CONTROL PANEL KNOB

[dod4luce]

Took myself and a friend away for the weekend to Elan Valley Wales, found a nice campsite and went on to set up camp. Went to pop the roof up but felt the button didn’t feel right on the control panel. It was spinning and only catching randomly, so I was too worried to pop roof up in case I couldn’t get it back down again if button didn’t catch again. So we both had to sleep on bottom bed with a dog. Not too much sleep had lol

Anyone know what this will cost to fix? Can I buy a button panel without forking out silly money for a complete control panel? Keep reading things like it will cost 500 quid when it’s just a button issue. If that’s so, then VW are taking the pee and are designing stuff to make them more money, and make us considerably poorer.

If there is a button panel to purchase, are they easy to fit? Any instructions posted here at all? Would I need to disconnect battery/batteries? Would disconnecting batteries bugger anything up like settings that I couldn’t reset without a computer or something ridiculous? Lol

I’ve always been super careful and gentle with this knob button because I read they were delicate from day one of owning my Cali, really don’t understand how it’s gone wrong so quickly as I haven’t camped that much to justify any real wear and tear on that button.

Anyone ever done this job themselves?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[jts46]

If it is only the button you can buy this from the club shop

 

[dod4luce]

The click part of button works fine, it’s the button spins and catches randomly if turned really slowly.

 

[jts46]

The knob is available in shop at £35, i would try this first as a new control unit is about £800.
Or you could send it vero tronics in NL who will repair it for about £125.

 

[dod4luce]

800 quid. This should be a recall issue, so many people have had this happen, badly made, really shoddy for such an expensive vehicle. If they want me to buy a new unit they can sit and swivel like the knob. Lol I’ll look into the panel and hope that will fix it. Do you think the plastic has cracked to cause this? Really don’t understand cos I’ve been ridiculously gentle and careful with this. Maybe when I took it for it’s service mot and tyres recently dealership have messed it up. Don’t know if they need to touch it or not. Or maybe they’ve done it on purpose so I can exchange more money with them. Don’t trust any dealerships, but sadly we are forced to use them.

 

[jts46]

I have found a small garage ex VW mechanic and he looks after all my VW's. It is a van after all, and VW don't service habitation area

 

[Hotel California]

The knob gets broken mostly by hitting your head against it while stepping from the front to the rear in between the front seats .
I had mine repaired @CCN Amersfoort for less than 50€ .

Do a search , lots been discussed in various threads

 

[dod4luce]

Of course it’s just a van with an interior. Any mechanics should be easy for someone in the know. I’m sure my garage who I’ve used and my family have used since 1984 would know how to fix any mechanical issues and would be capable of servicing a t5 van. I expect they get them all the time. I trust my garage but haven’t used them since buying the Cali in 2014 knowing I have to use bloody VW dealership or my service book would look “bad’ with any other stamp in it. Lol
Gotta fix this button thing or camping is not gonna be much fun without the pop top and controlling fridge etc.

 

[dod4luce]

The knob gets broken mostly by hitting your head against it while stepping from te front to the rear in between the front seats .
I had mine repaired @CCN Amersfoort for less than 50€ .

Do a search , lots been discussed in various threads

Never hit my head lol. I’m really small female, but I’ll keep that in mind now that it’s possible to hit head. I really really don’t know why it’s broken.

 

[jts46]

Mine got broken by Listers of Coventry, van was in for a hydraulic roof pump problem. Turns out it was the valet man or his head so listers said. Fortunately i had only travelled a mile and was testing the funstions. They did repair it FOC after a long debate.

 

[dod4luce]

My dealership probably did it. Too late to complain as this was in April, but this weekend was the first time I’ve taken it camping and the need to pop the roof up. Seriously annoyed. Just to anyone who’s recently bought one, check knob works every time it’s been to a vw garage.

 

[Skewif]

Took myself and a friend away for the weekend to Elan Valley Wales, found a nice campsite and went on to set up camp. Went to pop the roof up but felt the button didn’t feel right on the control panel. It was spinning and only catching randomly, so I was too worried to pop roof up in case I couldn’t get it back down again if button didn’t catch again. So we both had to sleep on bottom bed with a dog. Not too much sleep had lol

Anyone know what this will cost to fix? Can I buy a button panel without forking out silly money for a complete control panel? Keep reading things like it will cost 500 quid when it’s just a button issue. If that’s so, then VW are taking the pee and are designing stuff to make them more money, and make us considerably poorer.

If there is a button panel to purchase, are they easy to fit? Any instructions posted here at all? Would I need to disconnect battery/batteries? Would disconnecting batteries bugger anything up like settings that I couldn’t reset without a computer or something ridiculous? Lol

I’ve always been super careful and gentle with this knob button because I read they were delicate from day one of owning my Cali, really don’t understand how it’s gone wrong so quickly as I haven’t camped that much to justify any real wear and tear on that button.

