Buy all your VW California Accessories at the Club Shop Visit Shop

Help, roof won't go down

R

RMBN

VIP Member
Messages
14
Hi, anyone any ideas, my roof went up ok and now when you try put it down only one side starts to come down and the other side won't move at all.. tried going up and down again and no luck and now after leaving it an hour the side that is up is starting to sink so the whole roof is lop sided. Ideas of what to do would be most welcome.
 
Emergency operation. Access release mechanism thru sunglass-compartment. Release the panel next to camper-control-unit (ccu). You will now have access to the small screw that allow the hydraulic oil back and get the roof down (maybe you have to loosen the ccu as well, don't remember). Secure the roof with straps.

I have pictures but can't manage to get them in here...
 
This is why I want a manual roof and this makes me very jealous of Beach owners, this sort of problem could ruin an entire holiday.

Hope you get it sorted.
 
Thanks for your help Emil but I got stuck trying to get the control panel off after getting the lights panel off.. so VW assist are on there way..
 
This is why I want a manual roof and this makes me very jealous of Beach owners, this sort of problem could ruin an entire holiday.

Hope you get it sorted.
No beach owners b#tching about it? Some SE/Ocean owners have to learn something here.
 
No beach owners b#tching about it? Some SE/Ocean owners have to learn something here.
I think it would be a lot better to help the poster with his problem rather than harp on about the superiority of your Beach over the SE/Ocean. Jealousy will get you nowhere and one day you might appreciate some informative advice from a member who, heaven forbid, might own a SE/Ocean.:thumb
 
Don't forget to use the velcro lash down kit if you have to drive to the dealer to get it fixed.

We had the same happen to us, and had a day's drive across Scotland to the VW dealer. They would not order any replacement parts until they had inspected the vehicle, then we had to wait for them to be send parts out from Milton Keynes, so you might, if VW recovery can't fix it on the spot be looking a bit of a hold up as it is the weekend. Let's hope VW recovery consort it.


Oh for a manual roof !
 
I think these unfortunate problems are quite rare on the whole, after trying a T5 conversion and faffing about with straps here and there praying my knots will hold I think the roof is class act and very pleased with it. Hopefully just an isolated incident.
 
This is why I want a manual roof and this makes me very jealous of Beach owners, this sort of problem could ruin an entire holiday.

Hope you get it sorted.

Indeed if the SE/Ocean came with a manual roof i would be also in favor having one.
The Coast got a manual roof but is missing some other things...,

On topic now!
Could be diffrent thing from mecanic to electric falure or just something blokking things ....
I never lowerd the roof by emergency procedure but reading this reminds me of making it a point on trying it at home....!

Hope you get it sorted out , keep us posted on how it went
Good luck!
 
I think these unfortunate problems are quite rare on the whole, after trying a T5 conversion and faffing about with straps here and there praying my knots will hold I think the roof is class act and very pleased with it. Hopefully just an isolated incident.

I do not think this is that isolated TBH, I have read many posts on here and the Caliboard where the roof has either been stuck in the up position or has only come down on one side. This is just people that post on a forum in the UK, what about all the others that do not report the problem?

Also remember, the roof is very complex and is never serviced, surely VW should look at the roof mechanism as part of the service routine? I can see many more roofs failing as the Cali gets older and older, OK if in warranty but very scary outside of the 3 years.
 
I do not think this is that isolated TBH, I have read many posts on here and the Caliboard where the roof has either been stuck in the up position or has only come down on one side. This is just people that post on a forum in the UK, what about all the others that do not report the problem?

Also remember, the roof is very complex and is never serviced, surely VW should look at the roof mechanism as part of the service routine? I can see many more roofs failing as the Cali gets older and older, OK if in warranty but very scary outside of the 3 years.
Firstly, I subscribe to the " Use it or Lose it " faction. These hydraulic systems self lubricate so if not used regularly you can get problems with seals etc: Also I have read of quit a few conversions where the Hydraulic roof from a California has been fitted instead of a manual roof.
As far as servicing is concerned - what is there to service in a Sealed for life system. Apart from possibly lubricating the hinge mechanism.
Most of the problems, not all I agree, are within the warranty period and in fact within the 1st year.:thumb
 
Once you open the screw and pull it down, I assume you are meant to close the screw to lock the hydraulic circuit again?
 
