Beach Leisure Battery - Charged on Hookup?

[WelshGas]

Here's the best picture I've been able to take from the circuit breaker in the T5 beach. Which is very very hard to reach or photograph. It's up in the plastic in the side compartment where the jack is. It has one pair of wires in (blue, brown) from the 230V plug, and one pair of wires out (blue, brown) that go to the 230v socket near the B-pillar. Haven't stripped my car completely but I cannot find any battery charger in that compartment and I've taken pictures in all directions. There's also nothing under the front seats.

Does the SE circuit breaker look similar? Do you have 2x2 wires out from the breaker (one pair to 230v socket, one to charger?)

View attachment 19062

Yes. I would suggest removing the trim panel.

 

[zeratul]

On monday I contacted my VW dealer to find out what functionality is supposed to be working when plugging in the hookup on a T5 Beach. They've contacted VW internally and took them a couple of days to get back to me. Their answer:

- The hookup does NOT charge the leisure battery nor the engine battery
- The hookup brings 230v to the 230v internal socket
- The hookup activates an internal relay so that all 12v sockets which are normally on the leisure battery, are now powered from the hookup, through a 230v->12v transformer. As such it saves your leisure battery when camping on hookup for a couple of days. But it doesn't charge it.
- This applies to ALL (European?) T5's, not just the Beach. So also for the "California Comfortline" (As the SE is called here in continental Europe).
- They did not inquire about the T6 and if this has changed.

So first of all, I don't know about the UK version. But to be honest, it would be strange if they alter that?
I wish they were wrong but they were so bold about this statement.

What this means is (3rd point) that measuring a voltage increase on a 12v socket when you plug in the 230v hookup, does NOT necessarily mean the battery is charging.. it could mean the relay from the transformer 230->12v got activated and you now have a different voltage because of that. The only way to measure for sure if you have leisure battery charging, is to have it quite low (e.g. 11.9v) before hookup, plugging it in, and then unplugging the hookup(!) and measuring it again.

I would like to ask everyone interested with a 12V voltmeter to double check the behaviour of their hookup and then try to catalogue which vehicles have this behaviour and which do not. So please when reporting results specify vehicle type (T5, T5.1, T5.2, T6, Beach, Ocean, SE, Comfortline) and country (UK, Belgium, Spain, Germany, ...) because I for one will not trust a single data point and there might even be changes across production dates.

So I'll give the first datapoint:

T5.2 Beach, MY 2015, Belgium: I confirm this behaviour. No leisure battery charging on hookup..

To be honest, I am disappointed that I've paid EUR 770 for just the functionality they described, I was always under the impression the vehicle had leisure battery charging when plugged in, though I may have assumed that only from this forum...

 

[madwomanne]

From manual:-
The 230-volt power supply via the external socket
allows for charging the additional batteries and for
using a 230-volt grounded safety socket in the interior

The battery charger is located in the rear left stowage
compartment in the California Coast and Ocean. In the California Beach it is in the side trim
panel behind the left front seat.
The battery charger is fully automatic.
If the 230-volt power supply is provided, the charge
level of the additional batteries under the left front
seat and in the living area is retained.
When the vehicle is in motion, both the vehicle battery
(starter battery) and the additional batteries
are charged by the engine alternator. ~

 

[zeratul]

I have the same text in dutch in my manual. However, VW themselves state it is wrong.
So hence my request to really measure what goes on and if the hookup really charges a battery...

 

[WelshGas]

UK T5.2 SE.
Fully functional Battery Charger fitted charging 2 x Leisure Batteries and trickle charge Engine Battery.

As stated in Manual.

Charger confirmed visually.

Function as confirmed by direct measurement of all 3 Battery voltages.

Either non-UK vehicles are different and owners have been conned, or the statement you have received is a load of rubbish.

So where is this supposed 12v transformer and electronics fitted in your vehicle?

 

[Bigted]

Mine deffinatly charges the battery on hookup as the voltage changes i.e. It's higher at first and then drops when the battery is full - as a charger should. You can also see the voltage increase when the heating comes on as the battery is topped off again. When mine did not work VW replaced the 'charger' as is says on the paperwork. Also the voltage of the leisure battery and engine battery are different when it's chargeing as the battery is only trickling.

If it was just a transformer the voltage would remain constant

 

[Bigted]

The charger is behind the panel that the table clips to. It's a right pain to get at as you have to remove a fair amount of interior trim to get to it

 

[zeratul]

UK T5.2 SE.
Fully functional Battery Charger fitted charging 2 x Leisure Batteries and trickle charge Engine Battery.

As stated in Manual.

Charger confirmed visually.

Function as confirmed by direct measurement of all 3 Battery voltages.

