2nd Battery in the T6 Multivan

[FUNBUS]

G'day All,

Has anyone fitted a 2nd battery to the new T6?

Looking at using the TJM DC charger to run off the primary battery, but need to know what battery fits under the passenger seat.. Anyone done something similar, or have the dimension?

Cheers

Stu

Hey Stu,
Did you end up getting a second battery fitted to your T6? I bought a car fridge for mine recently, so now I'm pretty keen to get a second battery fitted. I have fitted swivels to both front seats which limits the height of a battery to the height of the seat base. Also the Multivan has electric front seats and a lot of other electrics under the front seats so I'm not sure how it would go for room.
Cheers,
David

[irsa76]

Second battery is a stand alone option on Transporter and an inclusive option with the cool box in luggage compartment on Multivan. Rrp for the combined battery/coolbox is about $1300, which isn't terrible. I'm currently working out what options I want when I order my van later this year, lease ends on my current car early next year, and the second battery is on the list. For those who want/need a bigger aux battery there have been some positive comments about Lithium batteries in place of the AGM, I probably won't worry about it until it's battery replacement time.

[Bryn23]

Hey Stu,
Did you end up getting a second battery fitted to your T6? I bought a car fridge for mine recently, so now I'm pretty keen to get a second battery fitted. I have fitted swivels to both front seats which limits the height of a battery to the height of the seat base. Also the Multivan has electric front seats and a lot of other electrics under the front seats so I'm not sure how it would go for room.
Cheers,
David

Hi David,

With the T6 a lot of DC-DC chargers, they don't work right, due to the low voltage alternator, so just bare that in mind.

Ctek, are bringing out a low voltage D250s in May i think, Redarc do a LV Dc-Dc charger, i'd be looking for one with lithium capability for the future (Pro Power have a 100ah lipo4 that will fit)

I don't have all the heated seats, but i do have the captains chairs, and i believe, the same swivel seats as you and the factory VW second battery which doesn't hit the swivel mount, about a 10mm gap.

If you can't fit it under the seat, i'd be finding a place in the rear.

It's a pain to get to the battery under the seat, now that the swivel seat is attached

[FUNBUS]

Second battery is a stand alone option on Transporter and an inclusive option with the cool box in luggage compartment on Multivan.

Thanks for that info irsa76. I didn't buy the coolbox option because I wanted to get a fridge/freezer rather than the coolbox. I wasn't aware that the second battery setup came with the coolbox or I reckon I would have bought it. The salesman obviously wasn't aware either. Anyway, at least I now know that it's an option for the Multivan so I'll look into getting it through VW. It will no doubt cost a lot more than it's worth, but at least it won't void the warranty.
Cheers,
David

[FUNBUS]

Hi David,

With the T6 a lot of DC-DC chargers, they don't work right, due to the low voltage alternator, so just bare that in mind.

Ctek, are bringing out a low voltage D250s in May i think, Redarc do a LV Dc-Dc charger, i'd be looking for one with lithium capability for the future (Pro Power have a 100ah lipo4 that will fit)

I don't have all the heated seats, but i do have the captains chairs, and i believe, the same swivel seats as you and the factory VW second battery which doesn't hit the swivel mount, about a 10mm gap.

If you can't fit it under the seat, i'd be finding a place in the rear.

It's a pain to get to the battery under the seat, now that the swivel seat is attached

Thanks for that info Bryn23. It seems that getting a second battery is at least achievable for me still. I'm inclined to go with the VW option if it is affordable. Saves warranty problems. Apart from the batteries, do you know if the electrics and fitment of the aftermarket models are far superior to the VW system, or are they pretty well all the same.
Cheers,
David

[Bryn23]

I'm not sure if VW can do a factory fit at the dealership,(worth asking) i ordered it as an option when i ordered my van and it was done at the factory in Germany.

it was only $500 option, so i took the easy way out, i ran the multimeter on the charge to the Aux battery and it was 14.55-14.57 during a drive, but since that i've see that others in the UK are getting variable voltage coming through, due to brake regen...

Now that the swivel seat is on i can't get to the battery to do further testing, well until i strip it and line it with Sound deadener.

The newer aftermarket with low voltage dc-dc are smarter and better, (different AGM charging modes and lithium profiles) but would cost more than the $500 factory fitted at time of build.

it's annoying when ordering options as they don't seem to know what is included in the options..

[irsa76]

I'm pretty sure there is a detailed options listing out there, I know there was one for the T4.
As for the combined second battery/cool box in the Multivan, personally I'd prefer just the battery but the cool box is handy so the wife agrees it's a no brainer option.
Now to figure out which pure sinewave invertor to use, which will wait until I actually take delivery of the van so I can workout how much room I've got to play with.