One thing to be aware of - especially if off the grid is although the heater does work off the diesel tank it does take a massive hit off the batteries to get started. So, good to start it in last few minutes you're going along if you know you're going to need it. I spend a lot of my time in Northern Sweden so found out the hard way ...
They are in the south of England I doubt they will need the auxiliary heater, where as us in the north well I was heating ice off my windscreen last Saturday, and my Mercedes Sprinter doesn't have a heated windscreen. :(
Would also add that my van happily rents out during periods it is not in use. The rental market for large parts of the year for the California seems fairly strong. This more than covers the cost of any depreciation for me at least.
Like you said it depends on purpose I will be living in my van travelling most of the year so I would have no need to rent mine out so I would lose more money.
A small point. The 2 pin Euro socket is, as you say, powered by a 150Watt inverter directly off the leisure batteries. However, it is only turned on when something is plugged into the Euro socket. So if you leave your USB plug in to the Euro socket while the van is not in use, even if nothing is plugged into the USB socket, the inverter will run the leisure batteries down over time.
Great video thanks! I picked up our t5 on Saturday, plugged in my charger to the uk 3 pin and nothing. Now I know Why! Two more questions, does the stereo work off the vehicle battery then as opposed to leisure batteries? I assume so from your explanation but just checking. The van has a kenwood dnx520vbt which pays the kids dvd's so if it runs from the van battery, I need to restrict their viewing time! Also, can you buy a lead to charge the van for the house, a little like hooking up onsite? Many thanks
Oh exciting times! Yeah the stereo is powered by the engine battery and ours shuts off automatically after 10mins (maybe 30mins) so I assume yours will do the same. I'm sure there must be companies that can make it feed from your leisure batteries but we haven't looked in to it ourselves. We have a small 16A to three pin adaptor which allows us to charge from the house. Like this... goo.gl/jBEhi1 thank you for watching 😀
Nice Video. One thing i would say tho is with the inverter to USB - your probably wasting a bit of power going from 12v to 230v then back to 5v USB output. Probably best if you ever concerned about saving power it may be best to go with 12v cig adapter. Enjoy your videos as a caravanner as never seen inside the California
Yeah we usually charge our stuff via a USB adaptor in the 12V sockets. We just have the adaptor in there because we don't have any other need for the socket at the minute.
Great channel, has really given me some insights in my near future plans to buy one :) But i have one question. When you are stationary for a few days at a camp site with power connected to it, do you still need to run the heater of diesel or can you heat up the van from the electrical power? Best regards! :)
The 230v 150watt socket. Is that extra installed? I have only seen californias that had one 230v sockets and not the one 230v that runs from battery. Did you install that 2 pin socket or what?
Great video, do you use the battery only down to 50% (displayed in the panel) or you could use it all the way to below 50%. I am not sure 100% is representing 75ah or 150ah (for two leisure batteries in parallel). Your input is very much appreciated.
Hi again Hope you've booked your windscreen 2 be fixed 😊 Do you think your be doing any travelling across 2 France via euro tunnel ? Reason I ask is if I buy vw camper that's what I fancy doing especially we have 2 cockerpoo s Didn't fancy ferry leaving dogs in camper !!!
We are heading to Europe in September but we are getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre overnight. We are not taking the dog this time however we will take him in the future. The good thing about Brittany Ferries is that they do pet friendly cabins too. We don't want to leave Bentley in the Cali whilst on the ferry either so we would either use Brittany Ferries or the Tunnel too.
Hi there another good video 👍🏻 I do know how you feel ref windscreen you feel sick coz it's nice & new Do you have 2 be moving 2 recharge batteries or just turn engine on 4 the charging of leisure batteries. Or I suppose little generator maybe I've just come back from wareham i know you both go there time to time great weather. Hope your screen gets sorted asap 😊
Glad you enjoyed the video. I think it would charge the battery with just the engine on but I think it would charge quicker if you were moving. Glad you enjoyed yourself at Wareham we love that part of the world.
