Grand California 680 problems

[Spruzy]

Hi everyone. I have followed lots of discussions about the issues with water/heating systems, electrics, software, rattling panels etc.. in the GCs. It is reassuring to know it’s not just us. We took delivery of ours in early March 2021. Sadly, we have had the full list of problems with the van that people have been posting about and it is now with the dealer for the second time with no date given for return as they have a very long list of issues. A few points… we have had lots of VW cars and never have had issues. So looked at many options but went with VW for peace of mind. Anyway, the situation with the GC has become so bad that I contacted MMM (Motorhome Monthly Magazine) and they had not heard of these issues but they looked at the Forums and contacted VW centrally who have admitted some problems with GC and have said the following “We are aware of some of the faults he mentions and have interventions in place to ensure our Van Centres can fix them”.

Obviously I will be in touch with them as they have asked to contact me direct but surely the tap and water pump issues are so common that this should be a recall situation together with the non functioning software? Whilst I accept campervanning has an element of getting on with it, I don’t expect people to spend £75k to £90k on a GC only to have to (like me) get up at 4am on several occasions to go into the boot, in the rain, to pull a fuse out to be able to sleep. Nor having to reset the electrics daily on campsites, etc…. I will point VW central to the forum. My dealer also looked at the forum. I honestly don’t think it is the dealers at fault here. Some of these issues appear to have been know pre launch by VW and assured to be fixed pre launch but seems not to be the case. We love our GC on the rare occasions it works but have completely lost faith.

 

[Tipperdriver]

Hi everyone. I have followed lots of discussions about the issues with water/heating systems, electrics, software, rattling panels etc.. in the GCs. It is reassuring to know it’s not just us. We took delivery of ours in early March 2021. Sadly, we have had the full list of problems with the van that people have been posting about and it is now with the dealer for the second time with no date given for return as they have a very long list of issues. A few points… we have had lots of VW cars and never have had issues. So looked at many options but went with VW for peace of mind. Anyway, the situation with the GC has become so bad that I contacted MMM (Motorhome Monthly Magazine) and they had not heard of these issues but they looked at the Forums and contacted VW centrally who have admitted some problems with GC and have said the following “We are aware of some of the faults he mentions and have interventions in place to ensure our Van Centres can fix them”.

Obviously I will be in touch with them as they have asked to contact me direct but surely the tap and water pump issues are so common that this should be a recall situation together with the non functioning software? Whilst I accept campervanning has an element of getting on with it, I don’t expect people to spend £75k to £90k on a GC only to have to (like me) get up at 4am on several occasions to go into the boot, in the rain, to pull a fuse out to be able to sleep. Nor having to reset the electrics daily on campsites, etc…. I will point VW central to the forum. My dealer also looked at the forum. I honestly don’t think it is the dealers at fault here. Some of these issues appear to have been know pre launch by VW and assured to be fixed pre launch but seems not to be the case. We love our GC on the rare occasions it works but have completely lost faith.

Hi just to let you know we have problems with water pump switches it self on having to pull the fuse out not good when your on holiday in Scotland for two weeks this is the second time this as happened from the dealer there doesn’t seem to be a answer

 

[CaliAzur]

I was very tempted by the GC 4MO when I finally made the decision to go with a regular Cali. For such a massively expensive vehicle, this is scary. One should not have to worry about quality when forking out 90K for an RV. I hope these problems are solved for you soonest. 90K should buy piece of mind not piece of crap.

 

[Alan&Angela]

Spuzy

My Cali went in today to a British dealer to sort out Heater/hot water, software issues and flimsy fitting in the shower room. Will post what happens but well done in contacting MMM. These problems are clearly known to VW and they should recall.

 

[Spruzy]

Hi everyone. I have followed lots of discussions about the issues with water/heating systems, electrics, software, rattling panels etc.. in the GCs. It is reassuring to know it’s not just us. We took delivery of ours in early March 2021. Sadly, we have had the full list of problems with the van that people have been posting about and it is now with the dealer for the second time with no date given for return as they have a very long list of issues. A few points… we have had lots of VW cars and never have had issues. So looked at many options but went with VW for peace of mind. Anyway, the situation with the GC has become so bad that I contacted MMM (Motorhome Monthly Magazine) and they had not heard of these issues but they looked at the Forums and contacted VW centrally who have admitted some problems with GC and have said the following “We are aware of some of the faults he mentions and have interventions in place to ensure our Van Centres can fix them”.