Once you open the screw and pull it down, I assume you are meant to close the screw to lock the hydraulic circuit again?
Correct.
 
Ok so VW assist were professional but not informed.. I guess they are general vw /AA mechanics and not California specialist. He knew as much about getting the roof down as I did, so info came via phoning another VW tech.
We go the roof down by taking the light control and the roof control panels out of there housing, finding the clips to push in to release it is a bit of a game with the manual being very vague. Then even more vague is locating the screw to release the hydraulic fluid to,lower the roof. Ridiculously you have to cut a hole in the insulation to find it.. and you access it with a screwdriver vertically and not horizontally as you would expect...
I recommend you all now go have a go at home, it's not simple or obvious.
VW assist have no idea what's wrong and so it's now back and forth to the service Center to get the fault diagnosed and then repaired...
Thanks again to all for the advice.
 
Now the problem is not solved , you still don't know the problem ...
The fact that the assistance (even VW ) don't have a clue about the Cali related problems we all are aware of .
Thats why you need to deal with it yourself and drive to your Cali-dealer to get it sorted out....just a waste of time waiting for assistace to lower the roof manual .
Another Q : did the roof once it was lowerd manually was loose , where you able to lift it up by hand?
Did you secure it with the straps before driving off? I do hope so! As you suppose to following the manual ( @Loz , not only tighten the screw but securing with the emergency straps;))
 
We are having what I understand to be the hydraulic pump replaced on tues. The roof sags on the passeger side but intermittently. VW service place said it was a big job, needed the van for 2 days with say 5 hours in the workshop. It's a 2015 SE btw. How much dismantling will need to be done to replace this part? I'm not bothered being without the van for 2 days, more wary about a load of creaky trim and the kids want to know if they will be in trouble for somebody else's dirty finger marks.

Thanks Adam
 
Adam, what dealer is it going into? For this type of work you want it going into one of the California specialists.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
We are having what I understand to be the hydraulic pump replaced on tues. The roof sags on the passeger side but intermittently. VW service place said it was a big job, needed the van for 2 days with say 5 hours in the workshop. It's a 2015 SE btw. How much dismantling will need to be done to replace this part? I'm not bothered being without the van for 2 days, more wary about a load of creaky trim and the kids want to know if they will be in trouble for somebody else's dirty finger marks.

Thanks Adam
If you look at the pictures posted above then you can see exactly where the Hydraulic Pump is situated.
I would suggest taking some pictures of the Cab roof area etc: beforehand. In case there are any problems.
 
VW Preston. It's just 5hrs seemed a long time to access trim in the cab. Sure they said they had to access trim over sink which is trapped by wardrobe etc.
 
As said above , not just any VW center has Cali-knowledge but if it is a warrenty claim guess you don't get to chose.
I would only feel ok , if i trust the dealer complete , to let him work on such things.
The pump is located behind the controlpanel in front of the cabin .
There are some pictures on how the pump look like on this tread.
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/cali-technical-tips-tricks.9457/#post-87359
 
We are having what I understand to be the hydraulic pump replaced on tues. The roof sags on the passeger side but intermittently. VW service place said it was a big job, needed the van for 2 days with say 5 hours in the workshop. It's a 2015 SE btw. How much dismantling will need to be done to replace this part? I'm not bothered being without the van for 2 days, more wary about a load of creaky trim and the kids want to know if they will be in trouble for somebody else's dirty finger marks.

Thanks Adam
This doesn't sound right. If the roof sags on one side then it's surely more likely to be the ram on that side that's faulty, no?
 
Reading on this forum Preston have sorted this problem for another member with no negative comments posted. Never had this problem with my Leisuredrive.... Keep it simple! Thanks for advice btw.
 
This doesn't sound right. If the roof sags on one side then it's surely more likely to be the ram on that side that's faulty, no?
I agree, perhaps it was a case of Chinese whispers. I'll ask when I drop off and report back.
 

Similar threads

M
Replies
6
Views
775
Music Man
M
Nottledim
Replies
6
Views
2K
Meoncoast
Meoncoast
amdby
Replies
32
Views
5K
amdby
amdby
wessexcamper
Replies
38
Views
4K
wessexcamper
wessexcamper
S
Replies
12
Views
2K
Jason wallace
Jason wallace
Back
Top