This is Chili from Taiwan. You did a good job. Did you use any airvent ventilation grille? Maybe, your next video could be "ventilation". I am looking forward to getting my Ocean in six months.
Yeah we always open a window when cooking and when the roof is up there are small vents in the top of the roof which help keep the area ventilated whilst we are asleep. Thank you very much for watching and I bet you can't wait to get yours :-)
This may very well be a dump question, I'm not sure anyone will answer cause it's some time from posting. Anyways: So I have vw California ocean and whenever I take the key out the panel automatically switches off and there is no power to lights even. I don't know how to launch the systems on the "additional" battery rather than to switch ignition on and then it works. Am I doing something wrong/is my battery dead? Car is pretty new and this is the first time it's on a long travel. I'll.just add that everything works while it's plugged on the campsite. I'll be really grateful for any answer because I'm stuck, thanks a lot in advance.
enjoy your videos", still deciding, big van conversion, Or VW, California, what is your average fuel consumption, do you think you van is well insulated, against hot and cold temperatures" you seem very happy with it"
Decisions, decisions... we get between 35 and 40mpg in our California and it seems very well insulated. I don't think a big van conversion will be too different in economy and will probably be even better insulated, the main reason we didn't get a big van conversion is the fact that we'd have to run another car as well.
CaliforniaCamping yeah good point" , would be my only runabout, looking st something from WildAx, impressed with VWs better than I thought, but not much space for sports gear", having a dog onboard offers good security, I must get another one! a good alarm maybe a cheaper option" but not as cute"
Hi. Love your Van and videos. Were you aware of the pop up roof corrosion issue before you purchased. From what I have been reading its an ongoing problem with even new VW Californias. I ordered a new VW Beach, before I knew about the issue and am now a bit concerned.
Hi, yeah I was aware but to be honest I have just ignored it. I will look at the roof as I approach the end of my warranty (which I extended to 5 years) and worry about it then. All cars have issues and I see this one as a purely cosmetic item which is repairable if it comes to it. We owned 2 AMG Mercedes cars from new and they both had major problems on the huge and expensive V8 engines, that is a far more terrifying prospect! Our California has changed our life so much and a little bit of corrosion is going to ruin that. Thank you so much for watching our videos 😁
I love the control panel you have attached to your electrics! I paid £1,700 to have solar panels put on the roof and the control panel is dire. It fluctuates constantly and there's absolutely no reliable indication of how much power is being drawn or how much capacity is left in the battery! I was hoping for something like yours with a nice simple display!
Hi congratulations on your marriage. Thinking of buying a vw camper next year its great to see you explain about the socket. I have a question about the auto gear box can you see what gear you in or do you rely on the dash board Thanks. Glen from Northumberland
So as you can measure the amps, we know that all the lights consume 7,5 watts (0,6 x 12,5) and the fridge (4,8-0,6) x 12,5 = approx 50 watts as you said.
Hi guys, I see you have a gas kettle but can the electricity, whilst plugged in at a site, take a hairdryer? These are the important things I need to find out for my wife before she agrees to buying one. Lol.
Yeah I did see that but I seem to remember that you have to be quite careful with things like that on campervans that have split charging systems like ours for leisure batteries. I may be wrong but I think they are more designed as a car/bike engine battery charger.
Yeh I didn't think how it would effect split charging systems. I'm a Bmw diagnostic tech by trade, I would have thought when you're parked and not charging it would be ok. Not worth the risk though!
No you're right we don't have a solar panel. It's not something we've needed yet. However I do like the idea of getting one so we can feel self sufficient.
The heat is seperated and don't use energy ? Wrong, a lot ! Cause of the fan. Actually u get 2 days during summer with the fridge on 4, and 2 days during winter with the heat on 4 also.
