Mystery Ocean options: water circulation heater, air cleaner and gooseneck lamp

[Mehdime]

Hi,

I was going through the list of MY21 options for the California Ocean in Ireland (couldn't find an MY22 version of this) and noticed 3 mystery options that are in the option's guide but are not on the online configurator (and were not back in April either when I first looked into this - so it's not a case that they were there before and have been removed for MY22. They never were in the online configurator).

I can't find any info about these anywhere - would you know what they are?

Auxiliary heating, timer, parking heater (water circulation) (9M4)
The Ocean comes with the "Fuel-fired parking heater with timer and electric auxiliary heater (7VG)" as standard.

However, for an extra €580, you can upgrade to the "Auxiliary heating, timer, parking heater (water circulation) (9M4)". What on earth is this? I've looked long and hard but was not able to find any information whatsoever about what this thing is anywhere on the whole internet. I have found this thread but people there appear just as confused as I am.

Air cleaner for dusty regions with saturation indicator (1L2)
That's a €160 option. Again, zero information about this anywhere on the whole internet. What exactly does this do? Is this for the engine or the cabin? Would it be useful as an air purifier in general?

Gooseneck lamp (LED) can be plugged in 12-V outlet (YYN)
That's a €50 option. I've seen a few people here mentioned they speced it. But I haven't been able to find any info about what this is. At €50, it must be a seriously fancy lamp. But what is it for exactly? Is this just a standalone car reading light that you can plug into your cigarette lighter? It sounds like a very random option to offer given that the California already has plenty of individually adjustable lights as far as I can see. Would love to hear from people who have it about what it is.

 

[andyinluton]

Gooseneck lamp (LED) can be plugged in 12-V outlet (YYN)
That's a €50 option. I've seen a few people here mentioned they speced it. But I haven't been able to find any info about what this is. At €50, it must be a seriously fancy lamp. But what is it for exactly? Is this just a standalone car reading light that you can plug into your cigarette lighter? It sounds like a very random option to offer given that the California already has plenty of individually adjustable lights as far as I can see. Would love to hear from people who have it about what it is.

I'll start with this one, on a T6.1 its LED lamp on a bendy stalk that fits in a cigarette lighter outlet. Our van came with one & its very useful plugged into the socket next to the roof hatch on the upstairs bed. In that position it works well as a reading light for anyone sitting in the rotated passenger seat.

It also is very handy when your roof starts sagging & the built in roof lights no longer work, but thats another story.

Does the Ocean in your spec come with the built in lights in the pop up roof? if not you will need this. On older Calis the Flexi light was the only upstairs light.

Its this but with a cigarette lighter plug instead of a bracket at the end.

 

[TheDoc]

I believe the water circulator heats the coolant in the engine block so you have a warm engine. Useful if you live in very cold climates (e.g. Canada) as it makes the engine easier to start and reduces wear on startup - not sure of the value in more temperate climates.

 

[California4x4]

I believe the water circulator heats the coolant in the engine block so you have a warm engine. Useful if you live in very cold climates (e.g. Canada) as it makes the engine easier to start and reduces wear on startup - not sure of the value in more temperate climates.

The coolant heater standard in the T6 Ocean. However it is automatic at temperatures below 5C but only fires up AFTER you start the engine, so has none of these benefits but does mean the engine warms more quickly and will defrost the window more quickly. I would love an option to be able to set it on a timer to pre-hear the engine before starting it for the reasons you mention.

 

[clarinetbcn]

I have the factory upgrade programable coolant heater, as well as a Webasto air parking heater. On the T5/6 the coolant heater can be turned on either by programing or manually, with the motor off. Once the engine coolant starts to warm up, the Climatronic system will turn itself on and use the dash vents to do whatever it was doing when you last turned the motor off, i.e., it will preheat the cabin air to whatever temperature the system was set to. A useful option is to leave the Climatronic system on Max Defrost when you turn the motor off, so when the coolant preheater turns the system on it will de-ice and defrost the windshield, and also the side windows if you have the 3 zone system.

I have also found that on long continued downhill trips high in the mountains in winter, the engine can struggle to maintain normal operating temperature, which makes the normal heating system struggle to maintain cabin temperature. Under these circumstances I turn the coolant heater on manually and the engine comes right up to normal operating temp.

