T6.1inconvenient rear cabin electrical systems

[normnortonocean]

I have a 2020 T6.1 Coast. You would think that by now I have got the hang of the electrical systems for the rear cabin when camping, but several things still defeat me. I write in the hope that others who are brighter than me have solved the problems, or they agree these are faults and I just live with it!

The cabin heater cannot be controlled properly. I have complained to my supplying dealer but they cannot fix it. When you go into the rear cabin control panel for 'continuous' heating it displays a level for adjustment, but it won't work.You have to switch on the ignition, got to 'operating', set a level between 00 and 10, switch off the ignition, back to 'continuous' and the new selected level is shown. A pain just to make it warmer.

And what is the heating 'level' anyway, is it thermostatically controlled? The higher numbers seem to make the cabin warmer, so why is there not a cabin temperature readout? Mine seems to show the outside temperature.

The rear lights must have a mind of their own as they defy any attempt at control. Open the rear door during the day and they stay on forever, why? Twice I have driven away from a camp and they have stayed on - the control panel won't work while you are driving, I had to stop, turn off the engine, turn off the rear lights, then set off again. When camping I try and press the individual light buttons and they won't change, well only the centre one over the hob will work. You have to go to the control panel and select 'turn off all'. Then back to the hob centre one, press to turn that on and find your way to bed. Madness!

Sit in the front seat when turned around and try to use the overhead light to read a book and it quickly goes off, unless you leave the ignition on, which I assume is unwise for battery demand. I have to use a LED head torch. Turn the radio on and it goes off after 30 minutes, so expect to press it half a dozen times if you would like to listener the evening, or take a battery portable radio.

I think the electrical systems programming for the heating, the lights and radio is either completely defective or designed by some lunatic committee.

 

[andyinluton]

I think the electrical systems programming for the heating, the lights and radio is either completely defective or designed by some lunatic committee.

I think you need to read the manual!

Just keep pressing the buttons for lights you will get the knack of it eventually, then don't leave it too long before your next trip or you will forget what you did.

Heating - just put it on heat continuously, you should then be able to adjust the temperature without turning on the ignition. The heating will stay at that temperature until you change it. Just set the number that suits you & leave it on that. Don't be tempted to use heat immediately - it gives you 2 hours then shuts off until you drive again.

Reading lights - don't use the cab lights, that will flatten your starter battery, our van came with a light on a flexi stalk that plugs into the 12v socket above the front passenger seat in the roof, that gives decent illumination for reading.

 

[yossarian]

is it thermostatically controlled

Yes but the sensor is not that well situated. For best results try to ventilate through the driver's window.

The rear lights must have a mind of their own

On you central camping control panel you have a virtual button labeled "Camping". Press that and then press "Activate camping mode" so that it is highlighted in blue.

Twice I have driven away from a camp and they have stayed on

This is usually caused and fixed by pressing the cabin light button next to the emergency call button.

 

[babble]

just to let you know, that you are mostly right - the design of the heating system and the lighting is utterly ridiculous and incredibly irritating. You get used to it, you work out ways to do things and to use it, but it was indeed designed by a lunatic committee and makes little sense. i would much rather just have a dial with an on/off switch for the heating and for each light to just turn on and off with it's own button. (or at least have that option!!) MY GOD ITS SO ANNOYING! (the relationship between the light button above the driver's seat, the doors being open or shut, and camping mode being activated or not and if the three options are ticked or not is still confuses me after six months of ownership. So much for my science degree. haha)

 

[andyinluton]

i would much rather just have a dial with an on/off switch for the heating and for each light to just turn on and off with it's own button. (or at least have that option!!) MY GOD ITS SO ANNOYING! (the relationship between the light button above the driver's seat, the doors being open or shut, and camping mode being activated or not and if the three options are ticked or not is still confuses me after six months of ownership. So much for my science degree. haha)

If you had spent 7 years with an earlier cali where the only way the rear lights came on was to press each individual button you might appreciate the new set up. There were no courtesy lights in the back so pretty poor picking the kids up in the dark & getting them strapped in etc.

