6.1 roof installation quality control?

NickE · Aug 5, 2023

Just inspecting the bellows of my brand new Ocean in today's heavy rain (yes, it is leaking) to discover two pieces of gaffa tape covering joins on both sides of the roof. See photos.

Aside from the strange idea of sending out a new vehicle with lumps of tape attached, is the underlying roof structure normal? Do other people's roofs look the same?

OooOooTheMonkey · Aug 5, 2023

Mine has the tape as do most I have seen l. Mine is tidier than that though. Not sure why they have the tape…

Corradobrit · Aug 5, 2023

My Belgian Cali Coast has the same duct tape but its black and much smaller/neater

Viktorgeorge · Aug 5, 2023

OooOooTheMonkey said:
Mine has the tape as do most I have seen l. Mine is tidier than that though. Not sure why they have the tape…

Corradobrit said:
My Belgian Cali Coast has the same duct tape but its black and much smaller/neater

Ditto.

JohnCalifornia · Aug 5, 2023

My 2019 has the tape too so I assume it’s been a design feature for years……….

NickE · Aug 5, 2023

Ok, thanks all above. I must admit the totally amateurish/bodged way the tape is applied didn't lead me to believe that this is what VW intended!

Corradobrit · Aug 5, 2023

NickE said:
Ok, thanks all above. I must admit the totally amateurish/bodged way the tape is applied didn't lead to me to believe that this what VW intended!

I had the same impression when I noticed it. Given their prominent location VW could have done a far better job covering whatever it's hiding.

Lambeth Cali · Aug 5, 2023

Wow. That’s shocking. What is going on with the new roofs?

JohnCalifornia · Aug 5, 2023

This isn’t new roofs, it’s a design feature that’s probably on all Californias. When I first saw it on my Cali I thought it was a home made bodge so the sharp edges didn’t damage anything when the roof goes up and down. I did a much better job with my own tape but I did almost remove it entirely as I thought VW would never do anything like this on a £70K + vehicle………

OooOooTheMonkey · Aug 6, 2023

Corradobrit said:
I had the same impression when I noticed it. Given their prominent location VW could have done a far better job covering whatever it's hiding.

Perhaps a Friday afternoon job.

Justinitus1972 · Aug 6, 2023

I think they all come with tape here (at least, all the Calis I’ve seen have), applied with varying degrees of neatness and professionalism. Disappointing really, considering the effort VW have made everywhere else.

I peeled mine off and reapplied it in a much neater fashion than VW managed, trimming the excess with a craft knife. I have a friend with a 3D printer, at some point I’ll ask him if he can produce me a couple of plastic caps that I can stick on to replace the tape.

Azteccamper · Aug 6, 2023

What is the purpose of the tape?

Lambeth Cali · Aug 6, 2023

My 2008 SE has been like this since I got it in 2009. Why put tape over this?

Jimmmy · Aug 6, 2023

NickE said:
Just inspecting the bellows of my brand new Ocean in today's heavy rain (yes, it is leaking) to discover two pieces of gaffa tape covering joins on both sides of the roof. See photos.

Aside from the strange idea of sending out a new vehicle with lumps of tape attached, is the underlying roof structure normal? Do other people's roofs look the same?

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Yes, this is the quality you can expect from VW

Corradobrit · Aug 6, 2023

Lambeth Cali said:
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My 2008 SE has been like this since I got it in 2009. Why put tape over this?

Maybe a customer complained or more likely a supervisor at the factory reminded the designers what these things cost and they need to do something. So the option was a tidy plastic plug or an inch of gaffer tape.

BeachyBird · Aug 11, 2023

NickE said:
Just inspecting the bellows of my brand new Ocean in today's heavy rain (yes, it is leaking) to discover two pieces of gaffa tape covering joins on both sides of the roof. See photos.

Aside from the strange idea of sending out a new vehicle with lumps of tape attached, is the underlying roof structure normal? Do other people's roofs look the same?

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There is a feint line on the canvas directly above this tape is it possibly for lining up the canvas when they fit it Or has the gaffa tape caused the mark on the canvas.,…. Just a thought ‍

Stow · Aug 11, 2023

2018 T6 has the same tape, it's pretty standard. Effective but ugly. Bear in mind the tambour doors are also held together with tape!

scabrero · Aug 11, 2023

Quality con..what? There is no such thing. I got one of the firsts 6.1s and it came with the 6.0 child safety net, which did not fit after changing the bed slats for froli discs in the 6.1. Apparently nobody cared to check if the accessories continued fitting after a redesign. Same problem with the kitchen table strap.

dspuk · Aug 12, 2023

Picked this up when we got our Cali last year. Called the warranty manager out to show him. To my eye it’s just there to cover the sharp edge from the metal for when you get up into the roof. It’s certainly to a cost when a plastic clip would be a lot more professional. Like others I took mine off and used a little loom tape to make it neater.

CaliforniaCylus · Aug 14, 2023

NickE said:
Just inspecting the bellows of my brand new Ocean in today's heavy rain (yes, it is leaking) to discover two pieces of gaffa tape covering joins on both sides of the roof. See photos.

Aside from the strange idea of sending out a new vehicle with lumps of tape attached, is the underlying roof structure normal? Do other people's roofs look the same?

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Are you not more concerned about the leaking roof!!!

We have the leaky roof and the gaffa tape.

The tape is softening the sharp edges of the aluminum but defo a bodge...

Sent from my LE2123 using Tapatalk

Ting Tong · Aug 15, 2023

That tape is used to stop unsightly sealant getting into the van during the roof fitting process. The rubber around the bottom of the roof bellows is spot bonded into the channel around the roof aperture in 5 places where there are joins and that’s one of them. They just forgot to remove it but you can do so without issue.

ArunAlec · Aug 15, 2023

Ting Tong said:
That tape is used to stop unsightly sealant getting into the van during the roof fitting process. The rubber around the bottom of the roof bellows is spot bonded into the channel around the roof aperture in 5 places where there are joins and that’s one of them. They just forgot to remove it but you can do so without issue.

Would seem they forgot to remove it on an awful lot of Calis!