[DMT]

Don't forget that to get the car to start the engine on powerup, just start-up with your foot on the brake and fully down on the accelerator. This will get the battery charged quicker.

 

[wake.forest.ltd]

I have a 2016 GTE and have already changed 3 12V batteries and have only done 21.000 miles on it. Yesterday it was a hectic day since the 12V battery gave up and I was left with a dead car; had to open the driver's door with the physical key. After some trying and testing (turning on and off the fob, inserting the key and turning it to get the car going it suddenly started and was able to drive the car back home. I then used a tester on the battery terminals by the fuse box and no wonder it didn't run.. The 12V battery had only 4 volts !! This car is used by my wife and normally uses it to go shopping; the distance is so short 25 miles, she drives entirely on electric power. We have enough solar panels to charge it when needed without any problems; the car is normally used in that manner every three days, so my question is: Why is it or more to the point, why is it NOT charging the 12V battery. I am right now charging it with an exernal charger and hopefully should be fully charged in a couple of hours, but clearly that is not the way a modern electric vehicle should behave; it is actually a disaster. From the time I purchased it in 2016 and with only those 21.000 miles I've also had the DSG box removed and repaired (not covered by the warranty) and several visits also paid by me, where they were trying to find the reason for many electrical issues including why it was eating batteries so fast. To tell you the truth, all three bateries were fine and still are, it is only that stupid warning you get on the dash telling you to change battery and workshop... When charging the main high voltage battery, it shoud also take care of the 12 V one. (I think)...
I have the feeling that in 2016 made a terrible error purchasing this car.

 

[tom66]

The DC/DC converter of the car might be faulty. Did you change the 12V battery fuse too? That can cause lots of odd issues when it goes bad.

 

[MikeMK]

I have a Golf eHybrid 1.5 2025 have exactly the same issue. We recently installed a MyEnergy Zappi (stupid name but hey) via Octopus and had no problems for 3/4 weeks but on Monday it was dead on the driveway. Called VW assistance, the tech knew exactly what the problem was. After he diagnosed and fixed it he said he's attended many of these (the new Tiguan too) and it was to do with the car recognising it was plugged in but constantly restarting its electrical system which uses .5A quickly flattening the 12V battery, crippling the car. All was well for a couple of days but this afternoon had exactly the same issue. VW assistance sorted it again (different tech but essentially the same experience and advice). I phoned the senior technician at Marshalls who candidly told me that VW are aware of the issue and they'd reach out when the software update becomes available. I've had several Audis and VWs over the last 15 years or so (5 years with hybrids) and this is the first time I've had any serious problem. I understand this is a far more complex car than even the previous model but a minor compatibility/software problem shouldn't cripple the car!

 

[Cbcbcbcb8]

I have a Golf eHybrid 1.5 2025 have exactly the same issue. We recently installed a MyEnergy Zappi (stupid name but hey) via Octopus and had no problems for 3/4 weeks but on Monday it was dead on the driveway. Called VW assistance, the tech knew exactly what the problem was. After he diagnosed and fixed it he said he's attended many of these (the new Tiguan too) and it was to do with the car recognising it was plugged in but constantly restarting its electrical system which uses .5A quickly flattening the 12V battery, crippling the car. All was well for a couple of days but this afternoon had exactly the same issue. VW assistance sorted it again (different tech but essentially the same experience and advice). I phoned the senior technician at Marshalls who candidly told me that VW are aware of the issue and they'd reach out when the software update becomes available. I've had several Audis and VWs over the last 15 years or so (5 years with hybrids) and this is the first time I've had any serious problem. I understand this is a far more complex car than even the previous model but a minor compatibility/software problem shouldn't cripple the car!

Agree. I brought my 8.5 as I thought the bugs would have been ironed out since the 8. I wrongly assumed apart from a few changes to the code to allow for larger batteries etc, it would be same as the 8.

I still have to have my charger installed so it hasn’t hit me yet, but monitoring this for when they do update. At least they working on it. And hopefully it will be properly tested before release.

 

[Maturedriver]

At least they working on it. And hopefully it will be properly tested before release.

I doubt it !

 

[Cbcbcbcb8]

I doubt it !

