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Both Heated Screens Not Working


paul001
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I have got a 2013 fiesta titanium 1.6 diesel with front and rear heated screens.

As I have been in hospital for a few weeks the car has been idle.

Upon returning home, on my first couple of outings, I didn't have to use the screen heating. On my latest journey, I tried to put on the rear screen to activate the heated mirrors. Nothing illuminated on the dash.

I checked the battery with a multimeter, it showed 11.5v engine off and 14.5v engine running.

I decided to invest a little time and go to a national service centre beginning with an H for a free battery test.

They said the battery was at 75% capacity and they could not find any faults with their diagnostic system. The mechanic suggested that I needed to take the car on a long run to give the battery a boost charge.

When I got home, I got out my trickle charger and extension lead, coupling the car up I left it for 3 hours.

After disconnecting the charger, I started the car and hey presto, both front and rear heated screens worked ok.

I hope my little tale with helpnothers with the same problem. 

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  • 2 months later...

  • 3 months later...

We have a 2013 Fiesta Titanium Eco boost.  For the past year we have had no stop-start and occasional front and rear demisters working. More recently the demisters do not work at all. (No light on the switch).

Helpful service desk at Ford Guildford suspected the problem relates to an old battery and suggested that I charge the battery over the weekend.  Having fully charged the battery and checked fuses and relays the demisters still did not work.

As a final attempt I disconnected the battery for 30 mins to enable any electronics to drain and reset.  Reconnected the battery and now everything appears to be working including stop-start!

After 7 years we may still have an underlying battery issue, made worse by many short journeys.  It hopefully does prove though that it is just a battery issue and nothing too serious. 

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A new fully charged lead acid battery will typically have around 12.9v across the terminals when not charging and all power turned off.

As the battery ages it loses capacity. After several years it might only have 50% capacity when fully charged. At fully charge it might have around 12.2 to 12.6v across its terminals. It will still start the car but with too many short journeys it might have starting problems. A worn out battery will reach full charge quickly but not have enough capacity to be useful on cold weather starts.

If after full charge a battery has 11.8v, it could have a bad cell or be worn out with age. 

I guess the car must learn the battery voltage when it first connects. After a few years when the battery voltages drops down if must affect how things work and unplugging the battery for 30mins must help it relearn the voltage.

A good or bad battery will still show 14.3v across the terminals when fully charged with the engine running and the alternator working ok. I would change the battery after 10 years or sooner if its voltage is less than 12v.

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  • 10 months later...

Hi, your car has to be plugged into a computer or tablet in order to activate the setting for heated screens! If you have had a flat battery or battery change the setting might have jumped from on to off?

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4 hours ago, martinHam said:

Hi, your car has to be plugged into a computer or tablet in order to activate the setting for heated screens! If you have had a flat battery or battery change the setting might have jumped from on to off?

It's been 18 months since. From the sounds of it the problem was just a bad battery.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 25/06/2016 at 8:03 PM, Ian Lanc said:

You know my windscreen heaters only work when the windows are misted or frosted, when the windows are clear they turn off by themselves.

If I try to turn them on again the switches don't light up.

Unsure if this a add on on the Titanium version though!

 

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Hi had same problem front and back screen stopped  working ,no worries  check your battery  if not up to full charge change it.had mine done today 21 1 20 all back working  hope it helps .Battery  was £100 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Same problem on my wifes B-Max. Took it to the local Ford mechanic and he says it's the switch - cost £350. Seems expensive to me for a switch!

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I have 2013 fiesta with same fault. Had it checked this morning and it is the battery failing which causes the alternater to overcharge. In my case at 15.7v instead of around 14.5v so the ecu locks the screen heaters out for safety. Also check your stop/start. Ours failed a while ago. The garage said if I had told them that at the outset they would have immediately said to change the battery. If you replace it must be exactly same spec because the ecu will not recognise it. 

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  • 6 months later...

I have the same problem with my 2013 Fiesta. So it could be the battery? I only got it a few months ago so don't know the history

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37 minutes ago, Ann66 said:

I have the same problem with my 2013 Fiesta. So it could be the battery? I only got it a few months ago so don't know the history

It could be the battery. I'd at least start by checking the voltage before running the engine, and then seeing what voltage the alternator is charging it at. 

