[RO-Sheen]

Had a problem with my van over the xmas hols. The hazard lights were flashing and wouldnt turn off so I disconnected the hazard button to stop it but they kept flashing!!
I took my Trafic to local Renault dealer and they said it is the onboard computer and will cost £399!!! not sure if that price includes labour though. As well as that there will be an additional charge of £94 for the dialysis! I told them that I cant afford that at the moment and they are going to see if they can disconnect the alarm (hazard lights were flashing because the alarm was affected by the computer!) and then get the computer replaced at a later date!

Not a good start to 2007!

[KarlJones]

what is the model of the van?

[RO-Sheen]

Renault Trafic dci 100 (51 plate) Just heard back from Renault and they said the £399 is inclusive of labour, VAT and dialysis so that makes it slightly better!
They then went on to tell me that they have to order the parts and the soonest slot is on Tuesday but will try to fit it in earlier.
Oh well, it gives me a week of leafletting and canvassing!

[KarlJones]

Tell them you want the old ECU,  hate to say it but they work off a computer now (mechanics not cars)  if computer says change the ECU that is what they do.

Were you able to lock the doors?

[RO-Sheen]

Yeah, doors worked. I could actually drive the van and everything worked but the hazard lights were constantly flashing. The only way I could stop it was to pull the fuse out for the 'intrument panel/immobiliser' and then lock the doors manually (once I pulled that fuse out none of the electrics worked)

Is the ECU the computer? Why do you think it is worth hanging onto it?

[Spruce]

Had a problem with my van over the xmas hols. The hazard lights were flashing and wouldnt turn off so I disconnected the hazard button to stop it but they kept flashing!!
I took my Trafic to local Renault dealer and they said it is the onboard computer and will cost £399!!! not sure if that price includes labour though. As well as that there will be an additional charge of £94 for the dialysis! I told them that I cant afford that at the moment and they are going to see if they can disconnect the alarm (hazard lights were flashing because the alarm was affected by the computer!) and then get the computer replaced at a later date!

Not a good start to 2007!

Hi

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

My first reaction was to question what the ECU has to with the van’s alarm system.
While I don’t profess any knowledge of these issues, I would assume that the van’s alarm system is controlled by a separate control box that is linked into the hazard warning lights.

I would accept that the van immobiliser system is ‘linked’ to the ECU but this isn’t the problem. (The ECU must read the pre-programmed chip in the ignition key to allow activation and the engine to start.)

My advice to you is to take the van to a good auto electrician for a second opinion. If the Renault garage replaces the ECU and the fault persists, bet they won’t refund you for the ‘faulty’ one they replaced. And yes, advise them ahead of time that you want your old parts back. (My advice is to try to identify the ECU and mark it slyly to ensure it’s yours they actually return.)

If you are a member of the AA etc. why don’t you call them out for assistance? Those fellows are brilliant at problem identification. It must be ‘illegal’ to drive your van on the road with the hazards flashing for no reason as it is to have no indicators at all.

[Jago]

Can you not take out the indicator bulbs?
then at least you can drive.
If you had a BMW you would not indicate so do not worry ;-)

[marc al]

   Before you get any work done that costs so much just check that all the earthing points are making a good contact. Problems with lights are often down to bad earths, and with alot of damp in the van this could well be the cause.

   From my experience with Renaults and their dealers I would not trust them to do anything right on the first couple of attempts.

  Marc

[KarlJones]

Is the ECU the computer? Why do you think it is worth hanging onto it?

It works like this...
Mechanic gets the problem you give him.  He goes over to his computer, he puts the problem into it.
Computer says change the ECU (computer)
Mechanic changes the ECU, Everything works OK.
You get billed for a new ECU.
2 months down the line, same problem.
Mechanic gets the problem you give him.  He goes over to the computer, he puts the problem into it.
Computer says change a sensor.
Mechanic changes the sensor, it does not change anything, back to the computer.
computer says change a different sensor.
Change that sensor. Works OK.
You get billed for two new sensors.

Everything from then on is fine and your happy (ish).  What really happened is that you had a bad sensor, the sensor only tripped in certain situations so it took a while for it to happen again.  The mechanic changed a perfectly good ECU and a perfectly good sensor before he actually hit the jackpot.

It is almost always, bad earth, bad connection or bad sensor.  An ECU is a computer, it rarely has a reason to go wrong as it is encased.  In spite of this because of the fact earth, connection and sensor problems are the sort of problems that come and go, on top of that an ECU tries to learn about the vehicle for the first few thousand miles, and as such often ignores bad sensors or works around them before it decides their is a problem.

keep the old ECU, if it goes wrong in the future you can always try it out.