Either non-UK vehicles are different and owners have been conned, or the statement you have received is a load of rubbish.

So where is this supposed 12v transformer and electronics fitted in your vehicle?

Thank you. Don't get me wrong, I really wish the answer I got is wrong. Unfortunately, there are at least two confirmed users of a T5 Beach that have seem to have a non charging leisure battery (Romke and me).

 

[zeratul]

Mine deffinatly charges the battery on hookup as the voltage changes i.e. It's higher at first and then drops when the battery is full - as a charger should. You can also see the voltage increase when the heating comes on as the battery is topped off again. When mine did not work VW replaced the 'charger' as is says on the paperwork. Also the voltage of the leisure battery and engine battery are different when it's chargeing as the battery is only trickling.

If it was just a transformer the voltage would remain constant

Did you measure on the leisure battery itself or on the 12v socket?
Because if you measured on a 12v socket it could be that this relay swaps the 12v socket output from transformer to leisure and back again.
Just to be sure - because I do believe that at least some people have a 230v battery charger ..

 

[WelshGas]

Did you measure on the leisure battery itself or on the 12v socket?
Because if you measured on a 12v socket it could be that this relay swaps the 12v socket output from transformer to leisure and back again.
Just to be sure - because I do believe that at least some people have a 230v battery charger ..

Have you removed the panel that the table clips to as stated by @Bigted ?

Locate and view the Charger/ Transformer is the ONLY way you are going to confirm what you have, once and for all.

 

[Bigted]

 

[Bigted]

Pic from my paperwork

 

[snowy55]

Locate and view the Charger/ Transformer is the ONLY way you are going to confirm what you have, once and for all.

And make sure that it is plugged in!!!!

 

[zeratul]

Have you removed the panel that the table clips to as stated by @Bigted ?

Locate and view the Charger/ Transformer is the ONLY way you are going to confirm what you have, once and for all.

It's my last resort. There's no clear manual. Removing interior panels is not easy. Clips often break (I heared) and you need to replace them. If you haven't done that it's hard to do it without damage. I think we could gather a clear view by doing these tests and then push again to VW to have it fixed. I need strong evidence to make a case against VW's claim, and by removing the trim panel I probably void my own waranty...

 

[zeratul]

And make sure that it is plugged in!!!!

Guess you did not read my earlier post in which I explained that when plugged in the 230V is on the 230v socket inside, and when the hookup is removed, it's also gone from the interior. So their is no bad connection or circuit breaker issue.

 

[WelshGas]

I have the same text in dutch in my manual. However, VW themselves state it is wrong.
So hence my request to really measure what goes on and if the hookup really charges a battery...

Was that a written statement from VW itself or a statement from your Dealer who said they had talked to VW?

 

[snowy55]

Guess you did not read my earlier post in which I explained that when plugged in the 230V is on the 230v socket inside, and when the hookup is removed, it's also gone from the interior. So their is no bad connection or circuit breaker issue.

I mean make sure your battery charger when you find it behind the trim is plugged in.

 

[zeratul]

Of course the latter. I'll call tomorrow to get this on paper. They seemed so confident this can't be a problem. If it suddenly becomes one.. then we know they're lying about contacting them.

 

[WelshGas]

I have the same text in dutch in my manual. However, VW themselves state it is wrong.
So hence my request to really measure what goes on and if the hookup really charges a battery...

OK. You have evidence in writing, provided by VW that your vehicle has a Charger and where it is situated. So back to the Dealer with a simple request.

I don't believe you. Prove to me there is NO Charger as detailed in this VW manual relating to my vehicle?
Remove the mentioned side trim panel, because someone is incorrect.

 

[kave]

My T6 Beach Austrian spec have the 770€ option and it definately charges the leisure battery. Usually after a few days of not driving and no hookup I have 12.5V on the leisure socket. If I connect the 230V hookup I have over 14V for a while, then it drops to arround 13.5. If I unplug the hookup its down to 12.9V.
I think your dealer is wrong.

 

[zeratul]

But he didn't state anything about the T6, only the T5. Anyway, I'll see what they say tomorrow when asked to put this on paper and remove my trim panel after stating what the manual says.

 

[WelshGas]

But he didn't state anything about the T6, only the T5. Anyway, I'll see what they say tomorrow when asked to put this on paper and remove my trim panel after stating what the manual says.

And please let us know how you get on.

 

[zeratul]

I was told on the phone 'They will get back to me' .. and I haven't heard back yet. But I'll go to the bottom of this.

 

[WelshGas]

I was told on the phone 'They will get back to me' .. and I haven't heard back yet. But I'll go to the bottom of this.

Anymore news about a Battery Charger being/not being present?

 

[zeratul]

No no news, they haven't gotten back to me and I was out skiing last week. I will call them on monday.