As long as you have the front console switch in the right position, when in normal driving mode you should have rear lights coming on when the slider is opened & go off automatically when you drive off. Park up & put it in camping mode & all the lights are individually switched. I really don't see how that is complicated.........

 

[normnortonocean]

Thank you, helpful comments! My apologies for some errors in my original post, but I find I cannot edit them. Never mind, it was written in a 'grumpy old man' mood after another weekend of lights battling

Relieved that someone else sees the lunacy of the systems design.

But thank you Andy for pointing out the 'camping' mode. And I will attempt again to read the manual (only read manuals if the new object is so poorly designed that the user cannot get it to work). I am guessing that 'camping' mode cancels itself if you start the engine? Perhaps it keeps the radio on for longer and lets me use the seat lights for reading !?!! I live in hope But Babble seems not to have improved his wellbeing with a knowledge of 'camping' mode so I need to be cautious.

Using the lights above the seats would be a very low current draw as they are LED.

 

[andyinluton]

Thank you, helpful comments! My apologies for some errors in my original post, but I find I cannot edit them. Never mind, it was written in a 'grumpy old man' mood after another weekend of lights battling

Relieved that someone else sees the lunacy of the systems design.

But thank you Andy for pointing out the 'camping' mode. And I will attempt again to read the manual (only read manuals if the new object is so poorly designed that the user cannot get it to work). I am guessing that 'camping' mode cancels itself if you start the engine? Perhaps it keeps the radio on for longer and lets me use the seat lights for reading !?!! I live in hope But Babble seems not to have improved his wellbeing with a knowledge of 'camping' mode so I need to be cautious.

Using the lights above the seats would be a very low current draw as they are LED.

Camping mode does cancel itself when you turn on the engine, one of the important things is that if you've ticked the box it stops the daylight running lights illuminating the whole campsite if you turn the ignition on.

To be fair the lights can be confusing especially if the kids have been playing with them. If you are really clever we have found its possible to set the lights so that half the back ones come on when you start the engine & go off when you stop, & the other half do the opposite, you can have hours of fun trying to work out how to get them all back in sync. Then there is the nagging doubt as to whether the lights inside the cupboards have gone off when you leave the van.


Using the radio is the quickest way of flattening the starter battery - thats why there is a 20min auto switch off. If the radio is on, the whole Canbus system is live which is what causes the drain.

Similarly the reading lights do use a surprising amount of power & will flatten the battery as will frequent use of a electric sliding door.

This is the reading light I use, you should have a socket to plug it in just over the front passenger seat in the roof space. The one I have came with the van. They are made by Osram.

 

[DevillBelgium]

Thank you, helpful comments! My apologies for some errors in my original post, but I find I cannot edit them. Never mind, it was written in a 'grumpy old man' mood after another weekend of lights battling

Relieved that someone else sees the lunacy of the systems design.

But thank you Andy for pointing out the 'camping' mode. And I will attempt again to read the manual (only read manuals if the new object is so poorly designed that the user cannot get it to work). I am guessing that 'camping' mode cancels itself if you start the engine? Perhaps it keeps the radio on for longer and lets me use the seat lights for reading !?!! I live in hope But Babble seems not to have improved his wellbeing with a knowledge of 'camping' mode so I need to be cautious.

Using the lights above the seats would be a very low current draw as they are LED.

Regarding the radio point you tackle.
I must inform you even when in Camping mode the radio shuts off afther 30 min or so to preserve the main starter battery from beeing drainded.
There is 1 way round this. Use an orher radio (or in my case use an bluetooth speaker and your mobile phone )

 

[normnortonocean]

I like the lamp Andy, just ordered one at £24, thank you.

Played with the control panel for an hour, yes the 'camping mode' lets me now operate all the rear lamps manually. Relief and thank you again. But I think I still have to make sure I have turned them all off before I drive away.

