Has anyone got any guidelines for buying a budget California?

[pjm-84]

And the question is why a new EGR?

 

[welcome to the hotel]

Oh it had a new egr fitted recently….silly money bill though.

Have experienced egr valve issues on my daily drivers… fix involved removing cleaning & refitting. 20 minutes.
Scary that a 180 is such a massive job.

 

[pjm-84]

12months back bought a 2011 t5.1 140hp with 81k miles, only service stamps and bodywork rough, broken trim inside in usual areas. 31k paid knowing id be spending 3-5k in repairs to bring it back to life. All done diy at home but closer to 5k in parts spent over the year,
Clutch and dmf.
Service both diesel heaters.
Rear wheel bearings
Wheel spd sensor
4 x tyres
Droplinks & strut top bearings.
2x annual service
Water pump for sink.
New sink tap
Bellows patches, awning patches.
Awning rail trim end caps
Roof light
240v / water inlet fitting.
Towbar & electrics
1x wheelarch liner.
2x front door / arch rubbers.
Bodywork repairs.
reverse camera
Kenwood AA head unit
Dash chip repair
CV Boot
Lower balljoints
Lanogard underside
Full paint renovation / sanding/compound/polish
2x door lock modules
Probably forgot loads but now have a vehicle in trustworthy condition with enough character/scars that i dont need to be too precious when using it.
If you cant diy a cali of this age has potential to become a money pit due to labour costs.

Not all that is age related or maintenance.

 

[welcome to the hotel]

Underlines my scepticism about the global belief in vw reliability. The real genius is in the marketing.

 

[welcome to the hotel]

And the question is why a new EGR?

Yeah totally…. But apparently the vw ones corrode… whereas on the daily… they just block & stick.

 

[welcome to the hotel]

Oh it had a new egr fitted recently….silly money bill though.

Just read about the egr cooler being able to impart debris into the cylinders .

Denial from vw for anything. (As per my experience)

Maybe get a compression test done is a good thing …. I’ll plan that…. And watch oil consumption.

Having been in the industry…. Nothing surprises me. But vw seem to be big deniers…. And do get customers to do quite a bit of their post launch testing

 

[WelshGas]

Just read about the egr cooler being able to impart debris into the cylinders .

Denial from vw for anything. (As per my experience)

Maybe get a compression test done is a good thing …. I’ll plan that…. And watch oil consumption.

Having been in the industry…. Nothing surprises me. But vw seem to be big deniers…. And do get customers to do quite a bit of their post launch testing

2010/2011 180 CFCA engines did have a problem, recognised by VW, TPI issued and replaced during the 3 yr warranty. However, Californias are unusual in that many are ultra low milage compared with the commercial counterparts and don't exhibit the problem until many years down the line.
Post 2011 - different problem.

 

[welcome to the hotel]

2010/2011 180 CFCA engines did have a problem, recognised by VW, TPI issued and replaced during the 3 yr warranty. However, Californias are unusual in that many are ultra low milage compared with the commercial counterparts and don't exhibit the problem until many years down the line.
Post 2011 - different problem.

Thanks mr gas.