calibusje
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- T6.1 Coast 150
With a group of Flemish enthusiasts we met at Camper Centrum Amersfoort (NL), organised by a FBgroup. I want to share what I heard during a very interesting day full of explanations and tips about the california t6 and in particular the t6.1. Turns out that the t6.1 is a nice evolution of the t6 and, as we know, is completely different in terms of electronics 
The differences were shown, but also where exactly things went 'wrong' with the first delivered t6.1s and also why (Volkswagen does not train the sellers and mechanics as before; now it is like: “this is the new model and that's it”). Control lights and incorrect diagnoses (in the beginning mainly software, but this should already be solved), oil fluid warnings (with the t6.1 the oil should not be higher than just in the middle between min and max, not more while with the t6 this was ok).
Of course the ‘heat immediately’ issues and what went wrong… mainly due to understandable, lack of knowledge because the system does work, but it is better to stay off it and use the heat continuously, they said there You can use it e.g. to create direct heat when getting up on a cold morning, but do not keep pushing if it cuts out after a short time. It is best to drive afterwards because then the ‘counter of the number of times pushing’ will reach zero again and you can use the function again a few times (again up to the maximum number of minutes and I thought this is 180 minutes all together). Try to go over that maximum and the system goes into safety and is disrupted. Sometimes taking a ride helps to reset but most of the time it doesn't and you have to try to reset via fuses or pull out the blue cable in the fuse box on the steering wheel. This cable is difficult to handle. And now comes an example of the knowledge of CC Amersfoort in the Netherlands: they cut away a piece of plastic so that you can access this blue cable. Because of the cover everything looks clean 
Then click the cable back on after a minute and you should have restarted the electronic system. Also to manually lower the electronic-hydraulic roof, they remove a piece of plastic from under the piece that you have to remove, to get to the flat screw easier (I assume only for all cali’s before the t6.1)
I think many already know the rest button? This gives you some heat from the engine after shutting down the engine and can warm up the camper for a while if you found a place to sleep, for example.
Use only talcum powder to maintain the window rubbers, no silicone spray or anything else and if your kitchen cabinet doors slide a bit stiffly, there are two screws in the cabinet with which you can adjust this.
The tailgate does not open completely in normal circumstances (temperatures) and this is intended: this way, shorter people can also remove the seats from the tailgate. Just push and it will open completely. If it doesn't want to go down smoothly, feels like it's stuck: just a little up and down and you can normally pull it back down smoothly.
Water drainage under pop-up roof: at the back you can blow through the drainage holes with air pressure, but at the front it is best not to do so or at least not with too high a pressure. There are three places at the front where there is a connecting piece and this can come off by blowing the air through the tubes with too high a pressure. Solving this is a lot of work and expensive. So keep those gutters at the top free of dirt and, for example, pine needles because prevention is better than cure.
Don't put anything on the upper bed while lowering it, only a sheet or something like that. Slightly folded hinges already ensure that the roof no longer closes completely and that the blocks (under the pop-up roof) no longer go into the closing mechanism in the gutters of the resisting fixed roof. Your roof is then no longer completely securely attached.
If you get a warning light for the particulate filter: just drive above 2500 rpm for about 15 minutes. You can do this by, for example, placing the lever in manual position and pulling a little further in revs than your automatic transmission would.
Why does your cali never show a full tank of grey water? The part where the float slides along is much too short and some dirt and grease floats at the top anyway and this congeals at that part so that the float can no longer indicate full after a while. The overflow is also at the top, as high as the float and when you pull up with your cali, dirty water passes through the overflow before the float can reach the top. Hence. Rinse or clean by just pouring in a bucket of warm water.
Do not place a cloth or anything at the bottom of the place for the gas bottle or if you do: make sure the ventilation hole remains unobstructed. Be sure to use the black wedge to secure the bottle so that it cannot slide and possibly damage your water tank when the bottom of the gas bottle is too sharp.
When you turn on/ignite the gas fire, place the pan on it already: the gas stays under the pot and ignites more easily.
Also: how to get your spare wheel from under your cali and what to use.
