Got a couple of problems, probably linked:

 

1. Nearly every time I start my car I am getting a low battery warning.

2. The start-stop system doesn't work anymore.

 

The stop-start is displaying two messages (sometimes one or the other and sometimes both together) which are:

 

• Power consumption too high.

• Engine must be running.

 

Not really sure where to start. To get the "power consumption is high" message off I have tried unplugging anything plugged in such as dash cam, usb etc, turning off air conditioning, lights and other bits when sitting in a car park but it still says consumption is too high.

 

Anyone had this before I book it in to get looked at?

I'd just book it in if its in warrenty.

Engine must be running is misleading (it means the engine needs to be running).

I think it displays this when the car is actually moving but also when it is stationary & regneration is active (engine speed is also increased to 1000rpm)

The is normal & doesn't indicate an error - it is just an information message.

 

Your real problem is "Power consumption too high".

I would guess this message means something has unexpectedly discharged the battery so just unplugging your devices wont make it go away.

 

Do you leave your dashcam always connected & do you have a magic power box fitted (to turn it off when the battery gets low?)

Try to connect it only when the engine is running for a day or two to allow the battery to recharge.

 

If you still have the warning message, then as above, take it to the dealer.

The root problem is the battery charging. If the battery is too low then the stop start system will disable itself as it uses extra battery compared to normal running. Likely to be an alternator or battery problem.

Martin

+1 for the Blackvue.

 

Had to stop leaving mine in parking mode due to the massive battery drain it causes. Since then the Stop/Start has been working flawlessly.

+1 for the Blackvue.

 

Had to stop leaving mine in parking mode due to the massive battery drain it causes. Since then the Stop/Start has been working flawlessly.

What do you mean by parking mode please?

Got the Blackvue but have a magic power thing so it's cuts off before voltage gets too low. It's been fitted for the last 6 months at least and haven't had a problem before so can't be that.

As I said above I've disconnected the dash cam and I still get a low battery warning when starting.

It's going into the dealers on Monday for unrelated work and they've got it for a week so I'll just have to get them to add this to the list.

Edited 19 November, 201510 yr by JamesVRSmk3

Got the Blackvue but have a magic power thing so it's cuts off before voltage gets too low. It's been fitted for the last 6 months at least and haven't had a problem before so can't be that.

As I said above I've disconnected the dash cam and I still get a low battery warning when starting.

It's going into the dealers on Monday for unrelated work and they've got it for a week so I'll just have to get them to add this to the list.

 

You disconnted the dashcam or the powermagic, or both?

Both.

I have the powermagic, and when it cuts out your battery is still drained enough to affect start/stop.

 

I had the same problems with mine until I turned parking mode off (flipped the switch, so it's now only on with ignition). Took a couple weeks of normal driving for the battery to charge back up to normal so that it worked fine again (unplugging it will still leave your battery too discharged to run start/stop properly) and about a month or so to show the battery at normal levels.

 

If I turn parking mode back on, then I'm fine for about 2 months and then it's back to the issues you have.

 

Try the trip reset battery level (SOC) trick, bet it shows about 60% or less on the display. I'd guarantee you this problem is 100% the blackvue.

 

What do you mean by parking mode please?

When the dashcam is recording when the car is turned off - I had mine set to still be powered when the ignition is off so it recorded when parked. Very useful, but not so good for the battery it seemed.

Edited 19 November, 201510 yr by Mort

A battery will fully recharge in less than an hour under normal driving conditions. I've completed over 1,000 miles since disconnecting the camera with plenty of long journeys and it hasn't made a difference.

I'll say it again...the camera was not draining the cars battery for over 6 months so it's very doubtful it has suddenly decided to drain it now.

Also that battery measure thing is worse than useless. Many people including myself have seen it register 0% and still start.

Edited 19 November, 201510 yr by JamesVRSmk3

I can only speak from my experience. I can recreate the symptoms exactly, and consistently, when I turn my powermagic on to park mode for a decent amount of time. It took mine about 5 months (fitted it when new) before the start/stop problems first started. So I was just going on the fact they are very similar situations (plus we both have the 650-2 and the same car).

 

Guess, however, it wouldn't account for the 1k you've done without the dashcam though. So might be something more sinister?

Does your magic power thing allow you to set it by time rather than voltage? May be worth trying it on that so you at least record the times you stop in supermarket car parks?

Yeah, I thought about playing with the switches to go for a time delay, but can't find the manual - will have to dig it out online. I'm currently manually throwing the switch if I feel i need it recording when I'm not in the car.

 

It's just annoying as I assumed that the blackvue would use less power than my driving would replenish with use of the car. To be fair I only do mostly short journeys around urban areas, but adds up to at least a couple hours each day. But now I know for a fact that my car/battery won't take it; just waiting for that day I come back to something that I wish I had on camera.

A battery will fully recharge in less than an hour under normal driving conditions. I've completed over 1,000 miles since disconnecting the camera with plenty of long journeys and it hasn't made a difference.

I'll say it again...the camera was not draining the cars battery for over 6 months so it's very doubtful it has suddenly decided to drain it now.

Also that battery measure thing is worse than useless. Many people including myself have seen it register 0% and still start.

On a car without a battery management system and start stop that is probably correct.

Unfortunately, the O3 takes a long time to put charge in to the battery, it basically trickle charges once it reaches a certain voltage.

