Battery management issues VW New California T7

[jam_hod]

Creaks and rattles are covered under warranty but only for a limited time/mileage, say 6 months, 6000 miles, rather than the full warranty period. Hopefully your van is within the VW limit

It is 10 days old and 280miles

 

[Dodge1311]

You should be fine I had all my creaks and rattles sorted 2 weeks ago and I am at 13,000 miles and six months old. I doesn’t really cost them too much just time and sticky foam pads everywhere is the sophisticated VW solution.

 

[Rubinstein]

You should be fine I had all my creaks and rattles sorted 2 weeks ago and I am at 13,000 miles and six months old. I doesn’t really cost them too much just time and sticky foam pads everywhere is the sophisticated VW solution.

could you share where the pads are fitted and what they are like, im currently doing my van with bits of felt tape and cardboard

 

[Dodge1311]

All over the roof, inside the dash and the vents. Pretty much the same types of pads you have mentioned that come in packs from the pound shop.

 

[Toneb]

I also have both the battery issues and creaks and rattles - posted about it the other day and no one replied so assumed I was the only one with these noises!
I can just about cope with the cupboard door/shelf rattles but the squeaking/creaking from the cupboard above the hob by the nearside door is just unbearable - drives you to distraction! Trying to get hold of my local dealer as had to buy from miles away as nothing near me and the local dealers said they were not selling T7's due to VW moving to only two dealerships selling them in the UK (Liverpool and Poole)!
Which in itself worries me immensely as I suspect they won't be able to service or fix the new T7's as they will not see many so won't gain the experience and knowledge. I don't want to reject the vehicle and don't even know how or if that's possible. I just want the £80k vehicle I bought to work as it should do!

"but the squeaking/creaking from the cupboard above the hob by the nearside door is just unbearable - drives you to distraction!"
I looked in that cupboad yesterday in search of rattles in my T7 Ocean and discovered that the air vent ducting at the top is unsecure and it easily moves with consequent noises. I have made it more secure with kitchen towel paper wedged in a several places.

 

[kaifetzer]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if there are now any effective solutions or proven fixes for the well-known battery drain issue on the T7 California.

My vehicle (2.0 TDI Ocean) has received all currently available software updates – according to VW, it’s on the latest version (2650).
However, I’m still seeing the same behaviour:

• After just two or three days of standing still – without use, without doors being opened, and with no active consumers – the vehicle battery regularly drops to around 30 %,
• and the leisure battery also goes down to about 60 %, even though no loads are connected.

I’ve since installed a solar system from Califaktur to help counter the problem.
It works fine in good sunlight, but of course, it doesn’t help much in cloudy or winter conditions.

So my questions are:
Has anyone found a reliable or lasting technical solution – e.g. modified settings, hardware tweaks, or proven retrofit components – to stop the battery drain?
And does anyone know whether software version 2650 is actually the latest version for the T7 Ocean Diesel, or if (as seen in some posts showing version 2768) there is already a newer release available?

I’d really appreciate any insights or recommendations from those who’ve dealt with this.

 

[Rubinstein]

"but the squeaking/creaking from the cupboard above the hob by the nearside door is just unbearable - drives you to distraction!"
I looked in that cupboad yesterday in search of rattles in my T7 Ocean and discovered that the air vent ducting at the top is unsecure and it easily moves with consequent noises. I have made it more secure with kitchen towel paper wedged in a several places.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if there are now any effective solutions or proven fixes for the well-known battery drain issue on the T7 California.

My vehicle (2.0 TDI Ocean) has received all currently available software updates – according to VW, it’s on the latest version (2650).
However, I’m still seeing the same behaviour:

• After just two or three days of standing still – without use, without doors being opened, and with no active consumers – the vehicle battery regularly drops to around 30 %,
• and the leisure battery also goes down to about 60 %, even though no loads are connected.

I’ve since installed a solar system from Califaktur to help counter the problem.
It works fine in good sunlight, but of course, it doesn’t help much in cloudy or winter conditions.

