Discussion regarding T6 ONLY roof corrosion

[Ambler]

So yours isn't a T6 then.

No there were none built in 2014.

But I thought it may be useful knowledge for you T6ers.

Clearly nothing has been done about this with the T6. Puts me off upgrading. Hence why I am interested in this thread.

 

[Ambler]

Hi Ambler, Tape round the edge? Not heard of this before. Are you able/willing to let me know point by point what the "fix" entailed? I have heard various but only yours involving a tape hence my curiosity. If you know the materials used i.e. type, make etc that would be a bonus.
Thanks JW

Standard insulation tape as far as I can tell.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Standard insulation tape as far as I can tell.

Wo! So simple!!

 

[snowy55]

Wo! So simple!!

There is a photo somewhere on the big corrosion thread of bubbles under the tape.

 

[Simon Higgens]

I have just checked mine and have found the beginning of corrosion on the near side front corner; it has not yet blistered or bubbled but there is about a 3 - 5mm length of rust forming on the edge (it's not dirt btw as I did wipe it clean several times).

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have just checked mine and have found the beginning of corrosion on the near side front corner; it has not yet blistered or bubbled but there is about a 3 - 5mm length of rust forming on the edge (it's not dirt btw as I did wipe it clean several times).

Hi Simon, sad to hear this. Can you tell me when the Ocean was built? Thanks JW

 

[Simon Higgens]

Hi Simon, sad to hear this. Can you tell me when the Ocean was built? Thanks JW

2016 JW. What should I do?

 

[Jabberwocky]

2016 JW. What should I do?

Which Month?
To do? As I see it right now you have two choices. 1) Wait until you see more evidence of corrosion (look every 6 months or so) and then when it becomes obvious go and see your dealer and ask them to fix under the paint warranty or, 2) Go to the dealer now and ask them to fix it under the paint warranty.

If it were me I would choose option 1) but do not leave it later than two and half years after the vehicles registration date before you see your dealer. The standard paint warranty lasts three years.

You should mention to your dealer that you believe there is a Warranty extension (see earlier posts) for the main roof panel of an additional three years (total six) as this is a known problem carried over from the T5 model.
Any other views out there?

 

[thehorse]

I have just checked mine and have found the beginning of corrosion on the near side front corner; it has not yet blistered or bubbled but there is about a 3 - 5mm length of rust forming on the edge (it's not dirt btw as I did wipe it clean several times).

Are you sure it is corrosion. The roof is aluminium and aluminium oxide (corrosion) is powdery white, this would cause the paint to become detached and show as bubbles. If you are seeing reddish "rust" (iron oxide), then this is definitely not from the roof but from the metal in the seal.

If the above applies go and give it an extra hard wipe - you may find it comes off.

 

[Lewis]

Are you sure it is corrosion. The roof is aluminium and aluminium oxide (corrosion) is powdery white, this would cause the paint to become detached and show as bubbles. If you are seeing reddish "rust" (iron oxide), then this is definitely not from the roof but from the metal in the seal.

If the above applies go and give it an extra hard wipe - you may find it comes off.

This did raise a little chuckle from me at the thought of the entire Cali roof corrosion issue just being people not cleaning their cars properly...give it a bit of elbow grease and it all goes away

We can but dream....

 

[Meoncoast]

We have also cancelled the new T6 Beach we ordered on the 26th March, 2016 which is yet to be built!!!

Another VW will never darken our driveway again.

So are you going to be a non camper van family or a MP family or something different.

 

[Bramco]

I have just checked mine and have found the beginning of corrosion on the near side front corner; it has not yet blistered or bubbled but there is about a 3 - 5mm length of rust forming on the edge (it's not dirt btw as I did wipe it clean several times).

Just doing the ironing as you do... And a thought occurred to me that we're concentrating on the wrong issue here, i.e. the symptoms.

Simon, can you take a look inside the trim at the point where you have seen rust. I'm assuming that this is real rust from the metal in the trim.

If you have rust in the trim, then you should get a replacement trim under warranty. That the dealer will make a report on the trim stating that there is rust forming inside it.We should all start doing this.

Whenever a van is identified as having a problem it's the symptoms that are being cured not the root cause of the problem. So VW pay for a body shop to fix the aluminium corrosion and I'll bet in some cases they even replace the trim which was the cause of the problem!! And VW won't be getting any reports of failures of the trim. So they won't be doing anything about it. (If you've worked in the Auto industry you'll know the bane of the OEMs life is the 'no fault found' report on a part replaced to get the customer out on the road as quickly as possible. In this case they're not even getting any reports.)

So our modus operandi should be check your trim regularly. If it is rusty get it replaced asap under warranty for a non rusty one. I'd even go so far as to say that you should check it before they fit it. A tsunami of rusty trims replacements will make them sit up and listen.

And of course continue to insist on having any corrosion on the roof done before the warranty is up.

Simon

PS - I wouldn't be surprised if VW think they've fixed the roof issues because they've applied the fix to the front panel since 2014. So let's get them woken up to this.

PPS I was of the opinion that I would wait until just before the warranty was up to check for bubbling. I'll be out there today when I wash the van to check for rusty trim!!

PPPS Amazing what a bit of ironing does....

 

[Amarillo]

Whenever a van is identified as having a problem it's the symptoms that are being cured not the root cause of the problem.

