Important new information for all

[Little owl1963]

Upon speaking to a volkswagen technician I was informed , that the leisure batterys are only charged of the seperate charger in REAR of vehicle when connected to MAINS HOOK UP Only

At all other times e.g when driving the leisure batterys are charged front the front van engine battery / alternator.

As this is not stated in the manual , which i think should be , i can only assume cali owners think leisure batterys come of seperate rear van charger at all times .???

So thought pass this info for all to be aware of .

Further more volks technician assured me there is a split charge relay , once leisure batterys charge on hook up it divers power to trickle charge engine battery .

Hope info helps

 

[scottk]

Edited after re reading your post.
There is no separate alternator in the rear. The leisure batteries get charged while driving and there is also an option on the control panel to have a boost to 100% while driving.
If you use your car often enough it shouldn’t need charging but I think they suggest putting it on mains monthly.
You should try watching some of California Chris videos on YouTube.

 

[Little owl1963]

Edited after re reading your post.
There is no separate alternator in the rear. The leisure batteries get charged while driving and there is also an option on the control panel to have a boost to 100% while driving.
If you use your car often enough it shouldn’t need charging but I think they suggest putting it on mains monthly.
You should try watching some of California Chris videos on YouTube.

Read my post again
There clearly no mention alternator in rear .
Only states alternator at front

 

[kurienp]

Upon speaking to a volkswagen technician I was informed , that the leisure batterys are only charged of the seperate charger in REAR of vehicle when connected to MAINS HOOK UP Only

At all other times e.g when driving the leisure batterys are charged front the front van engine battery / alternator.

As this is not stated in the manual , which i think should be , i can only assume cali owners think leisure batterys come of seperate rear van charger at all times .???

So thought pass this info for all to be aware of .

Further more volks technician assured me there is a split charge relay , once leisure batterys charge on hook up it divers power to trickle charge engine battery .

Hope info helps

Ok, here's another bit of info you'll find on here - one of the most important bit of information for a new owner - do not trust what a dealer mech tells you ! This forum can give you more correct info than the dealer mechs.

 

[Wesel]

Upon speaking to a volkswagen technician I was informed , that the leisure batterys are only charged of the seperate charger in REAR of vehicle when connected to MAINS HOOK UP Only

At all other times e.g when driving the leisure batterys are charged front the front van engine battery / alternator.

As this is not stated in the manual , which i think should be , i can only assume cali owners think leisure batterys come of seperate rear van charger at all times .???

So thought pass this info for all to be aware of .

Further more volks technician assured me there is a split charge relay , once leisure batterys charge on hook up it divers power to trickle charge engine battery .

Hope info helps

Take the time to read the information on this forum, and to search with the very useful "search" function and you will see that all of this is well known and well detailed. And for my part I also find this information in my VW user manual.
And above all, use your California and you will see.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

If using the search function, make sure you click on advanced search as you can more specific with the search.

(The basic search function is a bit hit & miss, ie - first hit might be a post from 4 years ago, rather than most recent info)

 

[Little owl1963]

Take the time to read the information on this forum, and to search with the very useful "search" function and you will see that all of this is well known and well detailed. And for my part I also find this information in my VW user manual.
And above all, use your California and you will see.

Can you expand on this ?
Which manual main or supplement one ??
What page number ? I never seen it ????.

 

[Wesel]

As I live in Belgium my documents are in French. I have a T6, but it should be no different for the T6.1. It's in the "California Supplement" in the "battery charger" paragraph. I'll translate it for you.

 

[Wesel]

On the California Coast and Ocean, the battery charger is located in the left rear side hatch; ...
The battery charger operates fully automatically. When the 230 volt supply is connected, the state of charge of the additional batteries under the left front seat and in the living room is maintained. When the vehicle is moving, the battery (starter battery) and the additional batteries are charged by the engine alternator.
• The starter battery is charged at a maximum current of 2.5 A (trickle charge).
• The second and possibly the third battery are charged at a maximum current of 12.5 A.

 

[chockswahay]

On the California Coast and Ocean, the battery charger is located in the left rear side hatch; ...
The battery charger operates fully automatically. When the 230 volt supply is connected, the state of charge of the additional batteries under the left front seat and in the living room is maintained. When the vehicle is moving, the battery (starter battery) and the additional batteries are charged by the engine alternator.
• The starter battery is charged at a maximum current of 2.5 A (trickle charge).
• The second and possibly the third battery are charged at a maximum current of 12.5 A.

Eh? My panel shows a charge of 50 plus amps sometimes………

 

[Wesel]

Eh? My panel shows a charge of 50 plus amps sometimes………

Charging from the solar panels is another matter. And 50 amps under 12 volts means that your panels provide 600 watts! The roof of the California is not big enough to accommodate all that.

 

[chockswahay]

Charging from the solar panels is another matter. And 50 amps under 12 volts means that your panels provide 600 watts! The roof of the California is not big enough to accommodate all that.

I don’t have solar…. I’m referring to the charge when driving

Edit: ah, when I said panel I meant the display panel above the seats, sorry for the confusion.

 

[Wesel]

• The starter battery is charged at a maximum current of 2.5 A (trickle charge).
• The second and possibly the third battery are charged at a maximum current of 12.5 A.

The load values given above are relative to the load via hook up, not via the alternator, nor any solar panels

 

[rod_vw]

I really don't understand where the complication arises.

There are only three possible sources of charge for the leisure battery.

1. The normal engine driven alternator which only supplies current when the engine is running.
2. The charger unit which only supplies current when the vehicle is connected to an EHU.
3. A solar panel if you have one (or more) which only supplies current when the sun shines.

Under conditions where more than one of the above are active they can supply current to the leisure circuits.

In the case of item 1 the alternator shares its output with both the engine battery and leisure batterie(s) and only does so in a very basic manner. VW do not fit a Battery to Battery unit which would provide a more efficient charge regime for the leisure batterie(s).

 

[andyinluton]

Upon speaking to a volkswagen technician I was informed , that the leisure batterys are only charged of the seperate charger in REAR of vehicle when connected to MAINS HOOK UP Only

At all other times e.g when driving the leisure batterys are charged front the front van engine battery / alternator.

You need to rename this thread “ stuff you knew 10 years ago but I’ve only just found out”

 

[yossarian]

You need to rename this thread “ stuff you knew 10 years ago but I’ve only just found out”

IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION FOR ALL ME​

 

[calibusje]

As I live in Belgium my documents are in French. I have a T6, but it should be no different for the T6.1. It's in the "California Supplement" in the "battery charger" paragraph. I'll translate it for you.

As I live in Belgium my document are in Dutch

 

[Wesel]

As I live in Belgium my document are in Dutch

And others receive them in German. It's a bit like the Tower of Babel.
But we all drink the same beers (the best in the world of course )

 

[calibusje]

And others receive them in German. It's a bit like the Tower of Babel.
But we all drink the same beers (the best in the world of course )

I fully agree