After 10 months of ownership...

[zerofour]

We're thoroughly enjoying our Ocean, its been a bit of a learning curve as we'd never really camped before, let alone used/owned a camper van. The van has been superb but I do have a few niggles that I want to get sorted when the van goes in for its first service:

• Rattle in both front doors when the windows are open – recently the driver door rattles all the time even when window closed
• Boot light goes out when you remove the screw lid for the gas compartment
  
• Kitchen door latches come out when closing doors
• Sliding door interior central window trim not fitting very well
• Power latch on sliding door not worked a couple of times – I've had to lock then unlock the vehicle to get it to work
• Sliding door doesn't 'latch and hold back' very smoothly
• A knocking sound from the auxiliary heater after it's been on a while – the sound is coming from outside the vehicle
• The tape on the inside of the wardrobe doors has come detached
• The silver finish on the footwell lights has 'black spots' appearing

I assume the above are all fairly common niggles? My main concerns are the sliding door latching and the auxiliary heater. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SimonB]

a) I've had an intermittent fault on the power latching on the sliding door a couple of times. There is a small rattling noise as you first open the door and then the power latching fails. I lock & unlock then it works again.
Hard to trace so I'm leaving it till it fails.
b) The sliding door not latching & holding back I fixed with an aerosol of lithium grease on the locking pin at the rear of the door. As you operate the handle it moves so I oiled the bits that should move.
c) The knocking sound from the auxiliary heater is possibly the fuel pump operating. Read more here
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/diesel-heater-tick-tick.16226/
The others I haven't had, but it is worth asking your dealer if you are passing.
Simon

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Re the driver door rattle, you’ll probably find that's your awning!

Sounds a bit random but I had the same issue, and it was the lovely informative lot on here that pointed me in the right direction! (Welsh Gas if my memory serves me right)

Unwind your awning out by about a foot or so, and then rewind it back in, tight but don’t over-force it. I did that, rattle gone

 

[Stuart]

The heater noise is normal.

I'm pretty sure my van has almost all those issues but my two pesky kids distract me from noticing them.

 

[zerofour]

Re the driver door rattle, you’ll probably find that's your awning!

Sounds a bit random but I had the same issue, and it was the lovely informative lot on here that pointed me in the right direction! (Welsh Gas if my memory serves me right)

Unwind your awning out by about a foot or so, and then rewind it back in, tight but don’t over-force it. I did that, rattle gone

Thanks, one rattle cured – it was the awning! There is still a rattle when the window is open though – I'm sure its from inside the door.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

The heater noise is normal.

I'm pretty sure my van has almost all those issues but my two pesky kids distract me from noticing them.

Can someone elaborate on the knocking noise? Is that while driving with it off? stationary with it on ? etc
My reason for asking is because this morning I had a couple of 'thuds' from somewhere in the engine bay that sounded and felt like it was in front of the foot pedals. The thud happened a couple of times and to my mind felt like an expansion or contraction of something (like when your home radiators & pipes have the occasional clonk....only because it was more pronounced than that I call it a 'thud'.

 

[WelshGas]

Can someone elaborate on the knocking noise? Is that while driving with it off? stationary with it on ? etc
My reason for asking is because this morning I had a couple of 'thuds' from somewhere in the engine bay that sounded and felt like it was in front of the foot pedals. The thud happened a couple of times and to my mind felt like an expansion or contraction of something (like when your home radiators & pipes have the occasional clonk....only because it was more pronounced than that I call it a 'thud'.

It is the fuel pump of the Diesel Parking Heater. Unlikely to hear it if you have the heater On whilst driving as it is not that loud but seems so in the quiet of the night.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

OK thanks WG doesn't sound like thats what I heard/felt this morning then. Because I have yet to drive with that heater on.

 

[Properjob]

OK thanks WG doesn't sound like thats what I heard/felt this morning then. Because I have yet to drive with that heater on.

We get a funny noise like you describe in front of the pedals in the hire Cali we have. I've been wondering what it is too?..


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[zerofour]

We had an occasional 'knocking' or 'clunking' sound when turning the steering at slow speed, parking etc. I had lowering springs fitted and never heard the sound since. There is a thread on here somewhere discussing it.

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Thanks, one rattle cured – it was the awning! There is still a rattle when the window is open though – I'm sure its from inside the door.

Great news! I agree, it really does sound like the noise is from inside the door, but I promise, it is the awning!

Just unwind it/wind it in once or twice, that should fix it

 

[MattBW]

Can someone elaborate on the knocking noise? Is that while driving with it off? stationary with it on ? etc
My reason for asking is because this morning I had a couple of 'thuds' from somewhere in the engine bay that sounded and felt like it was in front of the foot pedals. The thud happened a couple of times and to my mind felt like an expansion or contraction of something (like when your home radiators & pipes have the occasional clonk....only because it was more pronounced than that I call it a 'thud'.

The aux coolant heater will thud when it first fires up sometimes, unless its particularly loud it should be fine, thats the sound it makes, should be a slow quiet thud/ticking sound whilst running too. It will run when below 6c outside temp and until the van is warm.

If you put your foot on the floor on the left side footwell you may even be able to feel it slightly.

Mine was on this morning and I could just about hear it. Easier to hear at night in the quiet.