Cali technical tips&tricks

[umby27]

What a fantastic report

They also said the main problem with engine is due to grandaddy driving styles of "us" cali owners. Deadly for the DPF (diesel particle filter). Several times they insisted we need to get our engines to the higher revs in order to burn out stuck particles and clear that filter. If we keep low revs all the time it's gonna choke in that bottleneck. So drive up those revs once in a week when entering the motorway and let it go way up on revs until you feel it's clear again. They say it significantly extends DPF life and engine health. Obviously only do that when your engine is at temperature, don't do that with a cold engine!

Tyre pressure can be from 3 to 4 bar upon drivers preference. Up to your likings. Don't buy cheap tyres cause they won't hold the weight of a cali and you risk tyre explosion.

When lowering the roof : engine always ON, 2 open doors to have the wind blow through the cali and not up the roof, tent windows half open to have even more sacking effect and do a walk around to be sure before going all the way down. If it rains, send your partner outside to check They had no experience with bungee cord, but I will be mounting one on my cali cause it seems awesome!

Rubbers and drainage of the side windows should be tended monthly, cause it's a weak spot. Filthy rubbers are poor seals and let in water. Clean them and use talcum powder.

Grease joints and metal parts with teflon only for a non sticky grease effect that does not attract filth and do rubbers ONLY with talcum powder. Optionally they also had a Rubber stick like a big Labello/Chapstick, but talcum was better.

If you have solar panels, still do the hook up charging every 2 months or so to maximize battery life.

Roof can withstand winds up to 10 Beaufort. If you see cows around, their butts are in the wind, so you know how to park aligned with the wind If you see cows flying around it's urgent to lower your roof and get the hell out of there

Always use 2 hands when handling things in the cali like lowering the bed, blinds etc. Except for the airplane cupboard over the back seat, there pull the handle with 4 fingers while pushing with your thumb on the metal strip above the handle.

What a lovely afternoon!

 

[WelshGas]

Fantastic thread.

Could I ask the Forum Admin to make something Permanent out of this post. As a Sticky with just the informative posts or maybe combining the posts into some form of document as it would be of great use to the New Owner.

 

[Martin]

Good idea, we will set it as a sticky and then maybe get it converted to a PDF with Wims permission

 

[Hotel California]

Good idea, we will set it as a sticky and then maybe get it converted to a PDF with Wims permission

It would be ok for me
Maybe just the realy useful stuf , so all the chats inbetween dont get the upperhand of the information
It's ok to give comment but if it gets to much maybe one can't see the trees thru the wood...

But at first this info is for everybody and everybody can give theire thoughts....

 

[MarkW]

Putting this into a PDF would be fab and much appreciated...

 

[Bellesca]

As a new owner, thanks very much for these hints and tips which I hope will keep my Cali in good nick for plenty of years to come.
+1 for a PDF

 

[larrylamb]

Good info guys

 

[umby27]

For the gas bottle cushioning I just thought a potential free way. We could use the orange gas hose that needs to be replaced every 3 to 5 years. If one would need to replace it, instead of throwing it away, cut it as suggested by Wim and use it as cushion. Not sure if it fits, but worth a try

Also the switch from the breaker box is usually turned on or off for long periods and oxidizes. A tip was to move the switch on/off/on/off/... a bunch of times once in a while when you are in the cupboard in order to clear the metal within the breaker.

Also once in a while turn on the auxiliary heater on maximum setting to make it burn out all dirt of it's system. It was suggested to do that for the same reason as the DPF (diesel particle filter). Auxiliary heater should anyhow not be used for less than 30 minutes for normal usage. If you turn it on, leave it at least 30 mins, so it can complete it's cycle. Otherwise you will smell nasty odours and see smoke. To clear it once in a while put it on max for a couple of hours.

Then another very important thing I adapted upon strong advise: the reading light has a halogen bulb that consumes battery more than led, but most important heats up pretty hot. It happens that this lamp is stowed away when lowering the roof and closing the blind with the lamp still ON or it happens that stowing away the folded tent and closing the blind the lamp switches ON by itself due to it's rather primitive mechanics. Since the halogen is hot light it may cause fire in your roof! I just changed the bulb for a led bulb sold at CCN to prevent this from happening. Also if the turning knob of this light makes the light flash like having a bad contact, you need to open the lamp by turning the knob on the "open" icon and inside you'll see a copper switch tied down by a very small screw. Tighten this screw and the flashing should stop and your light should operate fine again.

In the netherlands fire extinguishers are optional and not imposed by law. In belgium it's imposed by law and cars all have a powder extinguisher. You may or may not know but powder extinguishers RUIN all electronics, so if you were to use it for example to stop a fire in your cali kitchen your electronics of the car may be seriously damaged or total loss. Therefore CCN came up with a foam extinguisher they place in the living area of the cali to have a hands on fire stopping solution that is safe for electronics. It also works on oil fires! (for netherlands it's their only extinguisher, for belgium it's a second extinguisher) They cleverly place it with a holder into the plastic between the side door and the rear bench. Below where the unusable cupholder resides I'll see if I have a picture for you guys.

 

[stevieb]

For the gas bottle cushioning I just thought a potential free way. We could use the orange gas hose that needs to be replaced every 3 to 5 years. If one would need to replace it, instead of throwing it away, cut it as suggested by Wim and use it as cushion. Not sure if it fits, but worth a try

Also the switch from the breaker box is usually turned on or off for long periods and oxidizes. A tip was to move the switch on/off/on/off/... a bunch of times once in a while when you are in the cupboard in order to clear the metal within the breaker.