I have considered this, and have wondered if jet washing could be the root cause. I would hope that the seal is good enough to keep out rain, but just a quick jet inadvertently aimed at the seal could cause water ingress, and once under the seal the water cannot escape or evaporate. I had this very issue with my carbon fibre wrapped aluminium bicycle handlebars: water ingress caused corrosion 365 days per year, and after 1 years the bars failed on the A20 in Lewisham with a National Express coach right behind me.

Just a thought.

 

[larrylamb]

I have considered this, and have wondered if jet washing could be the root cause. I would hope that the seal is good enough to keep out rain, but just a quick jet inadvertently aimed at the seal could cause water ingress, and once under the seal the water cannot escape or evaporate. I had this very issue with my carbon fibre wrapped aluminium bicycle handlebars: water ingress caused corrosion 365 days per year, and after 1 years the bars failed on the A20 in Lewisham with a National Express coach right behind me.

Just a thought.

I would say most people wouldn't jet wash around the roof or roof seals area tbh, same with the sliding windows, not recommended.

 

[Bramco]

and once under the seal the water cannot escape or evaporate

I guess it would eventually in some nice hot summer's weather and would only be an issue if the trim is faulty. It's faulty trims with exposed metal that's the problem. Without these being replaced as being faulty in their thousands VW won't do a thing.

 

[leightonjthomas]

I have considered this, and have wondered if jet washing could be the root cause. I would hope that the seal is good enough to keep out rain, but just a quick jet inadvertently aimed at the seal could cause water ingress, and once under the seal the water cannot escape or evaporate. I had this very issue with my carbon fibre wrapped aluminium bicycle handlebars: water ingress caused corrosion 365 days per year, and after 1 years the bars failed on the A20 in Lewisham with a National Express coach right behind me.

Just a thought.

Having examined the seal I cannot believe that it is meant to be watertight anyway, especially where it curves around the corner - it is more of a protective edging than a waterproof seal. There is plenty of space for water and dirt to be trapped underneath, irrespective of jet washing.

 

[AlanM]

I am relatively new here though have a T6 Ocean on order and followed many threads with interest and thanks.

Given the large number of subscribers on this site who are owners, prospective owners and/or considering upgrades why isn't that collective power being used to get some definitive statement from someone towards the top of the VW HQ hierarchy?

I might have missed something but have questions been sent relating to the various issues and theories put forward on here regarding corrosion on T6s? If so what has been their response?

 

[Amarillo]

Having examined the seal I cannot believe that it is meant to be watertight anyway

Fair enough - just a bit of blue sky thinking on my part.

 

[Meoncoast]

There is a group of people working behind the scenes who will be in contact with VW head office very soon.

As mentioned above we need as much feedback as possible from T6 owners please, even if you find even the smallest bit of corrosion.

Sent using Tapatalk

Given the large number of subscribers on this site who are owners, prospective owners and/or considering upgrades why isn't that collective power being used to get some definitive statement from someone towards the top of the VW HQ hierarchy?


I might have missed something but have questions been sent relating to the various issues and theories put forward on here regarding corrosion on T6s? If so what has been their response?

I might have missed something see top quote - the problem is as with the past t5 roof issue it gets so long that some of the important info gets lost in the volume of posts

 

[snowy55]

I might have missed something but have questions been sent relating to the various issues and theories put forward on here regarding corrosion on T6s? If so what has been their response?

VW won't be interested at all in the thoughts of well meaning amateurs even if they are their customers.

They can't make Californias fast enough to keep up with demand and all the time those reaching their 6th anniversary are going out of warranty for roof repairs. We don't even know if the 6 year warranty applies to the T6

I get the impression that the hard fought for roof repair programme has virtually ground to a halt.

 

[SusiBus]

They did listen to well meaning amateurs before, that's how we got the six years extended warranty, but it did take almost take two years!
I must say things now seem to have gone backwards with this plastic capping instead of a proper repair for the front box section on the T5.
Although they they can't make T6's fast enough, I'm sure at some stage someone within VW must realise eventually that it is cheaper to solve the cause of corrosion rather than face the ongoing cost of resprays.

The rubber seal saga is not a forgotten cause, but it will probably be a marathon rather than a sprint.

 

[Black Sheep]

Got the step ladders out to give our Cali's roof (June 2016 Ocean) a good clean. The plastic seal was very firmly attached and (sorry to let the side down for now) because of this I decided not to proceed with trying to inspect the area under the seal. I will officially raise the emerging T6 roof corrosion problem with my VW dealer the next (i.e. first) time the van needs to 'go in'.
'Touch wood' - but do date our Cali has been fantastic with no (visible?) problems at all. We have been particularly impressed with the heater during recent trips away.
I will keep an eye on this thread and over the months and years ahead and help when I can.
We intend to get a lot of years out of our Cali (20+ if possible) so re-sale is not an issue for us at present - but it is a great shame (on) VW that they don't appear to have resolved this matter.

 

[2into1]

And we thought we had problems....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4195002/Nissan-urged-recall-popular-4X4-Navaras.html

 

[zerofour]

We are taking delivery of our T6 Ocean at the beginning of March. I raised my concerns about the roof corrosion issues with my dealer and he has written to VW – we're currently awaiting an official response.

 

[Aca_chap]

Hi everyone, I've been reading all the comments with interest. Do we know how many T6's have the corrosion and whether VW have acknowledged this as a problem? I was just wondering whether this are a few isolated incidences or whether this is a more structural and widespread problem?

If it is a problem, we would consider the MP rather than the Ocean. Apart from the Germany promobil site, does anyone know whether there is a comparison of the ocean vs. the MP?

Thanks all. I really feel for anyone if the corrosion is serious for the T6.