T6 split charge system will not correctly charge the leisure batteries as the alternator uses a regenerative system very different from normal system .. The only correct way to charge is to use a battery to battery charging unit
Your van looks fully kitted out (£60000) kind of full options kitted out. At that price you could have got a crafter/sprinter (maybe a Luton) fully kitted out cab and have it customised eg lunar landstar RL S is £64000 and you even get a bathroom. I know its a extra high roof and a extra long wheelbase but you get what you pay for where as the VW you pay £20000 just for the privilege of a badge/brand name. I just dont think those VW California's are good value for money. I think the UK has a wild camp problem ie your not allowed and the vehicles like yours are not set up for that kind of camping even that 60k Lunar only has a 35L waste water tank well 1 shower will fill that easy.
With respect that is of course true but the Californias have such strong residuals (far more solid than any conversion) that the actual cost of ownership works out lower. I did everything I could to avoid giving VW that amount of money so produced a rather sad spreadsheet and the answer was always the same. Of course, that depends on if the California meets your needs/requirements. And god knows the Californias have no end of issues that seem to go on for years and years without VW addressing them but every alternative I looked at also had issue (build quality/building on an underpowered base/some frankly alarming taste decisions etc etc). And in terms of wild/free camping in Europe - as to the suitability of the California that is, of course, entirely subjective. But, for me the advantages of the size out weigh the downsides and I've been weeks at a time in mine and have both a shower and a toilet that are sufficient. And I'm just about to spend a few months in south eastern Europe with nothing but the California and I'm confident will meet my needs - really is an individual thing.
You're assuming I want a big van, and you are wildly out on the price we paid. Everybody has different requirements and the California fits our requirements the best. If people wild camp in tents then I'm sure a California can cope just fine. Thanks for watching though.
I was answering just on the issue of the value proposition of the California. Because it is often criticised in terms of the lump of money which is only part of the equation. And the whole picture tells a different story. But having said all that in the longer term for me personally I will almost certainly build something that addresses my very specific needs (and which am pretty sure will cost me a great deal more and end up worth a great less than my current California) or look at the Westfalia Columbus to see if that can serve my longer term needs. But of course CaliforniaCamping is absolutely right - it's whatever suits for the needs/requirements for the individual.
I agree, a lot of people say you could get "this' for the price of "that"... but most people buy what they want for their own personal reasons. Thankfully we are very lucky because there is a huge range of vehicles available and at least one will suit a person's needs.
+CaliforniaCamping - yes, you've hit the nail on the head again - as you've explained elsewhere, politely in your comments and in your excellent video commentary - it's horses for courses. There's EVERY type of camping device out there to choose from, we are really lucky there is, from a bivouac to a 45 foot coach with gold plated taps, servants and a BMW in the garage, and it's what suits YOU! The VW Transporter's neat size and width, its everyday usability, its car-like driving and comfortable ride, built-in separate bathroom, do it for us! Hope you're enjoying Switzerland. Cheers.
Great video guys! Really interesting 😎
Thanks guys, thank you very much for watching 😁
One thing to be aware of - especially if off the grid is although the heater does work off the diesel tank it does take a massive hit off the batteries to get started. So, good to start it in last few minutes you're going along if you know you're going to need it. I spend a lot of my time in Northern Sweden so found out the hard way ...
Thanks Robin, very good point and noted.
They are in the south of England I doubt they will need the auxiliary heater, where as us in the north well I was heating ice off my windscreen last Saturday, and my Mercedes Sprinter doesn't have a heated windscreen. :(
Would also add that my van happily rents out during periods it is not in use. The rental market for large parts of the year for the California seems fairly strong. This more than covers the cost of any depreciation for me at least.
Like you said it depends on purpose I will be living in my van travelling most of the year so I would have no need to rent mine out so I would lose more money.
We have used it plenty of times and it works brilliantly. Unfortunately it still gets to freezing temperatures down here as well
What do you think about solar panels? is it necessary?
Have a good Easter 🐣 I'm back down 2 wareham for the break.
Hope you three going somewhere nice maybe your be vlogging
😊
Thank you very much. Hope you have a wonderful time at Wareham. Very jealous.
Thank you for a nice video containing useful information!
Where is the diesel heater? Does it have vents for blowing hot air somewhere?
A small point.
