Build date fiasco from VW

[boggsboxx]

Thought you said delays weren't because of the 'super increase in orders'?

Due to two causes; one being Covid and not being able to produce new California’s because of delays in parts and the other reason is that so many more orders have been placed as everyone wants a bit of freedom!


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[PhilR]

VW don't just build Californias on the production lines. Similar problems with all Transporters. Check the T6 Forum. Some have had orders cancelled by VW..

Hopefully VW don’t do that with the 204’s, for all you lot waiting.
I cancelled my order and they did sweet fa to try to convince me not to. Almost seems as though they were happy to let me cancel.

 

[Saul B]

Hopefully VW don’t do that with the 204’s, for all you lot waiting.
I cancelled my order and they did sweet fa to try to convince me not to. Almost seems as though they were happy to let me cancel.

I think you’re right. The Dealer was probably more than happy to accept the cancellation and eventually re-market a fully loaded 4Motion (without a 10% discount) at current list price - for collection in [insert month] of 2021.

Supply is going to outstrip demand.

 

[SusiBus]

Hopefully VW don’t do that with the 204’s, for all you lot waiting.
I cancelled my order and they did sweet fa to try to convince me not to. Almost seems as though they were happy to let me cancel.

All that time and effort. Is it five months and 385 postings, to cancel with the finishing gate in sight. What a shame!
I bet the dealer was more than pleased to accept your cancellation with the market situation as it is at the moment. Still you won't need to do another 385 postings about grief about getting warranty niggles sorted.

 

[OnlyJen]

Hopefully VW don’t do that with the 204’s, for all you lot waiting.
I cancelled my order and they did sweet fa to try to convince me not to. Almost seems as though they were happy to let me cancel.

They were probably delighted. No doubt it could have been sold 6 times over already.

 

[Wildcamper]

Hopefully VW don’t do that with the 204’s, for all you lot waiting.
I cancelled my order and they did sweet fa to try to convince me not to. Almost seems as though they were happy to let me cancel.

It's only when people start voting with their feet that VW will start to take notice and improve customer service. After all "how much are you folk spending!!"

 

[orbital]

Don't know where you get the figure £3k more than Drive the Deal? When I put the same spec - Nav Pro, Bronze paint, sleeping mat -into Drive the Deal for a 204 model, it comes out as £63,200 cash price (you have to add £350 to the headline figure if you're not using finance).

So I make that £800 more plus £270 tax for a van that's you can have next week. And it might well be much less difference than that - I spoke to Citygate about the Back model back in December and they offered it for a thousand less than they are listing it. So anyone who might be interested - definitely worth giving them a call, I found them to be very reasonable.

FWIW When I bought my delivery miles showroom demo Ocean from VW Swindon, it was cheaper than the equivalent Drive the Deal cash price, and by quite a decent margin. And it had almost exactly the specification I wanted - I guess I just got lucky. But I think, even if it were 1k more, I'd have still gone for it - £1k to have the use of a Cali for an extra several months of this difficult year and the guarantee of having it during the Spring and Summer, personally more than worth it to me.

Anyway, good luck with your order and I hope you get your Cali sooner rather than later

I did the same just over a year ago. It was a black Ocean, 150bhp, with most of the trimmings and only my test drive mileage on the clock. All for £49k. I wouldn’t buy one any other way. The idea of waiting 6-12 months seems like madness to me.

 

[calibusje]

I feel your pain, but I think I might win the contest of the longest wait for Cali. I ordered my Ocean 6.1 on 21 February 2020 with delivery date 31 August 2020. Then the date was slipping to end September to mid-November, than December. It’s 12 January 2021 and my Cali is not even in production yet! The dealer told me that according to VW my van is ‘scheduled’ for week 7 of 2021, but even that is not confirmed. So VW will only start on my van 1 year after the order was placed. Unbelievable! And it’s not even 204hp, it’s 150hp. And I’m ordering from Belgium, so post-Brexit delay also can’t be an issue here.
I’m so frustrated that I’m thinking of sending the dealer a letter fixing the date of delivery and if this is not met - cancel the contract. Not sure if this would have any effect in speeding up things and I don’t really want to give up on it as it’s my longtime dream.
The dealer couldn’t tell me how long it will take from the start of production and delivery. Would it be reasonable to hope that I’d get my Cali in April if they start building it in the 3rd week of February? Does anyone of you have an idea/experience?

