T6.1 Battery Drain

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Dotcom68

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VIP Member
HI,

I have a problem with battery drain on my T6.1 that the VW garage says is normal.
I have a dashcam which is constantly powered and it seems to be draining the battery after around 2-3 days of being unused.
I had the same dashcam in my Audi previously and it was never an issue so why should it do it on the transporter, surely it only mA of current that the dashcam uses.
Is it an issue with flaky batteries where VW have tried to save money again?
Does anyone have any input on this or a way around it?
Do I need to fit a leisure battery or something?

Thanks in advance
 
Most dashcams will draw more than the 50mA sleep current.

Most dash cams will run the van battery flat over a weekend,

Most people either connect the dashcam to an ignition feed so it's only running when the engine is on.

Or connect it to a separate leisure battery so it doesn't run the starter flat.

Other options are available like low volt disconect s or mini online batterys...
But they are not very effective.
 
What make and moe, plus pic of the dashcam and we'll dig out the specs.....
 
Dellmassive said:
Most dashcams will draw more than the 50mA sleep current.

Most dash cams will run the van battery flat over a weekend,

Most people either connect the dashcam to an ignition feed so it's only running when the engine is on.

Or connect it to a separate leisure battery so it doesn't run the starter flat.

Other options are available like low volt disconect s or mini online batterys...
But they are not very effective.
Click to expand...
Thanks but this does not compute, please help me out

On a 70Ah battery which I think is fitted, the battery should last 1400h (58days) with a drain of 0.6W (50mA x 12V)

Wh = W x h = 0.6 x 1400h = 840Wh
840Wh/12v = 70Ah

It never used to be a problem on my car so whats the difference with the van?
I know there may be other drain on the battery but it shouldn't go flat over a weekend
 
Dotcom68 said:
Thanks but this does not compute, please help me out

On a 70Ah battery which I think is fitted, the battery should last 1400h (58days) with a drain of 0.6W (50mA x 12V)

Wh = W x h = 0.6 x 1400h = 840Wh
840Wh/12v = 70Ah

It never used to be a problem on my car so whats the difference with the van?
I know there may be other drain on the battery but it shouldn't go flat over a weekend
Click to expand...
just a few things to add to your calculations.

you can only use the top 50% of a SLA battery, ( Depth of discharge - DOD), so your 70Ah battery will actually be only 35Ah,

and the T6 power management system is designed to keep your starter battery at 80% SOC ( to leave room for regen braking)

so your starter battery only has 28Ah to play with before its dead flat.


+++++++++

w=v*a 12v * 28Ah = 336w/wh


336Wh / 0.05A ( 50mA max standard van sleep load) = 672hrs

672hrs / 24hrs = 28days - which is what the standard T6 van will last before going flat 3-4 weeks as standard.


+++++++++


now lets look ay your dashcam specs.
 
Last edited:
Garmin doesnt spec the power draw. . . .

1668096727068.png1668096752711.png

#
but they do state that the "55 should use the extra parking mode cable accessory"? - do you have the parking mode cable installed?


Parking Mode on a Compatible Garmin Dash Cam​

Parking Mode monitors your car’s surroundings while the car is parked and the engine is not running.
NOTE: You must connect your camera to the Parking Mode Cable accessory before you can record videos and/or to access these settings while parked.
Parking Mode automatically begins saving to the microSD memory card when the camera detects motion, either visually or physically with its built-in motion detector
  • The distance the device detects motion depends on the size of the object being detected
  • The Dash Cam saves video footage for 10 seconds before and 20 seconds after detecting motion
    • If the device detects another incident during this period, it will save 20 additional seconds, starting from the newly-detected motion
    • This process will continue until the device has saved a 3-minute clip and then a new video file will be saved
  • It is possible for a Dash Cam to pick up some unnecessary instances of motion from normal occurrences in the environment and save video clips to its memory card during a Parking Mode period
  • Any movement which occurs within the field of view of the Dash Cam can potentially be captured and saved as a Parking Mode video
    • It is not necessary to review this footage unless you suspect the camera may have recorded something of value
    • Parking Mode videos will not overwrite any videos or incidents saved during normal use of the Dash Cam
Parking Mode can always be active after the vehicle is stopped, or a specific amount of time can be selected.

