Hi everyone, still been thinking about converting my 12V sockets to ignition-only. Found this

https://vwts.ru/articles/electro/skoda-kodiaq-fuses.html#1.4.3

which is the only source I've found which gives fuse ratings for each position. Not sure how accurate it is, because my downloaded manual reckons fuse 48 is 'sport sound generator' and not 'lane change assist'.

 

What is puzzling me is that, if Terminal 30a is 'always on', and Terminal 15a is 'ignition-only', does that really mean that eg fuse 46 (for the 230V socket which we don't get in the UK) and fuse 51 (rear heat seating) are always live? Seems strange if that's the case.

 

I was hoping to use the output from fuse 46 (30 Amp) or fuse 51 (25 Amp) since I don't have either option fitted and thus I assume these fuse positions are vacant, to piggy-back and power the 12V sockets, but that plan looks like it won't work. Any thoughts please?

There is no guarantee that the missing fuse locations have power...

 

I believe there have been a few versions of the fuse box layout... so check your manual.. rather than the online site for your specific car.

 

Also you would need to detach the wire from behind your fuse box and connect to the other switched live position...

 

All doable... but why?

 

 

Thanks SimonAudi, good point - I didn't ever consider that the empty fuse positions might not have power, so yes, if that's the case, it makes it a real PITA job (I assumed the fuse box would have a 'common rail' type of arrangement)

 

The reason for doing it? - I use a Qi phone charger on nearly every journey, and it would be much more convenient to leave it plugged in to the 12V to 5V USB adapter, like I used to do in my Golf. I've not yet forgotten to remove the USB adapter when I've parked, but one day I will, and if luck isn't on my side, it will be when the car isn't used for a week or so, thus risking significant battery depletion because of the LED light on the USB adapter and on the Qi charger, also some current flowing in the Qi charger coils - not a lot of current, but over many days.....?

I believe that the accessory sockets are monitored and automatically switch off if the battery voltage drops too low.

 

I incorrectly left a dash cam connected (taken off the wrong feed) and it drained the battery over 3 weeks at an airport on the wifes Karoq - dealer told me if it had been off the accessory feed it would have switched off.

 

 

Not sure if that helps or not... but would suggest you check that fact with your dealer before relying on it..

 

 

 

 

 

I assume 'accessory sockets' are the 12 V (and 230 V where it's fitted)? Yes, I could ask my dealer a technical Q, but the track record so far of my local Skoda dealers is abysmal - even the 'master technician' at one of them admitted that anything auto-electrical is pretty much a mystery: he didn't even know the 12 V sockets are always on.....(he used to work in an adjacent VW dealership, to be fair, and all VWs I've encountered have 12 V as ignition-only). I agree, I've seen the statement in several places about battery protection: the manual is a bit vague and says 'switching off certain consumers or limiting their power' under the 'discharge protection' heading.

 

I also wonder if the 12 V sockets are designed to have adapters plugged in and removed several times a week - something will eventually wear and/or break.

Resurrecting this because, in another thread on 'what do you love/hate about your Kodiaq?' I said that Skoda UK are abysmal, and my recent experience has done nothing to change my opinion.

Basically, I'm after either (a) installing a 12V socket which is ignition-only or (b) swap the existing 12V sockets to ignition-only. Contacted both a Skoda dealer and a local auto electrician, who both advised that I get the definitive info from Skoda UK regarding the following:

 

Are fuses 46 (230 V socket), 48 (Sports sound generator) and 51 (rear seat heater) ignition-only?

Are the fuse positions actually wired? (eg in the UK the 230 V socket is not an option, so it might be that the fuse box physically doesn't have a working connection to this position)

The fuse ratings (the best info I could find is 30 A, 10 A and 25 A respectively, but not sure how accurate that is).

 

I did not say anything to Skoda UK why I needed this info....

You would think that this would be simple for the Skoda UK tech guys, yes? Er, no. I got a reply which said "it appears that these fuses are ignition-only". And that's it. Asked again, please could they answer the rest of the Q, and got a terse reply with a link to a paid-for website used by non-Skoda folk who wish to carry out their own work. Given that this info originates from VAG anyway, I'd kind of hoped that the tech folk might access said info and tell me what I need to know. Perhaps I'm asking too much? Are all manufacturer's UK offices equally bad?

27 minutes ago, SinglePointSafety said:

Are fuses 46 (230 V socket), 48 (Sports sound generator) and 51 (rear seat heater) ignition-only?

Are the fuse positions actually wired?

Second question can be answered by close up visual inspection.  One side of each fuseholder may (or may not) be part of a 'busbar' linking several fuse positions, the other side will typically be a terminal on the end of a wire.  If one or both sides are empty of such contacts (no metal visible), a fuse fitted there will do nothing. (Although a piggy-back one might, if there's one terminal and it's live, I guess, if fitted the right way round; never used one, someone else will confirm. Unlikely to be secure if held in at one end only.)

 

Use your own, or borrow or buy any handheld voltmeter to find out the answers for the first question. It can be a £5 one or cheaper if you can find one. Set to read volts DC, put negative probe tip onto something metal connected to chassis/body, positive probe onto each/both of the inserts in turn that the fuse pins would contact if present. Try with ignition off/key out first, if you get 12V from either side of that fuseholder position it's a permanent 12V; if not it isn't.

