A feeling of disappointment

[Bramco]

My thoughts exactly re wiring harnesses in new vehicles.

Poor Albert looking at a return to base for failing to charge when required. Requiem 'no fault found'.

So do you look look forward to the last the T5 off the line or the first T6?

 

[GrannyJen]

A T6 I think, unless I can get a T5 at a good price. I was thinking of changing early 2017 anyway.

Coincidentally 2017 is when the Marco Polo hits these shores, but to be honest for what I use a camper for I think the Cali is a better vehicle. 4WD is a must for me and two incidents in a wintery Scotland this year has certainly demonstrated to me what a tough all-round vehicle the cali is, as well as being magnificent on long mile-eating journeys.

 

[ArunAlec]

A bad joint in a connection block could give you an intermittent fault, so there is a chance/hope that replacing the harness will crack it .. If the connector is on the harness. Fingers crossed!

 

[GrannyJen]

Thank you Alec ... we must be neighbours

 

[ArunAlec]

Indeed, I'm just outside Arundel, where the rains just arrived!​

 

[GrannyJen]

7 miles south east where it's been persisting for the last 30 minutes

 

[WelshGas]

Lucky, been raining here since 8 this morning.

 

[Bramco]

Just started here.

Should this thread be renamed? Actually, no, there is a feeling of disappointment whenever it starts raining unless you are a farmer in the middle of a drought.

 

[Nottledim]

Hang on in there GJ. We need your positivity!

This doesn't help you at all but our Charlie would not charge from day one (in fact for the three months before we took delivery) my lowest point in getting it resolved was an argument with the dealer's Technical Manager over the number of batteries in the van. He insisted there was only one!
It did get sorted though.

 

[Nottledim]

And since then we have had the most fantastic journeys in France, Belgium, Italy, Sardinia, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and here in the UK.
These California's and the supporting (?) dealerships have their issues but they remain brilliant to travel and live in.

 

[GrannyJen]

Hang on in there GJ. We need your positivity!

This doesn't help you at all but our Charlie would not charge from day one (in fact for the three months before we took delivery) my lowest point in getting it resolved was an argument with the dealer's Technical Manager over the number of batteries in the van. He insisted there was only one!
It did get sorted though.

The Cali is quite simply the best Camper on the market. It is a tough, go anywhere, highly capable vehicle that when not housing explorers in sublime comfort whilst wild weather rages, when not going to where other campers can't reach, when not making the adventurous nerves tingle as the spirit of exploration takes over, then settles down to being a sublimely proficient mile muncher.

I just wish I had one to use

 

[WelshGas]

Any news GrannyJen?

 

[pjm-84]

Agree with Bramco about the clutching at straws. Was in a similar position with my previous motorbike. At the end of the day it turned out to be a £15 relay. However it cost me around £1300 all in including a s/h wiring harness, and a new demand sensor as recommended by Aprillia UK.

 

[GrannyJen]

and so....

Albert came home yesterday .... to my great joy. After giving him a hug and a kiss I reset the CCU to correct date and time, the fridge this time was on as it had to be tested under load. the batteries showed 100%, and I had been reassured that they had been tested and found to be good. However, just to make sure, I left the fridge on and the vehicle without hook-up overnight to see what the power loss would be.

This morning the batteries were showing 60%, more than I have ever lost overnight before ... but it was a warm night and the fridge had been running.

With bated breath I plugged it into the mains.

Up popped the "Charge" symbol.

Brilliant.

This afternoon, just popped out to load Albert up for the off on Monday ...

and ...

guess what. It wasn't charging.

Well, at least it charged a bit, and it does now also charge from engine generator, as long as I don't go away and leave it on hook-up for a few days with things in the fridge I suppose I'm alright. That at least is progress.

 

[GrannyJen]

Oh,

and before anyone asks,

I am now on three sets of leads, use each one in rotation, and my socket, wired into the domestic house supply has been checked.

 

[BerndRos]

Terrible......this is all nonsense and I imagine the worst part is you are likely dealing with people who strongly purport to know what they are doing.

From full battery it should really only have reduced to 90% capacity by this morning.

 

[GrannyJen]

Terrible......this is all nonsense and I imagine the worst part is you are likely dealing with people who strongly purport to know what they are doing.

From full battery it should really only have reduced to 90% capacity by this morning.

Those were my thoughts exactly.

I've spent 100 nights in that vehicle from sub zero with lights on from 4pm in the afternoon and heater on, to 75 degrees parked in open country in bright sunshine and never lost more that 15% in a night.