To all those waiting: don’t lose your hope and focus on imagining all the wonderful adventures you’ll have with your Cali, however long the wait!

That is a very long time! We ordered from the VW garage at the end of August 2020 and received a phone call from the garage last weekend that it is scheduled for the 8th week with delivery at the end of March 2021. That is more than a month earlier than predicted. Check out MyVolkswagen: there you can see the real order date ... ours was the end of December 2020. So they only pass on the orders at certain times and maybe yours also at the end of 2020?
For us it does not matter much: we save further because we will have to pay for it upon delivery and we still have an old T4 westfalia that is still perfectly in order.
But I understand your frustration, I couldn't laugh about it anymore like you can't.

Greetings

 

[calibusje]

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......

I wonder if the delivery dates that I kept seeing appear in a lot of posts were still realistic: the delivery times kept getting shorter and shorter! Something strange has happened to post-summer 2020 UK orders....and what the dealers promised.
We ordered at the end of August 2020 and were told that it would be delivered in May 2021. This is in Belgium. Then I read your delivery dates: orders after August 2020 and delivery times in 2020. I wondered about that. Anyway, I understand your frustration because it is not fun: always hearing a later delivery date.
You can of course always cancel, but we do not (and keep saving money for paying ours upon delivery ).
We are also happy with bmw (although it had a mini badge on it ) but a campervan with a bmw sign on the front? It shouldn't get that crazy.
Take care and one day you'll cruise around with your brandnew California and then everything is just a bad memory from before. EDIT: I had overlooked your effective cancellation.
Greetings

 

[calibusje]

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

Longer delivery dates are quite normal in these times: covid shut down the factories for a while last year, when they could start up again they could only do this with a limited number of staff (corona measures) and there was already a backlog then the large numbers of orders (certainly from the UK, which suddenly saw Brexit coming closer for which the vote was taken). Now apparently there is an extra backlog for all 199hp engines (204hp) for emissions. In the future, parts from suppliers may also be too short. It doesn't get any better. Do not forget there is only one factory in the world that builds the california who has to deal with all of the above.
Since you are now buying a bmw instead of a california and find the compromises in a cali hard, you might indeed be better off with a regular passenger car. Congratulations on your purchase, you will be happy with that one!
Anyway: We received an estimated delivery date and in the meantime changed the color and added some options and last weekend I received a phone call from the VW dealer: the estimated delivery time would be more than a month earlier (was May, now end of March; ordered August 2020).
I myself did not contact VW after the changes we made in September (I don't see why as I agreed with the 36 weeks delivery date at the time). I am now happy (sorry for that) that our coast might be delivered a bit earlier.
I am sorry to read that orders have been canceled and hope you can still enjoy traveling with a campervan in one way or another because it just is plain cheerful.
Greetings

 

[PhilR]

All that time and effort. Is it five months and 385 postings, to cancel with the finishing gate in sight. What a shame!
I bet the dealer was more than pleased to accept your cancellation with the market situation as it is at the moment. Still you won't need to do another 385 postings about grief about getting warranty niggles sorted.

Yes it's definitely a shame, but it's not been wasted effort, there was nothing better to do during Covid than research a new vehicle . Plus I've enjoyed the chats on this forum.
It wasn't just the delay that caused us to cancel, it was a mix of different things as I've already mentioned.
The dealer was actually quite hopeless if I'm being honest. I had no contact unless I contacted them and they didn't question my cancellation or offer any options at all.
I know I'll probably get problems with the BMW, but the dealership is local - they gladly matched the best discount I could get and they are just down the road. They have a drive-through service area - you drive in and they take the car whilst guiding you to a really nice seating area with drinks and snacks and a big window to the service area.. It is how all dealerships should be. VWCV on the other hand - well, my local dealer weren't interested in giving me any deal. The parking there is horrendous. It's 20 miles away too. There's probably a coffee machine, but the whole experience is going to be completely different for sure. I'm a fussy so and so, therefore dealer visits are definitely going to be required! Then again I have a right to be fussy spending this sort of cash don't I!?