 

 

Edited 19 August, 20205 yr by Wino

Thanks Wino, I do indeed have a multi-meter (and know how to use it). The fuse rating is particularly important for obvious reasons, assuming that the wiring to the fuse position is of a thickness and rating appropriate to the max current draw.

 

I might - just might - try a different Skoda dealership, but it seems as soon as such questions are posed, they fall back on "we cannot recommend making any changes to the standard current flow". They're happy to hard-wire a dash cam using the standard piggy-back fuse method, but they deny any knowledge or training of wiring beyond that.

What is and isn't fed from Kl15 and Kl30 will not be obvious. Just because something is only active when the ignition is on, doesn't mean it has a Kl15 supply. If it's CAN or LIN node then it might well be Kl30 fed and shut down via bus signals.

 

I have come across accessory power sockets that are switched, but don't switch off straight away that ignition is switched off. So they leave power on for a while (I never found out how long) but do switch off after a while just in case you left something plugged in and went on holiday. It's possible they even use the battery condition monitor to work it out. I can see that a 230v inverter might use a similar strategy and keep running for a short time, depending whether there's a load plugged in or not.

 

If I'm honest, I wouldn't expect anyone to hold the kind of information you are after in their head. The current flow diagrams are extremely complex (actually to my mind also very difficult to follow too). And different for every model. For the most part a technician wouldn't need to refer to them either. So essentially in order to answer your question, they need to go and search through to find the right part of the current flow diagram and spend the time to understand it and find the answers. Have you offered to pay them for this? The paid for service to get your own access to these diagrams has been offered, why are you not prepared to pay for that?

Thanks lowedb, you make some very good points, much appreciated - another reason I like this forum, there are some very, very knowledgeable folk here.

 

Regarding the Skoda UK tech folk, I agree, I wouldn't expect them to have that info in their heads, but I would certainly expect that for any half-competent tech team, they would be able to discover it, since all I'm asking is fairly simple Qs which should have simple answers - even if the tech team have to refer the Q to the relevant experts at Skoda HQ: someone in Skoda will be able to respond..... 

 

But, anyway, I'm now in touch with a local auto-electrician who actually took the trouble to return my call, and he reckons he can sort me out, even if it's "sorry, can't be done without undue risk/cost"

 

 

 

7 hours ago, SinglePointSafety said:

 

Regarding the Skoda UK tech folk, I agree, I wouldn't expect them to have that info in their heads, but I would certainly expect that for any half-competent tech team, they would be able to discover it, since all I'm asking is fairly simple Qs which should have simple answers - even if the tech team have to refer the Q to the relevant experts at Skoda HQ: someone in Skoda will be able to respond..... 

 

But again, while someone, somewhere in the organisation would for sure be able to respond, it still involves someones time somewhere and therefore money (time is ALWAYS money). So there is a difference between able to respond, and willing to do it, especially for nothing. The 'experts at Skoda HQ' have plenty to do already.

 

On the other hand, a forum like this is the place where you might get the answer. I don't have this information for Kodis but maybe somebody here does. I have current flow diagrams for older models (up to about 2012) and have looked up the info for people. Even then it can take half an hour or more just to research, and is information that I had to pay to obtain, though it's info that I can still get at. 

 

No issue with you asking for help, but I don't agree with your opinion on the support from SUK and dealers.

44 minutes ago, lowedb said:

 

On the other hand, a forum like this is the place where you might get the answer. I don't have this information for Kodis but maybe somebody here does. I have current flow diagrams for older models (up to about 2012) and have looked up the info for people. 

 

Current flow diagrams together with a number of other workshop manuals for Kodiaqs are available to download here:- 

 

 https://www.briskoda.net/forums/files/category/8-skoda-kodiaq/ 

 

 

Thanks Arkaig, will investigate the link.

There's one particular feature of the current flow diagrams that people often struggle with; wire continuations marked by rectangular boxes with numbers in.

 

Every page/diagram has a set of incremental numbers going left to right along the bottom; and within each functional group of pages they increase from 1 to N continuously as you go from one page to the next.

Where there are numbered rectangular boxes on the ends of wires, it is these numbers along the bottom that they are referring you to, to find where that wire continues.  Once you get to that point, you'll see a corresponding rectangular box with a number that refers back to where you just came from.  These numbers along the bottom are known as current track numbers or current path numbers.

This document may be rather handy to refer to also:

 

CFD explanations.pdf

Thanks hugely Wino, I've downloaded the current flow diagram pdf (courtesy of Arkaig - star person!) and will go through it in the next few days. After a very quick glance, it actually looks pretty straightforward even for an 'average Joe' like me) and I've already found the fuse ratings. At the very least it will keep me amused on my days off work (I only work part-time)

Pleasure.

All 12V sockets look to be fed directly (via nothing but fuses) from battery positive, as I naively expected. Nothing fancy.

Yes indeed the 12V sockets are always-on, hence (for my particular needs) I'd like to change them to ignition-only (divert from, say, the output of fuse 46 to the input of fuse 40) or, probably easier and more convenient for me, wire in an additional 12V socket which is ignition-only.