My heater software must be defective somewhere. In 'continuous' you cannot change the heat level. But from the main 'auxiliary heater' screen, click the ignition on and off again, press 'immediate', you now now adjust the heat level between 01 and 10, press 'deactivate', and now go to 'immediate' where the newly set heat level shows! It runs fine delivering heat, but the new level still does not show on the 'auxiliary heater' screen, just '- -'

I read the manual again - the part that refers to the lights is 50% unintelligible.

 

[normnortonocean]

Thanks for the radio info warning that says it sucks the battery.

So, iPhone on mobile data radio and bluetooth Boom speaker it is then, on USB plug power top up.

 

[calibusje]

Yes, one would think you got the hang of it if you have had a t6.1 cali for so long
Just kidding although once again the T6.1's electronics are presented as a mistake.. but when you learn to use it, it makes sense - to me anyway- and we have not had issues with the controls and electronics of our T6.1 coast during the 17 months that we have had it. We did have other problems in the beginning that were unrelated to electronics, but that is a completely different story
Tip: You can find many answers simply through the search function like: the purpose of Camping mode, the second button from the left of the four buttons that must be pressed so that the interior lighting can go out when driving away, have already been mentioned in different posts.
Good you now know, when camping, wanting to keep the radio playing constantly will drain the batteries
The reading lamps in the cabin are indeed not intended for use while camping; for that you can use the lamp with the gooseneck (didn’t you have it supplied with the cali?).
By the way, do you know the maximum loading function?
Have fun learning your cali! We all had to do it.

 

[andyinluton]

Played with the control panel for an hour, yes the 'camping mode' lets me now operate all the rear lamps manually. Relief and thank you again. But I think I still have to make sure I have turned them all off before I drive away.

You should be able to turn them off from the control panel if you've missed one.

Ive just read the manual re heating & think I need to go and play with it to refresh my memory before offering a better set of instructions. I havn't used the heater other than the monthly run for half an hour via the remote fob since easter.

Ive not really read the MY23 manual as I had a MY20 previously & learnt everything on that. One change to the manual though is the paragraph stating that in heat instantly mode the heater can be used whilst the van is in motion but in heat continuously it switches off as soon as the van is moved.

 

[Kayleigh]

I have a 2020 T6.1 Coast. You would think that by now I have got the hang of the electrical systems for the rear cabin when camping, but several things still defeat me. I write in the hope that others who are brighter than me have solved the problems, or they agree these are faults and I just live with it!

The cabin heater cannot be controlled properly. I have complained to my supplying dealer but they cannot fix it. When you go into the rear cabin control panel for 'continuous' heating it displays a level for adjustment, but it won't work.You have to switch on the ignition, got to 'operating', set a level between 00 and 10, switch off the ignition, back to 'continuous' and the new selected level is shown. A pain just to make it warmer.

And what is the heating 'level' anyway, is it thermostatically controlled? The higher numbers seem to make the cabin warmer, so why is there not a cabin temperature readout? Mine seems to show the outside temperature.

The rear lights must have a mind of their own as they defy any attempt at control. Open the rear door during the day and they stay on forever, why? Twice I have driven away from a camp and they have stayed on - the control panel won't work while you are driving, I had to stop, turn off the engine, turn off the rear lights, then set off again. When camping I try and press the individual light buttons and they won't change, well only the centre one over the hob will work. You have to go to the control panel and select 'turn off all'. Then back to the hob centre one, press to turn that on and find your way to bed. Madness!

Sit in the front seat when turned around and try to use the overhead light to read a book and it quickly goes off, unless you leave the ignition on, which I assume is unwise for battery demand. I have to use a LED head torch. Turn the radio on and it goes off after 30 minutes, so expect to press it half a dozen times if you would like to listener the evening, or take a battery portable radio.

I think the electrical systems programming for the heating, the lights and radio is either completely defective or designed by some lunatic committee.

Given all the responses hopefully you are better informed about the lights and heater etc. The light mentioned by @andyinluton is really useful. It’s the M+7 model by the way with the 12v plug.
I have one question for you though.. Have you had any issues with the alarm going off while camping or have you managed to sort that one?