To Change the Parked Recording Timeout:​

  1. Select Settings
  2. Select Camera
  3. Select Record While Parked
  4. Select Parked Recording Timeout
  5. Select the duration you would like the device to remain in Parking Mode
The device will remain in Parking Mode for the selected duration after the ignition is turned off. The red LED will blink while the device is on standby, but it will turn solid red if the Dash Cam detects footage and begins recording.
Parking mode can be enabled or disabled on your dash cam. See your device's manual for steps.

The Dash Cam Automatically Switches to Parking Mode when the Engine is Off if Parking Mode is Enabled.​

  • The message "Parked recording enabled. Turn on the vehicle ignition switch to stop recording parked video" will appear if you try to access the menu while in parking mode.
  • Turn on your vehicle's ignition switch to exit parking mode.
    • This will stop recording parked video and allow you to access the dash cam settings.
The device display screen will indicate there is a new parking mode video on startup. Videos can be reviewed and deleted by following the steps in the owner's manual.

See our detailed video tutorial below on Mounting a Dash Cam in the Car.​

 
I agree with @Dellmassive - I think most dash cams would run the battery down after a couple of days. Are you sure it wasn’t ignition switched on your audi?
 
most dashcams will run the battery flat over a TWO DAY WEEKEND.
 
I had a parasitic drain on the motorbike I used to ride, turns out it was the tracker draining the battery, in that case I fitted a solar panel that fed a trickle charge to the bike. My daily currently has a constant feed to a dashcamt too, but am changing that to a switched feed to save the battery, it's never gone flat, but its a noticeable drain, if not used for a while
 
Also got a drain on my battery but I have not got into the detail you've done in respect of what drains when stationery but:

Don't forget the alarm/immobiliser.
Or your general mileage per trip - apparently any trip of less than 10km is not going to put back as much as might be going out.
At this time of year do you drive with side-lights on?
Do you run the radio, have a phone connected all the time, use the heater a lot?

Have you had the van from new?
- how old is the battery
- did a previous owner not take decent care of it and it's basically trashed and there's nothing wrong with the van itself?
 
Dotcom68 said:
Its a garmin 55 plus dashcam.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Garmin 55 dashcam draws approx. 200 mA in parking mode when no motion is detected. I wouldn't expect the "plus" model be noticeably different.
​
"The parking mode cable prevents the Dash Cam from draining the vehicle's battery to a problematic level. Long before the vehicle's battery level becomes too low to start the vehicle, the Dash Cam will power off automatically and will not consume power any further."​
​

Vehicle Battery Impact While Using a Garmin Dash Cam in Parking Guard or Parking Mode | Garmin Dash Cam™ 55 | Garmin Customer Support

Garmin Support Center is where you will find answers to frequently asked questions and resources to help with all of your Garmin products.
support.garmin.com support.garmin.com
​
 
mmi said:
Garmin 55 dashcam draws approx. 200 mA in parking mode when no motion is detected. I wouldn't expect the "plus" model be noticeably different.
​
"The parking mode cable prevents the Dash Cam from draining the vehicle's battery to a problematic level. Long before the vehicle's battery level becomes too low to start the vehicle, the Dash Cam will power off automatically and will not consume power any further."​
​

Vehicle Battery Impact While Using a Garmin Dash Cam in Parking Guard or Parking Mode | Garmin Dash Cam™ 55 | Garmin Customer Support

Garmin Support Center is where you will find answers to frequently asked questions and resources to help with all of your Garmin products.
support.garmin.com support.garmin.com
​
Click to expand...
Nice one, thanks @mmi .

I couldn't find any data on the power draw.