 

[Californication69]

Yes it's definitely a shame, but it's not been wasted effort, there was nothing better to do during Covid than research a new vehicle . Plus I've enjoyed the chats on this forum.
It wasn't just the delay that caused us to cancel, it was a mix of different things as I've already mentioned.
The dealer was actually quite hopeless if I'm being honest. I had no contact unless I contacted them and they didn't question my cancellation or offer any options at all.
I know I'll probably get problems with the BMW, but the dealership is local - they gladly matched the best discount I could get and they are just down the road. They have a drive-through service area - you drive in and they take the car whilst guiding you to a really nice seating area with drinks and snacks and a big window to the service area.. It is how all dealerships should be. VWCV on the other hand - well, my local dealer weren't interested in giving me any deal. The parking there is horrendous. It's 20 miles away too. There's probably a coffee machine, but the whole experience is going to be completely different for sure. I'm a fussy so and so, therefore dealer visits are definitely going to be required! Then again I have a right to be fussy spending this sort of cash don't I!?

The issue with California’s are they are sold from a commercial site.
Its a massive difference to the BMW / Merc feeling when in a dealership.
But on the other hand.
I don’t want to be in a dealership that often.
Would prefer to be out and about.
Maybe VW Commercial will look and really think about the ID Buzz dealership feel, with maybe inviting California’s to a different dealer experience.

 

[andyinluton]

I'm a fussy so and so, therefore dealer visits are definitely going to be required! Then again I have a right to be fussy spending this sort of cash don't I!?

I think the dealer has had a near miss there, & understand why he was happy to give you your deposit back!

It's a real first world problem having to travel 20 miles to get to a dealer once every 2 years.

 

[SusiBus]

Yes it's definitely a shame, but it's not been wasted effort, there was nothing better to do during Covid than research a new vehicle . Plus I've enjoyed the chats on this forum.
It wasn't just the delay that caused us to cancel, it was a mix of different things as I've already mentioned.
The dealer was actually quite hopeless if I'm being honest. I had no contact unless I contacted them and they didn't question my cancellation or offer any options at all.
I know I'll probably get problems with the BMW, but the dealership is local - they gladly matched the best discount I could get and they are just down the road. They have a drive-through service area - you drive in and they take the car whilst guiding you to a really nice seating area with drinks and snacks and a big window to the service area.. It is how all dealerships should be. VWCV on the other hand - well, my local dealer weren't interested in giving me any deal. The parking there is horrendous. It's 20 miles away too. There's probably a coffee machine, but the whole experience is going to be completely different for sure. I'm a fussy so and so, therefore dealer visits are definitely going to be required! Then again I have a right to be fussy spending this sort of cash don't I!?

You say that it wasn't just the delay that made you cancel. Not having read all your posts, was it that after due consideration you decided that Cali life wasn't for you? Not having to do a 20 mile journey to the dealer is hardly a problem, if you then end up missing out on what us owners know, that dispite VW's best efforts to make it less than it should be, a fantastic experience. The forum will miss your input, enjoy your BMW coffee.

 

[PhilR]

Agree the 20 mile thing is not a problem, obviously, I was just comparing. It’s more than that for sure. I love Cali’s and everything they are about. It’s just not right for us - at this moment in time (we had lots of time to consider this even though we’d put an order in). I’m not Pro BMW or anti VW. Andy in Luton seems to be but the other way round with his comments and obviously hasn’t followed my posts. Those that have, have been supportive and I thank you for that. I am sad and gutted that we are not getting one yet, I really am, and I hope to stay an active member on here as long as I’m not ridiculed for daring to mention anything negative about VW or California’s! (Or positive about BMW!!)

 

[andyinluton]

As the previous owner of :
Z1 , Z3, Z4, 1 series, 3series, 5series and 7 series and having extensively driven a friends v12 760

I think I’ve had enough of them to form an opinion as to how good or bad they are.
If you want something with a rock hard ride, that sits there wheel spinning at the slightest bit of snow then fine a BMW is what you need.

They are all fine as an everyday car but nothing special (except the v12 - one of only two sport manuals made) no better no worse than the equivalent Audi/ merc etc

I just don’t understand how you want a camper and end up with a normal car. You either want one or you don’t, and to use the excuse of the dealer being too far away & a couple of weeks delay as the reason to not get a camper doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing you can’t do in a Cali that you can in a BMW but plenty the other way round.

It’s like going out to buy a dog and coming home with a goldfish.

 

[Californication69]

As the previous owner of :
Z1 , Z3, Z4, 1 series, 3series, 5series and 7 series and having extensively driven a friends v12 760

I think I’ve had enough of them to form an opinion as to how good or bad they are.
If you want something with a rock hard ride, that sits there wheel spinning at the slightest bit of snow then fine a BMW is what you need.

