T7 California Ocean S5 tracker nightmare

Kesfloor12345 · 2025-07-30T11:55:19+0100

Picked up our new T7 Cali a week ago and, under new insurance demands, had an S5 tracker installed.

Attempted to use the rear control panel via our mobile and it simply would not connect, emailed VW directly and under instructions, we uninstalled all the user profiles etc etc, reinstalled and still nothing. Attempted a factory reset to the control panel, and now we have no individual rear lighting!

Rubinstein · 2025-07-30T13:35:34+0100

Kesfloor12345 said:
Picked up our new T7 Cali a week ago and, under new insurance demands, had an S5 tracker installed.

Attempted to use the rear control panel via our mobile and it simply would not connect, emailed VW directly and under instructions, we uninstalled all the user profiles etc etc, reinstalled and still nothing. Attempted a factory reset to the control panel, and now we have no individual rear lighting!

Hi, don’t quite follow, are you suggesting the tracker is the cause as your title says, ?

Nick from Bath · 2025-07-30T14:16:21+0100

Assuming it was working beforehand in the rear, I suspect that the tracker fitter has either blown a fuse, left a wire disconnected or simply repurposed a power feed without thinking through the consequences. Definitely an issue for them to resolve rather than VW (unless it was fitted at a VW dealership).

Kesfloor12345 · 2025-07-30T15:23:02+0100

Rubinstein said:
Hi, don’t quite follow, are you suggesting the tracker is the cause as your title says, ?

It would appear so....

Rubinstein · 2025-07-30T15:42:50+0100

Kesfloor12345 said:
It would appear so....

Do you have a Bluetooth connection to the infotainment system at the front?
I’ve just had a bloody nightmare getting re connected to the rear screen after a software update. What worked for me in the end was to delete the VWCAMPER Bluetooth connection on my phone and do the pair procedure again from the rear screen using the 6 digit code. My connection to the front was unaffected for Bluetooth and car play, but sounds like you may have already tried this ?

Kesfloor12345 · 2025-07-30T17:37:21+0100

Rubinstein said:
Do you have a Bluetooth connection to the infotainment system at the front?
I’ve just had a bloody nightmare getting re connected to the rear screen after a software update. What worked for me in the end was to delete the VWCAMPER Bluetooth connection on my phone and do the pair procedure again from the rear screen using the 6 digit code. My connection to the front was unaffected for Bluetooth and car play, but sounds like you may have already tried this ?

Yes we have tried this, still have Bluetooth for Android at the front, but the rear screen simply will not connect. We deleted the VWCAMPER but still no code appears to pair with phone

Rubinstein · 2025-07-30T18:19:50+0100

Kesfloor12345 said:
Yes we have tried this, still have Bluetooth for Android at the front, but the rear screen simply will not connect. We deleted the VWCAMPER but still no code appears to pair with phone

So the screen does go into pairing mode but will not generate the code, hmm, doesn’t sound like that would be some kind of wiring disruption caused by the tracker install.
I’ve just gone back to mine and deleted VWCAMPER and done it again to check the process, this is what I did,

1, activate rear screen.
2, went to Bluetooth and turned on
3, turned ignition on
4, started pairing
5, opened California app on phone.

As I opened the app on my phone the code was generated and paired successfully.
Forgive me if you’re already tried this 100 times, just sharing how it worked for me after about an hour of trying
If you still have no joy might have to be a dealer visit.

Kesfloor12345 · 2025-07-30T19:01:29+0100

Rubinstein said:
So the screen does go into pairing mode but will not generate the code, hmm, doesn’t sound like that would be some kind of wiring disruption caused by the tracker install.
I’ve just gone back to mine and deleted VWCAMPER and done it again to check the process, this is what I did,

1, activate rear screen.
2, went to Bluetooth and turned on
3, turned ignition on
4, started pairing
5, opened California app on phone.

As I opened the app on my phone the code was generated and paired successfully.
Forgive me if you’re already tried this 100 times, just sharing how it worked for me after about an hour of trying
If you still have no joy might have to be a dealer visit.