Tow Car

[Celtic Mist]

Good Evening fellow Caravanners, I hope you are managing to get out and visit lots of lovely locations . this spring / Summer. Its a great hobby we have, !

I'm sure someone has had similar experience ref Tow Car electrics

I recently changed my Tow car , now having a 2024 Seat Leon. Diesel Hatchback. It pulls my Base camp 2 van no problem, came with a factory fitted Towbar . It is a very good car.

The only issue is, it doesn't charge up the caravan battery/ fridge whilst on the road. The Lights work etc. The handbook makes reference to this., that not all the sockets in the pin (13 pin ) charge Battery / fridge whilst in motion . I am having it looked at next week at the dealership, so they may be able to assist. In case they cannot, does anyone have any suggestions ? I spoke to a couple of Tow bar fitters, but they said, they do not touch factory fitted Towbars. But maybe some fitters do if I need to explore that option again by phoning around . I 'm hoping that some electrical alteration could be made so that the car can charge the Leisure Battery as standard., ideally by the Dealership

The Base camp does have a Solar Panel, worst case scenario, just have to rely on that whilst on the road and ensure the battery is charged up at home before travel.


Thank you in advance for your help

Good wishes to all

C M

 

[Sam Vimes]

I'll probably sound like a broken record to some on here but.....

Some cars with Smart Alternators cannot charge the leisure battery nor get the fridge to work consistently.

My Qashqai doesn't. In fact it discharges the leisure battery. There are aftermarket DC to DC converters that you can install to overcome the problem.

Other folks have found workarounds like have the Air Con on or lights full on to prevent the Smart Alternator dropping the volts to too low a level.

 

[RogerL]

If the requirement for fridge and battery charging wasn't specified when the car was ordered, it may simply not have those connections - it may be possible to have them added retrospectively but there may be a substantial cost.

 

[Jcloughie]

After using the mover your van should not deplete the leisure battery during travel. And, in the OP’s case, the solar panel may well charge it.

The fridge is a little more of a concern particularly if traveling all day in the heat. If possible. Put the fridge on at home the day before. Also freezing bottles of milk and other things to put in the fridge while traveling will help a lot.

I think the effectiveness of the fridge operation from the car is a bit dubious anyway.

John

 

[Celtic Mist]

I'll probably sound like a broken record to some on here but.....

Some cars with Smart Alternators cannot charge the leisure battery nor get the fridge to work consistently.

My Qashqai doesn't. In fact it discharges the leisure battery. There are aftermarket DC to DC converters that you can install to overcome the problem.

Other folks have found workarounds like have the Air Con on or lights full on to prevent the Smart Alternator dropping the volts to too low a level.

Thank you for your response. It might be helpful to tell the Dealership that the issue may be fixed with DC to DC converters . Do you mean Direct Current to Direct Current converters ? I'm not very technical ! Thank you for your time ! C M

 

[Celtic Mist]

If the requirement for fridge and battery charging wasn't specified when the car was ordered, it may simply not have those connections - it may be possible to have them added retrospectively but there may be a substantial cost.

Thank you, I will continue to research this. I didn't know the car came with a Towbar until I viewed the vehicle . I' had to fit a towbar myself, post purchase for my last vehicle As the Pin on the Leon ( New Car ) was 13 pin which I examined before purchase I erroneously assumed it would provide a full power supply to the caravan. But when I get more information, i can decide on my options . Thank you for responding good wishes C. M.

 

[Celtic Mist]

After using the mover your van should not deplete the leisure battery during travel. And, in the OP’s case, the solar panel may well charge it.

The fridge is a little more of a concern particularly if traveling all day in the heat. If possible. Put the fridge on at home the day before. Also freezing bottles of milk and other things to put in the fridge while traveling will help a lot.

I think the effectiveness of the fridge operation from the car is a bit dubious anyway.

John

Thank you John, for your response, much appreciated .... C M

 

[Hutch]

You are not alone CM, my brother has just had a tow bar fitted to his 2022 Kia Sportage, and luckily I told him to have the wiring for the fridge and battery charging.

 

[birdman101]

Factory fitted towbars only have the pins wired for the road lights unless
Specified that the fridge/ aux feed are required. The reason being that the extra wiring is a separate harness to the road lighting one. Any towbar fitter should be able to fit what you need,it is just a case of if they are willing to.

 

[RogerL]

Factory fitted towbars only have the pins wired for the road lights unless
Specified that the fridge/ aux feed are required. The reason being that the extra wiring is a separate harness to the road lighting one. Any towbar fitter should be able to fit what you need,it is just a case of if they are willing to.

Some makes/models do have all circuits enabled when factory-fit towbars are ordered - my 2016 VW Touareg is an example, no option not to get fridge and battery charging circuits.

 

[Gafferbill]

.....worth noting that if the wiring has not been fitted for battery charging then Alko ATC will not work. (if fitted to the caravan)

 

[Hutch]

.....worth noting that if the wiring has not been fitted for battery charging then Alko ATC will not work. (if fitted to the caravan)

On my Santa Fe, the power to the pins on the car side was there but the Negative/ Earth return to the car was not. Could have spoilt a 2 weeks holiday, thankfully I done it myself. Earth to the car Chassis.