T6 VW California Delays

By the way...

TODAY'S THE DAY!

First view, handover and driveaway our Bamboo garden green 66 plate California Beach 150 DSG this afternoon - just in time to read into the Friday afternoon M6 SOUTHBOUND traffic jams as I journey home from Preston to Staffordshire - time to test the ACC?

Stoneybroke said:

Californias are significantly more complex than a standard Transporter. Logistics used by manufacturers rely on parts being there 'just in time' to put on the vehicle, reducing storage costs, invoicing time, etc, through the supply chain.
Could the answer be a simple one of low volume production? Because of the relatively low numbers of Californias, some of the more specialist parts are ordered in viable batch sizes, rather than the usual continuous stream of high volume parts, so there may be a more stop-start approach to Cali manufacturing.
There could also be a priority issue - for example seats - a hold up in van seats affects hundreds of Transporters, but a hold up on, say, the swivelling middle row seats only affects Calis and Caravelles - decisions to prioritise the van seats would follow.
Again, all speculation...

Click to expand...

Exactly what I was trying to express, only more eloquently and concisely put

Stoneybroke said:

By the way...

TODAY'S THE DAY!

Click to expand...

Enjoy!, dont forget to read the handover checklist.. take you time and don't get carried away.

Stoneybroke said:

Californias are significantly more complex than a standard Transporter. Logistics used by manufacturers rely on parts being there 'just in time' to put on the vehicle, reducing storage costs, invoicing time, etc, through the supply chain.
Could the answer be a simple one of low volume production? Because of the relatively low numbers of Californias, some of the more specialist parts are ordered in viable batch sizes, rather than the usual continuous stream of high volume parts, so there may be a more stop-start approach to Cali manufacturing.
There could also be a priority issue - for example seats - a hold up in van seats affects hundreds of Transporters, but a hold up on, say, the swivelling middle row seats only affects Calis and Caravelles - decisions to prioritise the van seats would follow.
Again, all speculation...

Click to expand...

I am happy to accept all that as a likely truth. But why can't VW cascade this information to customers through their franchisees?

As VW Cali has suggested, given sufficient information of people's specs and build dates we could reconstruct stock of various components in this forum, so why can't VW supply this information to dealers in advance? Perhaps a simple computer generated note:

Week 40 - no stock integrated child seat (expected week 42), privacy windows (expected week 44)
Week 41 - no stock integrated child seat (expected week 42, privacy windows (expected week 44, parking heater (expected week 45)
Week 42 - no stock privacy windows (expected week 44), parking heater (expected week 45)
Week 43 - no stock privacy windows (expected week 44, parking heater (expected week 44 {was expected week 45}), adaptive cruise control (expected week 47)
Week 44 - no stock adaptive cruise control (expected week 47)
Week 45 - no stock adaptive cruise control (expected week 47)
Week 46 - no stock adaptive cruise control (expected week 47)
Week 47 - no stock towbar (expected week 50)
Week 48 - no stock towbar (expected week 50), integrated child seat (expected week 52)
Week 49 - no stock towbar (expected week 50), integrated child seat (expected week 52)
Week 50 - no stock integrated child seat (expected week 52)
Week 51 - no stock integrated child seat (expected week 52)
Week 52 - all in stock, factory closed
Week 1 - all in stock
Week 2 - estimated build date

Update from my man Lewis this morning...

I have just checked and your California is now built and on its way from the factory to the German shipping port! It could then sit at the German port for up to 7 working days whilst they consign it to a ship. It then takes up to 48 hours to be shipped. It could then sit at UK Port for up to 7 working days whilst they consign it to a transport lorry and get it on site with us. However I will keep you updated along the way.

So for us;
Ordered 7/5/2016 (week 19)
Provisional build of week 36
Confirmed build week 38
Build completed week 39

I think it's just high demand v low production. Seems random on the delivery dates but that may just be down to luck on components supply. It does cause a lot of frustration though especially when plannedtrips away are impacted.

My tail of woe is:
Ordered week 8
Provision build week 31
Confirmed build week 34.
Ex factory week 38.
Currently in transit somewhere.
Pick up expected week 41.
Planned trips away scuppered 2. Though to be fair I could have hired.

My order is for a Beach 150 manual with the dreaded 3 zone climatronix, extra seats and parking heater.

Stoneybroke said:

By the way...

TODAY'S THE DAY!

