Confused by heating system on 2007 T5 Cali

MattBW · Feb 1, 2018

May also be an easy fix.

ChrisandPenney52 · Feb 3, 2018

There is a button with a picture of a van on the dash that activates/deactivates the rear controls for the regular vehicle heater (the knob on the near side above the door). The rear temperature etc. are independently controllable from here. We normally leave ours off when we have no rear passengers. This has nothing to do with the separate diesel cabin heater. The diesel heater key fob control’s button battery is short lived so that may just be dead or too weak. Not that this will have anything to do with why the heater unit itself has problems. Can’t add anything to the advice you’ve already had on that. Agree that the unit under the seat is totally non-standard

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Ryemslie · Feb 3, 2018

Thanks. I think we’re fully up to speed with it all now. The dealer is not prepared to touch the heater as the van was a trade in for a new cali & by the sounds of it they’ve left little to no room for profit. It may be a simple enough fix (earth shunt) although it looks like a previous owner has had a failed attempt at this from what I can gather. The dealers stance is that it has a form of heater in the way of the manual knob therefor there is no need for them to attempt a repair on the main system. The rear heating as you’ve pointed out works as it should from the button on the dash. The roof canvas needs replaced as it’s pickled with holes front to back, the auto gearbox has an issue going up & down the gears although the dealer reckons this is a simple factory reset & the rear backbox needs replaced. The main unit control knob was also temperamental. They agreed to replace canvas, reset gearbox & replace control knob but would not budge on price so we walked away. My guess is they’ll end up putting it to auction!

WelshGas · Feb 3, 2018

Ryemslie said:
Thanks. I think we’re fully up to speed with it all now. The dealer is not prepared to touch the heater as the van was a trade in for a new cali & by the sounds of it they’ve left little to no room for profit. It may be a simple enough fix (earth shunt) although it looks like a previous owner has had a failed attempt at this from what I can gather. The dealers stance is that it has a form of heater in the way of the manual knob therefor there is no need for them to attempt a repair on the main system. The rear heating as you’ve pointed out works as it should from the button on the dash. The roof canvas needs replaced as it’s pickled with holes front to back, the auto gearbox has an issue going up & down the gears although the dealer reckons this is a simple factory reset & the rear backbox needs replaced. The main unit control knob was also temperamental. They agreed to replace canvas, reset gearbox & replace control knob but would not budge on price so we walked away. My guess is they’ll end up putting it to auction!

Seems it’s not been well looked after with some bodged repairs. I agree it should be avoided. There are better ones out there.

ChrisandPenney52 · Feb 4, 2018

Yep, good call

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Cpbrodie · Feb 4, 2018

Does seem well priced already considering the low millage. If everything else checked out ok you could have got the heater wiring fixed at Taylors auto electrical in Aberdeen. They are a Official Webasto & Ebberspacher repair centre.

Ryemslie · Feb 4, 2018

Cpbrodie said:
Does seem well priced already considering the low millage. If everything else checked out ok you could have got the heater wiring fixed at Taylors auto electrical in Aberdeen. They are a Official Webasto & Ebberspacher repair centre.

It’s a well used van. Wouldn’t particularly say it’s well priced to similar vans that have actually sold recently, seems well priced if you compare it to what is on the market now but most of those are not shifting at the asking prices. I had already spoke to Taylor’s, they’re £70/hr +vat so costs would soon add up if you throw in a service too which there’s no record of. Given the fact a previous owner had felt the need for a cheap fix you really have to wonder why. If they were prepared to lower the price a little I was willing to take the gamble but they weren’t so I’ll leave it for someone braver than me. We did actually make what we felt was a fair offer. The whole process dragged out for just over two weeks with us doing all of the chasing in which time they didn’t even do the supposed quick fix reset on the gearbox, even after they’d had a master technician go over the van with the diagnostics etc so it didn’t really give much confidence in them.

Cpbrodie · Feb 4, 2018

Ryemslie said:
It’s a well used van. Wouldn’t particularly say it’s well priced to similar vans that have actually sold recently, seems well priced if you compare it to what is on the market now but most of those are not shifting at the asking prices. I had already spoke to Taylor’s, they’re £70/hr +vat so costs would soon add up if you throw in a service too which there’s no record of. Given the fact a previous owner had felt the need for a cheap fix you really have to wonder why. If they were prepared to lower the price a little I was willing to take the gamble (we did actually make what we felt was a fair offer) but they weren’t so I’ll leave it for someone braver than me. The whole process dragged out for just over two weeks in which time they didn’t even do the supposed quick fix reset on the gearbox, even after they’d had a master technician go over the van with the diagnostics etc so it didn’t really give much confidence in them.

It might have been lack of knowledge rather than a cheap fix. I have been looking for a California for a friend and the market does seem lacking at this price range.

Ryemslie · Feb 4, 2018

Cpbrodie said:
It might have been lack of knowledge rather than a cheap fix. I have been looking for a California for a friend and the market does seem lacking at this price range.

I really wish that was the case as to look at with the sport line kit etc it was right up my street. A vw commercial garage with two specialist California salesman. If I’m honest regardless of the fact that there was probably nothing in it for him commission wise I got the feeling that he didn’t want to sell it to me, it was just too much hard work. Been for sale a month now & up till a week ago the other cali salesman admittedly said he knew nothing about that particular Cali. The guy even said at the end that if it were his own cali it would have been kept in far better condition.

Cpbrodie · Feb 4, 2018

Ryemslie said:
I really wish that was the case as to look at with the sport line kit etc it was right up my street. A vw commercial garage with two specialist California salesman. If I’m honest regardless of the fact that there was probably nothing in it for him commission wise I got the feeling that he didn’t want to sell it to me, it was just too much hard work. Been for sale a month now & up till a week ago the other cali salesman admittedly said he knew nothing about that particular Cali. The guy even said at the end that if it were his own cali it would have been kept in far better condition.

I know what you mean - I couldn't even get a price for a new order T6 California from them some time ago so ordered it from down south. ( ended up cancelling order due to 10 month lead time but thats another story....)