Unless you’ve experienced an EPC light yourself, you probably have no idea what it is. In a nutshell—it’s a sign you need VW repair right away.
The EPC light—which stands for Electronic Power Control—is a warning indicator that your VW is having a problem with the throttle system. And as the name suggests, it appears as a warning light on your dash that looks like the letters EPC. As with most of these warning lights, the fact that it is lit up could be for a number of reasons, including:
- Problems with the throttle—including eitherthe pedal or the body of the throttle
- Issues with the traction control
- Issues with the cruise control
- Issues with the stability control
- An error with one of a number of sensors—which could include the mass airflow sensor, speed sensor, crank and/or cam position sensor
This is one of those things that absolutely can’t be diagnosed over the phone, even from a top quality auto repair garage. As with any warning light indicator, you want to get it checked out by your Cincinnati VW mechanic as soon as you can, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence for your Volkswagen.
This is typically how an EPC light incident goes down: You’re driving down the highway, not a care in the world, when suddenly the power drops out in your Volkswagen. It’s still driving, but it seems like you need to practically press the pedal to the metal just to maintain speed. And if you should hit a hill—cross your fingers.
The EPC Warning Light: Why Your Car is Losing Power
What’s happening is that a built-in safety mechanism has kicked on to protect your VW’s engine from damage—those German engineers think of everything. The mechanism is designed to the engine from powering the car over 30 mph to help prevent the need for extra VW repairs. If you are already above that speed when the light engages, you may be able to maintain speed to a certain extent. But if you hit traffic or steep hills, you will have difficulty. Your car is doing this to prevent any additional damage that would be caused by driving while parts of the throttle system aren’t working. Yes, it is annoying, but it may save you some big bucks before you head over to your favorite VW repair shop. Which you should do if your EPC light comes on.
Diagnose the Problem: See Your Cincinnati VW Mechanic
If you can’t make it to your VW mechanic right away, you might be able to temporarily disengage the EPC error mechanism by turning the car on and off again when the vehicle is stopped. If the problem is minor, you may be able to drive a week or so before it kicks back on. But the problem will get worse and your car may lose power altogether.
One simple reason that your EPC light may have come on is that your throttle system is dirty. If this is the case, your VW mechanic may be able to clean it to return it to optimal performance. This means you will want to have it taken care of before any real damage happens. It is possible, however, that the entire throttle system will need to be replaced, which can run you several hundred dollars.
In short, if your EPC light comes on, you should get the car to your favorite (or the nearest) VW repair shop as soon as possible because you may be unwittingly doing serious damage to your engine.
