Lovebus WA
New Member
When you order the factory option of the second battery, where is it mounted in the van? Can’t find any info about it on the VW site.
Many thanks
Many thanks
Factory second battery option
- Thread starter Lovebus WA
- Start date
Under the passenger seat. However, think about what you want to use this for - the factory option is not a good choice as a leisure battery for a conversion. This is one of the fist things I discovered from this forum when working out what to specify on my new van.
Wonder what they charge for factory option battery
When I looked (over a year ago) it was around £300 if I remember. Which was about the same as an aftermarket one with the same spec, but was going to be no use as a leisure battery. In the end I went for a Renogy LiFePO setup.
If you are building a camper don't bother with the factory option. You will have a much better installation with a Battery to Battery charging system instead of the VW simple split charge relay. You may also use one with integrated MPPT solar charging if you are going down that route.
I note you're in Western Australia.
I have had my factory fitted second battery since 2018, and I use it for camping.
It has worked perfectly for me and probably best to read my posts on this forum .
I know from all the posts on here from UK, that they say the factory set up won't fully charge the 2nd battery, but if you look at my figures , it works for me.
The only thing that I can think of , is that VW may have a different set up for Australia...?? not sure.
All I know is that my factory system has worked perfectly for me for over 4 years......less lockdown time.....and was great value.
Cheers.
I have no knowledge of the factory fit battery but having installed a leisure battery and charger it is very straight forward.
Leisure battery of your choice/budget.
Renogy DCC50S
Bluetooth or battery monitor. BT gives lots of Info on the Renogy App.
5-6m of 16mm^2 red cable.
simplysplitcharge.co.uk
Crimps and crimper (heat shrink was included)
Battery tray or strap.
Battery clamps.
Fuse block. Fuse piggyback.
The Renogy allows vehicle alternator to leisure battery via the vehicle battery. This charges when you drive around. It also allows solar PV input to top up when stationary. If you don't fancy a glued solar panel to your van you can buy the solar suitcase. It folds to the size of a wall paper table. But the Bluetooth adapter is great for history of and an accurate charge situation of the leisure battery. Before that I had a small Kiravans display which had red amber & green, and due to wire resistance it never showed green.
This is an example of the app screen whilst charging:
You can see the charging history.
Leisure battery of your choice/budget.
Renogy DCC50S
Bluetooth or battery monitor. BT gives lots of Info on the Renogy App.
5-6m of 16mm^2 red cable.
Battery Cable 16mm 110amp High Quality Extra Flex Cable
16mm² 110amp High flex red and black battery cable sold by the meter or 100m reel
simplysplitcharge.co.uk
Crimps and crimper (heat shrink was included)
Battery tray or strap.
Battery clamps.
Fuse block. Fuse piggyback.
The Renogy allows vehicle alternator to leisure battery via the vehicle battery. This charges when you drive around. It also allows solar PV input to top up when stationary. If you don't fancy a glued solar panel to your van you can buy the solar suitcase. It folds to the size of a wall paper table. But the Bluetooth adapter is great for history of and an accurate charge situation of the leisure battery. Before that I had a small Kiravans display which had red amber & green, and due to wire resistance it never showed green.
This is an example of the app screen whilst charging:
You can see the charging history.
Last edited:
MysteryMachine
New Member
Sorry to hijack this thread. Can you fit a xr1750 under the drivers seat. Thanks
Lovebus WA
New Member
It’s $750 for a 75ah agm here in WA
I have a Hanook 60ah AGM battery. It is 190mm high. It fits under the seat but with a vertical battery connector and a Kiravans seat swivel the connectors were too high and at risk of shorting to the swivel.
The seat without a swivel could be fine but my seats have these swivels which are a large metal plate bolted to the seat box.
I ended up buying a new set of battery connectors with lower stems to prevent any possibility of shorting via the seat swivel.
Deleted Member
Account closed by request
I’ve got the factory leisure battery with a pair of BM2 battery monitors which have been fine for nearly 5 years.
Just be aware of the 80% limit on the leisure battery, so I always take my Ctek MXS 10 charger and I fitted a set of Ctek quick connect leads - CTEK 40-133 Start/Stop CT5 Indicator Eyelet M8 https://amzn.eu/d/040JQt1
It depends how long you want to go off-grid for I suppose, 2 days has always been enough for us with my Webasto heater, led interior lights and phone charging.
Just be aware of the 80% limit on the leisure battery, so I always take my Ctek MXS 10 charger and I fitted a set of Ctek quick connect leads - CTEK 40-133 Start/Stop CT5 Indicator Eyelet M8 https://amzn.eu/d/040JQt1
It depends how long you want to go off-grid for I suppose, 2 days has always been enough for us with my Webasto heater, led interior lights and phone charging.
Just interested....are you in UK...as my factory leisure battery charges to 12.8 to 12.9 volts from engine in Australia. which I consider full charge.
Deleted Member
Account closed by request
Mine’s sat at around 12.3v over the last 15 days, it’s a UK van with the basic split/charge relay.
Thanks for that info... VW must change something for Australian vans, because my leisure battery rests at 12.8 volts (when not camping) even after extended time.
I can camp off grid for 2 or 3 days and battery will be fully charged, (12.9v) by driving to next location.
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