The 2 pin Euro socket is, as you say, powered by a 150Watt inverter directly off the leisure batteries. However, it is only turned on when something is plugged into the Euro socket. So if you leave your USB plug in to the Euro socket while the van is not in use, even if nothing is plugged into the USB socket, the inverter will run the leisure batteries down over time.
Thank you. It is now unplugged 👍
Great video thanks! I picked up our t5 on Saturday, plugged in my charger to the uk 3 pin and nothing. Now I know Why! Two more questions, does the stereo work off the vehicle battery then as opposed to leisure batteries? I assume so from your explanation but just checking. The van has a kenwood dnx520vbt which pays the kids dvd's so if it runs from the van battery, I need to restrict their viewing time! Also, can you buy a lead to charge the van for the house, a little like hooking up onsite? Many thanks
Oh exciting times! Yeah the stereo is powered by the engine battery and ours shuts off automatically after 10mins (maybe 30mins) so I assume yours will do the same. I'm sure there must be companies that can make it feed from your leisure batteries but we haven't looked in to it ourselves. We have a small 16A to three pin adaptor which allows us to charge from the house. Like this... goo.gl/jBEhi1 thank you for watching 😀
Nice Video. One thing i would say tho is with the inverter to USB - your probably wasting a bit of power going from 12v to 230v then back to 5v USB output. Probably best if you ever concerned about saving power it may be best to go with 12v cig adapter. Enjoy your videos as a caravanner as never seen inside the California
Thanks you saved my telling them that two.
Yeah we usually charge our stuff via a USB adaptor in the 12V sockets. We just have the adaptor in there because we don't have any other need for the socket at the minute.
Great channel, has really given me some insights in my near future plans to buy one :) But i have one question. When you are stationary for a few days at a camp site with power connected to it, do you still need to run the heater of diesel or can you heat up the van from the electrical power? Best regards! :)
The 230v 150watt socket. Is that extra installed? I have only seen californias that had one 230v sockets and not the one 230v that runs from battery. Did you install that 2 pin socket or what?
No, it came with the van.
Hey. Asking cos I got issues...Are the two leisure batteries fitted in series ie they both power everything or do they each power different systems?
Great video, do you use the battery only down to 50% (displayed in the panel) or you could use it all the way to below 50%. I am not sure 100% is representing 75ah or 150ah (for two leisure batteries in parallel). Your input is very much appreciated.
Hi again
Hope you've booked your windscreen 2 be fixed 😊
Do you think your be doing any travelling across 2 France via euro tunnel ?
Reason I ask is if I buy vw camper that's what I fancy doing especially we have 2 cockerpoo s
Didn't fancy ferry leaving dogs in camper !!!
We are heading to Europe in September but we are getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre overnight. We are not taking the dog this time however we will take him in the future. The good thing about Brittany Ferries is that they do pet friendly cabins too. We don't want to leave Bentley in the Cali whilst on the ferry either so we would either use Brittany Ferries or the Tunnel too.
Thanks for that I'll get on & have a nose
I didn't realise they did that
Hi there another good video 👍🏻
I do know how you feel ref windscreen you feel sick coz it's nice & new
Do you have 2 be moving 2 recharge batteries or just turn engine on 4 the charging of leisure batteries.
Or I suppose little generator maybe
I've just come back from wareham i know you both go there time to time great weather.
Hope your screen gets sorted asap 😊
Glad you enjoyed the video. I think it would charge the battery with just the engine on but I think it would charge quicker if you were moving.
Glad you enjoyed yourself at Wareham we love that part of the world.
is it easy to set up a solar system on the car? solar would be also nice so you don't need to drive to charge leasure batteries
As far as I'm aware it's very easy to do. It's definitely something we will look into in the future
The WS180SF SunFolder 180Wp will easily charge both leisure batteries within a single half sunny day
This is Chili from Taiwan.
You did a good job. Did you use any airvent ventilation grille?
Maybe, your next video could be "ventilation".
I am looking forward to getting my Ocean in six months.
Yeah we always open a window when cooking and when the roof is up there are small vents in the top of the roof which help keep the area ventilated whilst we are asleep.
