At a Loss!

[yossarian]

Has anyone actually demonstrated the voltage of your second battery, with a meter at the terminals?

 

[Pombear4]

A few weeks I took my 6 month old T6.1 Coast in to the garage for some warranty work. I thought it would just take a couple of days tops. After all the problem was just a leisure battery that was losing charge. No problem I thought it will soon be fixed. How wrong was I. It has been over a month now and fuses and all the wiring has been checked and a New Camper Control Unit has been fitted and all to no avail and the problem persists. I am at a loss. It feels like my van has been stolen by VW. I have raised a complaint and expressed my dissatisfaction about the whole sorry affair but feel so helpless. Has anyone else had any issues like this. It must be some kind of record.

Do you have it under finance? When we had a golf estate it had to go in for water ingress and we ended up months without it. If under finance the finance company should deal with it and liaise with VW on your behalf, I think we ended up being compensated for the time without it

 

[flying banana]

ah. the VW master techs strike again. i wouldn't trust them to change my sodding engine oil so i do it myself. i reckon Loz is right about the battery monitor module. when the control panel says its flat, what is the voltage at the battery terminals ? it shouldn't take 6 week to check that ?

 

[pluc99]

Do they have it in parts? Otherwise couldn’t you just reclaim it until they have what they need to fix it? Sorry if you’ve gone over this already.

 

[Ladymuck]

My Coast has a similar problem, it has been fixed, apparently a fauty fuse, I'm trying to find out which one it was for @Coasterman
Only problem is now the water tank is saying empty when it is not *rolls eyes* at least it's all still working which wasn't the case with the battery issue, we had no water, heating or fridge due the control panel showing no battery charge.
Hoping a few water emptys and refills will fix the latest issue, otherwise it's booked in again in October ..

 

[Private_Kelly]

Not seen other posts with same issue, and it sounds like a single (significant) issue which they can’t fix so could perhaps be classed as reliable rather than unreliable - in that it consistently works or behaves in the way you expect; it’s just that the way you expect is not the way it should or that you want.
This is a particularly torrid tale. Surely you have no realistic option now other than to reject the vehicle?

I’m pretty upset by the whole affair really. I love my van. It’s just what I wanted. I’ve had it ceramic coated and spent a bit of money on it so I’m reluctant to say the least to go down that avenue but maybe I will have no choice.

 

[Private_Kelly]

Do you have it under finance? When we had a golf estate it had to go in for water ingress and we ended up months without it. If under finance the finance company should deal with it and liaise with VW on your behalf, I think we ended up being compensated for the time without it

No.I paid for it and now I am paying for it again if you get my drift.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

My Coast has a similar problem, it has been fixed, apparently a fauty fuse, I'm trying to find out which one it was for @Coasterman
Only problem is now the water tank is saying empty when it is not *rolls eyes* at least it's all still working which wasn't the case with the battery issue, we had no water, heating or fridge due the control panel showing no battery charge.
Hoping a few water emptys and refills will fix the latest issue, otherwise it's booked in again in October ..

Hi @Ladymuck re’ your water level issue. We’ve recently had an issue but it resolved itself when i emptied and refilled the tank a couple of times. Maybe a stuck float switch? I don’t know?

 

[Private_Kelly]

I have been trying to figure out what the problem with my van is.
The garage and the california specialist seems to have tried everything. Twice now they thought they had resolved the problem. They poked around and tweeked this and recalibrated that and changed some software and hey presto all was good and it worked. But on two separate occasions now on the following day it was again faulty and displayed the 2nd battery low error message. So it’s fine and works and then a day later it doesn’t work. I am assured that the batteries are charging as they should but is it possible that something happens to the batteries overnight. Is it possible that a fully charged battery that is fine when tested can lose charge overnight therefore causing the error message. Also I told the garage that the 2nd battery was the one under the cupboard at the back. Am I correct. Might the 2nd battery be under the seat. If the 2nd battery is under the seat maybe this battery has nor been checked and is faulty and discharges overnight causing the error message. Can anyone please tell me what they think.

 

[Private_Kelly]

Has anyone actually demonstrated the voltage of your second battery, with a meter at the terminals?

Twice now the van has been repaired and everything worked. The next day when tested it wasn’t and the 2nd battery low error message appears. Can a faulty leisure battery discharge overnight. Can the problem be so simple and a garage not figure it out?

