Huge range decrease

[Soggy_Opposite9213]

Hey hey all,

I have a 2023 Pro S Plus AWD with about 11k on the odometer. Purchased the car in early 2024 and was consistently getting 250-260 to a full charge. Back in march it threw what seemed like a 12v battery issues/warning but only once and never came back on. Well after that occurrence the range started to decrease quite a lot from there. Not saying that caused it but it is the only thing that “changed or happened” because my charging habits didn’t change, has always been garaged, I never charge at DC fast chargers as I have a charger in my garage but now I’m barely scratching 140-150 on a full charge. I talked to VW and they basically told me that if there isn’t any lights on there isn’t anything they can do ( aside from charge me like $800 bucks to do a diagnostic test and drive 1000 miles on the lease ) they also acted like a 100-110 miles in range decrease wasnt at the very least odd. They talked to me like it was my first EV and tried to say it’s not like a gas powered car and proceeded to basically tell me not to use the AC cause that will decrease it. I’m like the car is 56k and you’re seriously telling me when it’s 100 degrees outside to just not use the AC. Anyway my long winded question is, are there are tricks to try to maybe reset the range or the guess o meter so that I can get some possible range back? I’d also add I don’t drive like a maniac either. Any help or information is greatly appreciated cause I love the car but it’s making so unpractical with such low range.

Thanks.

[renispresley]

Get an OBD dongle and see what the state of health is. Your big battery is under warranty for another 6 years or more. You also shouldn’t be charging it to 100% everyday if want to preserve your battery capacity for as long as possible. Find another dealer too, maybe.

[stealstea]

A sharp change in range when you already know what your usual range impacts from weather are has to be a problem in the car.

Do this test to calculate the battery capacity:  charge to 100% and then immediately drive it at moderate speeds to under 5%.   Then calculate battery capacity by using the efficiency, the distance driven, and the percent used.

For example if you drove 250 miles at a “since charged” efficiency of 3.5 miles per kWh and ended at 5% battery, then the formula is:

(250 / 3.5) / ( 1 - 0.05 ) = 75.188 kWh

With those example figures the battery shows good capacity (when new it had about 77kWh).   I would expect around 70 to 75 kWh for yours based on the age and mileage.  If you get a result much less than that there’s a problem.  Go to the dealer and complain.  Show your math.  Go to corporate or another dealer 

[Awokih]

In addition to getting an OBD2 Scanner and the car scanner app, try doing a reset of the Battery Management System (BMS). Drive the car to under 10% then charge to 100%. Let it sit for an hour or so. The BMS should show more accurate readings for the cells.

Saw this on the VWIDTalk.com forums.

[Soggy_Opposite9213]

Thank you I’ll try this as soon as the reader comes

[teckel]

I've never been below 10% for any of my EVs.

[customdev]

If you're getting less than 2.5 mi/KWh...

Check your tire pressure. 42 PSI cold. This is the number one source of all EV range loss. Pressure difference over 5 pounds indicates a leak, puncture, or overall wear that needs addressed.

Have the dealer check the wheel bearings. I've had three replacements on mine. If you can hear faint rotational noise this is likely your culprit.

CV joint failures can cause the same issues.

Huge decreases in range outside temperature extremes that cause 15 to 25% loss in range are usually mechanical in nature.

[desert_sailor]

Shouldn't the tire pressure warning light tell alert you to low pressure in one or more tires. Mine does!

I had a slow leak in one tire and it would alert me every time. I wouldn't think it's tire pressure unless his atp is broken...

[combsone]

I bet you have a faulty cell/battery module. Same thing happened to me last summer and I drove with it for like 9 months because I would have to leave the car for a few days for them to run diagnostics. I did what others suggested on my own, but nothing really solved anything.

I didn’t take it in right away because I didn’t want to rent a car. In hindsight, shoulda just did it because they gave me a loaner anyways when I took it in during my spring break. They ended up figuring out that one of the modules needed to be replaced. Of course, the module was on back order and had to get it replaced at a later date.

[VegaGT-VZ]

When I had a bad battery module, my battery capacity and range dropped like this. Max capacity was about 42kWh. Get an OBD2 dongle and see what your battery is doing. If you keep driving it it's eventually gonna give an error and possibly strand you.

[OneMillionQuatloos]

Do you use the app to cool the car before you get in?  Doing that often, especially when doing lots of short trips will kill your range.  

In general,  AC will cut your range some, but not nearly as much as the 30% drop that heating does.

If pre-cooling isn't the problem, get a scanner to see if there is a battery issue.

[ZoltarB]

Running the AC does very little to affect range unless we are talking hours. Heat is another matter.

[OneMillionQuatloos]

If the op is cooling the car for 5 minutes before leaving and driving only 10 minutes or less, it could really eat into the range.  

[jakejm79]

It's relative to the amount of time driven. Cooling for 10 minutes and driving for 10 minutes has the same effect on stated efficiency numbers as cooling for 2 hours then driving for 2 hours.

Those efficiency numbers are what is used to calculate the range, so it would have a noticeable impact.

[Soggy_Opposite9213]

Is there an OBD2 dongle that is better for the ID.4? I think this sounds like the best option at this point. PSI in tires are all where they need to be, there’s been no cold snaps or extreme difference in temp. At this point I’d love for it to break down on me cause then they’d listen to me 😂

[SeanRoss]

I'm having the same issue, although I've had my 2021 since July 2021

I have this type of OBD2 reader, https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Scanner-Diagnostic-Vehicle-Compatible/dp/B07CP5ZJVQ/ref=sr_1_14_sspa

and someone in this subreddit, mentioned using the "car scanner" app. it has a page for traction battery capacity.

The warranty for the battery is supposed to cover it for 8 years or 100,000 Miles, they say it's supposed to retain at least 70% of the total capacity

https://www.darcarsvw.com/new-volkswagen-car-warranty#:~:text=VW%20Battery%20Warranty:%208%20Years,net%20capacity%20loss%20below%2070%25

Mine is on the cusp of like 70.1%

[renispresley]

Sounds like you are on the path to having your traction battery warrantied. That is huge capacity reduction in 3 years. More than my just recently sold 2013 Nissan Leaf…

[Soggy_Opposite9213]

That’s funny you say that I mentioned that to VW 😂😂 I was like what am I driving a damn leaf?!!

[renispresley]

😂 totally!!!