Obviously I will be in touch with them as they have asked to contact me direct but surely the tap and water pump issues are so common that this should be a recall situation together with the non functioning software? Whilst I accept campervanning has an element of getting on with it, I don’t expect people to spend £75k to £90k on a GC only to have to (like me) get up at 4am on several occasions to go into the boot, in the rain, to pull a fuse out to be able to sleep. Nor having to reset the electrics daily on campsites, etc…. I will point VW central to the forum. My dealer also looked at the forum. I honestly don’t think it is the dealers at fault here. Some of these issues appear to have been know pre launch by VW and assured to be fixed pre launch but seems not to be the case. We love our GC on the rare occasions it works but have completely lost faith.

 

[Spruzy]

So here is an update on the situation. My Grand Cali 680 has been with the dealer since 1 September. They have replicated a number of the faults. The software has had an upgrade. They believe this will solve the issues around lighting, automatic step getting stuck, etc… they have also replaced the kitchen tap unit which was causing the pump to switch on even though the tap was off. This is also a known fault. Some owners have had the whole pump/water/tap unit replaced by dealers but mine thinks the change of tap will fix it. Other GC 680 owners have stated the issue is with a chip or mechanism in the tap itself (that communicates with the pump) getting wet and causing comms issues with the pump. We’ll see what happens! The Truma boiler did not work on electric, only gas, and just came up with a fault and blocked itself whenever it was anything other than pure gas with no electric. Also the software may have been confusing the boiler about which to choose optimally when the water or heating setting was on mix. So the dealer has replaced the Truma boiler. They have to get a specialist Corgi boiler engineers to check it post installation. They have also replaced various catches, etc… Although all this is a terrible thing for such an expensive vehicle, I cannot fault the VW van dealer in Swindon and the service manager there has been great. He has been transparent and kept me fully informed. I asked him about why no recalls and he said that it depends on volume of a particular issue (or I guess if there is any danger to people with the problem) so unless lots of people complain to their VW dealer rather than resetting the electrics every time or pulling out the fuse to stop the pump then we won’t get there. They are keeping the GC in for another couple of weeks with my agreement to fully test it and then my wife and I will take it away somewhere to put it through it’s paces. Fingers crossed.

 

[Jester]

So here is an update on the situation. My Grand Cali 680 has been with the dealer since 1 September. They have replicated a number of the faults. The software has had an upgrade. They believe this will solve the issues around lighting, automatic step getting stuck, etc… they have also replaced the kitchen tap unit which was causing the pump to switch on even though the tap was off. This is also a known fault. Some owners have had the whole pump/water/tap unit replaced by dealers but mine thinks the change of tap will fix it. Other GC 680 owners have stated the issue is with a chip or mechanism in the tap itself (that communicates with the pump) getting wet and causing comms issues with the pump. We’ll see what happens! The Truma boiler did not work on electric, only gas, and just came up with a fault and blocked itself whenever it was anything other than pure gas with no electric. Also the software may have been confusing the boiler about which to choose optimally when the water or heating setting was on mix. So the dealer has replaced the Truma boiler. They have to get a specialist Corgi boiler engineers to check it post installation. They have also replaced various catches, etc… Although all this is a terrible thing for such an expensive vehicle, I cannot fault the VW van dealer in Swindon and the service manager there has been great. He has been transparent and kept me fully informed. I asked him about why no recalls and he said that it depends on volume of a particular issue (or I guess if there is any danger to people with the problem) so unless lots of people complain to their VW dealer rather than resetting the electrics every time or pulling out the fuse to stop the pump then we won’t get there. They are keeping the GC in for another couple of weeks with my agreement to fully test it and then my wife and I will take it away somewhere to put it through it’s paces. Fingers crossed.

Really sorry you have had so many issues, but so pleased you contacted MMM to advise of the issues, so hopefully VW will take note and act accordingly to our faults. I also have had issues but now mostly resolved.

The step had a mind of its own, apparently a faulty batch from Thule.

The mattress middle section is to narrow and I slip between the other sections. Not resolved.

The fly screen fell out. Awaiting replacement.

The head lining drooped by the ceiling vent.

And leaching of the silicone around the windows leaving marks on the paintwork, not resolved.pretty. Poor for a van of 90k.

But apart from the faults it’s a great camper so when all put right it will be perfect!!!.
I’m just waiting for the tap/pump issue. Think it’s about time they changed the spec.

Had mine since mid April..

Please keep us updated.
As you say more owners should make formal complaints to VW.