In VW‘s defence when I had spurious power warning messages on my 7.5 golf they initiated a roll out of an update for my car. It was however only for my seemingly fairly rare 7.5 bluemotion model and engine combination. This only took them a couple of weeks and the technician said it was so new he was having to google translate some of the instructions from German. All worked perfectly since.

This latest issue with charging affects a lot more models and makes. I suspect that will take them quite a while testing this before release.

Saying all that I suspect you are right ! 😀

I wonder if they will do a proper recall and contact people or just do it at next service and/or when people report issues.

 

[MikeMK]

I've had the same issue of the 12V battery draining on my Golf 8.5 eHybrid. A neighbour knocked on my door to say there was some beeping, but stopped just as they were waiting for me to answer the door.

Car was plugged in to a Hypervolt charger set to "Super eco" mode, where charger will charge car only when there's sufficient excess solar power from my system. (To my knowledge Hypervolt chargers communicate with the car only through the cable, as I've not provided any details to my VW account).

Other days I've just set the charger to Scheduled Charge at off-peak and not had any problems 🤞.

When VW roadside assistance came they knew exactly what the issue was as soon as they saw the car plugged into a charger! The guy said it was happening across all VW brands. He said it doesn't happen all the time consistently, just some vehicles occasionally.

He boosted the battery and everything was fine. Told me to leave the car with the ignition on ("Ready" showing on dashboard) for 20 minutes which would allow the high voltage battery to charge the 12V system more.

Other than that I was advised to unplug the car when not charging, and to call assistance if it happens again. He said he'd logged the incident so the dealership's would see it and also VW back in Germany.

That's exactly what happened to me (twice). VW say it's a known issue and they're working on a fix.

 

[MikeMK]

Agree. I brought my 8.5 as I thought the bugs would have been ironed out since the 8. I wrongly assumed apart from a few changes to the code to allow for larger batteries etc, it would be same as the 8.

I still have to have my charger installed so it hasn’t hit me yet, but monitoring this for when they do update. At least they working on it. And hopefully it will be properly tested before release.

I previously had the VW Golf mk8 GTE which was excellent apart from the hideous ergonomics (especially the aircon controls and the haptic steering wheel buttons). This has pretty much been solved with the new big screen, it still takes a bit of getting used to but it's fine - I would've liked the click-wheel volume control as on Audi but that's a quibble.

BTW the quoted 88 mile electric range is a complete fantasy (as expected), the most I've ever got is 50 but I expect that to improve with the weather. And it's still way better than the 20 range in the GTE!

 

[MikeMK]

In VW‘s defence when I had spurious power warning messages on my 7.5 golf they initiated a roll out of an update for my car. It was however only for my seemingly fairly rare 7.5 bluemotion model and engine combination. This only took them a couple of weeks and the technician said it was so new he was having to google translate some of the instructions from German. All worked perfectly since.

This latest issue with charging affects a lot more models and makes. I suspect that will take them quite a while testing this before release.

Saying all that I suspect you are right ! 😀

I wonder if they will do a proper recall and contact people or just do it at next service and/or when people report issues.

Going from what the VW assistance tech told me, it's becoming a common problem but they hope to roll out a fix very soon. It's only a matter of time before the press catch hold of it and VW definitely wouldn't want any negative publicity!

 

[Maturedriver]

I previously had the VW Golf mk8 GTE which was excellent apart from the hideous ergonomics (especially the aircon controls and the haptic steering wheel buttons). This has pretty much been solved with the new big screen, it still takes a bit of getting used to but it's fine - I would've liked the click-wheel volume control as on Audi but that's a quibble.

BTW the quoted 88 mile electric range is a complete fantasy (as expected), the most I've ever got is 50 but I expect that to improve with the weather. And it's still way better than the 20 range in the GTE!

My Mk8.5 GTE does around 50 miles at the recommended 80%. Give or take depending on the weather. I think it will do about 60 miles (give or take, again) at 100%. The claimed 82 miles is only possible if you drive like a big girl’s blouse where speeds are very low.

 

[Disgruntled]

Hi Folks. I am going through the process of rejecting my GTE 8.5. If I don't get a solution today solicitors will have be involved.

