Soft close Boot issue

[JamesBell]

Hello

I’ve done a search on the forums and don’t seem to find the same issue as I’ve experienced lately. I have a T6 Cali 2016 which I’ve had for over a year now. Yesterday I noticed my boot has stopped closing as usual. Previously I’d close the boot and it would pull itself in tight. Now it’s stopped doing this. The boot still closes, opens and locks as normal but the auto pulling in the last cm or two has stopped. I now have to firmly shut the door or it won’t latch.
I noticed this after I got a flat Tyre the other day, but I’m assuming this isn’t related.

any advise would be welcome.
Thank you

 

[WelshGas]

Hello

I’ve done a search on the forums and don’t seem to find the same issue as I’ve experienced lately. I have a T6 Cali 2016 which I’ve had for over a year now. Yesterday I noticed my boot has stopped closing as usual. Previously I’d close the boot and it would pull itself in tight. Now it’s stopped doing this. The boot still closes, opens and locks as normal but the auto pulling in the last cm or two has stopped. I now have to firmly shut the door or it won’t latch.
I noticed this after I got a flat Tyre the other day, but I’m assuming this isn’t related.

any advise would be welcome.
Thank you

Check the Fuse. If you don't have Full electric Sliding door then ir is a 15amp fuse in the Upper Dashboard Fuse Panel . Uf you do have Full Electric Side door then it is a 20 amp fuse,

Could be in Position 8 but van vary. Check with a multimeter or a fuse swop.

 

[Calimili]

So if I remove the 30 amp fuse i will disable both the door and boot electric soft close? Excellent!
I've become annoyed with this feature to be honest, everytime i need to access the van while parked in the off season it sucks juice from the LB. Certainly in winter the boot doesn't need any electric help to close properly, especially with a bike rack on.

 

[WelshGas]

So if I remove the 30 amp fuse i will disable both the door and boot electric soft close? Excellent!
I've become annoyed with this feature to be honest, everytime i need to access the van while parked in the off season it sucks juice from the LB. Certainly in winter the boot doesn't need any electric help to close properly, especially with a bike rack on.

Position of Fuse may vary on different vehicles.

 

[WelshGas]

So if I remove the 30 amp fuse i will disable both the door and boot electric soft close? Excellent!
I've become annoyed with this feature to be honest, everytime i need to access the van while parked in the off season it sucks juice from the LB. Certainly in winter the boot doesn't need any electric help to close properly, especially with a bike rack on.

I noticed you mentioned LB, Leisure Battery? In fact the doors use the Engine Battery.

 

[Calimili]

I noticed you mentioned LB, Leisure Battery? In fact the doors use the Engine Battery.

They do? It makes sense actually thanks.
Well, it's only a small consolation as the leisure batteries will leak to the engine battery anyway...

 

[WelshGas]

They do? It makes sense actually thanks.
Well, it's only a small consolation as the leisure batteries will leak to the engine battery anyway...

I'm not sure what you mean by the last sentence.

 

[Calimili]

I'm not sure what you mean by the last sentence.

If I have interpreted the diagrams and several posts in the forum correctly, the LBs trickle charge the engine battery...
But i could well be wrong

 

[JamesBell]

Check the Fuse. If you don't have Full electric Sliding door then ir is a 15amp fuse in the Upper Dashboard Fuse Panel . Uf you do have Full Electric Side door then it is a 20 amp fuse,

Could be in Position 8 but van vary. Check with a multimeter or a fuse swop.

thanks for the info. I’v removed the bottle cooler cover and accessed the fuses. Not sure if that’s the correct place I’ll find them. There are two 15A fuses both of which look fine to me. I don’t have the electric side door.
was hoping it’d be a simple fix such as a fuse.
Here’s a photo of what I’m seeing inside my fuse box.

 

[JamesBell]

Check the Fuse. If you don't have Full electric Sliding door then ir is a 15amp fuse in the Upper Dashboard Fuse Panel . Uf you do have Full Electric Side door then it is a 20 amp fuse,

Could be in Position 8 but van vary. Check with a multimeter or a fuse swop.

thanks for the info. I’v removed the bottle cooler cover and accessed the fuses. Not sure if that’s the correct place I’ll find them. There are two 15A fuses both of which look fine to me. I don’t have the electric side door.
was hoping it’d be a simple fix such as a fuse.
Here’s a photo of what I’m seeing inside my fuse box.
Also noticed a clicking noise every second coming from the fresh water tank too. What with a flat tyre this week it’s all happening with the California after a year of total hassle free motoring.
I’ve attached a photo of the book latch which looks to be in board. Which I’m assuming is the position it pulls itself too when the boot is closed.

 

[WelshGas]

thanks for the info. I’v removed the bottle cooler cover and accessed the fuses. Not sure if that’s the correct place I’ll find them. There are two 15A fuses both of which look fine to me. I don’t have the electric side door.
was hoping it’d be a simple fix such as a fuse.
Here’s a photo of what I’m seeing inside my fuse box.
Also noticed a clicking noise every second coming from the fresh water tank too. What with a flat tyre this week it’s all happening with the California after a year of total hassle free motoring.
I’ve attached a photo of the book latch which looks to be in board. Which I’m assuming is the position it pulls itself too when the boot is closed.

View attachment 52934

View attachment 52935

The fuses can look OK but the only real way to test them is with a Multimeter or to swop them around.

 

[WelshGas]

If I have interpreted the diagrams and several posts in the forum correctly, the LBs trickle charge the engine battery...
But i could well be wrong

The Leisure Batteries don’t trickle charge the Engine Battery But on Mains Hookup there is a small trickle charge to the Engine Battery. This is not by design by VW but it is present as I’ve proofed to my satisfaction.

Does the Mains Charger Charge the Engine Battery?

A question often asked. VW categorically say NO, it does not. However there is a body of Forum members that believe it does “ Trickle Charge “ the Engine Battery once the Leisure Batteries are Full. Proof. On site and I plugged in my 2 Voltmeters. Cheap and cheerful but they both under read by...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[JamesBell]

Thanks. I don’t have a multimeter but I’ve ordered some new fuses. Will swap them out with the existing ones tomorrow and see if that helps. Thanks for the advise.

The fuses can look OK but the only real way to test them is with a Multimeter or to swop them around.

 

[Calimili]

The Leisure Batteries don’t trickle charge the Engine Battery But on Mains Hookup there is a small trickle charge to the Engine Battery. This is not by design by VW but it is present as I’ve proofed to my satisfaction.

Right, I got mixed up, thx for the clarification. Where I got confused is on the threads explaining the need to separate the engine battery from the LBs, since when the van is running, there definitely is a draw of up to 20Ah as the display shows -20, even when everything behind the B pillar is off. This I verified myself, the draw is there. That's because the EB is always less charged than the LBs and the 3 batteries, with the ignition on, must be all connected somehow. The soft close add to the lower charge of the EB, but as you explained, if the van is not in use , the soft close won't affect the LBs.
Hopefully i got it now . I suppose I'm going to leave that fuse alone then..

 

[KGCali]

I think you'll find the display showing -20A when the engine is running indicates a CHARGE of 20A to the leisure batteries.