A California without any problems.

[GrumpyGranddad]

Only 7200 miles so far and the only problem was the stuck bench seat when it was new which was fixed under warranty.

The recent fresh water level sensor issue seems to have resolved itself without needing to visit a VW workshop.

No other issues at all

 

[Ozzy Pete]

I'd consider discs consumables. You could argue the same for the springs given the state of the roads.

Original awning still in 2 (attached) pieces, although I rarely wind it all the way out, normally just enough to shield the door from rain, and to walk to the pop up awning.

I already have 6 cascavels so might buy 2 more. Winter Wormed and Summer Shiny!

With the cascavels when they start worming there is no cure only having them dipped and powder coated. Having them remachined is sooo expensive. It happened on my merc and I had them painted gloss black. They looked absolutely fantastic..

 

[Delboy]

I bought a new California 5 years ago and other than servicing at VW and a couple of recalls I’ve not had any problems at all.

 

[Attia Bogaru]

2016 reg 150KW Ocean with 40t miles. ERG system failed and replaced after three years. It has taken weeks to sort out by VW garage. Kitchen tap needed pump replacement. All just within warranty. Otherwise drives like a dream and camping equipment functions well. Clever design. Any suggestions which make is better with similar setup?

 

[Saesneg Shaun]

I've had one instant of the roof sagging on one side and not lowering. I put that down to the ram on that side being in full sun August heatwave all day. It resolved itself after a while.
No other issues or any warranty claims.

 

[capt kirk]

You can drive like a vicar on the way to church but still get problems. If you drive at 70 in top gear you are still only doing 2000 revs. And you would think your vehicle would last forever but alas it won’t. Over the past couple of years most people have not been doing the really long journeys that Diesels like. Can’t wait to get back to a few hundred miles a day as the norm.

If only u could get some fuel

 

[andrew bazeley]

Just wondering. Has anyone actually owned a California and not had any problems in the first few years. The forum pages seem to be full of vans with problems. Like the ticking timebomb roof. I’ve had a number of problems.Some done under warranty some I’ve had to fork out for myself. I know these are complicated vehicles but compared to the cars I’ve owned with much higher mileage I’ve had relatively few problems or even none in the first 4 or 5 years. It doesn’t appear VW has actually learned from past problems with the California and now the Grand California.

I've had mine since 2008, and have never had a problem, other than standard engine old-age matters. Maybe they made them better in those good old days! Ah - just remembered: the upper brake light plastic cover fell out once, but was replaced with a better one (VW admitted the originals were faulty).

 

[oryx white]

A welsh guy - Pete Roberts - once had a problem with
his awning splitting a bit in the hot sun whilst he was in Spain.

He did a temporary repair and then managed to get a new awning
from VW
Paid only a third of the price I think.

Yup . Had that too. Fortunately, the replacement (under warranty) has no seam in the material.

Otherwise had a problem with the air intake which was replaced under warranty and (documented elsewhere) lots of issues with rodent attacks - now had anti-marten device fitted by VW CS.

And one of my chairs broke this year.

No problem with my roof (so far and after 5.5 years).

 

[BeeBee]

Spring 2019, and 5500 miles. So far only issue sink tap spout came off but with advise from the forum, hot water and a mallet, fixed. Just back from a 560 mile round trip up to Clachtoll Bay, home intact.

 

[marshian70]

"A CALIFORNIA WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS."​

No chance!

Bought our 2010 model secondhand about 6 years ago and (roof corrosion aside) it has been totally trouble free

 

[GrannyJen]

I had a frustrating battery charging problem with my first, didn't stop me using the van though and that was about it. Once fixed all was perfect.

My second, Alfie, had a sliding door lock problem that was quickly rectified and nothing else. Brilliant vehicle.

 

[Zebedee]

8 years and 50,000 ish miles of pleasure roof recently done but tbh I wasn’t bothered only had it done in case I ever need to sell. Had exploding fridge glass, had to pay. Exploding back window after struck by a firework but can’t blame VW. Usual water pump replacements etc x 2 but sure they didn’t really need doing. Happy camper here!

 

[John G]

Dare I say the dreaded phrase.

180BHP…biturbo.

And your point is?

 

[Ozzy Pete]

And your point is?

Surely you must know the problems related to the 180. But maybe you haven’t?

 

[Tony hylton]

102,000 miles and 6 yrs 10 months old. EGR changed at 900 miles/2 weeks old due to electrical fault. Control Panel replaced at 1 yr due to press switch intermittently failing on selecting menu item.
180 biturbo. Original awning used frequently in high temperatures.

Hi WG, I-have the same model 2013, changed egr valve last month.
roof problems withthe corrosion issue sorted by VW under warranty.
no complaints here.

 

[bob_summers]

I think most new cars have niggles right.

A better analogy would be, most new caravans have niggles?
As the VW Transporter platform is fairly well proven. The niggles I read about are usually related to the living area equipment: roof stuck, bed stuck, leisure battery won't charge, etc. I'm sure these are not exclusive to Californias and happen equally with the conversions, caravans, big whites etc.

 

[Private_Kelly]

Everything was fine for 6 months and then my 2nd battery was low. 11 weeks later it still hasn’t been fixed. My confidence in VW and the California has been shattered. I'm not saying anything else.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

A better analogy would be, most new caravans have niggles?
As the VW Transporter platform is fairly well proven. The niggles I read about are usually related to the living area equipment: roof stuck, bed stuck, leisure battery won't charge, etc. I'm sure these are not exclusive to Californias and happen equally with the conversions, caravans, big whites etc.