First view, handover and driveaway our Bamboo garden green 66 plate California Beach 150 DSG this afternoon - just in time to read into the Friday afternoon M6 SOUTHBOUND traffic jams as I journey home from Preston to Staffordshire - time to test the ACC?

Click to expand...

I'm going to drive past on the way to work just to see if I can catch a glimpse. Never seen a bamboo green in the metal!

Bamboo Green was our second choice, if we had seen one on the flesh we might have gone with it, but dealer had a Blackberry that we saw so we were brave and went with that.

Pics please...

Loz said:

if we had seen one on the flesh we might have gone with it, but dealer had a Blackberry that we saw so we were brave and went with that.

Pics please...

Click to expand...

Suprised you admitted you have ordered a Blackberry, all the Blackberry haters will be along in a minute

CaliforniaBen said:

Suprised you admitted you have ordered a Blackberry, all the Blackberry haters will be along in a minute

Click to expand...

I have orderd a blackberry 150dsg all the trimming best colour

Mr Q said:

My order is for a Beach 150 manual with the dreaded 3 zone climatronix, extra seats and parking heater.

Click to expand...

Looking through the Beach price list, and counting the number of options, it appears that there are about 5 quintillion (that's 5,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible combinations of a Beach leaving the factory gate. That is more likely to be an overestimate that an underestimate, as some options are dependent on other options, e.g. the battery upgrade is dependent on not having the DSG engine. I have tried to account for these dependencies, but it is almost inevitable that I have missed something given the lack of rigour I applied to the task.

Here's a (probably inaccurate) chart of the options and cumulative combinations:
Engine/battery 5
Colour 14 - 70
Upholstery 2 - 140
Trim 2 - 280
Optional seats 6 - 1680
Bench seat 2 - 3360
Front row seats (heated) 2 - 6720
Wheels 22 - 147,840
Spare wheel 3 - 443,520
Tool kit 3 - 1,330,560 (millions)
App connect 2 - 2,661,120
Screens 2 - 5,322,240
Disc Media 2 - 10,644,480
Voice control 2 - 21,280,000
Bed 2 - 42,577,000
Cooling box 2 - 85,155,000
1 DIN slot 2 - 170,000,000
Interior lights 2 - 340,000,000
Folding wing mirrors 2 - 681,000,000
Lights 4 - 2,274,000,000 (billions)
Flashlight 3 - 8,174,000,000
Awning 8 - 65,000,000,000
Wing mirror colour 2 - 130,000,000,000
Side door closing 3 - 392,000,000,000
Roll bars 2 - 784,000,000,000
mud flaps 2 - 1,569,000,000,000 (trillions)
Tail latching 2 - 3,139,000,000,000
Folding wing mirrors 2 - 6,278,000,000,000
Engine badge 3 - 18,000,000,000,000
Alternator 2 - 37,000,000,000,000
Interface 2 - 75,000,000,000,000
Air con 2 - 150,000,000,000,000
Filters 2 - 301,000,000,000,000
Parking heater 5 - 1,500,000,000,000,000 (quadrillions)
Keys 4 - 6,027,000,000,000,000
Headlight washer 4 - 24,000,000,000,000,000
Cruise control 4 - 96,000,000,000,000,000
High beam 2 - 192,000,000,000,000,000
Steering wheel 2 - 387,000,000,000,000,000
Parking sensors/camera 3 - 1,157,000,000,000,000,000 (quintillions)
Power steering 2 - 2,314,000,000,000,000,000
Side scan 2 - 4,628,000,000,000,000,000

Tom, you have too much time on your hands

I have an allegedly confirmed build of week 42 (currently week 40) for an Ocean 204 DSG 4Motion ordered on March 3rd. Allowing three weeks for build, and four weeks to get here, I'll probably see the van at the end of November. I knew it would move once I committed to a long-term hire car!

Divshwar said:

Tom, you have too much time on your hands

Click to expand...

yea, just think, by the time he reaches delivery, he will have solved the equation for the total mass of the known universe...

Divshwar said:

Tom, you have too much time on your hands

Click to expand...

Not enough time - I've spotted a glaring error already: there are 6 parking heater options not 5; if I had more time I'd have taken more care.

Loz said:

Update from my man Lewis this morning...

