Control panel issues, camper unusable :-(

• It started out while driving on the motorway, suddenly the pop-up roof alarm went off and a pop-up roof error showed, I had to remove the fuse of the control panel (the one under the driver's seat) to silence the alarm. Since that first occurance this issue, and other ones, occur regularly.
• When coming back to the Cali, sometimes the control panel stays black and does not come on, and I have to remove the same fuse and wait a while before the control panel functions again. When this happens the fridge stopped working also. Sometimes a brief error message flashes when touching the button, and then the control panel stays black and unresponsive. The error message is ususally the pop-up roof error or the fridge, but other times also errors are displayed on the watertanks.
• There seem to be more regular problems when using the fridge, but the issue is also there when not using the fridge.

lovecalitravelbe said:

Hi all!

We recently bought a new VW California (2023 model) but we're having lot's of issues with the control panel of the camper and I'm wondering if someone here experienced the same issues or maybe has a clue of what the problem can be.

• It started out while driving on the motorway, suddenly the pop-up roof alarm went off and a pop-up roof error showed, I had to remove the fuse of the control panel (the one under the driver's seat) to silence the alarm. Since that first occurance this issue, and other ones, occur regularly.
• When coming back to the Cali, sometimes the control panel stays black and does not come on, and I have to remove the same fuse and wait a while before the control panel functions again. When this happens the fridge stopped working also. Sometimes a brief error message flashes when touching the button, and then the control panel stays black and unresponsive. The error message is ususally the pop-up roof error or the fridge, but other times also errors are displayed on the watertanks.
• There seem to be more regular problems when using the fridge, but the issue is also there when not using the fridge.

Right after receiving the Cali I installed solar panels from Solar Camper Solutions ... could be I did something wrong there and blow a fuse or messed something up, but the company of which I bought the car has checked and everything seems ok. Also unusual is that the battery indicator seems to be at 100% all the time, even after using the heater for a (granted warmer) night. We only spent 1 night in this Cali due to the problems.

Next Tuesday the Cali is going to a VW dealer, but the reseller I bought it from mentioned that VW needs to experience the problems themselves before they can solve it, and the issue usually only pops-up a after a longer drive, or in the morning after using the fridge.

I have attached some pictures of the errors I am seeing. And here is a movie of the alarm going off and control panel not responding. Sometimes I'm not seeing the errors as the screen stays black and unresponsive. We also tried resetting the Cali, and that only temporarly solved the issue.
Hoping to learn something more here so I can relay that input to the dealer.

Thanks! And wishing you happy adventures.

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Volkswagen Campercentrum - Officiële dealer van Volkswagen Campers

Volkswagen Campercentrum is sinds 2001 specialist in compacte campers van Volkswagen. Deze campers worden zowel verkocht als verhuurd. Ook ..

www.campercentrumnederland.nl

WelshGas said:

I'm sorry but I cannot help with your problem.
VW Dealerships that are experts in Californias are few. I presume you are under warranty. If you have no luck sorting your problem with your Dealership visit, as the VW warranty covers Europe, this company in the Netherlands, 2 hrs from you, are experts in the California. A visit or telephone call might lead to a diagnosis/fix.

Volkswagen Campercentrum - Officiële dealer van Volkswagen Campers

Volkswagen Campercentrum is sinds 2001 specialist in compacte campers van Volkswagen. Deze campers worden zowel verkocht als verhuurd. Ook ..

www.campercentrumnederland.nl

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flying banana said:

Disconnect all power then start again. You have to pull 4 fuses to fully reset that panel on a 6..1. I believe they are 5 6 7 and 8

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lovecalitravelbe said:

Tried this already, sometimes it helps, sometimes not, but the issue always comes back. Thx for the suggestion though!

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dspuk said:

Clearly something drastically wrong somewhere. No quick fixes. This really is a warranty concern and dealer trip unfortunately.

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flying banana said:

Disconnect all power then start again. You have to pull 4 fuses to fully reset that panel on a 6..1. I believe they are 5 6 7 and 8

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Anthony1 said:

Love your Avatar

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Unchartedterritories said:

I'm not an auto electrician, but as you mention the addition of solar panels, and the random nature of so many different sensors experiencing an issue in short succession, there sounds like a high chance you are getting overvoltage in the camper electrical system, that could create sensor errors. Can you disconnect the solar charging system and put the camper electrical side back to factory stock condition? You may find this is an issue relating to the regulation of voltage coming through you solar charging system. At least worth a try to see if removes/reduces the failure events.

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subthree said:

Please see the below links. I had the same issue after installing the solar panels, but that is because I had discharged the ENGINE battery.

T6.1 - Control panel issue due to low engine battery?

The following relates to my 6.1 Ocean - built late 2019 but only collected in July 2020 (covid) which has currently covered c. 13,000 miles. So I recently bought a solar panel from Roger and didn't read the last page of the instructions about connecting the negative cable to earth, via the rear...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

T6.1 Engine battery replacement - How to guide

Today I have replaced the engine battery in my 6.1. The reason I am posting this guide is because of the big plastic lump on top of the battery which hinders easy removal of the battery. You need to remove this lump to get the battery out. Here is what I did: 1. Disconnected the negative clamp...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

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lovecalitravelbe said:

A (kinda) good news update!

@Unchartedterritories your gut feeling seems to be right! The battery voltage on the Victron solar charger was set to 24V, which should be 12V for the California. And I have confirmation from a VW dealer that overcharging can definitely cause issues like this. So I let the fridge run all night, which caused the issue before, and all fine until now

I do have an additional problem now, the battery indicator seems to be stuck at 100%. Being on 24V for a while could have damaged some stuff. Going to try and test if both batteries still work fine by letting the fridge run for 3-4 days (and not driving the Cali ;-)). But probably best that I let a specialist check if everything is still ok, batteries, fuses, etc.

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WelshGas said:

Ignore the % reading. It is a very basic calculation based on spot current/ voltage readings and accuracy can vary widely. However the voltage reading is accurate. I presume you also still have the solar panel connected which will distort the voltage reading in daylight.

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lovecalitravelbe said:

Voltage reading seems to be working fine, hours are showing OK + 12,6V/-4A was showing this morning when standing still and not solar charging. I don't think you can check if both batteries are working fine just based on the voltage reading right? And thx for your input again @WelshGas

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