New Club Joker Owner

[ArunAlec]

No, the starter battery does not charge on EHU by default. I installed a Victron Inverter instead and then rewired the default charger to charge the starter battery and have an on/off switch. Now when on hookup my Victron charges the leisure batteries and if I turn on the inverter and flip the switch to on for the Westfalia charger it all works great. The starter battery is AGM and my leisure batteries are LiPo so this works great. Just need to ensure you flip the switch to off before starting the motor. I have a “remove before flight” keychain I atttach to the steering wheel as a reminder.


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That’ interesting…. My Joker handbook seems to say there’s a 2A charge to the starter, page 77 &97 of the English version.

 

[ArunAlec]

Will test later today!

You‘ve got a Joker, not a Cali?

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

That’ interesting…. My Joker handbook seems to say there’s a 2A charge to the starter, page 77 &97 of the English version.

Interesting. Will need to check the manual when I get home. I have a Bluetooth voltage monitor on the starter battery and don’t see anything. At any rate, I prefer my setup as even off of EHU I can flip on the inverter and enable the Westfalia charger to charge the starter battery if needed. And solar keeps it all going if sunny. Sorry if I spread misinformation!


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[Glenhyrst]

Agree re handbook entries but no evidence at all of even a tickle let alone a trickle charge.
Emails to Westfalia on another issue have not been a resounding success for me - "take it back to your dealer".
I hope the person who posted on here having recently bought a Club Joker from Wandahome does not have to return his often as have I.
40miles each way for me plus an accompanying car to taxi me back/there.
Manchester almost on another planet, yet I'm told that customers travel much greater distances.
In retrospect I wish I had waited for a secondhand Joker, out of warranty and I could then get an independent guy to sort it. I now feel at risk for the next 18 months.

In last post I said "I suspect this might explain the stop/start now working." but it should have read NOT working.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

You‘ve got a Joker, not a Cali?

Yes, as of last weekend.

 

[ArunAlec]

Oh, for the good old days when car manufacturers trusted owners with a wiring and fuse diagram!

 

[The Blue Merle]

Agree re handbook entries but no evidence at all of even a tickle let alone a trickle charge.
Emails to Westfalia on another issue have not been a resounding success for me - "take it back to your dealer".
I hope the person who posted on here having recently bought a Club Joker from Wandahome does not have to return his often as have I.
40miles each way for me plus an accompanying car to taxi me back/there.
Manchester almost on another planet, yet I'm told that customers travel much greater distances.
In retrospect I wish I had waited for a secondhand Joker, out of warranty and I could then get an independent guy to sort it. I now feel at risk for the next 18 months.

In last post I said "I suspect this might explain the stop/start now working." but it should have read NOT working.

Minor issues compared to my new joker ended up selling back to dealer with no lose 7k miles and 7mths old. Pretty poor from westfalia Germany dealing with it tried to fob me off or even drive it to Germany to have a complete refit!!! Dealer was great in the end with dropping everything to get issues fixed (campersales) and sorting comp. But major damage caused and unable to live with van. 2yr wait and the dream of owning a brand new camper wrecked. You live and learn!
I would still buy again from dealer as aftersales amazing just poor major issues slipped though on pdi!!!
My stop start took 3-4mths to kick in from new, and was driven daily.
They are great vans if you can get the teething problems fixed.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

That’ interesting…. My Joker handbook seems to say there’s a 2A charge to the starter, page 77 &97 of the English version.

Yes, it also trickle charges main battery.

Just plugged into EHU, rear battery showing on charge 14.7 (fridge on), dash socket (engine battery) was 12.6v, after a few mins of EHU 12.9v…now engine battery showing 13.6v.

 

[Glenhyrst]

Decided to charge starter battery and whilst hunting a suitable site to attach negative clip noted this free cable and wondered if it had a role?

 

[ArunAlec]

Decided to charge starter battery and whilst hunting a suitable site to attach negative clip noted this free cable and wondered if it had a role?

View attachment 120748

Is it wired into the loom and which direction is it coming from? I will have a look at mine when the rain eases!
…….. sometime later…. Mine appears to be connected

 

[Glenhyrst]

It does look like it should be connected to the positive terminal. Not sure what the loom is but it separates from a thicker cabling which appears from behind the battery and travels forwards and downwards after the separation.
Not sure if this makes it clearer:
It T’s off from the cable run with white tape.
I wonder what it does!! And its relationship to the troubles I have had? If any.

 

[Glenhyrst]

The voltage reading between the battery positive and the crimped terminal is 9.6v. Might this give a clue as to what is at the other end of this orphaned wire? Could it relate to the battery not charging on EHU? Or to x2 80amp fuse failures? And any ideas as to what those 2 additional red/yellow/purple cables might relate to? We had an extra 240v socket fitted - might it be that?
Should I stand well back when I try connecting it?
And my thanks to those who have responded. I only wish I were half as knowledgable as they evidently are. When I bought this van new, I had no idea that it was just a work in progress!

