Flat battery and control panel reset - how?

[ThisIsChristoph]

I had to leave my 2022 6.1 Ocean immobilised while I was out of the country and found it with a flat battery (not even the door locks worked). VW Assist/AA jump started the van and suggested I run the engine for a while. I immediately connected the electric hookup (EHU) while the engine was running but noticed that the control panel was blank/not lit - and, I assume, the EHU wasn't therefore charging the leisure and engine batteries (right?). So I looked up how to reset the control panel and proceeded to pull out the four fuses to the right of the steering wheel (found on this post). All was fine until the last fuse which switched the engine off! By then the engine battery charged enough and I couldn't restart the engine - ugh.
So now VW Assist are on their way again. Once the engine is running again, how do I restart the control panel and (therefore) get the EHU to start charging the batteries? Or have I misunderstood how it all works? Grateful for any pointers - thanks all.

And yes, I know it was silly to leave the van so long, and not to have hooked it up. Unfortunately the van is parked in an underground garage where there's no (allowed) access to an electric socket - otherwise I'd hook it up to a battery charger/maintainer while I'm away. And yes I'm aware that the batteries are therefore likely to be compromised. Fingers crossed they aren't.
Thank you all!

 

[ThisIsChristoph]

AA man has come and gone: new starter/engine batter installed (ouch). Unfortunately control panel still dark. Do I pull those fuses out again?

 

[calibusje]

To reset the screen: take out this fuse and put back (located under the front seat:

Or: you could need a reset done by the dealer.
Anyway: the ecu controling the panel can be fried if the help you’ve got didn’t place the starter cables like in should be. Hopefully not.
Success

 

[WelshGas]

AA man has come and gone: new starter/engine batter installed (ouch). Unfortunately control panel still dark. Do I pull those fuses out again?

I presume the Leisure Batteries are also discharged. The Control Panel requires both battery systems to be charged.
Leave it on EHU for at least 24 + hours

 

[ThisIsChristoph]

Thanks @WelshGas and bedankt @calibusje - I’d never seen those fuses under the seat
Pulling out and then re/inserting that under-seat fuse did not bring the control panel back and yes the leisure batteries are also discharged. I really hope they’ll charge overnight. I was assuming that for them to charge the control panel needs to be functioning/on / is that not right?
I noticed earlier today that the fuse in the cupboard above the gas/water tank had gone (red) so I reset that too.

 

[dspuk]

I was assuming that for them to charge the control panel needs to be functioning/on / is that not right?

Nope. Charging is controlled by a number of units from the box of tricks above the rear leisure to the split relay under the drivers seats via the alternator etc.

A REALLY long drive will also help. After 30 minutes your starter should be fine and the split relay will then send alternator power to the leisures. Likely 90 mins to get them up to a sensible amount. As you can’t use panel to put max charge on put the seat heaters on. Same effect.

Charging off EHU is great but will take some time and only trickle your starter so if that is still weak you may end up in the same boat.

 

[WelshGas]

Thanks @WelshGas and bedankt @calibusje - I’d never seen those fuses under the seat
Pulling out and then re/inserting that under-seat fuse did not bring the control panel back and yes the leisure batteries are also discharged. I really hope they’ll charge overnight. I was assuming that for them to charge the control panel needs to be functioning/on / is that not right?
I noticed earlier today that the fuse in the cupboard above the gas/water tank had gone (red) so I reset that too.

The switch in the cupboard above the gas locker is the Mains RCD, for the 240v circuit. It should be ON , red , when plugged into EHU otherwise the built in Battery Charger will not function.
Red means the 240 v circuit in the vehicle is LIVE.
Green means the circuit is SAFE.

 

[ThisIsChristoph]

The switch in the cupboard above the gas locker is the Mains RCD, for the 240v circuit. It should be ON , red , when plugged into EHU otherwise the built in Battery Charger will not function.
Red means the 240 v circuit in the vehicle is LIVE.
Green means the circuit is SAFE.

Oh my. I still have a lot to learn... Thanks so much @WelshGas. So we'll start again then!
I'm taking the van out for a nice long drive today. If the leisure batteries then charge up nicely (with heated seats on as @dspuk recommends - one more thing I didn't know) and the control panel comes back to life we can possibly even stay overnight somewhere. That would be a treat. I will update. Thanks again!

 

[dspuk]

Oh my. I still have a lot to learn... Thanks so much @WelshGas. So we'll start again then!
I'm taking the van out for a nice long drive today. If the leisure batteries then charge up nicely (with heated seats on as @dspuk recommends - one more thing I didn't know) and the control panel comes back to life we can possibly even stay overnight somewhere. That would be a treat. I will update. Thanks again!

The heated seats is a T6 trick to get alternator to push out max charging to take into account of the extra draw and they don't have a max charge mode. As your console is dead so you can’t activate max charging (a 6.1 feature) then, for a 6.1, the seats trick should work the same.

 

[ThisIsChristoph]

Went for a two-day one-night trip to Norfolk - about 350km round trip and the control panel is still dark and an error message saying ‘second battery low’. I removed the fuse from under the passenger seat a couple times and no luck. Other than a rather cold night (no heating) and both my friend and I having had to sleep downstairs (no hydraulic roof up) I am a bit worried: are the leisure batteries dead? How would I know? Our van is from Jan 2022 and/but hasn’t been used as much as I’d liked. If the leisure batteries are indeed dead, am I ok NOT going to VW to get them replaced - or would that mess with my warranty? And if I replace them - should that be like-for-like, or are there other (LiPo?) batteries I should be considering? Many questions…
Thanks again to all who have anlready answered and helped me learn. This leisure battery free California is a rather sad thing.

 

[calibusje]

So you have a message on the screen? Then it is not completely dead. Have you ever pulled out the blue plug and plugged it back a little later? This also does a reset (He is difficult to reach):


The distance you drove sounds long but with all batteries flat or almost flat that is also not much: a few days on the plug -EHU- can help. If nothing really helps from what you get here as tips, there is another problem (I don't think broken batteries because the screen says 'low'). Good luck.

 

[ThisIsChristoph]

Sorry, the control panel is still dark. The error message shows on the dash, behind the steering wheel, under vehicle errors.
The van has now been on EHU since Sunday evening.


I’ve just unplugged (and replugged) the blue plug - still no life on the control panel but the ‘second battery low’ error message has disappeared.

I have booked an appointment at VW Commercial (Eurovans) for Monday and will keep you all updated. As ever, thank you for all the advice!

 

[calibusje]

You may need a reset from the dealer; however, I don't know how they do this. If so, hopefully your dealer will know. Or there is something else going on.
By pulling out the blue plug you did a firm reset and it might make sense to check if the batteries are now charging. Maybe.. and I'm rooting for you. It will be fine, although it is very annoying now. Good luck!