So my questions are:
Has anyone found a reliable or lasting technical solution – e.g. modified settings, hardware tweaks, or proven retrofit components – to stop the battery drain?
And does anyone know whether software version 2650 is actually the latest version for the T7 Ocean Diesel, or if (as seen in some posts showing version 2768) there is already a newer release available?

I’d really appreciate any insights or recommendations from those who’ve dealt with this.

View attachment 141878

View attachment 141879

Hi, I have the same model as you. After the update my issues were cured, however when im not using the van I still switch off wifi, keyless entry and bluetooth. Im not aware of any further updates in the uk for our van model

 

[kaifetzer]

Thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately, I keep hearing this again and again – for some people the problem seems to be fixed after the update, but unfortunately not for me.

We also use the California as a second car. When we drive it regularly, the issue isn’t as noticeable. But this time, we didn’t use it for four days – and during that time there was a massive discharge of both batteries. If I had waited just one more day, the vehicle battery would probably have been deeply discharged.

To be honest, I find it quite annoying to have to manually disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and keyless entry on such an expensive vehicle (over €100,000).
Especially since I regularly use these features – for example for CarPlay and connectivity – and they really should just work as expected.

 

[Rubinstein]

Thanks for your reply.
Unfortunately, I keep hearing this again and again – for some people the problem seems to be fixed after the update, but unfortunately not for me.

We also use the California as a second car. When we drive it regularly, the issue isn’t as noticeable. But this time, we didn’t use it for four days – and during that time there was a massive discharge of both batteries. If I had waited just one more day, the vehicle battery would probably have been deeply discharged.

To be honest, I find it quite annoying to have to manually disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and keyless entry on such an expensive vehicle (over €100,000).
Especially since I regularly use these features – for example for CarPlay and connectivity – and they really should just work as expected.

Agreed, it would appear your van may have a hardware issue affecting the batteries. With such a heavy drain I would have thought a competent mechanic should be able to identify the source of the issue, particularly now software can be ruled out because you are already updated.

 

[Bongoloidfloyd]

Agreed, it would appear your van may have a hardware issue affecting the batteries. With such a heavy drain I would have thought a competent mechanic should be able to identify the source of the issue, particularly now software can be ruled out because you are already updated.

Is it normal to hear a high pitched whining form the engine compartment for several minutes when opening any door?
It corresponds with a 7amp draw on the vehicle battery for some time which reduces to about 2A after a while.

 

[kaifetzer]

Is it normal to hear a high pitched whining form the engine compartment for several minutes when opening any door?
It corresponds with a 7amp draw on the vehicle battery for some time which reduces to about 2A after a while.

I can’t tell you if it’s normal, but yes, I also hear it when I turn on the ignition without actually starting the car.


Would be interesting to know if everyone experiences this.

 

[Rubinstein]

Is it normal to hear a high pitched whining form the engine compartment for several minutes when opening any door?
It corresponds with a 7amp draw on the vehicle battery for some time which reduces to about 2A after a while.

If you mean with the engine off ?
If the headlights kick in when you open a door you can hear them if the engine is not running, would also explain the power draw.

I can’t tell you if it’s normal, but yes, I also hear it when I turn on the ignition without actually starting the car.


Would be interesting to know if everyone experiences this.

normal to get a few chirps for the egr cleaning itself when opening doors

 

[stoobthealien]

Is it normal to hear a high pitched whining form the engine compartment for several minutes when opening any door?
It corresponds with a 7amp draw on the vehicle battery for some time which reduces to about 2A after a while.

To be fair my Skoda Karoq does the same so I suspect it's a VAG electronics thing

 

[andyr46]

I realise this would practically be a pain in the butt, but would a temporary solution to the draining 'vehicle' and 'leisure' batteries issue to connect the T7 to the EHU when I know I may have to leave the van unused for a few days?

