VW Golf 1.6 TDI 2009 - Golf warning lights - J944

After 15 years and 155000 miles of wonderful service this year the golf has started to play up.

The issue is the brake warning light and the ABS warning light with a warning not to travel. Stop the car and start it again and the warning usually goes. Our local independant garage has checked everything (including some ideas from this site) and found nothing wrong. The only thing they can suggest is the sensor. They took the sensor out and sent it off for checking and replacement with a "non-coded" aftermarket alternative if it couldn't be repaired. The company they use said that not only could they not repair the sensor because of the age of the vehicle they couldn't find an aftermarket replacement. I contacted VW who didn't want to sell me just the sensor but they wanted to fit it as well for £3,000. I eventually found a new one for sale for £1,500! My issue is this; the car just passed its MOT with flying colours (driven there with brake light faults showing. Switched off and brake light faults didn't come back) and we love it. WIthin the next year it will need its timing belt and water pump replaced which isn't cheap. Does anyone know of an aftermarket replacement sensor or a cheap way to get a VW coded one? If we can't get this fault sorted I don't think I want to spend the money on the new timing belt, as the fault light could quite possibly just stay on one day and that would be an MOT failure.

VW Golf 1.6 TDI 2009 - Golf warning lights - elekie&a/c doctor
If the brake warning and abs lights are on , then there must be a fault code logged . Was there any mention of a “pressure sensor “?
VW Golf 1.6 TDI 2009 - Golf warning lights - J944
If the brake warning and abs lights are on , then there must be a fault code logged . Was there any mention of a “pressure sensor “?

That is the interesting thing, and I assume its because its an intermittent fault, neither the AA, my independant garage OR the local VW garage (who charged me £120) could detect any fault code. None of which make any sense.

VW Golf 1.6 TDI 2009 - Golf warning lights - elekie&a/c doctor
Very bizarre. How were the garage going to fix it without any relevant fault code information.? Very common on this age of Vag vehicle for the brake pressure sensor to fail. Vw were fixing these under warranty, but guess it’s too old now . The failed part is in the hydraulic part of the abs unit , not the electrical bit , so it could be swapped without any coding involved.
VW Golf 1.6 TDI 2009 - Golf warning lights - ambra

Does it tend to do this on the first start? How old is the battery? It sounds like a similar fault to one I experienced on a family members VW which was resolved with a new battery.