Try giving the battery a charge and see if your error goes away?

Read the manual though, do not under any circumstances connect a charger directly to the battery.

I have a Blackvue with a Power Magic Pro and don't have any issues if I enable parking mode on the PowerMagicPro. You can adjust the voltage and time with the dip switches.

Do you do a lot of short journeys or leave the car parked up for days on end?

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Edited 20 November, 201510 yr by andyvee

It could be that your battery has now been sulphated which limits its capacity. Essentially, once the voltage drops below a point, sulphation starts to build up ont plates and this reduced the overall capacity. Particularly if you do lots of short runs with all the draining circuits on wont let the battery charge to a sufficient level to keep it from damaging So basically, your charge system could be fine but if the battery is shagged, it won't hold the charge for long or the capacity is that limited it won't hold enough to start without issues. Get the battery drop tested. That will at least narrow it down. Dealers will work it out.

Edited 20 November, 201510 yr by Mallettsmallett

It's never sat for long - night time and while I'm at work during the day.

Think I've solved it though - Yesterday I pulled fuses in both glove box and engine bay for various things, left for an hour and put them all back.

The result has been the car started this morning with no warning and the start/stop is kicking in. If the same happens tomorrow morning then hopefully it means it's fixed. The only problem is I pulled all the fuses in one go rather than one at a time so I won't know what system was causing it.

I have the powermagic, and when it cuts out your battery is still drained enough to affect start/stop.

 

I had the same problems with mine until I turned parking mode off (flipped the switch, so it's now only on with ignition). Took a couple weeks of normal driving for the battery to charge back up to normal so that it worked fine again (unplugging it will still leave your battery too discharged to run start/stop properly) and about a month or so to show the battery at normal levels.

 

If I turn parking mode back on, then I'm fine for about 2 months and then it's back to the issues you have.

 

Try the trip reset battery level (SOC) trick, bet it shows about 60% or less on the display. I'd guarantee you this problem is 100% the blackvue.

 

When the dashcam is recording when the car is turned off - I had mine set to still be powered when the ignition is off so it recorded when parked. Very useful, but not so good for the battery it seemed.

Ok, thanks

Problem returned three weeks ago and I have had a low battery warning every morning when going to work and every evening when leaving work despite nothing being plugged in and no dashcam either when the car is on or off.

 

It struggles to start (nearly every time) which I know alot of people report usually as a one off but this is happening very regularly. On Tuesday I got a lift to work (usually drive myself) so didn't use the car all day Tuesday. Went to start it Wednesday morning and the battery was flat and AA called. Got the car started and took it for a 3 hour drive....returned to the car 5 hours later and low battery warning again. No idea what it is but something is seriously draining the power. I'm also still getting the "Power consumption too high" message on the 'start/stop' system display constantly even if everything (lights manually set to off, no stereo, no air con, no window heaters on) is off and the engine has been running 30 mins or longer.

 

Skoda phoned me today to say that when my car (VRS TDI) was last in it was actually mean't to have some sort of update but they overlooked it because the system they use to check for updates was down. I explained my recent problem so they are going to do both bits together in a couple of weeks when a courtsey car is available and will hopefully get to the bottom of it.

A 3 hour drive won't really charge a battery that is pretty much flat. Have you tried connecting a charger to get the battery fully charged?

Weird that you are getting the power consumption is too high message, unless of course this message also covers power consumption is too high because I am trying to charge the battery .....

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I wasn't expecting a full charge but at least enough to get rid of the low battery message and not struggle again straight away. I think the guy estimated about 4-8 hours of driving to fully charge the battery. I did 3 hours in one direction then 3 hours in the other a few hours later and it made no difference.

Yes battery has been fully charged via a charger and made no difference at all - except that it does allow it to start fine for a day or two then back to normal.

Edited 11 February, 201610 yr by JamesVRSmk3

Do you still get the high power consumption message if your battery is fully charged?

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Not sure I didn't check and cannot remember if start/stop worked - was just excited that it started without hesitation. Funnily enough I was thinking the same thing after I replied. I'll try and hook it up to a charger again over the weekend if I get a chance and see what happens. It could well be the message relates to charging the battery but doesn't explain why it keeps emptying over a period of 5 to 8 hours. I did a test last week and went out at lunchtime for a drive to see if I got the low battery warning...I didn't. That means the alternator is definitely charging while driving on the way into work and at 4 hours of being parked (9am to 1pm) the car is fine but after another 4 hours (1pm to 5pm) it's struggling and I get the low battery. Whatever it is is causing a massive drain on the battery.

I've checked all the bulbs to make sure they turn off when the car is locked and they do. No engine fan running after I park up. No engine bay noises after locking etc.

Edited 11 February, 201610 yr by JamesVRSmk3

It could be a duff battery or battery monitoring module. When you charge it are you using the earth point on the bulkhead?

Did you have the CAN Gateway replaced at some point? It might be worth checking with VCDS that the battery details have been saved to the battery monitoring module, it is a sub module of the CAN gateway.

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Yes not directly to the battery....luckily the person who lent me the charger pointed it out as he had a car with Stop/Start and has to connect the earth in the same way. I would never have checked the manual first so could have caused some damage.

Not had CAN gateway replaced. Been reading through the forum some more this evening and it matches with others who've just had duff batteries so hope that's all it is.