 

[calibusje]

You should be able to turn them off from the control panel if you've missed one.

Ive just read the manual re heating & think I need to go and play with it to refresh my memory before offering a better set of instructions. I havn't used the heater other than the monthly run for half an hour via the remote fob since easter.

Ive not really read the MY23 manual as I had a MY20 previously & learnt everything on that. One change to the manual though is the paragraph stating that in heat instantly mode the heater can be used whilst the van is in motion but in heat continuously it switches off as soon as the van is moved.

So, according to what is stated in the MY23 manual about the auxiliary heater one can now drive around with the heat immediately on (I assume you mean immediately by 'instantly'). I had to test this with my 2022 cali coast and indeed: one can drive around with the heat immediately on. Tested this morning on my way to work. So it has always been that way with the T6.1, but it has been changed in the latest manual. Well noticed.
I have never used it that way (unless this morning) and don't even see the point of it using it while driving, but everyone has their own opinion about this so it could be useful for some.

 

[andyinluton]

So, according to what is stated in the MY23 manual about the auxiliary heater one can now drive around with the heat immediately on (I assume you mean immediately by 'instantly'). I had to test this with my 2022 cali coast and indeed: one can drive around with the heat immediately on. Tested this morning on my way to work. So it has always been that way with the T6.1, but it has been changed in the latest manual. Well noticed.
I have never used it that way (unless this morning) and don't even see the point of it using it while driving, but everyone has their own opinion about this so it could be useful for some.

Yes I think its always been like that but it clarifies why sometimes it stays on & sometimes it doesn't.

I use it a lot in winter, defrost the van by turning the heater on via the remote, & keep the aux heater running for a couple of miles until the dashboard heater is up to temperature. By not using the dash heating the engine warms up quicker.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I found this video really helpful and I'm enjoying their content....

 

[normnortonocean]

Given all the responses hopefully you are better informed about the lights and heater etc. The light mentioned by @andyinluton is really useful. It’s the M+7 model by the way with the 12v plug.
I have one question for you though.. Have you had any issues with the alarm going off while camping or have you managed to sort that one?

Hi
No I have never had the alarm go off, but I don't lock the van. If you want to lock the doors perhaps try pressing the door lock button on the drivers door? Surely that action accepts there are people inside?

 

[andyinluton]

Hi
No I have never had the alarm go off, but I don't lock the van. If you want to lock the doors perhaps try pressing the door lock button on the drivers door? Surely that action accepts there are people inside?

That is the correct way to do it, leaves alarm sensors off & doors openable from inside in the event of an emergency, but locked from the outside.

 

[calibusje]

That is the correct way to do it, leaves alarm sensors off & doors openable from inside in the event of an emergency, but locked from the outside.

It is.

 

[normnortonocean]

I found this video really helpful and I'm enjoying their content....

Very good video, thank you. I shall have to see more from that chap.

It helpfully confirms that my T6.1 control panel display or programming is defective. On the 'auxiliary heater' screen there should be a level shown after the 'heat continuously' between 01 and 10. Well mine only ever shows two dashes '- -'. But, as I have said a few posts back I have a 'get around' to be able to set that level and it all works despite the two dashes.

I did complain to the dealer a year ago and they fiddled but found me the 'get around'. They said there was no software update available (true or not?). I am reluctant to have any update loaded hearing the stories of complete control panel failure after doing so.

 

[babble]

i love the way heat continuously and heat immediately both provided immediate heat! Genius! Unless (of course) the heat immediately function is on ventilate and then it will provide you with no heat. haha. I can just imagine the group of vw chaps sitting down and thinking what a brilliant new system they had come up with. Here's an idea for them - have a heater: on and off and timed function and a ventilate on, off and timed function.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

i love the way heat continuously and heat immediately both provided immediate heat! Genius! Unless (of course) the heat immediately function is on ventilate and then it will provide you with no heat. haha. I can just imagine the group of vw chaps sitting down and thinking what a brilliant new system they had come up with. Here's an idea for them - have a heater: on and off and timed function and a ventilate on, off and timed function.