Also once in a while turn on the auxiliary heater on maximum setting to make it burn out all dirt of it's system. It was suggested to do that for the same reason as the DPF (diesel particle filter). Auxiliary heater should anyhow not be used for less than 30 minutes for normal usage. If you turn it on, leave it at least 30 mins, so it can complete it's cycle. Otherwise you will smell nasty odours and see smoke. To clear it once in a while put it on max for a couple of hours.

Then another very important thing I adapted upon strong advise: the reading light has a halogen bulb that consumes battery more than led, but most important heats up pretty hot. It happens that this lamp is stowed away when lowering the roof and closing the blind with the lamp still ON or it happens that stowing away the folded tent and closing the blind the lamp switches ON by itself due to it's rather primitive mechanics. Since the halogen is hot light it may cause fire in your roof! I just changed the bulb for a led bulb sold at CCN to prevent this from happening. Also if the turning knob of this light makes the light flash like having a bad contact, you need to open the lamp by turning the knob on the "open" icon and inside you'll see a copper switch tied down by a very small screw. Tighten this screw and the flashing should stop and your light should operate fine again.

In the netherlands fire extinguishers are optional and not imposed by law. In belgium it's imposed by law and cars all have a powder extinguisher. You may or may not know but powder extinguishers RUIN all electronics, so if you were to use it for example to stop a fire in your cali kitchen your electronics of the car may be seriously damaged or total loss. Therefore CCN came up with a foam extinguisher they place in the living area of the cali to have a hands on fire stopping solution that is safe for electronics. It also works on oil fires! (for netherlands it's their only extinguisher, for belgium it's a second extinguisher) They cleverly place it with a holder into the plastic between the side door and the rear bench. Below where the unusable cupholder resides I'll see if I have a picture for you guys.

great info.....

 

[Bellesca]

The water mist extinguisher solves these problems of pwder destroying electrics and water damage as it just suffocates the fire
Saw it recommended by fire service for enclosed spaces but can't find the page sorry
Safelincs and youtube have video footage. Looks really good

 

[umby27]

This is the fire extinguisher with foam alternative, mounted next to the sliding door at the right of the rear bench:


This is the fuse box under the driver's seat for us continentals, which would be under the passenger seat in the UK:


This is the second fuse box behind the bottle holder under the shift stick and you can also see the BearLock mechanic anti-theft device with it's key (enabled you cannot shift anymore) :


This is the third fuse box located in the motor trunk next to the engine battery :


Cali's before 2008 had problems with overheating roof elevator hydraulic pushers on sunny days. They would explode... After 2008 they fixed this problem by sealing the pushers much better. Pre2008 have slick endcaps. After 2008 with the "fix" the end caps have circular dents that makes the seal much stronger. The pre2008 slick pusher is the one in front showing the white sticker. The "fixed" pusher after 2008 is the one in the back with it's end cap more to the right in the picture where you can see the dents on the end cap :


If you have a PRE2008 or you are not sure, remove the black plastics covering the pushers in the roof and check the end caps. If they are slick, it is strongly suggested to apply the following fix. Drill 2 holes in the black covers that go over the pushers and insulate them with metal tape used for heating tubes. The metal tape will reflect the sun instead of absorbing heat and the 2 holes make air circulation possible so they won't overheat and explode. If you have a POST2008 with the dented end caps, you are fine, no need to change anything. In the following picture you can see a plastic cover that go over the pushers with the fix : covered with metal tape and 2 holes drilled:



This is the way to remove the control panel with a spoon:

 

[WelshGas]

Hi umby27. I cannot view any of the links - a forum error message

VW California Club - Error
You do not have permission to view media within this album.

 

[umby27]

I think I got it right this time.... do you see the pics now?

 

[mucksmuff]

I think I got it right this time.... do you see the pics now?

Nope

 

[umby27]

too many ways to do the same thing, third try you see them now ?

 

[motacyclist]

I can see them (but there again, "that dress" was white and gold to me)

Really good posts on here

 

[WelshGas]

All visible now. Sorry, I've only just got back from watching Edward Scissorhands at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
Excellent photographs.

 

[Maurice]

What a great view of the Cali, I understand a lot more now. Very many thanks for taking these pics and sharing with the Forum.

 

[AlanC]

Yes, all very useful. Thanks

Alan

 

[Hotel California]

Glad you all like it so much , and for sure also many thanks to Umberto ( Umbi27) !

 

[umby27]

My pleasure! This forum is great. I'm heading to CCN coming tuesday for engine and DSG tuning and will report that also in a new thread. See you soon Wim.

 

[sbmcd]

Great technical post, I like these.

 

[Caroline9]

Thanks a lot guys for for posting all this information, most of it is over my head, well it seems that way at first glance, some great tips. One thing... what are you cleaning with talcum powder? Hope you're all enjoying the Spring and the great outdoors. Greetings from Ireland.

 

[Hotel California]

All the rubbers from the doorseals and sliding windows are best cleaned with water and soap and afther drying powderd with talk- powder

 

[Caroline9]

All the rubbers from the doorseals and sliding windows are best cleaned with water and soap and afther drying powderd with talk- powder

Thanks for replying Hotel California, what does the talc do exactly?