They are all fine as an everyday car but nothing special (except the v12 - one of only two sport manuals made) no better no worse than the equivalent Audi/ merc etc

I just don’t understand how you want a camper and end up with a normal car. You either want one or you don’t, and to use the excuse of the dealer being too far away & a couple of weeks delay as the reason to not get a camper doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing you can’t do in a Cali that you can in a BMW but plenty the other way round.

It’s like going out to buy a dog and coming home with a goldfish.

I’m allergic to cats and dogs, so I’d have to have the goldfish
But I do have a grandog, that I live and take for walks
So I have the best of both worlds.

 

[Californication69]

Agree the 20 mile thing is not a problem, obviously, I was just comparing. It’s more than that for sure. I love Cali’s and everything they are about. It’s just not right for us - at this moment in time (we had lots of time to consider this even though we’d put an order in). I’m not Pro BMW or anti VW. Andy in Luton seems to be but the other way round with his comments and obviously hasn’t followed my posts. Those that have, have been supportive and I thank you for that. I am sad and gutted that we are not getting one yet, I really am, and I hope to stay an active member on here as long as I’m not ridiculed for daring to mention anything negative about VW or California’s! (Or positive about BMW!!)

You carry on doing you Phil, absolutely normal to come on a forum and go around a rollercoaster of emotions. Spending a fortune on cars is something us blokes & ladies, do do.
If I listened to my wife, I’d have a small 200 mile electric car and save £400 a month.
Why do we do what we do.
I guess we are all after a lifestyle vehicle, and pays the max money we can afford.
Maybe the idea is to rent, but then, when you can justify something to keep for 15 / 18 years then it’s cost effective.
(I saw an 18 year old camper) The guy driving it looked very happy. (In his 60’s)
So maybe has had cheap driving for the last 8 years. (The amount of money I have lost on new cars is disgusting. Around £18k easily in 8 years)
This is not including depreciation.

 

[PhilR]

As the previous owner of :
Z1 , Z3, Z4, 1 series, 3series, 5series and 7 series and having extensively driven a friends v12 760

I think I’ve had enough of them to form an opinion as to how good or bad they are.
If you want something with a rock hard ride, that sits there wheel spinning at the slightest bit of snow then fine a BMW is what you need.

They are all fine as an everyday car but nothing special (except the v12 - one of only two sport manuals made) no better no worse than the equivalent Audi/ merc etc

I just don’t understand how you want a camper and end up with a normal car. You either want one or you don’t, and to use the excuse of the dealer being too far away & a couple of weeks delay as the reason to not get a camper doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing you can’t do in a Cali that you can in a BMW but plenty the other way round.

It’s like going out to buy a dog and coming home with a goldfish.

“A couple of weeks delay”!!!! Really? We ordered in September and still have no build date. We also don’t know any info on the performance and economy/emissions. If I told someone away from this forum that I’m spending nearly £70k on a car and don’t even know how it performs they’d think I was mad! They’d probably think I was mad spending that on a van. Which is what it is. A nice one, but still a van. But I’m not going to slag them off just because I’m not buying one now.
All of these delays and lack of info added up and having really thought about it, we decided it wasn’t the right time. The fact that VW customer service has been abysmal so far, before we’ve even taken delivery is a big worry. Reading lots on here it seems to be very well known that they aren’t the best. If these delays and lack of information hadn’t happened we may well have continued and maybe even been proud owners by now, but to put it bluntly this has been a farce.
Like I’ve said, I understand the vehicles are completely different , and depending on what use you have for them they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. If we are not going camping the BMW is a much better all round car for us. Simple as. I don’t need to try and justify that to you. (Also, the rock hard ride you mentioned isn’t helped by horrid runflat tyres - I have always replaced these on previous BMW’s and it transforms the ride. Just like the Cali on standard tyres has a harsh ride and is helped by changing to a larger size!).
I’m not making “excuses” as you say. As I’ve said before you obviously haven’t seen my previous posts.

 

[Joker 1299]

Come on guys, give @PhilR a break. We are all entitled to change our minds and, as far as I know, joining the forum does not commit you to complete a purchase that, for whatever reason, is not right for you. For me, @PhilR you are welcome here and I look forward to reading your future posts.

 

[andyinluton]

Phil enjoy your BMW if it’s what you want that’s fine.

I’ll just get back to making a coffee in my lovely mobile office.