Yes but if they did that they wouldn't be able to charge you 2.4% increase for the 'all new' heating control system in the next release of the Cali when they solve that problem.....

 

[Gliderbee California 6.1]

Yes but the sensor is not that well situated. For best results try to ventilate through the driver's window.

On you central camping control panel you have a virtual button labeled "Camping". Press that and then press "Activate camping mode" so that it is highlighted in blue.

>Yes but the sensor is not that well situated. For best results try to ventilate through the driver's window.
I'm not sure if this is written from a UK point of view, and I'm in Belgium ...
The heat comes out near the sliding door at the right side, out of a grid near the floor. The driver's window is at the left.
Where is that sensor situated ? Which is the best window to ventilate in my case ?

>This is usually caused and fixed by pressing the cabin light button next to the emergency call button.
I noticed this too; I find it very weird and counter-intuitive that that button must be pressed IN to extinguish the lights ...

Kind Regards,

Stefan.

 

[Skiver]

I have a 2020 T6.1 Coast. You would think that by now I have got the hang of the electrical systems for the rear cabin when camping, but several things still defeat me. I write in the hope that others who are brighter than me have solved the problems, or they agree these are faults and I just live with it!

The cabin heater cannot be controlled properly. I have complained to my supplying dealer but they cannot fix it. When you go into the rear cabin control panel for 'continuous' heating it displays a level for adjustment, but it won't work.You have to switch on the ignition, got to 'operating', set a level between 00 and 10, switch off the ignition, back to 'continuous' and the new selected level is shown. A pain just to make it warmer.

And what is the heating 'level' anyway, is it thermostatically controlled? The higher numbers seem to make the cabin warmer, so why is there not a cabin temperature readout? Mine seems to show the outside temperature.

The rear lights must have a mind of their own as they defy any attempt at control. Open the rear door during the day and they stay on forever, why? Twice I have driven away from a camp and they have stayed on - the control panel won't work while you are driving, I had to stop, turn off the engine, turn off the rear lights, then set off again. When camping I try and press the individual light buttons and they won't change, well only the centre one over the hob will work. You have to go to the control panel and select 'turn off all'. Then back to the hob centre one, press to turn that on and find your way to bed. Madness!

Sit in the front seat when turned around and try to use the overhead light to read a book and it quickly goes off, unless you leave the ignition on, which I assume is unwise for battery demand. I have to use a LED head torch. Turn the radio on and it goes off after 30 minutes, so expect to press it half a dozen times if you would like to listener the evening, or take a battery portable radio.

I think the electrical systems programming for the heating, the lights and radio is either completely defective or designed by some lunatic committee.

If manuals are to hard to read then I recommend watching California Chris’s videos he explains the different systems very well !

 

[WelshGas]

>Yes but the sensor is not that well situated. For best results try to ventilate through the driver's window.
I'm not sure if this is written from a UK point of view, and I'm in Belgium ...
The heat comes out near the sliding door at the right side, out of a grid near the floor. The driver's window is at the left.
Where is that sensor situated ? Which is the best window to ventilate in my case ?

>This is usually caused and fixed by pressing the cabin light button next to the emergency call button.
I noticed this too; I find it very weird and counter-intuitive that that button must be pressed IN to extinguish the lights ...

Kind Regards,

Stefan.

The air inlet for the Parking Heater is on the Drivers step,RHD, [ passenger step LHD]. The inlet temperature sensor is in the air inlet to the heater unit.
The heater controls control the air inlet temperature and will keep the heater operating until the air inlet temperature matches the Temperature Level set on the Control panel.
On a cold day with drivers window open, as cold air is denser, the air inlet temperature drops as it draws in more cold air from the open window so the Parking Heater stays on full power for longer until the air inlet temperature , composed of cabin air and cold air from the open window, matches the Control panel temperature level and then the heater gradually backs off to a maintenance level or goes into standby with a low fan speed. Once the inlet air temperature drops the heater output increases.