California T5 2012

[Mimmo]

Hello everyone, my name is Mimmo. I live in Turin, Italy, and I’m writing using an online translator, so I apologize for any mistakes in my English.

I’m very happy to be a new member of this group.

Two months ago I bought a 2012 Volkswagen California T5.2 with the 180 HP BiTDI CFCA engine, 6-speed manual gearbox, and front-wheel drive. Since then, I’ve already built a sliding rear storage drawer in the luggage compartment and installed an external shower connection with both hot and cold water mixer control.

For the hot water system, I installed a small 9-liter boiler with a 200 W / 12 V heating element. I placed it in the lower compartment of the kitchen cabinet under the sink. Everything is working perfectly so far.

Unfortunately, I do not have the owner’s manual in Italian, so I’m trying to understand the most important information from the German version.

I would like to ask a few questions:

1. Is it possible to find an Italian owner’s manual for this vehicle, preferably as a digital file rather than a printed copy?
2. When connected to external 230 V shore power, does the onboard charger also charge the starter battery, or only the leisure batteries?
3. Where is the onboard battery charger located?
4. The 230 V / 150 W socket on the left wall behind the passenger seat:
   • Is it powered by a 12 V DC to 230 V AC inverter?
   • Is it a pure sine wave inverter, and is it safe for charging laptops and other electronic devices?
   • Where is the inverter located?
   • I measured the voltage at this outlet with a voltmeter and it showed about 198 V instead of 230 V. Does anyone know why?
5. Could someone provide the electrical wiring diagrams, especially the fuse locations and the body channels/routing used for the electrical and electronic wiring harnesses?
6. Does the original charging system work reliably and efficiently?
7. What is the typical battery autonomy for running the refrigerator before recharging is needed?
8. The van currently has two newly installed 80 Ah AGM batteries. I would like to replace them with a single 150 Ah lithium battery (NDS Tempra).
   I understand that I would need to install a DC-DC charger between the alternator and the lithium battery, while keeping the original charger because the lithium battery I chose has a BMS that can also accept lead-acid charging profiles.
   Has anyone already done this conversion? I would really appreciate any advice or recommendations.

Thank you very much!

 

[Black Forest]

Hi Mimmo, welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will find lots of help to get you going with the questions that you are asking.

The search function is at the top right and works really well. It brings up a lot of threads and you can choose the one for your vehicle age making it accurate for your question. Also I'm sure people will be along to help as well.

For the manual.. I go via the VW app or online site. Once I'm logged in I can change the language from German to English and the digital owners manual is available on screen. It also has a search function to find what you need.

HTH.

 

[Mimmo]

Hi Mimmo, welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will find lots of help to get you going with the questions that you are asking.

The search function is at the top right and works really well. It brings up a lot of threads and you can choose the one for your vehicle age making it accurate for your question. Also I'm sure people will be along to help as well.

For the manual.. I go via the VW app or online site. Once I'm logged in I can change the language from German to English and the digital owners manual is available on screen. It also has a search function to find what you need. View attachment 147941

HTH.

Good morning, thanks for the information. However, going to the Volkswagen website, it says that the digital manual is available for all Volkswagen models produced from August 1, 2019 onward. If your vehicle is older than this, it says to consult the paper manual for all the details. I only have the manual in German.
Thank you and have a good day.