This option is meant to preheat the motor and cabin, and is not apt for nor meant to be a replacement for the air parking heater, since it uses coolant pumps and dash fans and therefor has high battery usage. They are two different machines, with the coolant heater under the left side of the van and the air heater under the right side. On the T6 the factory installed version ran off the leisure battery until 2019, and vans manufactured after that run off the engine battery. I don't know how it's wired on the T6.1.

This option was not available on the UK T6 Ocean, only the Beach, so some UK Ocean owners have installed after market controllers to manually control the standard coolant heater, which normally is automatic below 5C with the engine on and can't be manually turned on.

 

[blondebier]

RE: Gooseneck lamp (LED) can be plugged in 12-V outlet (YYN)

Like many options VW has slapped a lot of California tax on it.

I'd save your €50 and buy it privately:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KYK97QO/?tag=eliteelect-21

 

[Mehdime]

Thanks so much @TheDoc @California4x4 and @clarinetbcn. My ignorance of all things mechanics will show - I had no idea that an engine heater was even a thing or that there would be a need for something like this. Given where I live and how we'll be using the van, we're safe to skip this additional engine heater I think.

And thanks for the gooseneck lamp explanation @andyinluton and @blondebier. I hope that by the time I eventually get my van (still hoping it'll come at some point next year) they'll have fixed the sagging roof issue.

 

[California4x4]

I have the factory upgrade programable coolant heater, as well as a Webasto air parking heater. On the T5/6 the coolant heater can be turned on either by programing or manually, with the motor off. Once the engine coolant starts to warm up, the Climatronic system will turn itself on and use the dash vents to do whatever it was doing when you last turned the motor off, i.e., it will preheat the cabin air to whatever temperature the system was set to. A useful option is to leave the Climatronic system on Max Defrost when you turn the motor off, so when the coolant preheater turns the system on it will de-ice and defrost the windshield, and also the side windows if you have the 3 zone system.

I have also found that on long continued downhill trips high in the mountains in winter, the engine can struggle to maintain normal operating temperature, which makes the normal heating system struggle to maintain cabin temperature. Under these circumstances I turn the coolant heater on manually and the engine comes right up to normal operating temp.

This option is meant to preheat the motor and cabin, and is not apt for nor meant to be a replacement for the air parking heater, since it uses coolant pumps and dash fans and therefor has high battery usage. They are two different machines, with the coolant heater under the left side of the van and the air heater under the right side. On the T6 the factory installed version ran off the leisure battery until 2019, and vans manufactured after that run off the engine battery. I don't know how it's wired on the T6.1.

This option was not available on the UK T6 Ocean, only the Beach, so some UK Ocean owners have installed after market controllers to manually control the standard coolant heater, which normally is automatic below 5C with the engine on and can't be manually turned on.

I would really like to perform this mod on my T6 for pre-heating the engine. Do you know someone, does ANYONE know someone that has had this done please???? Thank you.

 

[clarinetbcn]

I would really like to perform this mod on my T6 for pre-heating the engine. Do you know someone, does ANYONE know someone that has had this done please???? Thank you.

Webasto Telestart

Finally got around to purchasing a kit to upgrade my auxiliary coolant heater to remote operation/parking heater. As my Beach has Climatic air con it’s slightly more involved (and expensive) than those with Climatronic. The kit I bought was second hand but unused, originally from...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

This link is for a T5, but I'm sure the same companies make T6 kits.

 

[WelshGas]

I would really like to perform this mod on my T6 for pre-heating the engine. Do you know someone, does ANYONE know someone that has had this done please???? Thank you.

There is a Polish company that sells a kit of the remote and receiver and control box. Easily fixed BUT I gather the firmware chip of the Webasto heater unit has to be reflashed as VW use their own firmware which is incompatible.
I would checkout the T6 forum for more information.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Thanks so much @TheDoc @California4x4 and @clarinetbcn. My ignorance of all things mechanics will show - I had no idea that an engine heater was even a thing or that there would be a need for something like this. Given where I live and how we'll be using the van, we're safe to skip this additional engine heater I think.

And thanks for the gooseneck lamp explanation @andyinluton and @blondebier. I hope that by the time I eventually get my van (still hoping it'll come at some point next year) they'll have fixed the sagging roof issue.

It doesn't help that VW's description of the various auxiliary hearting options are about as intelligible as the proverbial monkey bashing randomly on a keyboard.

 

[California4x4]

There is a Polish company that sells a kit of the remote and receiver and control box. Easily fixed BUT I gather the firmware chip of the Webasto heater unit has to be reflashed as VW use their own firmware which is incompatible.
I would checkout the T6 forum for more information.

Thank you very much.