Adding the 3M tape to roof edges

[Billywizz]

I have emails from VW that the Roof is covered under the 10 year corrosion warranty if anyone what’s a copy for a claim that VW try to dismiss

12 years **

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have emails from VW that the Roof is covered under the 10 year corrosion warranty if anyone what’s a copy for a claim that VW try to dismiss

That would be great! Will PM you with my email address.

 

[Keith Smith]

Thats very depressing to see the roof problem emerging again on the T6. I wasn't going to look at my roof but I've just ordered the tape, 3 rolls of Sellotape for £43! Now I just hope it works and I've caught it in time.

 

[Billywizz]

I honestly think in time the “new VW mod bodge” will always have the same outcome... until they change the material of the roof that’s what will always happen in time!

 

[Hotel California]

Who was it again that said EVERY Cali will have roof corrosion in time even the T6...
There where many non belivers every time i wrote it on the forum , here is one brave enough to actually look and show it .
Good thing @Loz you applyed the tape i would advise (again) everyone to do so.
Myself will have to wait until VW does it when "the job" gets done....my T5 is allready infected long time ago.

 

[jts46]

12 years **

Does this letter also state the front panel is covered for 12yrs?

 

[WelshGas]

I honestly think in time the “new VW mod bodge” will always have the same outcome... until they change the material of the roof that’s what will always happen in time!

It's not so much the roof material but the Roof Aluminium Alloy in conjunction with the Steel insert of the Rubber Edge Seal.
One or other need to change or be insulated from each other so that water cannot bridge the gap.

 

[Teejay]

Thanks Loz. I’ll order some in and give it a go.


Mike

Thnk I will do the same, mine is also a October 2017 collection

 

[burnercan]

mine is also a October 2017

Shouldn't these later ones already have the tape from factory?

 

[T6 CFO]

Mine was delivered Jan 2017. Just missed it. So agree @Teejay1’s should be done

Mike

 

[Billywizz]

Does this letter also state the front panel is covered for 12yrs?

Yes it does

 

[Teejay]

I checked my roof last summer at 1 year old and all was good.
Earlier this year I ordered the 3M protection tape to do the edges myself before the corrosion starts but today was the first Hot day I got to fit the tape.

So I removed the side and rear parts of the roof seal and used some detailer to wipe off the build up of dirt.
View attachment 33192

After cleaning I examined the area along the edges and found 2 issues, 1 where the soft paint was crimped when the seal was first applied;
View attachment 33191
And the second is a paint bubble right at the front. (Sorry, the photo is not in focus as I couldn't see in the bright sunlight)
View attachment 33190

I then cleaned it all up with Isopropanol and applied the tape.
View attachment 33189
Folded the bottom up inside.
View attachment 33193

Sprayed the seal and tape with silicone spray and refitted the seal.
View attachment 33194

Job done in 1 hour.
I was disappointed to see the bubble at the front that was not there when I first checked, hopefully being sealed no more moisture will get in and make it any worse.

Hi Loz
I'm interested how you coped with the corners. Did you over lap the tape or was it flexible enough to just form it around?

 

[Loz]

Hi Loz
I'm interested how you coped with the corners. Did you over lap the tape or was it flexible enough to just form it around?

It stretched around..

 

[Keith Smith]

It stretched around..

Did you cover the front edge too. Just wondering about getting access without standing on the bonnet.

 

[Loz]

No, as I only had 2 rolls

 

[Scaliwag]

I have emails from VW that the Roof is covered under the 10 year corrosion warranty if anyone what’s a copy for a claim that VW try to dismiss

That’s gold dust, can you upload it into the upload section of this site??
I’d like to have a copy to my email please. My biggest worry with my T6 I’d the dreaded roof corrosion problem.

 

[Mike Jenkins]

That’s gold dust, can you upload it into the upload section of this site??
I’d like to have a copy to my email please. My biggest worry with my T6 I’d the dreaded roof corrosion problem.

And me please

Mike

 

[Keith Smith]

Well, yesterday was warm and sunny, the tape had finally arrived from Viking and I had a free morning to have a go at fitting the tape. Naively I had thought I would have caught the problem in time but sadly not. Mine is a March 2016 by the way.


This was the front nearside corner, looks bad but after cleaning and using Tcut the extent of the rust contamination was more clear.



Also on the inside,



But you can also see bubbling along the front edge. Unfortunately that wasn't the only place corrosion had occurred with each edge having some bubbling.


This is the offside, small patch but destined for bigger things I suspect.

Dead centre of the back edge.

There doesn't seem to be any logical reason why the corrosion has occurred where it has. If it was caused by the steel wire in the seal why then has it not bubbled up dramatically where the paint has become completely impregnated with rust at the front corner?

Anyway I couldn't face having the van shoddily repaired with a fix that would be temporary at best so I fitted the tape in the hope it will slow down the problem and in the belief that I could remove it should I need to make a claim. I had bought 3 rolls and it took two plus 450mm from the third to do the sides and back edges without stretching the tape.

I hadn't intended to do the front edge as access is awkward but having found corrosion at the corner I took the gamble and removed the remaining rubber seal. This is when I discovered the paint was literally bubbling up with seemingly no corrosion underneath.



A neat series of bubbles!

Worst still I discovered that the top coat of paint will literally peel off quite easily and so now I suspect that it will be impossible to remove the tape without seriously damaging the paint. So in for a penny etc I applied tape to the front edge. Then used a judicious amount of silicon and profanity to get the seal back, I'd overlapped the front corners which made it very tight but the front edge was difficult to fit along its entire length for some reason. The rest went on comparatively easily, but you do need to use plenty of silicon.

