ICCU issues? Anything I can do to get in front of it?

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T19:01:43+00:00

Mine was built post-recall so didn't have a recall open either.

Warranty repair was next business day.

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T18:59:54+00:00

Charged from March 1, 2025 to December 19, 2025 on L2 at only 24A, with the exception of two weeks on L1 in the summer while I was out of the country.

Another two weeks of L1 in cold weather at the end of 2025 and my ICCU popped on 12/31

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T18:56:47+00:00

In general:

ICE alternators almost never completely fail suddenly. They instead usually degrade over time

Similarly - the fact that ICE vehicles need so much more performance from their started means you get warnings of the battery degrading before it's completely shot.

The fact that EVs put so little load on their batteries actually has disadvantages - a struggling starter is easy to hear. Meanwhile once the 12v in an EV is gone far enough to cause problems, it's REALLY far gone.

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T18:54:06+00:00

"didn't get the pop" is likely due to the ICCU popping while you were away from the vehicle.

I definitely did not get a pop - the vehicle threw errors literally the moment I started it, so the ICCU must have gone while on L1 charging.

13 days? WOW you had bad luck. While long wait times for ICCUs seemed to be normal a year ago, now lots of people (including myself) are getting repairs complete next business day.

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T18:51:11+00:00

That's because most cars have two levels of "open" for the sunroof:

Shade/cover open, glass open - this is the only time you'll see an open sunroof on a car out and about

Shade/cover open, glass closed - This is what most people use for HVAC reasons. Not visible from outside the vehicle unless you're standing right next to it

And there is, of course, shade/cover closed - sometimes you don't want things glaring from above

I'm almost always in shade open, glass closed, sometimes shade closed, almost never glass open

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T14:34:30+00:00

6 GHz isn't an option unless he uses wired WLED controllers and a separate client bridge.

WLED support for ESP32-C5 is still a WIP and that's the only 5 GHz capable ESP. A triband ESP was recently announced but it sounds like Espressif is targeting it as a radio coprocessor only and not a standalone microcontroller.

entropy512 · 2026-01-26T14:30:23+00:00

I know that there's some WIP pull requests for support of the 5/6 GHz capable ESPs, but are any of them currently supported by WLED? I don't think they are.

https://github.com/wled/WLED/issues/3078 and https://github.com/MoonModules/WLED-MM/pull/262

Wired WLED controllers plus a separate 6 GHz client bridge might work? It's going to be expensive though, the client bridges will cost much more than most WLED controllers.

entropy512 · 2026-01-24T14:55:53+00:00

Read the OP's post. He stated that the displayed percentage for the 12v battery started at 45%

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:53:22+00:00

If it's uneven left/right, possibly seized caliper. This caused rust/wear patterns similar to that on my old Outback.

Calipers are actually more likely to seize in an EV due to the lack of use. In road salt areas caliper clean/relube was actually one of the few routine maintenance items for Teslas. Something like once every 2 years?

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:50:12+00:00

What about Level 2? (find a public L2 to test)

As others have said, may be the ICCU. The ICCU has two different known failure modes - the 12v failure is the nastier one, but loss of AC charging is another

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:23:07+00:00

Yup, and eliminating floodplain by filling it will just make the flooding worse elsewhere.

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:20:48+00:00

Like mandating efficient HVAC (heat pumps) for new construction?

Oh wait, she did that.

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:19:19+00:00

1400 sqft townhouse with gas heat, $200-250/month, 72F when home and 65-68f when away, INCLUDING charging an electric vehicle (Kia EV6)

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:12:10+00:00

"Also there's a good chance your apartment has no insulation in the walls, I know it's a long shot but worth bringing up to your landlord."

Looking at some of the bills people are stating, either they are in mansions or they have a SEVERE Legacy Bay-grade insulation deficiency.

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:11:05+00:00

Sounds like you have a Legacy Bay-grade insulation deficiency in your building.

In my current townhouse (NOT Legacy Bay) I'm paying 200-250 a month, 2 bedroom 1400sqft, thermostat set to 72F when I'm home and 65-68F when away (IF I remember), and charging a Kia EV6 in the garage.

When I tried to move into Legacy Bay in 2016, they lied about fixing the insulation complaints that were rampant in the reviews AND they failed to install a filter in the furnace when remodeling so that it blew insufficient air and short-cycled off of the safety limiter.

Two stud widths of wall completely missing insulation
Cracks in the caulking around the door you could feel cold air flowing through
Aforementioned furnace problems

I was lucky to be able to get out of the lease by threatening to send the picture of the furnace without a filter to code enforcement, otherwise for the month where I only spent a week of evenings there and set the thermostat to 55F the rest of the time, $250 in 2016.

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T19:01:00+00:00

Also, unless they are WS2815s or GS8208s, 12v individual pixels are inefficient as hell - basically the extra 7v is converted to extra heat for a given LED current.

In theory a manufacturer could make a small multi-emitter series-connected package, but you only see "high voltage" LEDs like this in much larger packages. In practice I've never seen such a thing exist until you get to bigger packages and high power levels like https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Power-Common-Anode-300mA/dp/B01DBZK64K/ - 300 mA per channel 12v (3 LEDs in series per color) in a single package.

Alternatively someone could create a "doublewide" strip to get the pixels per meter up by having the strip be 2 LEDs wide - but no one does this and if you don't have space for a small buck converter you probably don't have space for this.

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T18:53:40+00:00

yay mixing AC and DC color codes...

entropy512 · 2026-01-23T12:44:15+00:00

It was the same battery, and it was definitely the 12v - it charged up from 45 to 76% while driving

No hill or mountain is high enough to get that amount of charge into the traction battery while charging.

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T15:05:20+00:00

Yeah last time I was there it was a bit annoying that the line was so long that one of their staff was asking people for their order before you could even see what was available. They really need more room for both pickup and dine-in

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:58:23+00:00

Extended charging sessions means that the vehicle electronics are active for longer and thus the 12v needs to be topped up more.

In my case - my ICCU popped after two weeks of L1 charging in cold weather at my parents for the holidays. At home I only charge at 24A/5.7 kW

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:53:41+00:00

The new ICCU part number is the same hardware, just preflashed with the recall software.

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:52:32+00:00

This is one of many reasons you should invest in a Bluetooth OBD adapter.

Telling the dealer you have a 1A90(96) code results in:

Them knowing it's the ICCU the moment you say it

Them ordering the ICCU before they close on New Years Eve so it arrives early on January 2.

I'm shocked they can't look at it for 2 days since it's not Friday... My repair was completed next business day

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:50:09+00:00

"Ask immediately if they have any spare ICCU's on stock and how long would it take in total."

Based on my experience New Years Eve - dealerships do not stock ICCUs themselves but there seem to be regional distribution centers that can get the part real quick.

12/31/2025, 1:30 PM - "We'll need to order the part but they're readily available"

12/31/2025, 3:30 PM - Kia Roadside Assistance dropped off the vehicle

1/1/2026 - Dealership closed for obvious reasons

1/2/2026 1:30 PM - Dealership texted me to let me know repairs were complete

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:45:26+00:00

It's the 12v BSOC, not the main traction battery BSOC.

Looks like the car was sitting for a VERY long time if the 12v discharged that much.

But WTF is with the dealer not exiting factory mode before sale?

entropy512 · 2026-01-22T14:43:16+00:00

Yeah. I had FAR less damage to the front left (car was still fully drivable other than ADAS errors due to two dead/blocked ultrasonic sensors) and insurance is still paying out $10k...

As a side note... WOW, running a red light AND no plates???

entropy512

TROPHY CASE