Downstairs bed - rear section height adjustment

[gregspam]

I've bought a zonesleep to make the downstairs bed more comfy and it looks promising. However one of the most pronounced issues with the downstairs bed is the notable drop between the seat foam and the rearmost matress section. The bed is uncomfortable with the rear section on the lowest level, so I put it on the higher of the two settings at both ends. Then the drop just becomes noticeable the other way around. My compromise so far has been low at the front and high at the back, which is the least uncomfortable.

Has anyone else experienced this? Seems like one of the levels should just be designed to be better aligned with the seats when folded flat.

 

[KernowLad]

Has there been a build issue? A few people have mentioned it.
On the lower height, ours is totally flat. On the higher one, sleeping would be impossible.

 

[campandfly]

Our 64 plate rental was totally flat and comfortable with the VW comfort mattress.
Not sure what height it had been set though.

 

[acer]

For what it is worth, my 2011 rental was flat without the comfort mattress (just hard and lumpy).

 

[barry]

why do the screws keep falling out of the adjusters?
anybody happen to know the type and size so i can replace the ones that have disappeared?
:crazy

 

[Looby]

On ours there is no visible drop between seat cushion and parcel shelf cushion on lowest setting. It's just standard bed (thin version of parcel shelf cushion) with zonesleep and all seems flat. Maybe it makes a difference to feel, depending on what way round you sleep? Only slept downstairs a handful of times but we sleep with feet at parcel shelf end as I would find it too enclosed to sleep with head there. ( and it's handy for cuppa in the morning )
Maybe we're in the minority?

 

[KernowLad]

We sleep both ends depending on how we're parked.

 

[Tomcali]

Try storing something on top of the wire shelf but under the mattress.
Win Win - more storage and a flat bed.

Alternatively a piece of high density foam rubber under the mattress to level them up.

Sleep Tight

 

[snowy55]

I've bought a zonesleep to make the downstairs bed more comfy and it looks promising. However one of the most pronounced issues with the downstairs bed is the notable drop between the seat foam and the rearmost matress section. The bed is uncomfortable with the rear section on the lowest level, so I put it on the higher of the two settings at both ends. Then the drop just becomes noticeable the other way around. My compromise so far has been low at the front and high at the back, which is the least uncomfortable.

Has anyone else experienced this? Seems like one of the levels should just be designed to be better aligned with the seats when folded flat.

Are you talking about a Beach or an SE California?

 

[Andy]

In my 2011 cali the rear parcel shelf mattress is definitely lower than the seat back in the lower position & higher in the upper position. I have cut an old carry mat in two & put under the mattress.
I keep meaning to get a new mattress made to match the seat back height.

 

[gregspam]

Andy, thanks for the reply - glad someone else has noticed this!

My van is a 2012 California SE Berghaus, though I think it was built in 2011.

Here is a photo. It's hard to perceive the drop in a photo, so I've placed one of the rear cupboard shelves over the drop, you can hopefully see how the gap between the shelf and the rear seat illustrates the shelf mattress is a fair bit lower.



This makes sleeping with head at the rear of the van uncomfortable as the drop is around the lumbar. Curious to know if this is an exceptional issue isolated to a few builds or me just being too fussy. I would have thought a well designed van wouldn't have this issue. Resorting to padding out under the mattress is an obvious fix but something I expect not to have to do. Not sure what the alternatives are to be honest though. It's still under warranty so a trip to the dealer could be in order, they could either get me a thicker factory mattress (possibly doesn't exist) or re align the levels of the fixing (might not be possible or make a mess of it).

Hmmmmm.....

 

[AlanC]

Hi Gregspam.

Do you have the heavy MDF board or the later wire version?
I ask as I wonder if there is a different height design for the corner supports for the two types of bed board.

You may have the supports for the MDF board but have had a replacement wire one fitted at sometime in the past or 'vice versa'.

I don't know which year the change happened.

Alan

 

[calikev]

It changed from the MDF board to the mesh in 2010

 

[AlanC]

After our March reg 2010 I assume then. We have the MDF version.

A

 

[calikev]

Yes I have the MDF march 2010 martin has a sept 2010 with the mesh. I only have the side windows in the canvas as that changed as well.

 

[gregspam]

Wire mesh in mine.

 

[AlanC]

OK, not that then.

 

[Andy]

They may not have changed the mounts for the board & just the actual board which may account for the difference in height.

 

[Gregc]

I think the height may be different in some of the facelift models. I purchased the Brandrup ixtend pad to replace the standard rear pad and use the wire frame in the higher position. I hoped this would get me a little extra boot space. However the thin pad then is too high so is unusable. I have reverted to the supplied pad and use a Brandrup topper and its perfectly flat. Ixtend pad now living in the garage with all the other essentials I purchased. Lol.