Thank you very much for watching and I bet you can't wait to get yours :-)
This may very well be a dump question, I'm not sure anyone will answer cause it's some time from posting. Anyways:
So I have vw California ocean and whenever I take the key out the panel automatically switches off and there is no power to lights even. I don't know how to launch the systems on the "additional" battery rather than to switch ignition on and then it works. Am I doing something wrong/is my battery dead? Car is pretty new and this is the first time it's on a long travel.
I'll.just add that everything works while it's plugged on the campsite. I'll be really grateful for any answer because I'm stuck, thanks a lot in advance.
enjoy your videos", still deciding, big van conversion, Or VW, California, what is your average fuel consumption, do you think you van is well insulated, against hot and cold temperatures" you seem very happy with it"
Decisions, decisions... we get between 35 and 40mpg in our California and it seems very well insulated. I don't think a big van conversion will be too different in economy and will probably be even better insulated, the main reason we didn't get a big van conversion is the fact that we'd have to run another car as well.
CaliforniaCamping yeah good point" , would be my only runabout, looking st something from WildAx, impressed with VWs better than I thought, but not much space for sports gear", having a dog onboard offers good security, I must get another one! a good alarm maybe a cheaper option" but not as cute"
do you guys have an alarm? I need a way to secure my laptop and camera gear! Thanks!
A good video that’s been done on this is by Thomas Heaton. He shows you what he does for security. ua-cam.com/video/Aw6G0DSPWd8/v-deo.html
Hi. Love your Van and videos. Were you aware of the pop up roof corrosion issue before you purchased. From what I have been reading its an ongoing problem with even new VW Californias. I ordered a new VW Beach, before I knew about the issue and am now a bit concerned.
Hi, yeah I was aware but to be honest I have just ignored it. I will look at the roof as I approach the end of my warranty (which I extended to 5 years) and worry about it then. All cars have issues and I see this one as a purely cosmetic item which is repairable if it comes to it. We owned 2 AMG Mercedes cars from new and they both had major problems on the huge and expensive V8 engines, that is a far more terrifying prospect! Our California has changed our life so much and a little bit of corrosion is going to ruin that.
Thank you so much for watching our videos 😁
Nice to hear. I feel the same. Im looking forward to many adventures in it. All the best
I love the control panel you have attached to your electrics! I paid £1,700 to have solar panels put on the roof and the control panel is dire. It fluctuates constantly and there's absolutely no reliable indication of how much power is being drawn or how much capacity is left in the battery! I was hoping for something like yours with a nice simple display!
no solar panel imput plug? or roof top solar panel
Not yet, will add solar if/when we need it. Not had a need for it yet. Thanks for watching
CaliforniaCamping true, plus suoki and other brands do nice little 400-500w/h external batteries now that can be powered by ext solar pannels
Oh nice, we will have a look at them too. Thanks
Guys, love the videos...out of interest where did you get your dash mount dog figure?:)
Thanks, it's a Funko Pop, a little model of Dug from the Disney film "Up"
Thanks Guys:)
Hi congratulations on your marriage. Thinking of buying a vw camper next year its great to see you explain about the socket. I have a question about the auto gear box can you see what gear you in or do you rely on the dash board Thanks. Glen from Northumberland
The dash has a gear indicator so I can see by glancing down what gear I'm in. It works extremely well and you rarely notice it change gear.
I want one! VW needs to sell this T6 in California!
So as you can measure the amps, we know that all the lights consume 7,5 watts (0,6 x 12,5) and the fridge (4,8-0,6) x 12,5 = approx 50 watts as you said.
I'll erm take your word for it :-D
i like the colour of your t6.why did you go for that particular colour
Hi guys, I see you have a gas kettle but can the electricity, whilst plugged in at a site, take a hairdryer? These are the important things I need to find out for my wife before she agrees to buying one. Lol.
I have a travel hairdryer as they are smaller and when plugged in on site can be used fine.
7 speed or 6 speed DSG?
