Which Californias (trickle) charge the starter battery?

[NickE]

... if you play the on board radio, the charger is not able to prevent the starter battery from depleting.

Very interesting, especially as I have a daughter currently using the Cali (on hookup) as a bedroom. I don't want a flat starter battery. Any idea what amps the basic 2013 radio would draw?

 

[marchugo]

It depends on which model the radio is. But as a rule of thumb it is good to remember that VW originally shut off the head unit after 30 minutes of playing. Many Cali owners have asked their dealer to program this safety feature out of the CAN-bus motor computer, so they are prone to a flat battery when listening to their favourite music while camping.

Marc.

 

[WelshGas]

Very interesting, especially as I have a daughter currently using the Cali (on hookup) as a bedroom. I don't want a flat starter battery. Any idea what amps the basic 2013 radio would draw?

I don't know how many amps the system uses. We have the full RNS 510. We normally use it once in the morning and twice at night, allowing the automatic cutoff to work. On mains hookup for over a week and vehicle starts 1st turn of the key. In between we use a rechargeable battery radio/mp3 player plugged into the Leisure Batteries 12v system.

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

Registered March 2008, model year 08 according to the VIN; 130 2.5 SE. I'm pretty sure, from the dates on some of the original components, it was actually built in 2007. Doesn't charge.

I had a chat about this a few years ago with a very competent service manager, who said he could find no definitive date for the cut over. His view was that the factory would just have switched to the new component without recording it as a specification change, when the earlier spec units ran out. So I guess some later 2.5s have it, but for this vintage the only way to be sure is to test it

 

[Graham]

Interesting....
I have a 2007 T5 Cali and recently unexpectedly ‘rescued’ a long lockdown won’t start moment by hooking up to mains for 8 hours. It definitely put enough charge on the starter battery to crank and start. I hadn’t actually intended that strategy as was going to trickle charge the starter battery the following day but was latterly surprised to find I didn’t need to.
I’m now thinking of installing solar panel with a dual MPPT charger from solarcampersolutions. And no I didn’t answer the question as I don’t definitively know the answer other than through sheer luck.

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

I know, Graham, it's weird. Before I wrote my post above I put a voltmeter across my driving battery, and checked for any change as my wife connected the leisure hook up, and I checked periodically over the next couple of days to see a the trickle charge had kicked in as the leisure batteries reached capacity. Then we checked to see if it dropped as I disconnected the charger. There was no measurable change to the driving battery. Connecting my C-Tek charger to the driving battery had an immediate effect, so my voltmeter definitely works after a fashion. Anyway, glad it worked for you!