ESP. ASR

[collease]

I hope someone can answer this as i dont understand it at all.

Is it me or are ASR and ESP the same sytem on the MK4 golf or not. The reason i ask is that when you turn the ignition the ESP light comes on and then goes off. But if you turn off the traction control using the ASR button then the ESP light does not come on the little triangle for the traction control comes on. Now i thought they were one and the same thing so why is there 2 lights.

Or am i being a complete numpty about this and having a seriously stupid senior moment.

[Rustynuts]

All the dash lights come on when ignition is turned on as a test proving system. That way you know the lights all work. There doesn't have to be a function linked to the esp light for it to do the self test, I don't think.

ASR is traction control, which stops the driven wheels from spinning when under heavy acceleration. ESP has the added function of controlling all the wheels via the abs system, and the engine torque aswell to control the car if it gets out of shape in any circumstance.

[Mook]

I think there's some confusion here about the meanings of the dash lights and the buttons on your car.

VW originally developed two stability control systems, ASR and ESP. If your car has a button on the dash with ASR, then your car has traction control and ABS, but it doesn't have ESP. The difference is that ESP sends power to the wheel that needs it, whereas ASR just knocks the power back on the wheel that's losing traction. ESP is a "better" version of ASR, in that it will dig you right out of the sh*t if you end up taking a corner too fast!

On your dash, you will have two lights - one is the small triangle you describe, which indicates that the ASR is being checked when you turn on the ignition, then this goes out. When you press the ASR button on your dash, this light will come on to tell you that it's disabled. The same thing would happen if you had ESP and pressed the button - the light would mean that ESP is turned off.

There is another light within the rev counter which is the letters ECP, which is nothing to do with the ASR system on your car.

HTH

[harminder]

OK this has got me a little more confused..

On my car I have no ASR button

Also when I turn the ignition no ESP light comes on..

Does this still mean I have ESP and not ASR or not both at all?

Golf GTI MK IV 1.8T (2000)

[Rustynuts]

You have neither both of them, so the deactivation button will be either not there, or if it is there, it'll not turn either off.

[collease]

Thanks guys thats great.

So what does ECP mean then?

[Wobby]

[ QUOTE ]

You have neither both of them, so the deactivation button will be either not there, or if it is there, it'll not turn either off.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha ha, love the sentence Rusty . I was ok with this stuff till i read that!!

[mulkbear]

I like Mooks expansion of the two systems