So now I'm not sure if I've done the right thing. Only time will tell if the problem gets a lot worse and I've voided the warranty, but with a bit of luck this will hold the tide of corrosion back and I can enjoy the vehicle until I trade it in for an entirely plastic electric T12.

 

[2into1]

If they claim you've voided the warranty, then you'll have this date stamped thread to demonstrate the problem was existing before your efforts to limit the damage further.

 

[Scaliwag]

Well, yesterday was warm and sunny, the tape had finally arrived from Viking and I had a free morning to have a go at fitting the tape. Naively I had thought I would have caught the problem in time but sadly not. Mine is a March 2016 by the way.

View attachment 34035
This was the front nearside corner, looks bad but after cleaning and using Tcut the extent of the rust contamination was more clear.

View attachment 34036

Also on the inside,

View attachment 34037

But you can also see bubbling along the front edge. Unfortunately that wasn't the only place corrosion had occurred with each edge having some bubbling.

View attachment 34038
This is the offside, small patch but destined for bigger things I suspect.
View attachment 34039
Dead centre of the back edge.

There doesn't seem to be any logical reason why the corrosion has occurred where it has. If it was caused by the steel wire in the seal why then has it not bubbled up dramatically where the paint has become completely impregnated with rust at the front corner?

Anyway I couldn't face having the van shoddily repaired with a fix that would be temporary at best so I fitted the tape in the hope it will slow down the problem and in the belief that I could remove it should I need to make a claim. I had bought 3 rolls and it took two plus 450mm from the third to do the sides and back edges without stretching the tape.

I hadn't intended to do the front edge as access is awkward but having found corrosion at the corner I took the gamble and removed the remaining rubber seal. This is when I discovered the paint was literally bubbling up with seemingly no corrosion underneath.

View attachment 34040

A neat series of bubbles!

Worst still I discovered that the top coat of paint will literally peel off quite easily and so now I suspect that it will be impossible to remove the tape without seriously damaging the paint. So in for a penny etc I applied tape to the front edge. Then used a judicious amount of silicon and profanity to get the seal back, I'd overlapped the front corners which made it very tight but the front edge was difficult to fit along its entire length for some reason. The rest went on comparatively easily, but you do need to use plenty of silicon.

So now I'm not sure if I've done the right thing. Only time will tell if the problem gets a lot worse and I've voided the warranty, but with a bit of luck this will hold the tide of corrosion back and I can enjoy the vehicle until I trade it in for an entirely plastic electric T12.

Thanks for posting these. I'm really sorry for your discovery and I'm now very nervous about mine. I don't know if I should investigate it by removing some of the gasket or just leave it or contact my dealer and preempt this problem. March 16, way way too early to be having corrosion issues anywhere.
Of course the other conundrum is, that if the roof is to be replaced, how long will it take, how well will the job be done and how long will the replacement last without the same happening in another 2 years (or less).
This is very bad news for all Cali owners!

 

[Loz]

Well, yesterday was warm and sunny, the tape had finally arrived from Viking and I had a free morning to have a go at fitting the tape. Naively I had thought I would have caught the problem in time but sadly not. Mine is a March 2016 by the way.

View attachment 34035
This was the front nearside corner, looks bad but after cleaning and using Tcut the extent of the rust contamination was more clear.

Bubbling aside, the rust has to be coming from the seal as the roof aluminium, so at the very least you need a new seal.

 

[Ryemslie]

Personally I’d take the tape off as I see no point in putting it on a roof where it’s already started & get it booked into a known reputable repairer. There’s plenty threads on here to give you that information. The longer it’s left like that the worse it can get & reporting the problem to actual repair can take several months if not years in some cases.

 

[Keith Smith]

Personally I’d take the tape off as I see no point in putting it on a roof where it’s already started & get it booked into a known reputable repairer. There’s plenty threads on here to give you that information. The longer it’s left like that the worse it can get & reporting the problem to actual repair can take several months if not years in some cases.

I've been in touch with VW customer services today and had it logged as a fault. They want me to take it to the local dealer who is 50 miles away. I will take it next time I'm passing but I'm not making a special trip. As for repair, there are no repairers who can guarantee the problem won't bubble up again a couple of years down the line and so I've taken the decision not to have it temporarily fixed but to wait to see if they can come up with a permanent fix over the next few years. As I said previously the paint has barely adhered in some places so the option of removing the tape is not practical on my vehicle. The bottom line though is that although this is distressing it is only cosmetic and does not affect the overall use of the vehicle, so I intend to use it and not get embroiled in the nightmare that has often been the result of trying to get it patched up.

 

[California Dreamin]

I think you put that well Keith. It would be easy for us to forget the main thing getting out and enjoying life.

I think I will wait until shortly before the 3 year point to have it checked and then will get it repaired under warranty, and will at that point apply tape to get to a position equivalent to the current manufacturing process (although no as good i am sure). Although this will not remove the problem it should abate it for a decent period.

What I find hard to swallow is that VW have not offered the 6 years warranty like for the T5 so with an unchanged design, still flawed, we are in a worse position. Please chime in here if anyone one has had any assurance in writing that they will offer the equivalent to us T6 non-tapers.

 

[Volkywagen]

Arnt these pop tops made for Vw by Reimo?