Downhill from here?

[BS Cali]

We have an early T6 Beach, and have loved a number of summer holidays and have a winter one planned for next year. However, confidence in the van is starting to drop...

Last year we had a DPF issue whilst driving in Europe - that was traced to a MAF sensor issue.

Last weekend we had a fuel sensor issues, that took a 5 euro part and 1 HR to fix, unfortunately it happened over a weekend, delaying the fix and meaning we flew home to the UK, and I returned yesterday to collect.

Today the journey back from the Alps to the UK was going well for 90 mins before another issues, which I am hoping is just an air system sensor, but could be worse.

The van has only done 52000 miles, and has been regularly maintained. However, it feels like we have reached the breaking point (pun not intended) for a number of critical issues, and that we are only a 90 minute drive from the next limp home mode.

For all those who have vans more than 7 years old, if this to be expected? Do you undertake a specific inspection of sensors/electrics to try and identify possible issues when at home rather than on the hard shoulder?

Many thanks

 

[Azteccamper]

Our Cali SE is 12 yrs old. It’s serviced every year and gets the usual ‘wear n tear’ items replaced as needed. We’ve had sensors replaced in Spain, Portugal and Italy - all cheaper than in the UK. You really can’t tell when anything is going to throw a warning light, but good breakdown cover helps give you peace of mind. It’s frustrating when it happens but prepare as best you can and enjoy your trips.

 

[TripleBee]

Mine is getting 15 years young. 200000km.
First issue: EGR at 45000km.
Second issue: temperature sensor in the DPF.
Third issue: drive shaft lost it's teeth.
That's it for now.
The last 6 years were without problems.
Yes, I have had some sliding door lock issues, but that's it.

 

[BS Cali]

May need to spend some time persuading the rest of the family that the van is worth keeping faith with. Difficult to start forming the case for the defence sat in a garage, many miles from home, awaiting dad news on the time to fix...

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

Sounds like you have been very unlucky, might it be worth having a "good" OBD reader in the van, sometimes sensors "throw wobblies", I reset some and the fault has never returned, if the fault is genuine it will come back, and then your diagnostic charge would be a lot less because you already know what the problem is

 

[BS Cali]

Got carista. Not sure if that is seems a good one or not.

Showed all errors to garage that has the van. Not convinced the errors are consistent with their diagnosis but hopefully all will be well by mid week.

On my second haphazard trip home in 8 days. Hopefully there isn't a third any time soon.

Life with a Cali can't be called boring!!!

 

[Azteccamper]

Got carista. Not sure if that is seems a good one or not.

Showed all errors to garage that has the van. Not convinced the errors are consistent with their diagnosis but hopefully all will be well by mid week.

On my second haphazard trip home in 8 days. Hopefully there isn't a third any time soon.

Life with a Cali can't be called boring!!!

In fairness my Carista has served me well. Been 100% accurate to date (obviously has limitations) but handy item to put in glovebox.

 

[dspuk]

Most cars (and I guess vans) are designed with a 10 year lifespan nowadays. They get a 3 year warranty and most will offer up to 5, mainly because the build quality globally has become so consistent it’s and easy offer by an OEM. But. After 5 years things start to wear down or break. Why you don’t get an OEM warranty beyond 5 years. It’s the nature of things. Some get lucky, most will have several issues, sometimes spread out, sometimes in a run. It’s all the hazards of running an older vehicle. Our Tiguan is just about to clock over 5 years and I’m expecting the same - already had to replace the spark plugs and one of the ignition coils (thanks to the Carista an easy fault find).

You get not only expected behaviour, but designed behaviour. OEM’s want you to replace vehicles every 3 - 5 years. It’s in their business model. You just need to deal with each one as they come up and hope none of them start to become more expensive per month to run than buying a new van.

Proactive maintenance will help - so scour here and look for the most common faults for your vehicle and actively change the parts or get them checked.

 

[CaliforniaSeb]

Sounds like you have been very unlucky, might it be worth having a "good" OBD reader in the van, sometimes sensors "throw wobblies", I reset some and the fault has never returned, if the fault is genuine it will come back, and then your diagnostic charge would be a lot less because you already know what the problem is

Can you recommend one for the cali?

 

[Azteccamper]

I can’t fault my Carista tbh. And there’s a newer version out. I pay £33 annually (think new model might be more expensive). Download App and keep dongle in your glovebox. And it works on multiple vehicles - a few people on my street have benefitted!

Carista

carista.com

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

I have an icarsoft pro (you pick the vehicles you want it to do), I picked the all inclusive model, it is a standalone unit, updateable for free from manufacturers website, cost between £150 and £300.
but it does all sorts of diagnostic stuff, recodes batteries, steering alignment, ABS checks down to type of fault on which wheel, DPF regeneration, it has saved me lots of money, used on Mercedes, Fiat, VW, Peugeot, Citroen, Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford, Mitsubishi.

iCarsoft UK Diagnostic Systems | Genuine iCarsoft Tools | UK Parts Direct

iCarsoft UK Diagnostic Systems | Genuine iCarsoft Tools at UK Parts Direct. Buy Smart - Buy Genuine. 10+ Years iCarsoft Experience. Expert Phone & Email Support. Free Lifetime Software Updates. Full UK Warranty

www.ukpartsdirect.com

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Can you recommend one for the cali?

