obdeleven in case things go sideways. For a mandatory system to have so many problems feels oof... especially with the car selling here for 57k right now 😱

 

[Impala]

Agreed, maybe get it coded out to stop the fault messages 👌
I think I'd do that with other stuff if it went wrong 🤔

Only snag might be if there is some new MOT requirement to have a working SOS call feature. Remember, we still align with the EU as far as car standards are concerned.

 

[Vernerbongo2]

Only snag might be if there is some new MOT requirement to have a working SOS call feature.

No emergency button doesn't exactly compromise driving safety but who knows 🤷‍♂️

 

[leossmith]

The funny thing is that although mine is red and I get the message when I turn on the car, the emergency button works perfectly. I tried it while on dealership and it called VW services. It's just red to make me miserable.