I have just checked and your California is now built and on its way from the factory to the German shipping port! It could then sit at the German port for up to 7 working days whilst they consign it to a ship. It then takes up to 48 hours to be shipped. It could then sit at UK Port for up to 7 working days whilst they consign it to a transport lorry and get it on site with us. However I will keep you updated along the way.

So for us;
Ordered 7/5/2016 (week 19)
Provisional build of week 36
Confirmed build week 38
Build completed week 39

Click to expand...

Adds up.

Our Cali was built Aug 15 and delivered to dealer Aug 31. He thought there was a chance it could get there a few days earlier but wasn't to be.

So I would say 10 to 15 days seems to be the range...

Question: How will you fill your time between now and then?

You nearly missed an opportunity to bring up the delivery date of your California there!

X4 VWC said:

Allowing three weeks for build, and four weeks to get here, I'll probably see the van at the end of November. I knew it would move once I committed to a long-term hire car!

Click to expand...

Recent posts by @Loz and @Vwcali seem to suggest that the build time is down to one week. Was the three week build maybe just a passing issue?

Mine has taken the best part of 3 weeks to build.

Any pics @Stoneybroke ???

daveyboydanger said:

Any pics @Stoneybroke ???

Click to expand...

Too dark last night by the time I had run through the basics with my wife (who couldn't come for the pick up) and let her have a tryout.
Too wet this am!
Mrs. S showing it off this morning, hopefully later, though I'm off wine tasting today (pre-planned trip).

First drive from Preston was awesome - laughing each time I found another gizmo - ACC with DSG is brilliant. Finding out bits all the time.

Full report and photos soon: I promise.

Stoneybroke said:

Too dark last night by the time I had run through the basics with my wife (who couldn't come for the pick up) and let her have a tryout.
Too wet this am!
Mrs. S showing it off this morning, hopefully later, though I'm off wine tasting today (pre-planned trip).

First drive from Preston was awesome - laughing each time I found another gizmo - ACC with DSG is brilliant. Finding out bits all the time.

Full report and photos soon: I promise.

Click to expand...

Glad you've picked up and got home smoothly. It's a great feeling isn't it? Not quite real after all that waiting! You'll be sitting in it on the drive like i did, just to be in it!

Lewis said:

Recent posts by @Loz and @Vwcali seem to suggest that the build time is down to one week. Was the three week build maybe just a passing issue?

Click to expand...

I think @Loz was replying to the question of how long the build physically takes to go through the production line ?

daveyboydanger said:

Any pics @Stoneybroke ???

Click to expand...

Still raining outside, but here are a few hastily-taken snaps on the drive.


The Bamboo Garden Green seems to change colour according to the angle you view, ambient light and, especially at the moment, reflections in the shiny new paint! We like it though.
The fifth seat is for occasional use and will be stored, suitably covered, on a wheeled rack I have made in the garage.
Everyday use will include transport for the dogs, so the multiflex board is already out (safe storage will be more awkward than imagined - it is quite large). A newly modelled dog transport cage will soon be in the boot, bolted to the rail system, but will give us more room in the cab area, leaving the pop-top for sleeping.
Pop-top has stayed down today - didn't want to get it wet!
Cali-club security bolt now on the spare...
We got Heavy Duty mats free of charge, along with a clear bumper protector (that would have been charged, but for an ever-so slight wrinkle, so the salesman deducted the full amount).
I also negotiated that he honoured the Service deal that was on when we signed up for the Finance in February - £179 + VAT for 2-full, 2-interim & the first MOT (currently £349).
I paid for the extra 2-year VW warranty - just one repair will repay the £329 +VAT I have stumped up now (I have just paid £1000 to repair a 4-year-old Peugeot after a hydraulics failure in the clutch...)
Last minute decision to go for the Lifeshine too - partly because of the price of good-looking seat covers, but also to give a head start on keeping it looking nice. Pricey at £320, but a bag of goodies too, and I've saved myself a job or too this week.
£750 VW Deposit Contribution, £1000 VW Loyalty bonus also honoured, and a discount of a shade under 8%.
Driving experience so far - good, though we are both new to DSG so some adjustment in driving required; fine when on roads, but just a little tentative in car-parks, etc., and trying to to work out the logic of the Stop-Start, as it seems a little random at the moment!
Can't believe the wait is over

Very nice. Not a colour I had seen much of sort of Bluey Green and looks good. Definitely a good move with the warranty. Happy days.


Mike