7 speed
GrahamsLife24 there is a 6 speed DSG? Mine is 7 but didn't know was available as a 6 speed. Can't imagine why they would offer that.
have you seen that 12v solar panel in Aldi? its only 13 quid might be useful.
Yeah I did see that but I seem to remember that you have to be quite careful with things like that on campervans that have split charging systems like ours for leisure batteries. I may be wrong but I think they are more designed as a car/bike engine battery charger.
Yeh I didn't think how it would effect split charging systems. I'm a Bmw diagnostic tech by trade, I would have thought when you're parked and not charging it would be ok. Not worth the risk though!
I am probably being stupid here but I don`t see any mention of a solar panel being used.
No you're right we don't have a solar panel. It's not something we've needed yet. However I do like the idea of getting one so we can feel self sufficient.
The heat is seperated and don't use energy ? Wrong, a lot ! Cause of the fan. Actually u get 2 days during summer with the fridge on 4, and 2 days during winter with the heat on 4 also.
Bonjour Monsieur le ministre de la semaine prochaine fois que tu as des nouvelles technologies
T6 split charge system will not correctly charge the leisure batteries as the alternator uses a regenerative system very different from normal system .. The only correct way to charge is to use a battery to battery charging unit
More Car less Face !
+宋奕增 More watching, less commenting!
Your van looks fully kitted out (£60000) kind of full options kitted out. At that price you could have got a crafter/sprinter (maybe a Luton) fully kitted out cab and have it customised eg lunar landstar RL S is £64000 and you even get a bathroom.
I know its a extra high roof and a extra long wheelbase but you get what you pay for where as the VW you pay £20000 just for the privilege of a badge/brand name. I just dont think those VW California's are good value for money.
I think the UK has a wild camp problem ie your not allowed and the vehicles like yours are not set up for that kind of camping even that 60k Lunar only has a 35L waste water tank well 1 shower will fill that easy.
With respect that is of course true but the Californias have such strong residuals (far more solid than any conversion) that the actual cost of ownership works out lower. I did everything I could to avoid giving VW that amount of money so produced a rather sad spreadsheet and the answer was always the same. Of course, that depends on if the California meets your needs/requirements. And god knows the Californias have no end of issues that seem to go on for years and years without VW addressing them but every alternative I looked at also had issue (build quality/building on an underpowered base/some frankly alarming taste decisions etc etc).
And in terms of wild/free camping in Europe - as to the suitability of the California that is, of course, entirely subjective. But, for me the advantages of the size out weigh the downsides and I've been weeks at a time in mine and have both a shower and a toilet that are sufficient. And I'm just about to spend a few months in south eastern Europe with nothing but the California and I'm confident will meet my needs - really is an individual thing.
You're assuming I want a big van, and you are wildly out on the price we paid. Everybody has different requirements and the California fits our requirements the best.
If people wild camp in tents then I'm sure a California can cope just fine.
Thanks for watching though.
I was answering just on the issue of the value proposition of the California. Because it is often criticised in terms of the lump of money which is only part of the equation. And the whole picture tells a different story. But having said all that in the longer term for me personally I will almost certainly build something that addresses my very specific needs (and which am pretty sure will cost me a great deal more and end up worth a great less than my current California) or look at the Westfalia Columbus to see if that can serve my longer term needs.
But of course CaliforniaCamping is absolutely right - it's whatever suits for the needs/requirements for the individual.
I agree, a lot of people say you could get "this' for the price of "that"... but most people buy what they want for their own personal reasons. Thankfully we are very lucky because there is a huge range of vehicles available and at least one will suit a person's needs.
+CaliforniaCamping - yes, you've hit the nail on the head again - as you've explained elsewhere, politely in your comments and in your excellent video commentary - it's horses for courses. There's EVERY type of camping device out there to choose from, we are really lucky there is, from a bivouac to a 45 foot coach with gold plated taps, servants and a BMW in the garage, and it's what suits YOU! The VW Transporter's neat size and width, its everyday usability, its car-like driving and comfortable ride, built-in separate bathroom, do it for us! Hope you're enjoying Switzerland. Cheers.