This is going to be a long post. If you are willing to offer your advice, and it ends up being the solution to the problem, I will send you €25 as a "thank you" gift via PayPal. I mean it.
Ford Fiesta Ecoboost 1.0 (100 bhp), first registration September 2017, manual transmission, engine built in Cologne/Germany engine plant. Start/Stop button, so no key-turning.
I bought the car second-hand. First owner was leasing the car for four years and then purchased it himself. All servicing/maintenance is well-documented.
I left the car standing for a month while on holiday. When I got back, the car wouldn't start. The road assistance came by, jump started the battery and the car worked fine. They ran a test on the battery and it showed that the battery life/quality was at 95%, almost like brand new. Drove the car without any issues for 5 months.
Left the car standing again while away, for a total of five weeks. When I got back, same problem. The road assistance came by, tried the same method, but the battery was dead. They would charge it on the spot for a few minutes and the battery would immediately empty within one minute. They had no idea how the battery could die within five weeks, so they assumed something was draining the battery while the car was standing still.
New battery was installed by an expert. Tried the 75mAh battery, the car wouldn't start, and for the first time ever, a buzzing sound could be heard from the fuse box. Tried a 70mAh battery, same issues. Tried a 65mAh battery, the issue was resolved. The car started immediately, and no buzzing sound coming from the fuse box. All batteries tested were brand new.
The next day, the car wouldn't start. Buzzing sound coming from the fuse box when trying to turn the engine on. Road assistance came by, they sprayed a lot of "contact cleaner" in the fuse box, the car managed to start right after that.
Then, less than 5 minutes later, the real issues started.. The car, for the first time ever, started shutting down while driving it (around 30km/h). The engine would shut down, the electronics were still on, and a message would come up on the dashboard saying "engine shut down". The buzzing sound came back. The car would shut down while idle or while driving, more than 7 times within a 10-minute period. Road assistance came by again. Sprayed a ton of contact cleaner into the fuse box, and the car started immediately and was able to drive.
Took it straight to the Ford dealer/garage. They said that they couldn't read the car computer errors because of a faulty "smart data link". They replaced it (brand new, €87), and deleted all the errors. Called me to pick the car up, they insisted it was fixed. As soon as I drove off the dealership, the car shut down within 5 minutes. Again, driving around town/urban environment at 30km/h. The car wouldn't even start at this point. Important info: the car engine would turn on and/or the dashboard would turn on when pressing the clutch, without pressing on the start/stop button. Never happened before, no idea how the clutch could affect the electronics/dashboard/car engine. The car had to be towed to the Ford dealership.
They called a few days later saying they found the problem. They explained that there is an electronics box of some sort, located above the left front seat (driver seat, in this particular car). There is a cable running from that box through the column on the side of the windshield going to the fuse box or the car computer, they weren't sure. They said this cable was a bit "loose" and they screwed it tight, so the issue is resolved. I asked them to drive the car extensively to make sure the issue is indeed gone, they said they drove it both on the highway as well as through some backroads (I checked the km, indeed, they must have drove the car for about 80km).
I drove the car home, no issues. Then 48 hours later, I attempted to turn the engine on, it did, and it shut down after a few seconds. Buzzing sound, dashboard lighting up, and the rev meter/needle climbing to 1,500 RPM while the engine was off.
At this point it is clear that the guys at the dealership have no clue what the issue may be.
If you read this far, thank you. If you've got any advice to share, please do. The reward stands (first person to identify the issue correctly).
Ford Fiesta Ecoboost 1.0 (100 bhp), first registration September 2017, manual transmission, engine built in Cologne/Germany engine plant. Start/Stop button, so no key-turning.
I bought the car second-hand. First owner was leasing the car for four years and then purchased it himself. All servicing/maintenance is well-documented.
I left the car standing for a month while on holiday. When I got back, the car wouldn't start. The road assistance came by, jump started the battery and the car worked fine. They ran a test on the battery and it showed that the battery life/quality was at 95%, almost like brand new. Drove the car without any issues for 5 months.
Left the car standing again while away, for a total of five weeks. When I got back, same problem. The road assistance came by, tried the same method, but the battery was dead. They would charge it on the spot for a few minutes and the battery would immediately empty within one minute. They had no idea how the battery could die within five weeks, so they assumed something was draining the battery while the car was standing still.
New battery was installed by an expert. Tried the 75mAh battery, the car wouldn't start, and for the first time ever, a buzzing sound could be heard from the fuse box. Tried a 70mAh battery, same issues. Tried a 65mAh battery, the issue was resolved. The car started immediately, and no buzzing sound coming from the fuse box. All batteries tested were brand new.
The next day, the car wouldn't start. Buzzing sound coming from the fuse box when trying to turn the engine on. Road assistance came by, they sprayed a lot of "contact cleaner" in the fuse box, the car managed to start right after that.
Then, less than 5 minutes later, the real issues started.. The car, for the first time ever, started shutting down while driving it (around 30km/h). The engine would shut down, the electronics were still on, and a message would come up on the dashboard saying "engine shut down". The buzzing sound came back. The car would shut down while idle or while driving, more than 7 times within a 10-minute period. Road assistance came by again. Sprayed a ton of contact cleaner into the fuse box, and the car started immediately and was able to drive.
Took it straight to the Ford dealer/garage. They said that they couldn't read the car computer errors because of a faulty "smart data link". They replaced it (brand new, €87), and deleted all the errors. Called me to pick the car up, they insisted it was fixed. As soon as I drove off the dealership, the car shut down within 5 minutes. Again, driving around town/urban environment at 30km/h. The car wouldn't even start at this point. Important info: the car engine would turn on and/or the dashboard would turn on when pressing the clutch, without pressing on the start/stop button. Never happened before, no idea how the clutch could affect the electronics/dashboard/car engine. The car had to be towed to the Ford dealership.
They called a few days later saying they found the problem. They explained that there is an electronics box of some sort, located above the left front seat (driver seat, in this particular car). There is a cable running from that box through the column on the side of the windshield going to the fuse box or the car computer, they weren't sure. They said this cable was a bit "loose" and they screwed it tight, so the issue is resolved. I asked them to drive the car extensively to make sure the issue is indeed gone, they said they drove it both on the highway as well as through some backroads (I checked the km, indeed, they must have drove the car for about 80km).
I drove the car home, no issues. Then 48 hours later, I attempted to turn the engine on, it did, and it shut down after a few seconds. Buzzing sound, dashboard lighting up, and the rev meter/needle climbing to 1,500 RPM while the engine was off.
At this point it is clear that the guys at the dealership have no clue what the issue may be.
If you read this far, thank you. If you've got any advice to share, please do. The reward stands (first person to identify the issue correctly).