The car battery: connect from for example a jump starter the minus (black cable) to an engine mount (mass) but not at the minus pin on the battery or you will have damage (and meanwhile your Cali will no longer drive).
With the T6.1, the electronics constantly monitor the vehicle at the expense of the battery. The Camper Mode function disconnects the car section from the camper section, among other things and saves the battery capacity.
Check the safety switch from the electrical system once a month they also said.
The inverter with the T6.1 has a flat sine wave and will not damage devices and chargers. Best not to not leave anything in the inverter after charging or use, as the batteries will empty that way.
In case of thunderstorms and lightning, disconnect the cable from your vehicle (and from the pole) because when lightning strikes you will have major damage and you can even get electrocuted.
A few more facts: if you want to open the manual roof, do not mount anything on the roof because it won’t stay open. With the electro hydraulic roof: maximum roof load of 50 kg. The maximum load of the upper bed is 200 kg.
Something about the battery and especially the household batteries (the rear two): these are charged while driving, but no longer as with the calis without start-stop because from then on the dynamo only charges a little from time to time but switches otherwise off and therefore does not charge your household batteries enough while driving. Every generation had to save more fuel to meet the emission standards, but this is a consequence of that. How to solve: the t6.1 with his nice but somewhat overly complicated control panel, has the function ‘maximum charging’. Push it and the fuel-saving shutdown system of the alternator (also the start-stop function) is disabled. By the way: if the start stop function turned off the engine, the car pounds your household batteries. You will notice this by a minus before the number or digit before the A on the home screen of the control panel.
And much more.
So I think it was very interesting; the passionate and highly skilled people from CC Amersfoort gave us a PowerPoint presentation and then explained everything next to several calis. There were snacks and drinks, soup and bread, everything nicely organised. It was a great day. I thank them all and also the initiator of this day, so
I know it is a bit much but I wanted to write this down. Many will know some of this but I learned things that are new to me and I liked getting the info and hopefully some of this is helpful to others.
Greeting
Calibusje
Edit: I also saw the new tent cloth with the extra inner/ insulation and it looks and feels good. Ours is only 10 months old so a bit silly to replace but I thought about it
The little boy and girl are mine
The differences were shown, but also where exactly things went 'wrong' with the first delivered t6.1s and also why (Volkswagen does not train the sellers and mechanics as before; now it is like: “this is the new model and that's it”). Control lights and incorrect diagnoses (in the beginning mainly software, but this should already be solved), oil fluid warnings (with the t6.1 the oil should not be higher than just in the middle between min and max, not more while with the t6 this was ok).
Of course the ‘heat immediately’ issues and what went wrong… mainly due to understandable, lack of knowledge because the system does work, but it is better to stay off it and use the heat continuously, they said there
You can use it e.g. to create direct heat when getting up on a cold morning, but do not keep pushing if it cuts out after a short time. It is best to drive afterwards because then the ‘counter of the number of times pushing’ will reach zero again and you can use the function again a few times (again up to the maximum number of minutes and I thought this is 180 minutes all together). Try to go over that maximum and the system goes into safety and is disrupted. Sometimes taking a ride helps to reset but most of the time it doesn't and you have to try to reset via fuses or pull out the blue cable in the fuse box on the steering wheel. This cable is difficult to handle. And now comes an example of the knowledge of CC Amersfoort in the Netherlands: they cut away a piece of plastic so that you can access this blue cable. Because of the cover everything looks clean Then click the cable back on after a minute and you should have restarted the electronic system. Also to manually lower the electronic-hydraulic roof, they remove a piece of plastic from under the piece that you have to remove, to get to the flat screw easier (I assume only for all cali’s before the t6.1)I think many already know the rest button? This gives you some heat from the engine after shutting down the engine and can warm up the camper for a while if you found a place to sleep, for example.
Use only talcum powder to maintain the window rubbers, no silicone spray or anything else and if your kitchen cabinet doors slide a bit stiffly, there are two screws in the cabinet with which you can adjust this.
