Loren's way, with the relay in the auxiliary battery box and no second battery, is the way my campmobile is set up, and the way the owner's manual describes it as working.  I have no idea about other set ups than the Campmobile one.  DMc

---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
> I'm pretty sure the 85 Wolfsburg Weekender I had ..
> was originally delivered with two batteries.
> it has the under-driver's seat relay for charging an aux battery.
> and it had one of those white plastic case, 'vw-audi' batteries with blue
> lettering , if anyone remembers those.
> I saw tons of these exact batteries in VW's in the late 80's, early 90's...
> but hadn't see one in years and years.
>
> I am pretty  sure I was the first person to ever inspect that 2nd battery
> under the driver's seat ...it had been cooked dry a long, long time ago, and
> sitting there dead for years.  Pretty sure no one ever even knew it was
> there at all.
>   There's no indication that the relay under the seat wasn't factory
> installed..
> pretty sure it came with two batteries, from day one, in germany.
>
> The reason it had that two battery system is it comes with a 12volt / 110AC
> fridge ..
> that attaches to the floor just inside the sliding door with two screws ...
> ones you can undo with your fingers.
>
> the relay keeps starting battery voltage from being drained by the fridge
> when engine isn't running.
> Only power from the aux batt can get to the fridge with engine
> off,...........then then when alternator charges, relay energizes, and # 2
> batt is charged .
>
> I think it was pretty clever of them to make aux battery charging happen
> only after alternator is charging.
> Makes total sense of course.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Loren Busch" <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2010 6:26 PM
> Subject: Re: Westy aux power straight from the dealer
>
>
> > On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 6:10 PM, Mark Hineline
> > <hineline@ocotillofield.net>wrote:
> >
> >> There are so many permutations (and problems) with providing auxiliary
> >> power that I wondered how Westies were equipped when they left the
> >> dealer's lot, and how they performed as campers when new (and
> >> presumably fitted with only one battery).
> >>
> >
> > From the factory, Westfalia camper package, with single battery, used one
> > realy, in the aux battery compartment, that  would provide 12v to the
> > refrigerator when the engine was running only.  At least that's what I
> > understand.  All the rest of the aux stuff (radio, lights, etc) had to
> > come
> > off the starting battery.

--
David McNeely