Anyone ever done this job themselves?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

This gives a good idea of what's involved in doing a DIY fix:

 

[dod4luce]

Can’t see link. But I did find something here. I’m pretty confident with taking stuff apart, took my PlayStation 3 apart and fixed yellow light of death a few years back, so I’m not techno shy, but 300 pounds console is easier to replace than a 50k Cali. So it’s all a bit daunting.

 

[dod4luce]

This gives a good idea of what's involved in doing a DIY fix:

Wish I understood what he is saying. But video is helpful, but if only I could understand him. Lol

 

[dod4luce]

Just phoned be Hereford who tell me it will cost 60 pounds to investigate the problem. 60 quid to tell me what I already know. RIP off merchants. Horrendous money grabbing bastards

 

[Skewif]

Wish I understood what he is saying. But video is helpful, but if only I could understand him. Lol

Just turn the sound off. Pictures tell a thousand words...

 

[dod4luce]

Yes I’ll turn sound down for sure. Lol .
I think everyone here should call VW and demand this be a recall when it’s literally just a button issue. I’ve just put my point over to them. I said it should be a recall with the amount of times this is happening to Cali owners. Maybe If enough of us complained it might become a recall and they might be forced to modify the way it’s been manufactured

 

[ArunAlec]

To be honest I don't think VW are that bothered about their customer's after sales experience, so the chances of a recall for a design flaw is pretty unlikely. If bits fall off whilst within warranty they'll fix but otherwise not.
Without a real competitor VW don't need to try very hard!

 

[dod4luce]

Will probably sell mine at some point, really taken care of mine, and limited the mileage. Expected things to last a bit longer than just a year out of warranty. I can’t be bothered with the dealerships and non existent after care. We live and learn. Don’t think I’ll be taking mine to vw Hereford again, they are such creeps when you’re parting ŵith 50k, and throughout the warranty years, sucking up to you like you are royalty, then as soon as it’s expired they forget to return calls, I ring again, they say sorry we will get someone to ring you in 10 mins, 4 hours later no call. So you call back furious and finally they call you back. That’s my experience of aftercare in Hereford. Uselss beyond words and no doubt they have broken my button, like they would ever admit to it. If I do go back, I’ll demand to be present throughout everything they do.

 

[WelshGas]

VW don’t build the Control Panels, they just buy them in. Likewise they don’t repair them, they will just swap them out within Warranty and the Company that makes the Control Panels bear the cost.
The fact that the Control Panel has not changed over the years leads me to suspect that the failure rate overall is not that significant for the manufacturer regarding Warranty Returns.

 

[Max-Felix]

As WG says it's an outside sourced component (like so many parts on a modern vehicle) and the contract will involve negotiations on likely failure rates etc. It is always more cost effective for VW et al to go with a cheaper part with a higher failure rate than the other way round.

EG:

Buy 100,000 components at £50 with 1% failure rate = £5 million. Failure cost (1000 units x £50 = £50,000) total = £5050000.

Buy 100,000 components at £55 with 0.5% failure rate = £5.5 million. Failure cost (500 units x £55 = £27,500) total = £5527500.

The above is a very simplistic sum I made up quickly and does not take full account of the way costing/warranty etc works between VW and supplier and which party pays but it gives an idea of when we all say "...if they only spent a little more on QC etc and a few £ more here and there so the damned thing did not fail...' why it's not cost effective. And yes many of us then come to hate VW and the odd person grumbles about the cr@p build and useless service but they are slicker than Teflon Tony and people will buy their vehicles whatever they do - good or bad!

 

[ArunAlec]

Just heard a car dealership rep on Radio 4 saying that they were aiming at making their customer experience "Legendary"..... Don't think it was VW.

 

[Hotel California]

VW don’t build the Control Panels, they just buy them in. Likewise they don’t repair them, they will just swap them out within Warranty and the Company that makes the Control Panels bear the cost.
The fact that the Control Panel has not changed over the years leads me to suspect that the failure rate overall is not that significant for the manufacturer regarding Warranty Returns.

There are VW dealers who are good in repairing anything on a Cali , you just need to find them.
But you are correct , the failure rate is probally low but the fact this forum exists and we all like to point out the things that get broken or are not good seems to end up that some think a Cali is rubbisch as are all VW dealers....but there are a lot more Cali owners who never have a issue and even if an issue accures they just get it repaired as i should be .
On a forum sometimes complaints by owners are magnified while in fact things are not all that unusual.

I would say to @dod4luce , have it repaired asap. so you can get to enjoy your Cali , no reason to sell up imo.

 

[Digger]

There are bad dealers and there are good to excellent dealers for every manufacturer. Bad experience is always upsetting but fact remains when you look at the amount of VW's out there the vast majority are reliable and give pleasure.
Find a dealer you can deal with and hope you can put this behind you. The frustration is the apparent lack of concern or communication which some dealerships seem prone to.

 

[reserves]

The fact that the Control Panel has not changed over the years leads me to suspect that the failure rate overall is not that significant for the manufacturer regarding Warranty Returns.

Believe the part number has been updated, my unit was swapped out after the button failed 2 weeks out of warranty.

According to SMG the new part does not have this issue.