Beach without 3 zone climatronic

[Jeeves]

First post so excuse my lack of knowledge. The dream of buying a California can become a reality next year when I leave my current job and have more leisure time.
We are a family of 4 (two kids who will be by then 13 and 11).
We have a Dandy Folding Camper and the idea will be to use the california as a tow car and once on site, folding camper will be for the kids and the California will be for us the have some well deserved mummy and daddy time
Because we have the folding camper the greater flexibility of a beach does appeal as we can retro fit any extras in the future such as a slidepod or similar-we also like the bigger bed on the beach.
The dilemma we have is that as we have passengers and intend to tour in summer will we need the 3 zone air con i.e. air con in the rear for passengers.
If we don't really need it this opens up the prospect of buying nearly used and thus saving considerably over buying (and waiting !).
Any advice from anyone in similar situation i.e. does the standard aircon on a beach cool the passenger area sufficiently for us not to be concerned as per any other standard vehicle ?

 

[Kevthegas]

We have the 3 zone air con in our Beach, and would not have bought one without it.

 

[Borris]

What ho Jeeves,
I think that I read somewhere that the standard aircon in the Beach only services the driver and passenger. Nothing for the rear passengers.
If I were you I would hold out for a Beach with the full Climatronic 3 zone jobby. We have it in ours and it was a godsend during that hot spell last summer. The Beach is a big van with lots of windows so I would definitely get one with the full Climatronic. The only problem with it is that fiddling little fingers on the rear aircon control panel can become rather annoying at times.
The usual dialogue from the little people in the rear normally follows the same format: "I'm too hot, turn it down" "no, I'm am the controller and I'm cold" etc etc until I blow my top and start shouting loudly and waving my arms around. There needs to be a lock on the cab aircon control panel to prevent unauthorised use from the rear a bit like the switch for turning the rear electric windows off. There may be one but if there is I haven't found it.
You should be able to find an ex demo with 3 zone air con without too much trouble. Southern Motor Group (SMG) at Tonbridge have a well specced Beach for sale on E bay at the moment. It's in Accapulco Blue and has just about every thing that someone with a family would want. If you are interested give Laine Watts a call. He is a lovely chap and really knows his stuff when it comes to Calis. He sold us an identical Beach last year an gave us a very good discount.
Good luck,

 

[Rich20]

You can regain a little control by using the "Sync" button and choose a temperature for the whole vehicle. Might give you chance to say who is really in charge.

 

[Borris]

You can regain a little control by using the "Sync" button and choose a temperature for the whole vehicle. Might give you chance to say who is really in charge.

Yes, I have tried that but unfortunately it can be over ridden by the rear controls.

 

[hirsty]

I have a T6 Beach with a two-seat rear bench and "the standard" aircon - eg: no 3-zone climatronic - and it's fine. Whilst the upgraded system will definitely 'be better', and admittedly I only ever sit in the front, it's perfectly do-able for driving around in the UK and summer holidays in Europe.

If I lived full-time in Mediterranean climes then I might think twice, but for the occasional bit-hotter-than-Blighty tour it's fine - my previous T5 conversion didn't have aircon at all & no-one ever expired.

Disclaimer: I spent my formative years with the piping edge of a Ford Cortina rear bench stuck in the back of my sunburned legs, "kids today", etc etc ...

 

[WelshGas]

First post so excuse my lack of knowledge. The dream of buying a California can become a reality next year when I leave my current job and have more leisure time.
We are a family of 4 (two kids who will be by then 13 and 11).
We have a Dandy Folding Camper and the idea will be to use the california as a tow car and once on site, folding camper will be for the kids and the California will be for us the have some well deserved mummy and daddy time
Because we have the folding camper the greater flexibility of a beach does appeal as we can retro fit any extras in the future such as a slidepod or similar-we also like the bigger bed on the beach.
The dilemma we have is that as we have passengers and intend to tour in summer will we need the 3 zone air con i.e. air con in the rear for passengers.
If we don't really need it this opens up the prospect of buying nearly used and thus saving considerably over buying (and waiting !).
Any advice from anyone in similar situation i.e. does the standard aircon on a beach cool the passenger area sufficiently for us not to be concerned as per any other standard vehicle ?

If you are staying in the U.K. For your holidays - then probably No.

If heading south across the Channel for Summer Holidays - then definitely YES

Also if you do get it then probably help re-sale .

Don't forget the system is 3 Zone and not only cools the 3 areas to individual temperatures but also warms 3 Zones to individual temperatures.

 

[Jeeves]

Thanks for the replies everyone....I get my lump sum from work in May 2018 so my choice is either order a new Beach early in November 17 and get it specced up for delivery in May or hold on and look at the nearly new market and look at a 6 month old Ocean (which has aircon 3 zone and lots of other goodies)- I'm six foot 1 and main reason for buying beach is larger bed downstairs- Im going to go i to Preston VW and have some early discussions

 

[Rich20]

Yes, I have tried that but unfortunately it can be over ridden by the rear controls.

Ah, didn't realise that. Forewarned ready for the Grandchildrens antics.

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for the replies everyone....I get my lump sum from work in May 2018 so my choice is either order a new Beach early in November 17 and get it specced up for delivery in May or hold on and look at the nearly new market and look at a 6 month old Ocean (which has aircon 3 zone and lots of other goodies)- I'm six foot 1 and main reason for buying beach is larger bed downstairs- Im going to go i to Preston VW and have some early discussions

If you have plenty of time, you can try to do what I did: order a Cali to your spec to be used as a demonstrator before delivery. In return I got a 14% discount, but I have waited 10 months for delivery.

 

[Jeeves]

If you have plenty of time, you can try to do what I did: order a Cali to your spec to be used as a demonstrator before delivery. In return I got a 14% discount, but I have waited 10 months for delivery.

Sounds a fantastic idea-Thats something I will look into-Thanks

 

[Meoncoast]

I'm six foot 1 and main reason for buying beach is larger bed downstairs-

I am 6,2 (unless I have lost height in recent years) no issue with Ocean bed. You could try an Ocean bed for size at a dealers

 

[IanE]

Thanks for the replies everyone....I get my lump sum from work in May 2018 so my choice is either order a new Beach early in November 17 and get it specced up for delivery in May or hold on and look at the nearly new market and look at a 6 month old Ocean (which has aircon 3 zone and lots of other goodies)- I'm six foot 1 and main reason for buying beach is larger bed downstairs- Im going to go i to Preston VW and have some early discussions

You'll likely deal with Guy at Preston - in common with lots of people on here we had an excellent buying experience with him. He's very knowledgeable and refreshing in his straightforward manner - gives a good discount too!

 

[zeratul]

We have a T5 beach and travel with 3 children. We don't have the 3 zone climatronic.
Last summer we went on a 5.500km trip Belgium - Slovenia - Croatia - Montenegro - Italy - SouthWest of France and back.

In croatia en Italy it was very very hot during the day (35+) and we typically drive the hottest part of the day from one campsite to the next.
We managed fine with the regular airco.
The thing is, even though you don't feel the cool air flowing directly in the back, it still has enough cooling capacity to cool the entire van. We just set it to the maximum and point the airflow direction toward the windows and in between the front seats (so not towards the driver or front passenger).
Our children are quite sensitive to heat and they never complained about it being too hot. I guess the temperature in the back did not go above 25-28.

I didn't order the 3 way climatronic not because I don't want airco in the back, but because a "manual" airco is more than enough, I don't need this digital temperature-sensor steered systems.. It was around EUR 2500 and that, to me, was too much.

 

[Jeeves]

We have a T5 beach and travel with 3 children. We don't have the 3 zone climatronic.
Last summer we went on a 5.500km trip Belgium - Slovenia - Croatia - Montenegro - Italy - SouthWest of France and back.

In croatia en Italy it was very very hot during the day (35+) and we typically drive the hottest part of the day from one campsite to the next.
We managed fine with the regular airco.
The thing is, even though you don't feel the cool air flowing directly in the back, it still has enough cooling capacity to cool the entire van. We just set it to the maximum and point the airflow direction toward the windows and in between the front seats (so not towards the driver or front passenger).
Our children are quite sensitive to heat and they never complained about it being too hot. I guess the temperature in the back did not go above 25-28.

I didn't order the 3 way climatronic not because I don't want airco in the back, but because a "manual" airco is more than enough, I don't need this digital temperature-sensor steered systems.. It was around EUR 2500 and that, to me, was too much.

Thanks Zeratul and others- very informative-

 

[Big Bloke]

We have a T5 Beach with standard A/C.
We usually travel with just the 2 of us but when we've had passengers in the back we've had no issues.
We were in Portugal last summer with temperatures into the 40's, we'd had the windows limo tinted just prior to going, ( standard factory tinted windows on Callis are not very dark), we think the extra tinting made a huge difference to comfort in the van.
Reference the bed in the Beach, I'm 6ft 5 & I have no problems downstairs or upstairs for that matter.
We went throught the same process that you're going through whilst waiting for my retirement & lump sum to come around. The day my commutation hit the bank, we paid for our ex demo Beach and have never regretted a second of ownership, good luck!

 

[Jeeves]

We have a T5 Beach with standard A/C.
We usually travel with just the 2 of us but when we've had passengers in the back we've had no issues.
We were in Portugal last summer with temperatures into the 40's, we'd had the windows limo tinted just prior to going, ( standard factory tinted windows on Callis are not very dark), we think the extra tinting made a huge difference to comfort in the van.
Reference the bed in the Beach, I'm 6ft 5 & I have no problems downstairs or upstairs for that matter.
We went throught the same process that you're going through whilst waiting for my retirement & lump sum to come around. The day my commutation hit the bank, we paid for our ex demo Beach and have never regretted a second of ownership, good luck!

Fantastic advice thanks very much...I wonder if you were in the same line of business as myself ? Im one of the very last to get a retirement at my age given government changes
My dilemma is that as I retire in the summer I'm cutting my choice down on the second hand market-either an ex-demo beach nearly new and don't worry about the aircon in the rear (or aux heater) or get an older ocean(not having to worry about aircon and heater )
But I worry that my wife and I would find the Ocean too cramped width ways-im a broad bloke and Mrs jeeves was chosen for being a curvaceous lady built for the job
Hence a beach is probably our leaning

 

[marshian70]

We have a SE with standard air con. Like others we've not had any issues in keeping cool whilst using in hot weather. 3 zone climate would be nice, but not essential IMO

 

[Big Bloke]

Fantastic advice thanks very much...I wonder if you were in the same line of business as myself ? Im one of the very last to get a retirement at my age given government changes
My dilemma is that as I retire in the summer I'm cutting my choice down on the second hand market-either an ex-demo beach nearly new and don't worry about the aircon in the rear (or aux heater) or get an older ocean(not having to worry about aircon and heater )
But I worry that my wife and I would find the Ocean too cramped width ways-im a broad bloke and Mrs jeeves was chosen for being a curvaceous lady built for the job
Hence a beach is probably our leaning

Royal Green Jackets for 4yrs & then West Midlands Fire Service for 27yrs got me over the 30yr line!
We started our planning 3yrs or so before I retired, we ruled out a conversion due to various reasons but one of the main ones was issues over weight limits on the upper beds, the California roof bed must have an upper weight limit but we're 29 stone between us and there is no problem.
We prefer the wide bed in the Beach over the narrower bed of the SE or Ocean, (we have tried the SE bed) and we prefer when possible to sleep downstairs.
We had the same choices after paying off the mortgage of either a second hand SE or an ex demo Beach, with no finance. We added the heater aftermarket for just over a £1000, which we put to good use touring in Scandinavia. The heater we had fitted is exactly the same as the factory heater.

 

[Jeeves]

Royal Green Jackets for 4yrs & then West Midlands Fire Service for 27yrs got me over the 30yr line!
We started our planning 3yrs or so before I retired, we ruled out a conversion due to various reasons but one of the main ones was issues over weight limits on the upper beds, the California roof bed must have an upper weight limit but we're 29 stone between us and there is no problem.
We prefer the wide bed in the Beach over the narrower bed of the SE or Ocean, (we have tried the SE bed) and we prefer when possible to sleep downstairs.
We had the same choices after paying off the mortgage of either a second hand SE or an ex demo Beach, with no finance. We added the heater aftermarket for just over a £1000, which we put to good use touring in Scandinavia. The heater we had fitted is exactly the same as the factory heater.

RAF and then a blue uniform and silly hat will get me in the same position next May-Ive gone through the same loop over conversions so narrowing it down to a California-Thanks for your help

 

[Barry Loughlin]

Royal Green Jackets for 4yrs & then West Midlands Fire Service for 27yrs got me over the 30yr line!
We started our planning 3yrs or so before I retired, we ruled out a conversion due to various reasons but one of the main ones was issues over weight limits on the upper beds, the California roof bed must have an upper weight limit but we're 29 stone between us and there is no problem.
We prefer the wide bed in the Beach over the narrower bed of the SE or Ocean, (we have tried the SE bed) and we prefer when possible to sleep downstairs.
We had the same choices after paying off the mortgage of either a second hand SE or an ex demo Beach, with no finance. We added the heater aftermarket for just over a £1000, which we put to good use touring in Scandinavia. The heater we had fitted is exactly the same as the factory heater.

Can I ask where you had the heater fitted? Just looking in this now. I have 2019 cali without 3 zone climate control and so far it’s fine, but I could do with a little more heat in the winter

 

[SteveBristol123]

First post so excuse my lack of knowledge. The dream of buying a California can become a reality next year when I leave my current job and have more leisure time.
We are a family of 4 (two kids who will be by then 13 and 11).
We have a Dandy Folding Camper and the idea will be to use the california as a tow car and once on site, folding camper will be for the kids and the California will be for us the have some well deserved mummy and daddy time
Because we have the folding camper the greater flexibility of a beach does appeal as we can retro fit any extras in the future such as a slidepod or similar-we also like the bigger bed on the beach.
The dilemma we have is that as we have passengers and intend to tour in summer will we need the 3 zone air con i.e. air con in the rear for passengers.
If we don't really need it this opens up the prospect of buying nearly used and thus saving considerably over buying (and waiting !).
Any advice from anyone in similar situation i.e. does the standard aircon on a beach cool the passenger area sufficiently for us not to be concerned as per any other standard vehicle ?

I don’t have it and wish I did (or at least my kids do)!

 

[California Dreamer]

We’re in France at the moment - it’s not overly hot (high 20s) but passengers in the back much appreciate the rear a/c so I’m glad we have it. I guess you could blast the front a/c to reach the back but might be chilly in the front?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Bloke]

Can I ask where you had the heater fitted? Just looking in this now. I have 2019 cali without 3 zone climate control and so far it’s fine, but I could do with a little more heat in the winter

We had our webasto night heater fitted at Dirty Weekender, Worcester. Not a factory fit though as our vent comes out of the rear of the drivers seat base……works brilliantly though.
However, since we had ours fitted back in 2015, there are now a couple of reputable conversion companies fitting exactly the same as the factory fit, Exploria at Brighouse would be my choice.

 

[Barry Loughlin]

We had our webasto night heater fitted at Dirty Weekender, Worcester. Not a factory fit though as our vent comes out of the rear of the drivers seat base……works brilliantly though.
However, since we had ours fitted back in 2015, there are now a couple of reputable conversion companies fitting exactly the same as the factory fit, Exploria at Brighouse would be my choice.

Thanks for the advice . Much Appreciated