The tailgate does not open completely in normal circumstances (temperatures) and this is intended: this way, shorter people can also remove the seats from the tailgate. Just push and it will open completely. If it doesn't want to go down smoothly, feels like it's stuck: just a little up and down and you can normally pull it back down smoothly.
Water drainage under pop-up roof: at the back you can blow through the drainage holes with air pressure, but at the front it is best not to do so or at least not with too high a pressure. There are three places at the front where there is a connecting piece and this can come off by blowing the air through the tubes with too high a pressure. Solving this is a lot of work and expensive. So keep those gutters at the top free of dirt and, for example, pine needles because prevention is better than cure.
Don't put anything on the upper bed while lowering it, only a sheet or something like that. Slightly folded hinges already ensure that the roof no longer closes completely and that the blocks (under the pop-up roof) no longer go into the closing mechanism in the gutters of the resisting fixed roof. Your roof is then no longer completely securely attached.
If you get a warning light for the particulate filter: just drive above 2500 rpm for about 15 minutes. You can do this by, for example, placing the lever in manual position and pulling a little further in revs than your automatic transmission would.
Why does your cali never show a full tank of grey water? The part where the float slides along is much too short and some dirt and grease floats at the top anyway and this congeals at that part so that the float can no longer indicate full after a while. The overflow is also at the top, as high as the float and when you pull up with your cali, dirty water passes through the overflow before the float can reach the top. Hence. Rinse or clean by just pouring in a bucket of warm water.
Do not place a cloth or anything at the bottom of the place for the gas bottle or if you do: make sure the ventilation hole remains unobstructed. Be sure to use the black wedge to secure the bottle so that it cannot slide and possibly damage your water tank when the bottom of the gas bottle is too sharp.
When you turn on/ignite the gas fire, place the pan on it already: the gas stays under the pot and ignites more easily.
Also: how to get your spare wheel from under your cali and what to use.
The car battery: connect from for example a jump starter the minus (black cable) to an engine mount (mass) but not at the minus pin on the battery or you will have damage (and meanwhile your Cali will no longer drive).
With the T6.1, the electronics constantly monitor the vehicle at the expense of the battery. The Camper Mode function disconnects the car section from the camper section, among other things and saves the battery capacity.
Check the safety switch from the electrical system once a month they also said.
The inverter with the T6.1 has a flat sine wave and will not damage devices and chargers. Best not to not leave anything in the inverter after charging or use, as the batteries will empty that way.
In case of thunderstorms and lightning, disconnect the cable from your vehicle (and from the pole) because when lightning strikes you will have major damage and you can even get electrocuted.
A few more facts: if you want to open the manual roof, do not mount anything on the roof because it won’t stay open. With the electro hydraulic roof: maximum roof load of 50 kg. The maximum load of the upper bed is 200 kg.
Something about the battery and especially the household batteries (the rear two): these are charged while driving, but no longer as with the calis without start-stop because from then on the dynamo only charges a little from time to time but switches otherwise off and therefore does not charge your household batteries enough while driving. Every generation had to save more fuel to meet the emission standards, but this is a consequence of that. How to solve: the t6.1 with his nice but somewhat overly complicated control panel, has the function ‘maximum charging’. Push it and the fuel-saving shutdown system of the alternator (also the start-stop function) is disabled. By the way: if the start stop function turned off the engine, the car pounds your household batteries. You will notice this by a minus before the number or digit before the A on the home screen of the control panel.
And much more.
So I think it was very interesting; the passionate and highly skilled people from CC Amersfoort gave us a PowerPoint presentation and then explained everything next to several calis. There were snacks and drinks, soup and bread, everything nicely organised. It was a great day. I thank them all and also the initiator of this day, so
I know it is a bit much but I wanted to write this down. Many will know some of this but I learned things that are new to me and I liked getting the info and hopefully some of this is helpful to others.
Greeting
Calibusje
Edit: I also saw the new tent cloth with the extra inner/ insulation and it looks and feels good. Ours is only 10 months old so a bit silly to replace but I thought about it
The little boy and girl are mine
Last edited:
) if you turn on the igition and turn if off again you can get another 20 minutes out of it and there is still some heat in the air.
