First post, first camping trip, first user error(?)

[Phil TL]

Hi everyone, thanks for letting me join, looks a great community.

My wife and I picked up a 2023 Hillside Leisure Birchover Exec from a dealer in January. 500miles on clock, just been dealer showroom van. Very nice van, 150ps dsg highline T28, good spec camper.



Sorry for long first post, part review of our first camp and part seeking newbie advice...


First night away in the T6.1
Took it for one night to a local campsite in Cumbria, without our toddler to get familiar with the set up. Straight forward enough set up, comfortable night on RIB bed with a Dunelm Mill small double mattress topper, sleeping bags and pillows. Good Indian nearby!
Didn't run heater while asleep even at -1 outside overnight. Cold but comfortable. Great site too for our first try, apart from loud neighbour at 3am!


Newbie error or bad battery?
However, we had to call breakdown in the morning as battery flat, too flat even for my Halfords jumper pack (unless I was messing it up). Van lights all off, nothing automatic on doors or tailgate; just leisure electrics.
Yes we locked/unlocked and opened/closed doors a few times over the evening and morning, but surely starter battery doesn't drain that quick? My assumption is I am missing the obvious being first time owners. Any simple setting I might have forgot on the van please?

Drove for 90mins after the jump so I'm assuming fully charged (?).

24hrs later after buying a multimeter to check the battery and it is sat at 12.36v.

Would 90mins have done a full charge and would 24hr drain to 12.36v normally?


If anyone responds then thank you, all stupidly obvious suggestions and links to similar posts welcome
Phoning the dealer tomorrow to discuss with them too.

 

[Sackmycook]

What's your electric set-up ? I presume you have a leisure battery and control set-up?

 

[Sasquatch]

I'd also health test the battery thoroughly, a proper drop-test at the very least. That's very low mileage so it seems the van has been sitting about for extended periods, which isn't good for battery health.

90 minutes driving isn't enough to fully charge a battery from empty, and the way the smart alternators on these beasties work they never get to 100% brim full of electrons.

 

[Phil TL]

What's your electric set-up ? I presume you have a leisure battery and control set-up?

70Ah AGM leisure, no solar, just split charger and EHU. No issues on leisure side, was plugged into EHU all night. Just starter battery flattened.

 

[Phil TL]

I'd also health test the battery thoroughly, a proper drop-test at the very least. That's very low mileage so it seems the van has been sitting about for extended periods, which isn't good for battery health.

90 minutes driving isn't enough to fully charge a battery from empty, and the way the smart alternators on these beasties work they never get to 100% brim full of electrons.

Good point, there are a couple places nearby that do free battery health checks from a quick Google. I will get booked in. Thank you.

It was register in 2023, sold from Hillside Leisure to the dealership in July 2024 by the looks of the paperwork, so stood in showroom on EHU for 6 months before we bought it! You have a good point that it might have been left flat for a long time. Will ask the dealer if they can comment on that.

 

[Sasquatch]

Cracking looking van BTW.

 

[Phil TL]

Cracking looking van BTW.

Thanks

 

[sparkzer]

70Ah AGM leisure, no solar, just split charger and EHU. No issues on leisure side, was plugged into EHU all night. Just starter battery flattened.

I had a similar random non starting issue (on a 2.5yo van however) that turned out to be a bad EFB battery. I found that if i did a couple of short trips or the fans ran after stop (DPF Regen) it wouldn't start again. I embarrassingly had this happen at a petrol station after a short trip with a couple of stops. I cunningly used both my jumper cables clipped together (to make it twice as long) to connect the live on my leisure battery to the live on the battery (both batteries are chassis grounded) and jump started myself. Its been fine since the new battery was fitted.

 

[Bav]

...just split charger...

This won't be the cause of you SB issues, but the combination of a split charger and a smart alternator is not ideal. Ideally, you need DC-DC charger rather than a split charger.