Will

 

[S1j1m10]

Hi everyone. I have followed lots of discussions about the issues with water/heating systems, electrics, software, rattling panels etc.. in the GCs. It is reassuring to know it’s not just us. We took delivery of ours in early March 2021. Sadly, we have had the full list of problems with the van that people have been posting about and it is now with the dealer for the second time with no date given for return as they have a very long list of issues. A few points… we have had lots of VW cars and never have had issues. So looked at many options but went with VW for peace of mind. Anyway, the situation with the GC has become so bad that I contacted MMM (Motorhome Monthly Magazine) and they had not heard of these issues but they looked at the Forums and contacted VW centrally who have admitted some problems with GC and have said the following “We are aware of some of the faults he mentions and have interventions in place to ensure our Van Centres can fix them”.

Obviously I will be in touch with them as they have asked to contact me direct but surely the tap and water pump issues are so common that this should be a recall situation together with the non functioning software? Whilst I accept campervanning has an element of getting on with it, I don’t expect people to spend £75k to £90k on a GC only to have to (like me) get up at 4am on several occasions to go into the boot, in the rain, to pull a fuse out to be able to sleep. Nor having to reset the electrics daily on campsites, etc…. I will point VW central to the forum. My dealer also looked at the forum. I honestly don’t think it is the dealers at fault here. Some of these issues appear to have been know pre launch by VW and assured to be fixed pre launch but seems not to be the case. We love our GC on the rare occasions it works but have completely lost faith.

Took my 680 in this week for the water pump problem. Was told that there were 2 recalls on the vehicle and they would not be able to fix the tap until these recalls were sorted out. How can we find out if there are recalls?

 

[Spruzy]

Hi everyone. I am still really struggling with my 680 which remains with the VW dealer even now. They loaded the new software patch but it didn’t work. It’s still not sorted and the control panel does not work properly. The dealer has been waiting for many weeks for a fix from VW centrally on the tap/water pump problem too but still there is none. I have asked to reject the vehicle. It has not been fit for purpose since we received it. Interesting feedback you received on the two recalls. My feeling is that if they are planning two recalls then they will be the software and the pump/tap issues as these are so common amongst owners. It’s just not good enough in a new factory built vehicle from a multi billion pound corporation…. In the first 10 months of ownership in the period following the first 2-3 months of lockdown affected time (so couldn’t use it), our 680 has been with the dealer more than with us.

 

[Spruzy]

Hi everyone. I am still really struggling with my 680 which remains with the VW dealer even now. They loaded the new software patch but it didn’t work. It’s still not sorted and the control panel does not work properly. The dealer has been waiting for many weeks for a fix from VW centrally on the tap/water pump problem too but still there is none. I have asked to reject the vehicle. It has not been fit for purpose since we received it. Interesting feedback you received on the two recalls. My feeling is that if they are planning two recalls then they will be the software and the pump/tap issues as these are so common amongst owners. It’s just not good enough in a new factory built vehicle from a multi billion pound corporation…. In the first 10 months of ownership in the period following the first 2-3 months of lockdown affected time (so couldn’t use it), our 680 has been with the dealer more than with us.

Just to add to my last post, the dealer confirmed that VW recalls are triggered by either volume of complaints/failures or safety issues. Given the latter is not the issue, as many owners as possible who have these issues need to report them to their dealers rather than just keep going and muddle through. Then perhaps VW will get on with finding a fix. The 680 is the perfect van for us when it works - so it just needs fixing!!

 

[Corradobrit]

I think Bus & Beyond had a water pump failure in the GC they had on loan from VW. Clearly these are not isolated component problems

 

[Jester]

Just to add to my last post, the dealer confirmed that VW recalls are triggered by either volume of complaints/failures or safety issues. Given the latter is not the issue, as many owners as possible who have these issues need to report them to their dealers rather than just keep going and muddle through. Then perhaps VW will get on with finding a fix. The 680 is the perfect van for us when it works - so it just needs fixing!!

I totally agree with you more owners just tend to put up with it, unlike our German forum members they report it to the dealer, that’s not to say all of there issues are remedied however they seem in front of the UK.

Had been arguing with regards to the mattress being to narrow and the windows leaching leaving marks on the paintwork, still no resolution.

 

[Corradobrit]

Yes, they even said VW told them to expect the pump failure in the 'pre-production' model they had.

 

[Spruzy]

Yes, they even said VW told them to expect the pump failure in the 'pre-production' model they had.

 

[Spruzy]

Yep. I saw this review and still bought the 680 on the back of it because VW said they would fix it as this was pre-production model. It’s infuriating. A known issue but they launched it anyway…..

 

[rod_vw]

It's taken Volkswagen since 2003 to think about fixing the sliding windows in a T5 and onwards to the T6.1 and they still haven't succeeded so I wouldn't hold my breath about the GC faults being fixed this side of 2035!