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I would have no idea how to do that I would have to ask the mechanics at work 

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See answer in your other post:

2 hours ago, unofix said:

Hello Ann welcome to the Ford Owners Club

You have my deepest sympathy

I have experiance with dealing with Lookers and none of it could be said to be positive. On the occasions I've needed to deal with there service department I have been left woundering at their lack of ability.

Ford heated screens on newer cars require the following before they will turn on:

The outside temprature (will not operate if its too warm).

The condition of the battery, the charge level must be better than 80%.

The front screen ( and maybe the rear screen on your car) will not turn on unless the engine is started.

 

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31 minutes ago, Ann66 said:

Had a look at the battery earlier and I suspect it is the original battery as it is a Ford one and looks quite old 

8 years sounds about right for a stop/start battery. I'd still have it tested before you go replacing it though.

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On 8/30/2021 at 4:37 PM, unofix said:

See answer in your other post:

 

I have to agree here about L**kers.  Luckily I bought a car and access no other services from them but, when requesting standard information, services and paperwork throughout the buying process, it was provided begrudgingly and with a tone of surprise.  The absolute minimum.  They really made what I'd anticipated being a relatively pleasant experience (as opposed to buying privately) stressful and very hard work!  I really wanted the car so I stuck with it (and my local Ford dealerships are worse) but, having thoroughly washed/stripped the car, it didn't surprise me to find some scratches that had been temporarily masked.

When I collected the car, meeting again in person, the salesman (appearing to be doing his best under trying circumstance at the dealership, but that could've been his schtick) commented about how I'd put them 'through it' by asking for this, wanting to know that - standard things like proof it's HPI clear, new MOT - indicating I'm pedantic.  He said most customers just buy the car, and trust everything else is in order.

Mind you, they are very efficient at tagging L**kers branded stickers etc all over the car, they went immediately.  Last bit of Lookers to go from the car will be number plates.....

Least I have the car now, and don't need to visit the site again.

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4 hours ago, srpocd25 said:

I have to agree here about L**kers. 

Trouble with these big groups is individual dealerships vary wildly. A friend of ours bought a Golf from one of their VW dealerships and was very happy with the whole process, and he's pretty picky to say the least.

Mind you, not impressed with the details of this deal he sent me, knowing that we have the SEAT version of the Up! - £59.78 discount on a £17,190 car!😀

https://www.lookers.co.uk/volkswagen/new-car/volkswagen/up/1-0-115ps-up-gti-5dr/id/256461

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7 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Trouble with these big groups is individual dealerships vary wildly. A friend of ours bought a Golf from one of their VW dealerships and was very happy with the whole process, and he's pretty picky to say the least.

Mind you, not impressed with the details of this deal he sent me, knowing that we have the SEAT version of the Up! - £59.78 discount on a £17,190 car!😀

https://www.lookers.co.uk/volkswagen/new-car/volkswagen/up/1-0-115ps-up-gti-5dr/id/256461

Yeah I reflected afterwards I can't tar the whole organisation cos of one unsatisfactory dealership (not salesman, as I assessed - from behaviour and comments - my salesman as the best of the whole bunch!).

I am sure they vary widely.

A whole £59.78 - poor dears must have tiny margins....

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  • 1 year later...

I have bought a second hand Ford B-max 2012, and I have the same issue with it. The heated windscreen buttons (for both the front and rear) don't illuminate. What would be the issue here? Is it the battery or something else?

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If the battery state of charge falls below 70% then things like the heated screens can be inhibited until the battery charge improves.  Also on quite a number of Ford vehicles the heated front screen will not operate if the outside temp is above 7 oC.

I assume that you have checked that the fuse for each screen is correct.

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  • 2 months later...

hi guys, had the same fault on my Ford Fiesta 2012 neither heated screen working, took the vehicle to a local auto electrician and they fixed the problem, they said it was a software issue and had to get it from Ford who it is still under licence with, been working two weeks now, so worth the money. Chris

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