 

[ArunAlec]

The voltage reading between the battery positive and the crimped terminal is 9.6v. Might this give a clue as to what is at the other end of this orphaned wire? Could it relate to the battery not charging on EHU? Or to x2 80amp fuse failures? And any ideas as to what those 2 additional red/yellow/purple cables might relate to? We had an extra 13amp socket fitted - might it be that?
Should I stand well back when I try connecting it?
And my thanks to those who have responded. I only wish I were half as knowledgable as they evidently are. When I bought this van new, I had no idea that it was just a work in progress!

Is the 9.6v reading with the EHU connected or not?
Might be worth comparing with a “normal “ T6.1 or even a California to see if it’s camper related.

 

[Glenhyrst]

Is the 9.6v reading with the EHU connected or not?

No.
And no continuity between that orphaned terminal and earth.
I'm tempted to connect it to the positive terminal but will await Wandahome's response.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

150 would be a safer choice for me. Our Beach was remapped by Bognor Motors, so now have more mid range torque, less gear changes and marked improvement in mpg on longer trips.

If I have to factor in the unlikely cost of a replacement engine, then the beige 150 at campersales makes more sense.

Waiting for dealer of purple one to confirm prefix shown on the bit that is ‘sometimes’ subject to failure.

…..beige vans only need an annual wash!

Wife…”looks ugly, omg is it purple!”

It was a remapped 150. Beach now sold, Joker on the drive! Lovely to drive and easy to park with the rear camera.

Only one issue - plugged it into Carista and brake pad send or had been disabled!…turned it back on and warning light pinged (van had Mot / full service before collection!) Pads
are fine so will see if the my local garage can find any break in the sensor loom; Service history - all with VW since new -showed van had a few issues with ABS sensors / sensors outside of warranty which previous owners had paid for investigation remedial work each time; surely VW would not have turned the sensor off!?

Steering wheel volume controls did not work, removed head unit to find that interface lead was not connected - pushed it in, all fine. Unit was retrofitted by VW dealer at huge cost!….if a main dealer can't fit a car radio properly what hope do you have !

+Microphone has been fitted in such a way that it blocks drivers window blind from closing properly (again part of the head unit install by VW dealer). I have an OEM ceiling one in round housing in the garage, so will put that in when I get some time, as will need to remove the windscreen blind to do a neat job.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

No.
And no continuity between that orphaned terminal and earth.
I'm tempted to connect it to the positive terminal but will await Wandahome's response.

As per the photos, @Glenhyrst has two extra two wires v @ArunAlec photo; perhaps one of these new wires replaces the disconnected wire…only the installer will know for sure.

 

[ArunAlec]

No.
And no continuity between that orphaned terminal and earth.
I'm tempted to connect it to the positive terminal but will await Wandahome's response.

Might be worth checking the voltage again but with the EHU connected, that might help identify if it’s got anything to do with the trickle charge.

 

[Glenhyrst]

Might be worth checking the voltage again but with the EHU connected, that might help identify if it’s got anything to do with the trickle charge.

Not sure what to make of this but having charged the starter battery up, the voltage across the positive terminal and that orphaned connection is now 10.6v - and not on EHU.
Another thought is whether those additional cables to the positive terminal relate to a tracker device that was fitted as an extra?
No idea where my brain was when I suggested a relationship between those cables and a 240v socket.

 

[Glenhyrst]

Decided to charge starter battery and whilst hunting a suitable site to attach negative clip noted this free cable and wondered if it had a role?

I did not mention that sat next to the battery with this errant cable was a plastic object which I have now identified but can fellow owners? No prizes I'm afraid!

 

[Glenhyrst]

I did not mention that sat next to the battery with this errant cable was a plastic object which I have now identified but can fellow owners? No prizes I'm afraid!

View attachment 120920

View attachment 120921

This item is a cap for the back of the headlight unit. I am awaiting a spring clip to replace it.
Also knocked off was a rubber cap that came off the middle of 3 holes (8cm diam) that are at the back of said unit. This I found buried and wedged in the depths of the engine bay and was able to retrieve and replace.
The orphaned cable has been reattached after confirmation from the guys that fitted the towbar and the electrics that they forgot to reattach it. The brightly couloured additional cabling relates to that installation.
For the first time, the Start/Stop works. Not sure if anything else will come alive.
Certainly thus far there is no evidence of the starter battery receiving a charge on EHU.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Anyone know where you can get a waterproof seat cover for the double rear seat?

 

[The Blue Merle]

Anyone know where you can get a waterproof seat cover for the double rear seat?

I used a kurgo dog hammock blue/grey reversible one, rolled it up when the dog wasn’t on it. Put strap through the seat belt holes at the top as there’s no headrest on them.
You have the old style seats so you would need a two piece to access space under seat. I think turtle covers sells the fabric camo etc if you want to make your own, someone on here did that for the beach bench 2seater looked good.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I used a kurgo dog hammock blue/grey reversible one, rolled it up when the dog wasn’t on it. Put strap through the seat belt holes at the top as there’s no headrest on them.
You have the old style seats so you would need a two piece to access space under seat. I think turtle covers sells the fabric camo etc if you want to make your own, someone on here did that for the beach bench 2seater looked good.

Thanks for that. Ordered the below, can just flip the bottom fabric up to access the under seat storage, although most day-to-day stuff is in the drawers etc: