Build date fiasco from VW

[Ladymuck]

I finally got a reply from my dealer about my 4motion Ocean 199 which we ordered 24/9. VW chat had provisionally said week 22 build, but the dealer said it was unconfirmed at 24 and may go later...so I called it quits. They say they are happy to refund the deposit and apologised. And then, by chance, I managed to snap up a pre-Reg 70 plate exactly the spec I was after (in fact more hi-spec than I wanted) today. SO happy!!!

I don't blame you, you are van ready for the the spring and summer now. Congratulations!

 

[PhilR]

I finally got a reply from my dealer about my 4motion Ocean 199 which we ordered 24/9. VW chat had provisionally said week 22 build, but the dealer said it was unconfirmed at 24 and may go later...so I called it quits. They say they are happy to refund the deposit and apologised. And then, by chance, I managed to snap up a pre-Reg 70 plate exactly the spec I was after (in fact more hi-spec than I wanted) today. SO happy!!!

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

 

[Dark Ocean]

I finally got a reply from my dealer about my 4motion Ocean 199 which we ordered 24/9. VW chat had provisionally said week 22 build, but the dealer said it was unconfirmed at 24 and may go later...so I called it quits. They say they are happy to refund the deposit and apologised. And then, by chance, I managed to snap up a pre-Reg 70 plate exactly the spec I was after (in fact more hi-spec than I wanted) today. SO happy!!!

Lucky you!! Make sure you share some photos of your new toy!!

 

[Bodley]

Lucky you!! Make sure you share some photos of your new toy!!

Will do!

 

[Bodley]

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

I was in the same frame of mind. I had contacted a local conversion company (Taylored Conversions in Barnstaple who sounded great and people around north Devon recommended) to convert a van. I needed a 4WD but to get everything on and to find a 4WD van that hadn’t already been pimped was tough and going to end up at about £65-70k all done. Apparently, there is also a shortage of vans to convert due to staycationing. Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide. I will let you know whether it is worth hanging on for...

 

[Defender90]

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

Hi Phil, i can understand your concerns and the ridiculous lead times but don't kid yourself any other brand is any better they all have issues if you look, everything I buy now I just expect problems sad but true 75k is a lot for a van but you do get a lot and the campervan dream. I think if you want the campervan dream stick with it if not 75k will get you a lot of car.

 

[subthree]

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

I think I may have replied in a similar vein before. As I might have mentioned, just once or twice, our van took 48 frustrating weeks. I went through despair, exasperation, frustration and plenty of anger that when spending such a vast amount of cash that VW (UK and dealers) can be so useless. Plenty of times we would have cancelled and walked away.

Never owned a Moho or a converted van so can't comment on those.

We collected our 6.1 last July. Family of four with a 7 & 9 yo in tow. Now done 5,000 miles and totally in love with it. Utterly fabulous vehicle. As someone else here said, love my Cali don't love VW.

 

[Jenny H]

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

Aww thats such a shame Phil, I understand how you feel but you must be over half way there by now - Im sure what everybody has been going through has been exacerbated by Covid & Brexit - hang on in there!

 

[Krispy]

In case anyone here is interested in a pre-built 150 Ocean with fifth seat - SMG Cowfild told me back in mid December that they had a Fortana Red due hopefully Feb- March. Was quite highly specced up if I remember correctly, including fifth seat and I'm pretty sure tow-bar (although not 100% about that.) and unusually the Strawberry Red bellows. They were willing to sell it to us, but in the end I went for a similar vehicle that was available immediately.

I've never seen it advertised so might well still be available.

 

[subthree]

Pleased for you mate, well done!
Seriously considering pulling the plug on the whole Cali thing again now. Fed up of all this nonsense. VW are a joke. Too many compromises on a £75k+ vehicle too. I’d convinced myself things would work but have always had a slight nagging worry about the quality and reliability. Talking myself out of it rather rapidly now.....

Marshalls have a grey 199/204 (£73k) and also a red 199/204 4Mo (£75k!) both pre-reg on 70 plates.

(Well out of my league!)

 

[PhilR]

Sadly, after all the planning and excitement, the frustrations have finally took their toll and we are cancelling our order. If you read my first post on this forum you'll know we had reservations about purchasing a Cali after a 2 day hire. But we stuck with our dream and brushed aside concerns over 6.1 issues, VW customer service and the delays. However we've had enough of the uncertainty and the real possibility of being without a car for a few weeks or months even, so after a real good talk about it we are going to go for an estate car again. A very nice one at that, as cancelling a Cali order gives you some nice options! We're hopefully going to go for a BMW M340i. Fully specced (but with no bed or kitchen!) with discount it is about £52k, so way less. More importantly there are NO (or none I can think of) compromises, unlike there is with the Cali. BMW have also told me today that they have confirmed factory build slots allocated in March.
We will take out a 3 year PCP and maybe when that ends we will reconsider the Campervan dream.

Hopefully we should get back our deposit . I've purchased a VW number plate, so that is a wasted £400. Anyone want VW21 PMR

 

[Aussie Cali]

So after ordering in September we finally got an unconfirmed build date of week 10 last Friday. Time to celebrate? Sadly not, as today VW Chat have now said our unconfirmed build date is now week 23
What are they playing at? We were originally told (by the dealer) delivery by the end of 2020, then March 2021, now August/September??? This is ridiculous now and I have to be honest and say I'm now seriously starting to doubt the whole thing. I've been really positive and excited about it for ages, but these setbacks are diminishing my enthusiasm for sure. Had a bad day at work today so it wasn't the best time to find out this news, so I'll sleep on it but at this moment in time I'm seriously considering pulling the plug...

Anyone else feel let down by VW too? This is very poor CS. I've not had one phone call from my dealer since ordering, I've done all the chasing. I'm going to email him tomorrow and be polite but I'll certainly express my anger/disappointment - not that they'll care. I'm not important, I'm only spending £75k+

I've had BMW's and Audi's in the past and the ownership experience (apart from the rip-off servicing!) has been exceptional, as has the build quality, ride, reliability, performance and overall running costs. If only BMW made a Campervan......

Hi Phil

Feel your frustration buddy, hang in there, it's not VW so much as it's Covid causing havoc with factory lockdowns and their supply chains.

We ordered our Cali back in August; was give a provisional date in February, which was move fro beginning March then end march then April ... all consequential to the factory being physically closed., and when open, slowed as suppliers are facing the same challenges.

We got lucky, a Cali became available from another dealer, as a the sale fell through. Possibly due to a cancellation?! Spec was similar to our original, so we took it within hours of becoming available.

My advice would be to hang in, and simultaneously put your name down with multiple dealers in tech event of a cancellation (as I did)

 

[JandA]

Sadly, after all the planning and excitement, the frustrations have finally took their toll and we are cancelling our order. If you read my first post on this forum you'll know we had reservations about purchasing a Cali after a 2 day hire. But we stuck with our dream and brushed aside concerns over 6.1 issues, VW customer service and the delays. However we've had enough of the uncertainty and the real possibility of being without a car for a few weeks or months even, so after a real good talk about it we are going to go for an estate car again. A very nice one at that, as cancelling a Cali order gives you some nice options! We're hopefully going to go for a BMW M340i. Fully specced (but with no bed or kitchen!) with discount it is about £52k, so way less. More importantly there are NO (or none I can think of) compromises, unlike there is with the Cali. BMW have also told me today that they have confirmed factory build slots allocated in March.
We will take out a 3 year PCP and maybe when that ends we will reconsider the Campervan dream.

Hopefully we should get back our deposit . I've purchased a VW number plate, so that is a wasted £400. Anyone want VW21 PMR

Hi Phil I feel your pain...i have an X5 I am selling (at some point) for the California which was ordered in mid August and still no build date. But as it is a 199/204 4 motion ( to pull our caravan) and after chatting to VW today I do have some sympathy with the situation for them and that which are all in...but as I told them I cannot forgive the lack of connection with their clients...it is appalling. However in my case it is hoped that around week 6 they will announce more build slots (especially for the now 204) and maybe mine might be on the list but we shall see. They did confirm my spec is buildable and does not need any changes due to a weight issue despite what I read was a possibility elsewhere here.
So on the basis that I doubt we could use it if I had it until after lockdown whenever that might be. I am guessI got we won’t get freedom till June so I am sticking with the California and hopefully when it does come I won’t have to sit in it down the drive going nowhere.
Best wishes with your BMW..this is my 5th X5 and my 9th BMW over the years...they are a fantastic make and product, it’s a shame they don’t do a camper....Have fun....but look out for the speed cameras...easy to forget they are there !!!

 

[PhilR]

Hi Phil I feel your pain...i have an X5 I am selling (at some point) for the California which was ordered in mid August and still no build date. But as it is a 199/204 4 motion ( to pull our caravan) and after chatting to VW today I do have some sympathy with the situation for them and that which are all in...but as I told them I cannot forgive the lack of connection with their clients...it is appalling. However in my case it is hoped that around week 6 they will announce more build slots (especially for the now 204) and maybe mine might be on the list but we shall see. They did confirm my spec is buildable and does not need any changes due to a weight issue despite what I read was a possibility elsewhere here.
So on the basis that I doubt we could use it if I had it until after lockdown whenever that might be. I am guessI got we won’t get freedom till June so I am sticking with the California and hopefully when it does come I won’t have to sit in it down the drive going nowhere.
Best wishes with your BMW..this is my 5th X5 and my 9th BMW over the years...they are a fantastic make and product, it’s a shame they don’t do a camper....Have fun....but look out for the speed cameras...easy to forget they are there !!!

Thanks mate! Yes.....if only they did a Camper eh!

 

[Flintymutt]

Thanks mate! Yes.....if only they did a Camper eh!

They do. It’s called an Eriba and you tow it behind you!!

They do. It’s called an Eriba and you tow it behind you!!

And what an exceptional thing it is my brother has one built like a tank ..... good for pulling with a Cali

 

[Bodley]

Anyone in more of a hurry, I cancelled my build with Hawco in Inverness and they tried to tempt me back with a demonstrator they have in the pipeline. It is a pretty full spec 4motion. They said it should be with them April. Not confirmed though. If you are interested speak to Lorraine - she was nice to deal with.

 

[JandA]

I am guessing there will be an “updating” of the price. A benefit of sticking with it so far VW have said there will be no price adjustment from agreed price at date of order. But we shall see

 

[Kernowboy]

Anyone in more of a hurry, I cancelled my build with Hawco in Inverness and they tried to tempt me back with a demonstrator they have in the pipeline. It is a pretty full spec 4motion. They said it should be with them April. Not confirmed though. If you are interested speak to Lorraine - she was nice to deal with.

Didn’t try very hard to tempt you at that price.

 

[AlisonF]

Didn’t try very hard to tempt you at that price.

Maybe because Hawco are in Inverness and the poster it in Devon.

 

[Kernowboy]

Maybe because Hawco are in Inverness and the poster it in Devon.

Could be, won’t benefit from servicing etc. But then they made the original sale so who knows.....

 

[Bodley]

Their standpoint regarding the price was on supply/demand issues.

 

[chris151151]

So after ordering in September we finally got an unconfirmed build date of week 10 last Friday. Time to celebrate? Sadly not, as today VW Chat have now said our unconfirmed build date is now week 23
What are they playing at? We were originally told (by the dealer) delivery by the end of 2020, then March 2021, now August/September??? This is ridiculous now and I have to be honest and say I'm now seriously starting to doubt the whole thing. I've been really positive and excited about it for ages, but these setbacks are diminishing my enthusiasm for sure. Had a bad day at work today so it wasn't the best time to find out this news, so I'll sleep on it but at this moment in time I'm seriously considering pulling the plug...

Anyone else feel let down by VW too? This is very poor CS. I've not had one phone call from my dealer since ordering, I've done all the chasing. I'm going to email him tomorrow and be polite but I'll certainly express my anger/disappointment - not that they'll care. I'm not important, I'm only spending £75k+

I've had BMW's and Audi's in the past and the ownership experience (apart from the rip-off servicing!) has been exceptional, as has the build quality, ride, reliability, performance and overall running costs. If only BMW made a Campervan......

There is something strange happening here. My Coast went from 091020 order to 110121 delivery to dealer - original delivery date ws 310121. Is it something to do with certain specs and options? Is there enough evidence on here to highlight common factors for extended delivery dates, if someone has the time? I'm thinking this might help people decide on specs when placing an order.

 

[OGII]

Is there enough evidence on here to highlight common factors for extended delivery dates, if someone has the time? I'm thinking this might help people decide on specs when placing an order.

Good logic but the missing components may differ over time. A towbar holding up one batch of orders at one point may change to a certain wheel option the next.

It does seem like the supply chains are being disrupted more this year than last, not helped by surges in demand, chip shortages and issues like shipping containers backing up in some ports. Apparently children’s trampolines are going to be in short supply this summer, along with home gym equipment.

 

[Saul B]

Attention 204PS orders,

Checked in with VW chat for my bi-weekly “update”. Today the story was more precise: “No build week allocated - please contact your dealer to alter your specification due to weight issues on the 204 builds - possibly the 80L fuel tank”.

Contacted Dealer he is aware but not followed up and changed any orders yet, but said it was coming.

I’ll be calling Monday to scrub the 80L fuel tank option off.

Seems the previous weight rumour has crystallised now.

Mine is a 204 4Motion Ocean - ordered 24/09/20.

Cheers,

SB

 

[JandA]

Hi Saul ...Well I am really confused now, a week ago I went through the same process and we seem to be ordering the same thing. As chat was not available I phoned and spoke to a very helpful guy who went off to investigate and I specifically asked him to check my order with the weight issue in mind as I was concerned following what I had read here earlier, he said would call me back the following day which would been Friday 22nd and to his word he did.
He told me he had been through to the order processing team and had specifically discussed my order and confirmed there was no alterations needed and the ordered spec could be built although still no build date.
all very confusing...please let me know what your supplier says, mine was equally unaware when I put it to him.