Carista - plug a Bluetooth dongle into the van which then fires data to an APP on your phone Allows you to check / rest fault codes. If the fault code then reoccurs after a reset then it’s time to take the van to a garage. Some other customisation features - Can turn the van alarm off (handy when camping or in ferry crossing.), turn off DRL’s (on some vans), etc etc.

I like it as it doesn’t allow you to meddle in things that should only be done by an experienced mechanic.

 

[pchmlk]

Most cars (and I guess vans) are designed with a 10 year lifespan nowadays. They get a 3 year warranty and most will offer up to 5, mainly because the build quality globally has become so consistent it’s and easy offer by an OEM. But. After 5 years things start to wear down or break. Why you don’t get an OEM warranty beyond 5 years. It’s the nature of things. Some get lucky, most will have several issues, sometimes spread out, sometimes in a run. It’s all the hazards of running an older vehicle. Our Tiguan is just about to clock over 5 years and I’m expecting the same - already had to replace the spark plugs and one of the ignition coils (thanks to the Carista an easy fault find).

You get not only expected behaviour, but designed behaviour. OEM’s want you to replace vehicles every 3 - 5 years. It’s in their business model. You just need to deal with each one as they come up and hope none of them start to become more expensive per month to run than buying a new van.

Proactive maintenance will help - so scour here and look for the most common faults for your vehicle and actively change the parts or get them checked.

I don’t think this is true at all. A modern 5 year old car is as good as new in my experience. Manufacturers rely on increasing tech / aesthetics and finance packages to sell new cars not the outgoing one being obsolete.

 

[dspuk]

I don’t think this is true at all. A modern 5 year old car is as good as new in my experience. Manufacturers rely on increasing tech / aesthetics and finance packages to sell new cars not the outgoing one being obsolete.

I worked for an auto company. It was literally in the business plan that was presented in sales planning meetings I attended.

My Tiguan is in great condition but I’m under no illusions it going to start costing me money despite a FSH and regular replacement of tyres, brake fluid etc.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

I bought our 2008 Cali in 2009 and on the whole it’s been good with no major problems.

At Easter driving back from the Alps we had an air pipe to the turbo detach which eventually meant leaving the vehicle on a truck to a Peugeot garage and coming back on Eurostar. I then went to get it a week later. A breakdown abroad is a major inconvenience. Thankfully we got away from the motorway and it wasn’t at night. I guess I started to worry this was the beginning of the end. Although actually the fault was a broken pipe clip so not exactly a catastrophe.

I suppose a Transporter is designed to live 10 years and do 300,000 miles. Mine is 16 years old and has done 64,000 miles. On my estate there are 2 T25s that are 30+ years old.

I am hoping to keep ours for another 10 or 15 years I think. We certainly drove down to Île de Ré and back all fine this summer and are booked for the Alps again. I’m sure we will ferry to Spain and drive back next summer.

I’ve decided to keep the faith, assured that my Euro AA breakdown cover that comes with my insurance seems to work.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

Most cars (and I guess vans) are designed with a 10 year lifespan nowadays. They get a 3 year warranty and most will offer up to 5, mainly because the build quality globally has become so consistent it’s and easy offer by an OEM. But. After 5 years things start to wear down or break. Why you don’t get an OEM warranty beyond 5 years. It’s the nature of things. Some get lucky, most will have several issues, sometimes spread out, sometimes in a run. It’s all the hazards of running an older vehicle. Our Tiguan is just about to clock over 5 years and I’m expecting the same - already had to replace the spark plugs and one of the ignition coils (thanks to the Carista an easy fault find).

You get not only expected behaviour, but designed behaviour. OEM’s want you to replace vehicles every 3 - 5 years. It’s in their business model. You just need to deal with each one as they come up and hope none of them start to become more expensive per month to run than buying a new van.

Proactive maintenance will help - so scour here and look for the most common faults for your vehicle and actively change the parts or get them checked.

All Kia vehicles come with a 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty as standard.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

Can you recommend one for the cali?

I have one for sale if interested.

Accessories For Sale - Carista OBD 11 dongle.

Carista dongle, £20.00 inc UK postage.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[dspuk]

All Kia vehicles come with a 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty as standard.

The Korean brands were the first to offer general 5 year warranties. They did it mainly because of the reasons I mentioned but also because they needed a USP to stand out against the European brands. This worked well initially, especially for older drivers, the same as loaded extras did on Japanese vehicles in the 70s and 80s. There was a lot of debate internally if we should follow suit and we waited to see if others did. They did not, so neither did we.

At car shows the Korean makers used to descend on our stands with scalpels and sliver off materials to see what plastics were being used so they could copy them.

That they then moved to 7 was a further move to stand out.

In the end it is all a financial decision. Fail rates are well known, as is average warranty cost per customer. Kia chooses to put it’s money in 7 year warranties.

 

[hirsty]

My 8-year old Beach has very low miles from general once-weekly usage & then a massive sustained thrash annually across the Alps into Italy. With this ‘worst of both worlds’ usage I’m constantly surprised how well it stands up & performs faultlessly.

I had one mysterious oil leak after a couple of years & underuse eats brake pads & discs, but otherwise 100%