 

[Dodge1311]

I am so Jealous of you. I originally ordered mine so I could have a mobile office.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Chip shortages, as previously discussed on the forum:

Published by
Reuters
05 Feb 2021
Europe needs to stump up cash to boost its chip industry, a board member of the continent's largest carmaker Volkswagen said, pointing to a global semiconductor shortage that has highlighted dependence on foreign players.
"We won't produce chips ourselves," Markus Duesmann, Volkswagen's board member in charge of research & development and head of luxury unit Audi, told Reuters. "But of course we would like to have strong chipmakers that are at least on par with Asia and the United States."
"Ultimately technology is decisive for the success of the group," he said, adding Europe should be leading in future technologies, such as software and chips.
One way to achieve this, he said, could be funding programmes modelled after an existing plan to boost Europe's battery cell technology under a scheme called Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI).
Germany on Wednesday said European countries were planning to support the local production of technology hardware, including processors and semiconductors, via an IPCEI, with targeted aid that could result in investments of up to 50 billion euros ($60 billion).
However, the exact level of investment and the question of who will foot the bill have not been specified.
Global automakers have been caught off guard by a shortage of crucial semiconductors in the wake of a rapid recovery of the automotive market, highlighting the need to cut dependency on Asian manufacturers.
Volkswagen has doubled its budget for software development, a key area to tackle the challenges of autonomous driving, Duesmann said, adding this was one of the drivers to create the Car.Software.Org unit with 5,000 employees.
The company also owns a 40% stake in Pittsburgh-based self-driving startup Argo AI, with Ford owning an equal share, but Duesmann said pursuing both paths was perfectly in line with the carmaker's strategy and product portfolio.
"Those are different strands in terms of development and we will continue (to develop) them like that."

Chip shortages, as previously discussed on the forum:

Published by
Reuters
05 Feb 2021
Europe needs to stump up cash to boost its chip industry, a board member of the continent's largest carmaker Volkswagen said, pointing to a global semiconductor shortage that has highlighted dependence on foreign players.
"We won't produce chips ourselves," Markus Duesmann, Volkswagen's board member in charge of research & development and head of luxury unit Audi, told Reuters. "But of course we would like to have strong chipmakers that are at least on par with Asia and the United States."
"Ultimately technology is decisive for the success of the group," he said, adding Europe should be leading in future technologies, such as software and chips.
One way to achieve this, he said, could be funding programmes modelled after an existing plan to boost Europe's battery cell technology under a scheme called Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI).
Germany on Wednesday said European countries were planning to support the local production of technology hardware, including processors and semiconductors, via an IPCEI, with targeted aid that could result in investments of up to 50 billion euros ($60 billion).
However, the exact level of investment and the question of who will foot the bill have not been specified.
Global automakers have been caught off guard by a shortage of crucial semiconductors in the wake of a rapid recovery of the automotive market, highlighting the need to cut dependency on Asian manufacturers.
Volkswagen has doubled its budget for software development, a key area to tackle the challenges of autonomous driving, Duesmann said, adding this was one of the drivers to create the Car.Software.Org unit with 5,000 employees.
The company also owns a 40% stake in Pittsburgh-based self-driving startup Argo AI, with Ford owning an equal share, but Duesmann said pursuing both paths was perfectly in line with the carmaker's strategy and product portfolio.
"Those are different strands in terms of development and we will continue (to develop) them like that."

Yipeee - Volkswagen has doubled its budget for software development

Maybe they’ll sort out the 6.1 glitches people have highlighted and the WeConnect shortfalls

 

[PhilR]

Come on guys, give @PhilR a break. We are all entitled to change our minds and, as far as I know, joining the forum does not commit you to complete a purchase that, for whatever reason, is not right for you. For me, @PhilR you are welcome here and I look forward to reading your future posts.

Thanks mate, very nice of you to say.
I still want a Cali, more than my wife does, one day I’ll convince her! So I’ll hang around here still.

 

[JandA]

Thanks mate, very nice of you to say.
I still want a Cali, more than my wife does, one day I’ll convince her! So I’ll hang around here still.

Stick in there Phil, if the time is not right it would have been madness to spend the money, these delays have been staggering and are testing everyone’s patience. You have to stay on hear to keep up to date with everyone’s frustrations this is not going to end quickly. Hope the BM is good I have doubt it will be...post a pic when you get it to show how an efficient car manufacturer works (assuming the moderator is okay with that). The next problem for me and may well be for many others is now that I have got a build date my mind is now turning to buy things for it like portable toilet, seat covers etc...but they are out of stock....what next!,