I received the car new on Sep30 2024. Since then I have had the car on the road for 14days!!

When plugging the car in for a night charge (Ohme/Octopus Intelligent charge, from 23:30 to 05:30) the alarm goes off on or before the charger starts. The car is then completely dead. No charge in the battery. A boost start brings her back to life.

It has had the AX4 Charging Unit replaced for first failure. +12V Battery replaced for the 2nd, and after the 3rd failure I am told I have to wait for a software update. VW tell me I can still drive it but remove the cable after charging!!!

Has anyone had similar problem? I believe a few cars in my local dealer (Milton Keynes) have this problem. VW have been dragging their feet over the rejection request.

Regards

Dave

I got my 1.5gte on 16 Jan 2025. Having same problem. VW say it can't be fixed. They are awaiting software update from VW. If car is charged for full time on Octopus night rate 12v battery is flat. You can hear the fan cooling the battery constantly running draining 12v battery. Only charge it for 2 hours to protect 12v battery. From your post VW where aware of the problem but still sold the car. Awaiting a call from VW as I raised a complaint. Time this was in the papers to warn other buyers.

 

[MikeMK]

I got my 1.5gte on 16 Jan 2025. Having same problem. VW say it can't be fixed. They are awaiting software update from VW. If car is charged for full time on Octopus night rate 12v battery is flat. You can hear the fan cooling the battery constantly running draining 12v battery. Only charge it for 2 hours to protect 12v battery. From your post VW where aware of the problem but still sold the car. Awaiting a call from VW as I raised a complaint. Time this was in the papers to warn other buyers.

Yes - both the VW Assistance tech and the senior tech at the VW dealers told me the same thing. It's obviously a known problem but it's ridiculous that plugging in overnight can cripple your car. I only charge during the day now which rather negates the advantage of smart-charging at off-peak rates (or in the summer when you can set it to charge from solar).

 

[casson.charlesworth9]

Would like to add we’ve got the same issue with our GTE. Had the car 5 days and battery is already flat. I get the unplug the car option but one of the major points to octopus energy intelligent is that if you car is plugged in, it tells you the hours in the day when the whole property is on 7p per kw. If the car isn’t plugged in I’m quietly confident in saying that we’re missing out on the cheaper tariffs through out the day if the grid is on low demand. Joke of an issue for a new car. Especially when one of the deciding factors for going for VW is its an established brand that’s supposed to have good reliability.

 

[Disgruntled]

I am using octopus. I only charge the car to 40-50% through the night. Stop the charge at 0400hrs. The car is only charging 2 hours per night. So far this is working. Unplug the car at 0630. Still waiting to hear about the car going back.

 

[tos]

Greetings from Finland. I just got my GTE.
This is TPI for battery drain 2076781/1 from 17.2.2025.
It says that they still don't have update, and please say for customer that they unplug the cable from car.

 

[Disgruntled]

No update from vw. Still waiting to hear from them.

 

[chris123]

That's exactly what happened to me (twice). VW say it's a known issue and they're working on a fix.

I've been reliably using scheduled charge on my Hypervolt charger now for nearly two months without issue.

I don't intend to use the super eco mode anymore as I get more money for solar export than pay to charge at night.

 

[MrPaulus]

I'm sorry to hear about the problems. You can get a 12V battery monitor/charger pretty cheaply. Rather than face a dead car it's probably a good investment. A lot of BEVs have 12V issues too, so such a gadget would likely come in useful in future.

 

[Geoff_S]

Same here. A few red herrings in the process, I think. But essentially:

Brand new GTE collected just 3 weeks ago.

Overnight charge using OHME PRO charger/OVO Energy Anytime 2 days ago. OHME does it's clever scheduling, so far so good.

7:00am next day, 16% charge in traction battery and totally dead 12v battery.

Volkswagen Assist called, arrived one hour later, all good. Known fault and "Volkswagen working tirelessly on fix".

Just as well it's a hybrid and I could at least use it with the 16% charge rather than the 100% I requested.

Anyway, Volkswagen working on fix? I won't hold my breath, I've ordered a Jump Starter Pack for next time, just in case.

And just putting together a potential rejection letter to the dealership. I do feel for them, it's not their fault.