AA Solar Battery Charger & T5 Diagnostic Port

If I trickle charge my 2006 VW T5 Topaz vehicle battery via the diagnostic port (EOBD?) using this AA Solar device, will it also trickle charge the leisure battery?

jakx wrote:If I trickle charge my 2006 VW T5 Topaz vehicle battery via the diagnostic port (EOBD?) using this AA Solar device, will it also trickle charge the leisure battery?

No.

And unless you've specifically got info from VW that their diagnostic port can handle incoming charge, I would not use it to charge the vehicle battery either myself. The body control units on a T5 are complex devices (for example the user manual for my T5 explicitly states that you must not charge the vehicle battery via the cigar lighter socket) and they are ~very~ expensive to replace if you cause one to fail (£200+ for one example that I looked at).

I'm not sure what you mean by "AA solar device" but if you mean one designed for AA batteries then the output voltage will be way too low to charge a vehicle or leisure battery anyway.

Thanks for the info -mojo- I will check with VW, though this is an AA (Automobile Association) branded item listed on their own website, Amazon and elsewhere; described here in this very brief extract...

"The AA Solar Panel Car & Caravan Battery Charger plugs directly into the EOBD plug socket inside your vehicle (standard on most cars, petrol from 2001 and diesel from 2004). The crocodile connectors provided make this a truly universal kit so if your car does not have the EOBD plug it will still be suitable..........."

Ah, that AA!

Please let us know what VW says. They tend to be very risk-averse, so I would not be suprised if the answer is "The diagnostic port on a T5 is not designed for the purpose of charging the vehicle battery", or words to that effect.

Assuming you don't want to leave it connected while you are driving, the diagnostic port on a T5 is also not a particularly convenient thing to use, as it's in the driver's footwell, hidden from view above the pedals. Although VW don't recommend it, I would have thought that the cigar lighter socket would have been far more convenient, as it is always on, even with ignition off, in a T5.

... taken from (Jeep) wranglersforum.com posted back in 2007:
 
"VW ships solar chargers with each of its new cars to reduce the loss of batteries on long shipments. The newer models of these chargers hook into the OBD II port and charge through it. I understand that the OBD II would have constant 12v from the battery for this to work and some manufacturers have it wired that way and some don't......"
 
Read only the other week about some Dealers placing low voltage solar panels on top of the dashboard to help keep longstanding vehicles' batteries topped-up on the premises.

I guess some of those might be connected via the inboard OBD port - ie no exterior wiring to the battery.

I first saw these chargers on Ebay a couple of years ago and forgot all about them until this thread......



[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks Paul, similar to the AA charger (see link below) which I pick up from my Son's place later today, other than it's 2.4W max, has LED charging confirmation, built-in overcharge protection - appears to be a lot more compact and costs under £30.
 
Bought mine on Amazon... this is from AA website:
 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This could be very useful in cars where the cigar lighter is not on all the time - though pretty expensive compared to other panels with the same output.

But, as already pointed out, on a T5 the cigar lighter socket would be far easier to use than the diagnostic port, to exactly the same effect.

... exactly, which leads me neatly back to my original question here; while charging my T5 battery (via lighter or OBD socket) can I expect the leisure battery to also be trickle charged?

As a 'van newbie I don't know the answer, but I kind've remember being told that on mains trickle charging the T5 Topaz over winter, for example, once the vehicle battery has 'full' charge - the (mains supply) charger will trickle charge the (interconnected?) leisure battery?

I don't think the leisure will be charged, in fact I'm pretty certain it won't. I use 2 panels in my Symphony, a 4.8w through the cigar lighter for the engine battery and a 2.4w on the leisure with croc clips. Even on hook-up, both will not be charged as far as I know, unless you have a battery-master or similar fitted which diverts the charge once the leisure is full. Some vans have a rocker switch on the panel marked 'engine/starter' and 'leisure'. With these you can select which battery is charged from the mains. Don't know the set up on your VW though.

jakx wrote:... exactly, which leads me neatly back to my original question here; while charging my T5 battery (via lighter or OBD socket) can I expect the leisure battery to also be trickle charged?

The first word in my original reply is your answer. No, it won't charge the leisure battery (unless you have "twinned" batteries where both are permanently connected together, in which case niether is really a leisure battery - they are both starter batteries). AFAIK, A-S never fitted twinned batteries to VWs originally, though there is an example (probably added later by an owner) in another recent thread here.

Thanks -mojo- sorry, I think I misunderstood your 'no' as it being more to do with the use of the OBD socket.

Paul, thanks to you also - I had been considering having a separate solar source for the leisure battery if necessary; will 'visit' the 'van this weekend with the AA charger, check the panel switches and 'interrogate' both batteries with my first ever multimeter.