 

[swabes]

Just fyi - I have a Hybrid Ocean which came with the fixed software version (2650?). I left mine for 12 days and both 12v and leisure batteries were OK on my return. I turned off WiFi, keyless entry and the internal motion monitoring as a precaution.

There had been a drain on the leisure batteries - but surely they would charge up quickly the next time I drive the van. The 12v is the important one here (because without thath the car is dead). This was fine. Here are the before and after screens. The before was fully charged using the hook up cable (looks like the 12v charges to 80%ish)

 

[burton61]

How long have you had your T7 hybrid?

 

[swabes]

How long have you had your T7 hybrid?

Bought it as a used car from Breeze, collected it October 2nd. It was first registered end of July 2025.
Only used it for local trips so far.

 

[Agb81]

Just fyi - I have a Hybrid Ocean which came with the fixed software version (2650?). I left mine for 12 days and both 12v and leisure batteries were OK on my return. I turned off WiFi, keyless entry and the internal motion monitoring as a precaution.

There had been a drain on the leisure batteries - but surely they would charge up quickly the next time I drive the van. The 12v is the important one here (because without thath the car is dead). This was fine. Here are the before and after screens. The before was fully charged using the hook up cable (looks like the 12v charges to 80%ish)
View attachment 142063

Hi,


In my opinion, this does seem like excessive energy consumption in absolute terms. Here’s the breakdown:


12V Starter Battery

Dropped from ~80% to 60% → 20% of 68Ah ≈ 13.6Ah used

Auxiliary Camper Batteries

Dropped from 100% to ~30% → 70% of 80Ah (2 × 40Ah) ≈ 56Ah used

Note: below 20%, they no longer share energy with the starter battery. For normal camper use, they work 0 → 100%.

Total Consumption over 12 Days

≈ 69Ah
Average per day: 69 ÷ 12 ≈ 5.8Ah/day (~70Wh/day at 12V)

Usable Battery Capacity (considering working ranges)

12V Starter: 68Ah × 0.8 (0 → 80%) ≈ 54Ah
Auxiliary: 80Ah × 0.8 (100 → 20%) ≈ 64Ah
Total usable: ≈ 118Ah

Estimated Autonomy

118 ÷ 5.8 ≈ 20 days under similar conditions

Additional Notes / Personal Experience:
I’m experiencing the same problem myself. I suspect that something is discharging the starter battery. When the starter battery drops below 50–60%, it is recharged using energy from the auxiliary batteries until they reach 20%. This masks the real problem, which is that the vehicle has three batteries that barely last three weeks.
.

 

[swabes]

Hi,


In my opinion, this does seem like excessive energy consumption in absolute terms. Here’s the breakdown:


12V Starter Battery

Dropped from ~80% to 60% → 20% of 68Ah ≈ 13.6Ah used

Auxiliary Camper Batteries

Dropped from 100% to ~30% → 70% of 80Ah (2 × 40Ah) ≈ 56Ah used

Note: below 20%, they no longer share energy with the starter battery. For normal camper use, they work 0 → 100%.

Total Consumption over 12 Days

≈ 69Ah
Average per day: 69 ÷ 12 ≈ 5.8Ah/day (~70Wh/day at 12V)

Usable Battery Capacity (considering working ranges)

12V Starter: 68Ah × 0.8 (0 → 80%) ≈ 54Ah
Auxiliary: 80Ah × 0.8 (100 → 20%) ≈ 64Ah
Total usable: ≈ 118Ah

Estimated Autonomy

118 ÷ 5.8 ≈ 20 days under similar conditions

Additional Notes / Personal Experience:
I’m experiencing the same problem myself. I suspect that something is discharging the starter battery. When the starter battery drops below 50–60%, it is recharged using energy from the auxiliary batteries until they reach 20%. This masks the real problem, which is that the vehicle has three batteries that barely last three weeks.
.

Wow - thats interesting - thanks - and point taken - it is madness.
Mind you - a few years ago I had a 2011 VW Caddy Maxi Life that would have a dead starter battery after 3 weeks if left unattended. Never had this problem on my '67 Beetle