Finally got to the bottom of this - It was the Radio fuse 15A which seems bizarre as the radio was working fine so i didn't check the fuse initially. This fuse ALSO feeds the Steering column controls and also the Rear de-icer control. Hopefully this post will help someone if searching :)
thanks Frank, following the wiring diagrams, it all seems to be pointing at the uch unit. I have also noticed on ebay that people are repairing these units fairly cheap and could be tempted by this option. hmmm
Is there any other obd2 advanced readers that anyone can recommend. I would like to reset airbags and use the abs activation to bleed all the calipers. looking through the forum, the general concensus seems to be the clip. any other recommendations?