 

[Green Giant]

You said van lights were all off so probably not this, but it’s easy to knock the stalk for the parking lights, when swivelling the drivers seat or filling up the drivers seat with excess gear, well that’s what happened to us once and had a flat battery, it was about - 5 so probably didn’t help things and could of been on 12+ hours or more…

 

[JDC]

If your going in and out then step lights and interior lights would be coming on all the time and then staying on for a set period of time. When I camp in mine, I take out the bulbs in the step lights and make sure the van interior lights are turned off.

 

[Phil TL]

I had a similar random non starting issue (on a 2.5yo van however) that turned out to be a bad EFB battery. I found that if i did a couple of short trips or the fans ran after stop (DPF Regen) it wouldn't start again. I embarrassingly had this happen at a petrol station after a short trip with a couple of stops. I cunningly used both my jumper cables clipped together (to make it twice as long) to connect the live on my leisure battery to the live on the battery (both batteries are chassis grounded) and jump started myself. Its been fine since the new battery was fitted.

My trips through the week are typically short, but then out for at least a couple of 60min drives at the weekend. Starting a new job in April with a slightly longer commute which might help. Starter battery is an EFB+, so will see if it has gone bad with the lack of use in the showroom.

 

[Phil TL]

If your going in and out then step lights and interior lights would be coming on all the time and then staying on for a set period of time. When I camp in mine, I take out the bulbs in the step lights and make sure the van interior lights are turned off.

I turned off the door operated lights on the overhear switch, so no lights come on when opening slider door. There are footwell lights in the front which still come on when opening the front but those doors were shut the whole time.

I will double check those footwell ones aren't coming on with rear slider door.

 

[Phil TL]

You said van lights were all off so probably not this, but it’s easy to knock the stalk for the parking lights, when swivelling the drivers seat or filling up the drivers seat with excess gear, well that’s what happened to us once and had a flat battery, it was about - 5 so probably didn’t help things and could of been on 12+ hours or more…

I did pile a lot of stuff onto the driver's seat... One more thing for me to double check. Thanks.

 

[Phil TL]

This won't be the cause of you SB issues, but the combination of a split charger and a smart alternator is not ideal. Ideally, you need DC-DC charger rather than a split charger.

Might be me getting terminology wrong sorry. It has a CB516-3 Switch Mode charger if that helps? Or is that still called a split charger?

 

[Jamesie]

I've got a T6.1 Hillside Birchover, with standard electrics including the factory split charge relay. Never had an issue with the starter battery going flat. The CBE charger you mention takes AC mains power when you are on hook up and converts that to a DC supply to charge the leisure battery so nothing to do with the starter battery. My guess is your starter battery is knackered due to the van being sat around for months without being driven, and the battery allowed to go flat over time due to doors being opened etc and the various small loads that the vehicle draws over time.

 

[Phil TL]

Thanks all. I've measured it again this morning and now reading 12.25v, so down from 12.36 since yesterday evening!

Taking it for a battery health check tomorrow and calling the dealer this morning to discuss with them.

 

[cgtmiles]

Not sure if you will get it done on warranty but I had a battery health check done at a dealer and all they did was hand me a print out that said the battery was basically ok when it wasn’t and charged me for the pleasure. I changed the battery anyway so next time I’m in doubt I’ll just put the money towards a new battery instead.

 

[Sasquatch]

He doesn't need the warranty - the consumer rights act 2015 is absolute on the matter. Any fault that appears within 6 months is deemed to have been either present or developing at the point of sale and they are lawfully obligated to repair at their expense.

 

[Phil TL]

He doesn't need the warranty - the consumer rights act 2015 is absolute on the matter. Any fault that appears within 6 months is deemed to have been either present or developing at the point of sale and they are lawfully obligated to repair at their expense.

Exactly, whether it is within VW, Hillside, or the dealers warranty periods shouldn't matter, at least that is the angle I am going with.

It isn't the only fault with the dealer so far. Rear drivers side wheel is over torqued, neither ATS Euromaster or the breakdown guy who jumped the van on Saturday (who said he could have a go at that since he was there) could get the wheel bolts off. I have new 17in alloys with all seasons tyres ready to swap on but dealer put 20inch rims on top tight. I intend to sell the 20s if not damaged.