 

[Loz]

Yes, could simply be disconnected and see if the rest of the system works fine on one battery.

 

[yossarian]

Twice now the van has been repaired and everything worked. The next day when tested it wasn’t and the 2nd battery low error message appears. Can a faulty leisure battery discharge overnight. Can the problem be so simple and a garage not figure it out?

I think you need to stick a multimeter on both batteries and verify their voltages. Be sure to read on the positive clamp not the cube fuse.

To answer your question, yes your battery system can lose energy as a whole overnight due to some sort of fault, BUT the batteries will drop together if they are connected in parallel. If only one battery drops then they are not in parallel.

The most likely cause if the batteries are at different voltages is still S339. The cube fuse.

It's still unclear from your post if you have a verified battery imbalance or a verified battery sense problem.

Given the diagnostics you did on day zero my money is on battery imbalance. You'll remember there was one probable cause and six possible on the vw diagram. That analysis hasn't changed except that it was pointed out that some of those six are interconnects and very unlikely to be involved.

Personally, the dealer that told me that a battery imbalance was due to a control panel fault would not be working on my vehicle.

 

[yossarian]

Yes, could simply be disconnected and see if the rest of the system works fine on one battery.

Don't forget @Loz this is the two IBS battery system so disconnecting one battery gets complicated.

We also don't know the logic that is applied if one sensor goes AWOL although that is worth experimenting with when someone has time.

 

[Loz]

Don't forget @Loz this is the two IBS battery system so disconnecting one battery gets complicated.

We also don't know the logic that is applied if one sensor goes AWOL although that is worth experimenting with when someone has time.

Yes I know that, but a very simple test none the less.

 

[altvic]

I have been trying to figure out what the problem with my van is.
The garage and the california specialist seems to have tried everything. Twice now they thought they had resolved the problem. They poked around and tweeked this and recalibrated that and changed some software and hey presto all was good and it worked. But on two separate occasions now on the following day it was again faulty and displayed the 2nd battery low error message. So it’s fine and works and then a day later it doesn’t work. I am assured that the batteries are charging as they should but is it possible that something happens to the batteries overnight. Is it possible that a fully charged battery that is fine when tested can lose charge overnight therefore causing the error message. Also I told the garage that the 2nd battery was the one under the cupboard at the back. Am I correct. Might the 2nd battery be under the seat. If the 2nd battery is under the seat maybe this battery has nor been checked and is faulty and discharges overnight causing the error message. Can anyone please tell me what they think.

The batteries can be goosed even though they they charge well; when a battery is put under load (running fridge or charging computer and so on) it can lose charge if it is not in good order. The leisure batteries can get this way if, for example, they have been left to de-charge below a certain percentage (50%?) over a period of time as has happened to many during virus times. Some vehicles were left at delivery port for months with batteries connected up and lost all charge rendering them pretty useless but still showed them charge to 100%.

 

[Private_Kelly]

ah. the VW master techs strike again. i wouldn't trust them to change my sodding engine oil so i do it myself. i reckon Loz is right about the battery monitor module. when the control panel says its flat, what is the voltage at the battery terminals ? it shouldn't take 6 week to check that ?

Yes maybe the techs are a bunch of lemons but they have been working with VW Technical in Germany and also their California specialists are they Lemons too? Surely not or we are all in trouble

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Yes maybe the techs are a bunch of lemons but they have been working with VW Technical in Germany and also their California specialists are they Lemons too? Surely not or we are all in trouble

The simple tests are the first things they “Should” have done. Taking it done they have tried all the simple things, batteries, fuses, shorting etc. If they can’t find the problem now it’s unlikely they are going to without replacing ALL the electrical components that are associated.
It hardly gives much confidence when the people who designed and manufactured it can’t find out why this is happening.
Myself personally, I would give them a certain amount of time longer say 2 weeks and then tell them you are going to reject the vehicle. I would contact citizens advice and tell them the story. I’m sure they will help..

 

[Ladymuck]

Hi @Ladymuck re’ your water level issue. We’ve recently had an issue but it resolved itself when i emptied and refilled the tank a couple of times. Maybe a stuck float switch? I don’t know?