Just that it was USB and had an internal battery.

Have your got a link to the data for future reference. :thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: mmi
Dellmassive said:
Garmin doesnt spec the power draw. . . .

View attachment 178744View attachment 178745

#
but they do state that the "55 should use the extra parking mode cable accessory"? - do you have the parking mode cable installed?


Parking Mode on a Compatible Garmin Dash Cam​

Parking Mode monitors your car’s surroundings while the car is parked and the engine is not running.
NOTE: You must connect your camera to the Parking Mode Cable accessory before you can record videos and/or to access these settings while parked.
Parking Mode automatically begins saving to the microSD memory card when the camera detects motion, either visually or physically with its built-in motion detector
  • The distance the device detects motion depends on the size of the object being detected
  • The Dash Cam saves video footage for 10 seconds before and 20 seconds after detecting motion
    • If the device detects another incident during this period, it will save 20 additional seconds, starting from the newly-detected motion
    • This process will continue until the device has saved a 3-minute clip and then a new video file will be saved
  • It is possible for a Dash Cam to pick up some unnecessary instances of motion from normal occurrences in the environment and save video clips to its memory card during a Parking Mode period
  • Any movement which occurs within the field of view of the Dash Cam can potentially be captured and saved as a Parking Mode video
    • It is not necessary to review this footage unless you suspect the camera may have recorded something of value
    • Parking Mode videos will not overwrite any videos or incidents saved during normal use of the Dash Cam
Parking Mode can always be active after the vehicle is stopped, or a specific amount of time can be selected.

To Change the Parked Recording Timeout:​

  1. Select Settings
  2. Select Camera
  3. Select Record While Parked
  4. Select Parked Recording Timeout
  5. Select the duration you would like the device to remain in Parking Mode
The device will remain in Parking Mode for the selected duration after the ignition is turned off. The red LED will blink while the device is on standby, but it will turn solid red if the Dash Cam detects footage and begins recording.
Parking mode can be enabled or disabled on your dash cam. See your device's manual for steps.

The Dash Cam Automatically Switches to Parking Mode when the Engine is Off if Parking Mode is Enabled.​

  • The message "Parked recording enabled. Turn on the vehicle ignition switch to stop recording parked video" will appear if you try to access the menu while in parking mode.
  • Turn on your vehicle's ignition switch to exit parking mode.
    • This will stop recording parked video and allow you to access the dash cam settings.
The device display screen will indicate there is a new parking mode video on startup. Videos can be reviewed and deleted by following the steps in the owner's manual.

See our detailed video tutorial below on Mounting a Dash Cam in the Car.​

Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info, much appreciated . I currently have it on power cable from lighter port so I need to wire in with the proper cable, it sounds like this might do the trick as it runs on lower power. Still awaiting info from Garmin on the current draw so I’ll update once I get this
 
Dotcom68 said:
Thanks for all the info, much appreciated . I currently have it on power cable from lighter port so I need to wire in with the proper cable, it sounds like this might do the trick as it runs on lower power. Still awaiting info from Garmin on the current draw so I’ll update once I get this
Click to expand...

12v "lighter' sockets appear to be always live on new T6's. So if nothing else your poor vehicle battery is constantly topping up the internal battery in the Garmin.

There's plenty of info here about how to hard wire to ignition-only-live fuse.
If I can do it, anyone can!
 
In case the Garmin motion detector is being set off by traffic etc there are 3 different sensitivity settings to avoid additional power consumption.
I have a Garmin 65 which is pretty much the same as the 55 but I don’t have an issue with leaving the van idle because of the solar installation and the sat nav being fed from an centre fuse on a piggy back.
 
Does the Garmin have battery monitoring? You could set that to turn the dash cam off when it hits a certain voltage.

Thinkware have this feature so most good dash cameras should.
 
It has an internal battery, why not simply hardwire it to the centre fuses so that it’s only fed from the starter battery when the key switch is on?
Very easy.
 
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