T6.1 Control Panel heating element confusion

Ladymuck · Aug 25, 2021

WelshGas said:
Can you switch Off the Control Panel and switch On as you can on the T5/6?

Yes I've done that a few times

yossarian · Aug 25, 2021

I would double check the voltage of the rear battery with a multimeter.

The electrical system attempts to measure the state of charge of each battery but the rear sensor is (mis)wired to detect the front battery voltage but rear battery current. If things start looking weird ~~this~~ different states of charge in each battery is a likely cause.

yossarian · Aug 25, 2021

The state of charge data are no longer stored on the control panel. Details of how to reset it are on the electrical sub forum.

A voltage reading of the rear battery will confirm the health or lack thereof of your electrical system quite easily. I've edited my previous post for clarity.

Ladymuck · Aug 27, 2021

Hi everyone, so after 2 nights off the grid the battery is working fine ! The fridge was on, using lights & charging stuff. The battery low warning sign is still on and it even came up on the driver dashboard as well (said the second leisure battery was low) Now the water pump is flashing as empty despite filling it up recently. I think there must be a control panel problem, I have to say I am relieved it's not the battery as at least I can still do my trips and get it sorted in the winter.
Here's the CP this morning:

Stu@rt · Aug 27, 2021

Ladymuck said:
Hi everyone, so after 2 nights off the grid the battery is working fine ! The fridge was on, using lights & charging stuff. The battery low warning sign is still on and it even came up on the driver dashboard as well (said the second leisure battery was low) Now the water pump is flashing as empty despite filling it up recently. I think there must be a control panel problem, I have to say I am relieved it's not the battery as at least I can still do my trips and get it sorted in the winter.
Here's the CP this morning:

View attachment 83706

So glad that it hasn't spoilt your trip away. Keep us all updated. These gremlins are bound to visit us all at some stage, I'm guessing.

Ladymuck · Aug 27, 2021

Stu@rt said:
So glad that it hasn't spoilt your trip away. Keep us all updated. These gremlins are bound to visit us all at some stage, I'm guessing.

It's not good on a vehicle that's not even 6 months old, but it could be worse !

yossarian · Aug 27, 2021

Control panel complaining that second battery is low is indicative of something like this:

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/2nd-battery-not-charging-t6-1-coast.41152/post-533839

I've linked to post 25. The outcome was good for @Ferryman not so good for @Coasterman. Perhaps their experience will be useful to you.

Ladymuck · Aug 28, 2021

yossarian said:
Control panel complaining that second battery is low is indicative of something like this:

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/2nd-battery-not-charging-t6-1-coast.41152/post-533839

I've linked to post 25. The outcome was good for @Ferryman not so good for @Coasterman. Perhaps their experience will be useful to you.

Thank you Yosserman, I'm not technically minded enough to do those suggested in the post you linked to. Not sure if the issues are the same ? My water pump is also flashing an empty warning now.

@Coasterman @Ferryman did the battery actually not work on your vans ?

Ferryman · Aug 29, 2021

Ladymuck said:
@Coasterman @Ferryman did the battery actually not work on your vans ?

My van was running on 1 battery as the fuse on the second was blown probably since delivery. I suspected this as was only getting couple of days life with fridge on. Only way to confirm for sure I think is to get into the rear battery and put a meter across it should read same as front battery. Unfortunately this means removing the lounge bed that is awkward and heavy otherwise easy to check.

GrumpyGranddad · Aug 29, 2021

Ferryman said:
My van was running on 1 battery as the fuse on the second was blown probably since delivery. I suspected this as was only getting couple of days life with fridge on. Only way to confirm for sure I think is to get into the rear battery and put a meter across it should read same as front battery. Unfortunately this means removing the lounge bed that is awkward and heavy otherwise easy to check.

Removing the lounge bed is a 2 person job really otherwise you risk damaging your internal trim.

Ladymuck · Aug 29, 2021

Ferryman said:
My van was running on 1 battery as the fuse on the second was blown probably since delivery. I suspected this as was only getting couple of days life with fridge on. Only way to confirm for sure I think is to get into the rear battery and put a meter across it should read same as front battery. Unfortunately this means removing the lounge bed that is awkward and heavy otherwise easy to check.

Ah ok, I 'think' the problem with mine is different (although I'm no expert), the batteries themselves appear so far to be ok, flashing as low on the control panel but fine in practise after 2 days off grid. An additional problem is the water tank saying empty when I have filled it. I think it must be a control panel issue rather than the batteries themselves.

Ladymuck · Aug 29, 2021

GrumpyGranddad said:
Removing the lounge bed is a 2 person job really otherwise you risk damaging your internal trim.

That's not happening here, I wish I was more hands on with the van, but I'm not and I guess that's why I went with a new one ...

Stu@rt · Aug 29, 2021

Ladymuck said:
Ah ok, I 'think' the problem with mine is different (although I'm no expert), the batteries themselves appear so far to be ok, flashing as low on the control panel but fine in practise after 2 days off grid. An additional problem is the water tank saying empty when I have filled it. I think it must be a control panel issue rather than the batteries themselves.

Anyone know what the red triangle in the fresh water tank indicates (sensor fault)? Empty is just empty, not red triangle

I wonder what the common denominator is with the issues that you have. If your suspicions about a control panel fault is correct, hopefully a reset could resolve it? Do we actually need to have broken down to engage VW assist? Maybe a visit from a VW tech (not the AA man) could run some diags for you and save the 3 hour round trip to your dealer? Could it be worth a call? Worse case scenario....they refuse to come?