Yes thanks GG I saw your post on the issue, I'll give it a try, fingers crossed

 

[Private_Kelly]

Thought it was time I updated this post. So the dealer has thrown the towel in and is unable to effect repair for the leisure battery issue. The next step is to have my van moved via low loader to the Technical Support Centre in Milton Keynes. Well that was 1 month ago and the TSC has said that it cannot accept my vehicle for between 6 to 8 weeks. So I have decided to get rid and have VW Liverpool Van Centre buy my van back. They will give a full refund and will sell me another Coast at the price I paid for mine. ( they are £3000 more now! So I think LVC are being fair. It’s all a terrible faff and now I will be at the end of a very long queue although they will try and expedite my order. So there we are. Goodbye to my van.

 

[Tom]

I’m the owner of a 2008 T5 California with 70;000 on the clock. I’m Northern Ireland based. I love it BUT my local VW dealer is also Citroen and Renault and BMW and whatever else takes your fancy. Recently I booked the Cali in for a rear leisure battery change. I got a call from the service department asking me where the battery was located in the vehicle? What the F###.

I got the Cali back with a broken hatch leading to the battery. It takes a 50p piece to open it but the VW specialist used a big screwdriver to force it open. I got it rectified the following day and my wonderful Cali will never be send in for a service again. Thankfully I’ve identified a one man qualified engineer of the old school who has pointed out to me that the cabin air conditioning filter has never been changed since 2008! Beware of multi dealerships marketing car badges.

Tom

 

[sidepod]

Do a search on YouTube for Parasitic Drain.

Simple/not as simple as you might think to find especially with modules waking up/sleeping/fuse volt drop and thermal imaging.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Normally the dealer who gets the vehicle “Dealership” is the one who can provide the most impressive showroom. Spend a few million on your showroom facilities and ask the powers that be down for a visit, take them for a nice meal in a posh restaurant or maybe a weekend away at a nice golf course. Bang the dealership is yours...
The problem is joe public is absolutely taken in by the fact they MUST have full dealership service history. You fall right into their trap. £120 an hour +. A service centre is only as good as the person who works on your vehicle not the fact you get a free cup of coffee. And the post from Tom goes to prove that.

 

[Private_Kelly]

Final update on this thread and a shout out for Liverpool Van Centre.
My 2021 Coast had the issue with the leisure battery not charging and the dealer had my van for about 3 months before throwing the towel in and admitting defeat. The van was then sceduled to go to the Technical Support Centre in Milton Keynes. But after a further month of waiting it was put back for between 6 to 8 weeks due to illness and staffing levels.
So the towel was thrown in by me and I decided to have the van replaced which is an almighty pain in the bum but there we are. Swansway at Liverpool did not quibble at all and agreed to pay me back what I paid for the van in full. I was informed that van prices have since gone up but I would not be paying any more for my replacement. I took the opportunity as well of spec’cing my van up with a few more options. I still intend pursuing VW for some additional compensation for this kerfuffle. What do you think I should be justified in compensation?

 

[soulstyledevon]

A courteous van (California) until the replacement is ready…

 

[66tim99]

Final update on this thread and a shout out for Liverpool Van Centre.
My 2021 Coast had the issue with the leisure battery not charging and the dealer had my van for about 3 months before throwing the towel in and admitting defeat. The van was then sceduled to go to the Technical Support Centre in Milton Keynes. But after a further month of waiting it was put back for between 6 to 8 weeks due to illness and staffing levels.
So the towel was thrown in by me and I decided to have the van replaced which is an almighty pain in the bum but there we are. Swansway at Liverpool did not quibble at all and agreed to pay me back what I paid for the van in full. I was informed that van prices have since gone up but I would not be paying any more for my replacement. I took the opportunity as well of spec’cing my van up with a few more options. I still intend pursuing VW for some additional compensation for this kerfuffle. What do you think I should be justified in compensation?

Difficult, because I don’t think dealers selling you a van really care about customer satisfaction, they will just want to take you through legal necessities. If it’s the factory at fault then the dealer won’t see it as compensation that should come off their books. If you can get a 2 year extended warranty and 2 free services I’d be very happy.
In reality all you’ve lost is time, and had the opportunity to perfect your California with more options. If your new California is perfect I suspect this sorry episode will quickly recede.
Can I ask what options you decided to add?