VW have been manufacturing the California since 2003 and still it hasn’t managed to give its customers a trouble free camper. A California is NOT a conversion made by a small nondescript company. Its purpose built by one of the biggest vehicle manufacturers on the planet. A California is the most expensive camper van you can buy and as such should be trouble and niggle free. When you spend upwards of £70k you should expect a totally trouble free vehicle not just for 3 years of the warranty but for many many years past that.

 

[Pollewop]

VW have been manufacturing the California since 2003 and still it hasn’t managed to give its customers a trouble free camper. A California is NOT a conversion made by a small nondescript company. Its purpose built by one of the biggest vehicle manufacturers on the planet. A California is the most expensive camper van you can buy and as such should be trouble and niggle free. When you spend upwards of £70k you should expect a totally trouble free vehicle not just for 3 years of the warranty but for many many years past that.

Hi Ozzy,
I have read your comment, and I don’t agree. Actually I think it’s nonsense. I don’t know any product from any company that’s “totally trouble free”, so why on earth should a VW camper van be “totally trouble free”. Because it costs “£70k”? I know of products that cost far more that have production flaws. Because of it has been produced since 2003? That’s not even 20 years! Flawless only is achievable in theory. As long as people are involved in production things WILL go wrong. They are only human after all…
Furthermore what you read on internet fora is very biased. I’m sure that most VW California owners are very happy with there camper van. On internet fora , like this one, people with complaints and other issues, are over represented. What you read is a very skewed image of reality. Happy, trouble free California owners don’t need others opinions, simply because they don’t have any issues. So they have nothing to moan about…

 

[Gina-B]

Here's one to beat - 3 days old, fewer than 200 miles - elec. roof failed to come down on the second go; driver's window constantly bounced back down (fixed myself); infotainment screen didn't come on (fixed myself by reboot).
Hey ho. "Keep on swimming, keep on swimming".

Dealer rebooted roof software. Smiling again.

 

[Wildcamper]

It seems to me that what gets California owners (not that I am one) when things go wrong is not so much the fact that something has failed but the hassle of getting it fixed. If the fix is carried out quickly and effectively then I expect that most owners would be quite happy. When I collected my conversion three things went wrong very quickly. All three were fixed within 72 hours of bringing them to the attention of the converter. Their after sales service was, and remains, excellent. Should VW do more to improve its California after sales performance?

 

[Volkywagen]

Here's one to beat - 3 days old, fewer than 200 miles - elec. roof failed to come down on the second go; driver's window constantly bounced back down (fixed myself); infotainment screen didn't come on (fixed myself by reboot).
Hey ho. "Keep on swimming, keep on swimming".

Dealer rebooted roof software. Smiling again.

Hi. Sorry to butt in. Window bouncing bank down, I have this issue. Do you know what the fix was. Ok to PM so not to distort thread

 

[Paul G - 2022 Ocean]

For once only people who have issues post threads to talk about the problem. People with no issues don't post threads about faults as they don't have any., so the impression out of the forum about how many problems theses vehicles have may be incorrect...
Many of the issues are long being solved with newer models, but buyers of new vehicles still look at older threads and think the pop top is not really waterproof, it needs a bungee to close etc, which is not the case.
As of the mechanical aspects, I think a lot depends how they are driven, how often, how long each time, how hard.

Both me and my son have recently ordered a Cali. My son told me tonight how he’s getting second thoughts now after reading about all the faults and complaints that are posted on this forum. So I think it would be a good post, if people did actually post “no problems here”. But all manufacturers have their issues, especially with new models, and it’s usually relative to the number of units sold. Does anyone know the number of Cali’s sold each year in Europe, and the number sold in the U.K.? That might put a bit of perspective on the number of owners experiencing faults. Plus I’d like to know for my own piece of mind too!

 

[Amarillo]

Both me and my son have recently ordered a Cali. My son told me tonight how he’s getting second thoughts now after reading about all the faults and complaints that are posted on this forum. So I think it would be a good post, if people did actually post “no problems here”. But all manufacturers have their issues, especially with new models, and it’s usually relative to the number of units sold. Does anyone know the number of Cali’s sold each year in Europe, and the number sold in the U.K.? That might put a bit of perspective on the number of owners experiencing faults. Plus I’d like to know for my own piece of mind too!

I think it’s unlikely that you will find an entirely fault free California for the simple reason that they are such complex vehicles.

We received ours in March 2017, and in June 2017 departed for a year long tour of Europe.

After a year and a third of robust use and 30,000 miles, all we had to report was a broken sliding door handle - caused by my three year old repeatedly swinging from it even after being told not to on multiple occasions; a broken seat belt clip, trapped in the folding mechanism of the bench seat, and a puncture.

In the three years since our return we have clocked up a further 40,000 miles, have suffered further wear and tear warranty claims, and just one mechanical issue, fixed under the extended warranty.

If you like the vehicle, buy it and cough up an extra £329 plus VAT for an additional two years FACTORY warranty, giving you five full years’ peace of mind.

 

[Paul G - 2022 Ocean]

It seems to me that what gets California owners (not that I am one) when things go wrong is not so much the fact that something has failed but the hassle of getting it fixed. If the fix is carried out quickly and effectively then I expect that most owners would be quite happy. When I collected my conversion three things went wrong very quickly. All three were fixed within 72 hours of bringing them to the attention of the converter. Their after sales service was, and remains, excellent. Should VW do more to improve its California after sales performance?

This for me is what makes a vehicles good or bad. All vehicles will have issues, we probably just don’t hear too much about some of them them because they get fixed promptly. Sadly most manufacturers seem to have let their service standards slip in recent years, probably through a lack of qualified or trained staff. Covid has exacerbated this.