The repair, costing €32,000, was resolved for €500 on a 2015 VW eUp. It generally doesn’t require major interventions and has proven extremely reliable with very few issues. The owner reported the vehicle being immobilized for a couple of months. An authorized service performed a diagnosis and determined a new battery was needed.
Due to a backlog of diesel Mercedes Bravas, DSG transmissions, and other activities, there was barely any time to inspect the eUp that arrived over two weeks ago. However, a detailed OBD analysis was done before removing or opening the battery.
Interestingly, the battery error was an interlock issue. Interlock is a safety mechanism that creates a short circuit in all high-voltage components and cables (orange-colored) to disconnect the battery in case someone tries to manipulate or open a module that’s under voltage. This prevents accidents. Initially suspected to be the BMS (Battery Management System), it was confirmed not to be the battery after testing the interlock lines.
Further examination revealed irregular values on the interlock lines towards the vehicle on the BMS connector pins 4 and 11. It was then discovered that the issue was not with the battery but with the “service” interlock switch used to safely disconnect the vehicle for maintenance. A pin had broken within the connector. Replacing this switch allowed the eUp to indicate readiness and operate again.
While the cause of the problem wasn’t crucial, this specific switch, designed by the Germans for EVs, proved intricate to handle. It required a high level of expertise to manipulate safely, taking two hours of work. The needle broke while attempting to disconnect the switch for maintenance or by someone not equipped to handle EVs.
After replacing a second small battery and the interlock switch, totaling about 10 working hours, €31,000 was saved. The notion that battery repairs are always costly becomes even more dubious. The VW eUp, one of the most sought-after small urban cars, has had no major issues with its batteries or engines. Only three vehicles were serviced in total. Known issues include the Charging Module (BD), gear lever not detecting the parking position for charging, and faults in the OBC (On-Board Charger). OBC issues are mostly caused by external network influences like short circuits or lightning strikes.
The new OBC costs around €4000, used ones around €800, and repairs around €600. The earliest 2015 models had only AC charging and lacked CCS DC. The small 18kWh battery is sensitive in winter, reducing the range to 60-70km. Among all small vehicles on the market, the eUp stands out as a top choice alongside others like C0, Smart, Ami, Twingo, etc.
HRVATSKI
Kvar od 32,000€ riješen za 500€ na VW eUp 2015, koji generalno uopće ne dolazi na lobotomiju i koji je se pokazao izuzetno pouzdanim, sa vrlo malim brojem kvarova. Vlasnik javlja da je vozilo nepokretno već par mjeseci, da je ovlasteni servis napravio dijagnostiku i da je procjena nova baterija. Kako smo pretrpani dizel mercedes bravama, DSG mjenjačima i ostalim sponzorskim dinosaur aktivnostima jedva nadjemo koji dan da pregledamo eUp koji je stigao orije 2 tjedna, da napravimo OBD detaljnu analizu prije skidanja i otvaranja baterije. Gle vraga, greška u bateriji je interlock. Interlock je “safety loop” mehanizam koji ima kratkospojku u svim visokonaponskim komponentama i kablovima (narandzaste boje) da ako mehaničar ili neko treći proba čačkati po istim, odpajati ili otvarati modul koji je pod naponom , da baterija izvrši odpajanje kontaktora u bateriji, tj interlock zaštitu. S obzirom da je taj mehanizam zaštite u bateriji, postoji sumnja da je baterija tj BMS. Ali prvo treba potvrditi da je BMS ili ostatak vozila. Nakon ispitivanja interlock linije na prema vozilu na žicama od BMS konektora, na pinu 4 i 11 , vrijednosti nisu pravilne. Ohoooo momenat, 100% nije baterija. Sad ispitati SVE HV kablove i komponente. Sve u redu. Na kraju dodjemo do “servisnog” interlock prekidača koji služi sa odpajanje vozila za rad na siguran način, i gle vraga opet, pukla igla u konektoru. Stavimo odmah drugi servisni prekidač i eUp pokaza Ready i vozi. Kako je došlo do ovog, nije ni bitno, tko radi taj i griješi, medjutim ovo je jedan od prekidača koji su Njemci izmislili za EV i treba vam doktorat da ga otvorite. Ponovno ogledalo nesposobnosti dizajnirati “fail proof” prekidač da mehaničar u servisu može početi sa radom tj da može odpojiti visoki napon za siguran rad bez trošenja 2 radna sata. Igla je pukla nekom dok je pokusavao odpojiti prekidač i raditi na vozilu. Ili neko tko uopce nije spreman da radi na EV. Nakon drugog malog akumulatora, drugog interlock prekidača i 10ak radnih sati spašeno je 31000€, a priča da su kvarovi na bateriji uvjek skupi postaju samo još bljeđi mainstreem stereotip. VW eUp je jedan od najpoželjnijih malih gradskih vozila, do sada pravih kvarova na baterijema ili motorima je bilo ukupno 0. Ukupno vozila na servisu je bilo 3. Poznati kvarovi su Modul punjenja (BD) , ručica mjenjača koja ne vidi parking poziciju da bi se punio, kvar OBC. Kvar na OBC najčešće je uzrokovan vanjskim utjecajem na mreži, kratak spoj, grom ili slično. Nov je oko 4000€, rabljen oko 800€ a reparacija oko 600€. Postoje prvi 2015 modeli koji imaju samo AC punjenje, nemaju CCS DC. Mala baterija od 18kWh je osjetljiva zimi i domet pada na 60-70km. Od svih malih vozila koja postoje na tržištu, mali eUp je definitvno najbolji izbor pored ostalih C0, Smart, Ami, Twingo itd.
Part number: 12E915590L
Error: P0B3700, P0A0A00
OEM Price: 31500€
EVC Price: 500€
Savings: 31000€
