What does it mean?

[gavroche]

When I turn the engine on, a yellow light with a spanner comes on. The car runs alright though so what does it mean?
Also, a message on the dashboard says : " check S.O.S"

 

[Poacher]

When I turn the engine on, a yellow light with a spanner comes on. The car runs alright though so what does it mean?
Also, a message on the dashboard says : " check S.O.S"

 

[Drago]

A newish car? Modern cars have a system where if you crash it they automatically call 999, and variations thereof. Possibly something to do with that.

In the VW world that can be spendy.

Either way, itll need plugging in by a dealer or marque specialist. The independent up the industrial estate wont have the kit to talk to those subsystems.

 

[PeteXXX]

Service due? 🤔

 

[numbnuts]

Google

A dashboard message to "Check S.O.S." means there is a fault with your vehicle's emergency call system, and it needs professional attention. The issue could be a declining backup battery, a fault with the telematics unit, a lost signal, or an antenna problem. To get this resolved, you should consult your vehicle's owner's manual or contact an authorized dealership for diagnosis and repair.

 

[gavroche]

Service due? 🤔

No, that was done two months ago.

 

[fossyant]

Did they reset the service timer ? Google it for your model, you can usually reset it with some button press jiggery pokery. My manual on my Viviro Life tells you how to do it.

Spanner is usually Service. Have you paid for the SOS renewal - the 3 year free sub had run out before I bought mine and the £99 a year for SOS/Recovery and traffic updates wasn't worth it as I'd phone AA if I broke down, and google maps is ace (and free).

 

[gavroche]

I don't need the sos service really as I am insured with the AA and it covers recovery.
My car is 3.5 years old now so maybe it is due for renewal.
I will check how to remove that spanner as the service has been done but then , it should have come on earlier than two months later.
If all fails, it will be a trip to the dealer and hope for the best.

 

[Alex321]

I don't need the sos service really as I am insured with the AA and it covers recovery.
My car is 3.5 years old now so maybe it is due for renewal.
I will check how to remove that spanner as the service has been done but then , it should have come on earlier than two months later.
If all fails, it will be a trip to the dealer and hope for the best.

Most garages nowadays have the necessary software and connectors to be able to reset it. And to get the detailed diagnostics that should tell them what actually neds fixing, though sometimes one fault can result in multiple other apparent faults, which can then be tricky to diagnose.

Whether they can disable that particular one is another matter, and if they don't then it may come back later if they just reset it without fixing the fault..

 

[CXRAndy]

Do a internet search to see if its a common issue. Read the manual too.

A basic scanner should point you in the direction of fault or service light needs resetting

 

[Pblakeney]

I don't need the sos service really as I am insured with the AA and it covers recovery.
My car is 3.5 years old now so maybe it is due for renewal.
I will check how to remove that spanner as the service has been done but then , it should have come on earlier than two months later.
If all fails, it will be a trip to the dealer and hope for the best.

Your car is telling you that something is wrong and that you need to take it to a garage. That is assuming you don't have diagnostic tools and the skills for repairs, which is a safe assumption given your post. 3-1/2 years is nothing, a renewal is overkill unless you simply want a new car.

 

[Drago]

I don't need the sos service really as I am insured with the AA and it covers recovery.
My car is 3.5 years old now so maybe it is due for renewal.
I will check how to remove that spanner as the service has been done but then , it should have come on earlier than two months later.
If all fails, it will be a trip to the dealer and hope for the best.

Even if the subscription is inactive all cars made after a certain date (2017...?) have to have the automatic 999 function from new.

You could just ignore it, but having a car with bits that aren't right kind of defeats the object of buying a newer car in the first place.

Its a Renfault you've got? Have a Google, there are guides to sort of reboot or reset the telematics system that might save you getting your wallet out.

 

[briantrumpet]

Must admit I'm rather glad to have a car that's 22 years old and has a 'computing' which is probably as advanced as

but with less memory.

 

[fossyant]

Don't bet on garages re-setting things. My van says it doesnt need a service for 22k miles, yet I'm booking it in for November as it's 4 years old and due it's SECOND service.

I'd go download your PDF manual for the car and see what the message means. This is where a decent ODB reader is a god send.

 

[Drago]

I've dealer level diagnostic kit for my C70 mk1 and the van, so im not bunging the dealer £140+VAT just to read subsystem and higher level codes. It also means I can configure and calibrate new components, and change settings.