2016 egolf fail to charge at level 2

[Egolftc]

I have 2016 egolf se model that will charge by level 1 and DC fast charging only, it won't recognize level 2 charger. I have tried multiple different level 2 charging station, none of them work. I hate to go dealership for this issue as it does not make sense it works for DC and level 1 charger. Could that be something simple like the fuse issue? Does anyone has similar problem?

 

[f1geek]

You could take a look at the J1772 vehicle inlet and take a flashlight to examine the L2/N pin. It should look just like the L1 pin. I suppose you could clean the L2/N pin if it looks dirty , but be very careful not to bend or damage the pin.

I do not believe a fuse in the fuse box is involved with L1 vs L2 charging.

What exactly happens when you plug on to a L2 station? What lights do you see on the charge port?

Are you sure you pressed the “immediate charge” button?

Have you looked at the fuse box diagram and seen a reference to L2 charging?

Otherwise, try a few more L2 stations to verify the problem.

 

[Egolftc]

Thank you @f1geek for your response.

When I plug it into Level 2 charger, the light stays yellow, and will eventually turn red.

I took a couple of pictures for the inlet pings. The L1 ping looks like burned or worn out. I probably need to replace the charging inlet. Do you know if I can order the parts and replace it by myself?

 

[f1geek]

Yeah, the L1 pin looks destroyed. Good to know you can at least get L1 and DC charging. I do not know all of the ways to destroy a J1772 pin, but I'm guessing it could caused by dirt on the pin or a faulty EVSE plug or EVSE circuitry. You might want to look at all of your regular charging station plugs and look for similar damage. You will either need to get those stations repaired or get new ones. One of the quirks of the e-Golf is that it does not fully implement the J1772 standard so if you pulled out a charging plug with a broken locking pin while the car was still charging, you probably got a good spark at the L1 pin. In the future if you happen to use a plug with a broken locking pin, be sure charging has stopped: unlock the car and pull the plug out within 5 seconds.

As for the vehicle inlet, I do not believe it is an easy DIY job. Both the AC and DC connections route through the inlet, so you would need to uncouple the battery before doing any work, and even then, I have no idea how do it. You might be able to find instructions somewhere but I do not have knowledge about where to find instructions. Unfortunately, I think the dealer (or an independent mechanic familiar with EVs who can do the job) is your best bet. This will not be a cheap job, I suspect.

 

[tbier]

Doesn’t the 8 year 100k warranty apply to all high voltage components? This might be covered. Worth checking out.

 

[f1geek]

To me this looks like damage not covered under a workmanship or defective part warranty, but it is worth asking.

 

[Egolftc]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

I will contact the dealer and give it a try.

 

[Egolftc]

Here is the update for everyone.

I paid $160 for the dealer to check the issue even thought I told them exactly what had happen. After leaving the car at dealer for 2 days, they told me that one of the charging ping is broken and whole charging module needs to be replaced. That is exactly what I told them in the beginning. They ask for $3k to fix the whole thing. $2k for labors (11 hours) and $800 for parts plus tax.

I told them don't worry about that and I took my car home. That's half of the worth of my car. I guess one day I will figure out how to fix it on my own. For now, I will just charge it with Level 1 home charger.

I am located in orange county, ca. Maybe it is cheaper to fix it somewhere else.

 

[f1geek]

Maybe you should look for a used charging assembly from a junk yard to bring down the cost. Give EV West a call and ask them for an estimate. EV West might also be able to recommend some other shop that could do the job.

 

[f1geek]

Because of your photo, I decided to take a close look at my car's J1772 inlet and I found a spider's next inside the L1/N port! It was squished at the base and did not cause any charging issues. I cleaned out the port using wood toothpicks and removed some web residue from the J1772 connector (outer portion (plastic) pin covering. I also found some webs in the outer portion of the inlet. Everything is very clean now. It's probably good idea to periodically look into the inlet to port to keep it is good working order!

 

[benjboy928]

my 2019 SEL premium is having trouble to charge at Level 2.
it doesn't always start the charging every time I plug in, very frustrating with this car.

 

[f1geek]

Assuming you charge at home, the problem could be your L2 station.


When it does not start charging, what indicator lights or messages do you observe?