It was tested on hook-up at SMG .... the only difference now is that it is parked in bright sunshine and the interior is hot. Strangely enough I mentioned this when the saga first started over a year ago and I keep mentioning it but no one ever seems to listen.

 

[Hotel California]

Jen , do charge the batts up on hook-up first thing! At least 12 h.
As for you low status afther one night fridge....guessing the fridge was empty? A empty fridge needs to switch on more than a full loaded as the goods in the fridge hold the coolness...
Glad to hear you can leave on the trip you planned.

 

[GrannyJen]

The batteries were put on charge from hook-up this morning, around 9.30, with the CCU showing 60% (down from 100% in 18 hours) .....

The display indicated hook-up ok.

At 14.30 the display indicated no hook-up and battery levels 80%.

It is not a question of leaving them on charge, it is a question of how much, if any, charge will go in when left!

 

[BerndRos]

I am away for 4 weeks in my Cali and will in a way use and abuse my batteries. Did a full mains charge prior to leaving and will again after the 4 weeks. On my 2010 model I have never had battery or control panel issues.

 

[Hotel California]

So on hook-up and not showing on control panel ? Again faulty?!

 

[GrannyJen]

So on hook-up and not showing on control panel ? Again faulty?!

You got it!

Back to where it was in July 2014 when I first noticed a problem. Then it was manageable. Just keep an eye on the CCU and if no charge, unhook and then hook-up again and it will start charging again, for a little while at least. Hey-ho. Some power is better than no power.

It then went in for fixes of all fixes, returned after 15 days and within one day was completely useless as a camper, no charge from any source.

another 15 days in the garage, back again ... hey-ho.

 

[bvddobb]

Jen, don't despair yet, this current behaviour may (I say: 'may') not be so abnormal under your circumstances:

• Don't put to much trust in the % indication as such. I won't go into explaining here, but take our word for it: it is very inaccurate. Rather check the voltage reading as an indicator for how much power you have left. As long as it's above 12 V when charging, and not below say 11 - 11.5 V while your working off your leisure batteries, there is nothing to worry about.
• The amperage will tell you wether your batteries are charging or discharging. When the amperage is +, it is charging, when - they are discharging. Of course this is a nett reading: if you're charging at 1A while your fridge and internal systems are using 1.5 A, it would read - 0.5.
• When Albert was on hook up and charging and later you found that he wasn't charging anymore, it could simply mean that the charger had by then decided your batteries were topped up enough. Unhook, and check the voltage.
• As said above: an empty fridge set to cool to 4 Celsius will consume a lot more energy to keep at 4 degrees than when it's full. Could have taken a lot of power.
• If you have the opportunity: charge on hook up for at least 24 hrs, and check the CU regularly. With nothing else switched on, if it is functioning OK, it should show a positive current (amperage) while loading that should diminish over the 24h (because the batteries will reach full load), and a voltage constantly well above 12V.
• Did you get new batteries? With your non-charging system it could be that your original batteries have been hard worked, and they could have lost significant capacity in the process. Meaning indeed that they would lose power and that the voltage would be dropping sooner than on new batteries when you are not on hook up.

As a matter of last resort (when the system still is not behaving as to be expected): I have written this in some other thread before: our system is set up like yours (charger and fridge condensor on top of each other, the charger fully taking the heat from the fridge condensor), and our charger has a dip switch that reads "heat sensor on/off". Ours is set to 'off', and we have not yet had our fridge or charger walk out on us when it was hot. This may be something SMG can still double check.

 

[GrannyJen]

Bart ... (and Marga)

Thank you.

I read those comments regarding the heat sensor and forwarded on your comments to SMG. Of course by now they are working under the guidance of VW Technical who I feel now are just patting me on the head and treating me as some stupid old woman and what does an historian know about vehicles anyway.

I actually thought those comments were valid when put against my observations that the problem always seems to kick off when the weather is warm, the sun is heating up the inside of the van and the fridge is working hard.

It is my impression that once the battery charger senses that the battery's are full it then goes into a trickle charge mode to keep the batteries topped up. This is not what happens to Albert. There is no trickle charge. The charging just cuts out and it could be when 100% is reached or just 50%.

When I first had the van it would stay charging, it only developed this problem after 7 months .... and if anyone from VW technical is reading ...

I may be a stupid old woman, I may be merely an historian, but my Doctorate was earned by making patient , methodical and logical evaluation of events and also I may be be stupid when it comes to mechanical things but I am one who has spent over 100 nights in a California and know the difference between what is working and what is not working.

 

[alstevens]

At what point (IF EVER....) do VW give up and offer a replacement ~Albert 2 ?? You'd think that the positive publicity that would bring through the forum alone would be more than worth the outlay....

what patience !!!!