I only went to the Motorhome show to accompany friends..........

[Bill R]

Caravaning friends stayed with us over the weekend to go to the NEC to look at Motorhomes. Oh well I said, it's a day out we may as well go along. What have I done ? ?
So after finding myself talking for ages to a guy on a stand selling VW T6 conversions, and since discovering the existence of the California I find myself seriously considering a purchase ! How did that happen ?
Having taken early retirement 3 years ago I find myself thinking that I really should get doing things I couldn't do when working due to time constraints of limited holiday time etc . I'm a keen golfer and Road cyclist and generally love the outdoors, great scenery etc and I'm sure being a Cali owner enhance my enjoyment of these.
Funnily enough though I've never owned a Caravan, Motorhome or even a tent !
So I had loads of Questions, mostly answered by browsing this fantastic site, and finding great answers to questions I hadn't thought of !
Now costing an Ocean Spec and managed to just pick myself up off the floor when seeing the "options" total reach almost £8,000 ! Why the hell is adding a Satnav costing £1500
Anyway a couple of maybe obvious questions please

1. Awning Rail with tent adaptor is Standard - presumably this doesn't have the actual awning and I'd need to add option "awning housing and rail" ?
2 The Satnav issue. I actually don't mind the VW Satnav, I have it in my SEAT, but the cost is horrendous. So being an Apple iPhone user my option is Apple Maps via CarPlay .
I'm assuming I can't access Google Maps even though I can on my phone so does anyone use Appke Maps as a Satnav , is it any good, does it access traffic info ?
There will be other questions I'm sure but any comments would be helpful
Cheers all
Bill

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Sounds great!! It's a perfect solution to compliment your road-cycling!

Have you considered the California Beach version, instead of the Ocean? About £8k to be saved, if you don't want a fitted wardrobe & kitchen. I've added a fridge between the two front seats..... as a cold beer, after a long ride can't be compromised.

Yes, you'll need to add the awning housing.... My advice would be to add it, as it costs approx £1300 to retro fit. App Connect, with Apple Maps is a good solution for navigation.... The VW built-in solution maybe be nice, but will date quicker I think.

Plenty of info on here indeed..... Enjoy the research and good luck with your decision!

 

[MattBW]

If the stereo price worries you and I agree they are a rip off, then have a look at a RCD330, about 200 quid or less from ebay.

 

[Meoncoast]

Our van was ordered by the dealer and had Sat Nav with it. In my view never worth the money. I use for A to B on main roads but once pottering on a camping tour the Garmin comes out. If ordering a "build" van would not buy a built in Sat Nav.

 

[leightonjthomas]

I’ve had various TomToms which I’ve used at home and abroad but I’m more than happy with my built-in satnav. I’ve used it all over Europe and I’ve never regretted paying the extra for it.

 

[Duncan]

Discover media is pants, I dont even use ours, I use Waze via AppConnect

 

[Hotel California]

Welcome on board , i also as many find the GPS (mine is a RNS 510 on the T5 ) not worth the money , seems the T6 GPS is thesame overpriced ...
Get a standard radio and a TomTom .
The wind out awning you should take as it can come in very handy sometimes and if it turnes out you don't use it you just sell it with profit as the afthermarket price is way higher there are buyers waiting in line.
As you been saying lots to read on the forum , make up your mind , order , collect it and enjoy ! Life is to short....

 

[parrot2]

Welcome to the forum I have tried various sat navs my second hand van came with a kenwood unit I like the fact its built in rather than having wires hanging around and its very good for finding your way around. However its slow to start and find the satellites.

 

[WelshGas]

Cannot comment about the T6 Sat Nav, but I have found the RNS510 on my SE excellent and invaluable. Has taken me all over Europe and Scandinavia without any problems. Has just over 32,000 campsites in my Personal POI and if not travelling to a booked site just use that to find the nearest sites as and when. Never been caught out in traffic jams due to known road works etc: only when an accident has happened close by, until a turn off becomes available.
Garmin/Tom Tom are OK, I have them on other vehicles but I prefer the integrated approach. Just my personal Opinion.

 

[CampervanTime]

Welcome!

In direct answer to your questions

1. You are right. If you want the roll out side awning then you need 'awning housing and rail'
2. A lot of people just order app connect and composition media radio - these give you a decent screen and the ability to use carplay/android auto.

CarPlay is Apple Maps only, it does traffic, speed limits etc and the on screen graphics are nice. Siri is absolute rubbish and it doesn't have half of the businesses or intelligence of google maps though. Basically set the destination on your iPhone before you set off and then don't try and do anything with siri (ie postcodes etc!). Perfectly serviceable.

Google maps (via android auto) is not quite as nice to look at but the voice navigation input is incredibly good. Just bark what you want it to do and it does it. 'take me to mcdonalds' or 'show me the way to sainsbury's' etc - it just WORKS!

Oh, and 8k of options is quite normal, it's a Cali thing

You've got an amazing journey ahead !

Now costing an Ocean Spec and managed to just pick myself up off the floor when seeing the "options" total reach almost £8,000 ! Why the hell is adding a Satnav costing £1500
Anyway a couple of maybe obvious questions please

1. Awning Rail with tent adaptor is Standard - presumably this doesn't have the actual awning and I'd need to add option "awning housing and rail" ?
2 The Satnav issue. I actually don't mind the VW Satnav, I have it in my SEAT, but the cost is horrendous. So being an Apple iPhone user my option is Apple Maps via CarPlay .
I'm assuming I can't access Google Maps even though I can on my phone so does anyone use Appke Maps as a Satnav , is it any good, does it access traffic info ?
There will be other questions I'm sure but any comments would be helpful
Cheers all
Bill

 

[Borris]

Have you thought about an ex demonstrator or a pre registered Cali? There are loads about at the moment and there's bound to be at least one out there that either comes very close to or even matches your desired spec. You could save a lot of cash!

 

[westfalia]

Retired, likes golf and cycling ?
Sounds like you need a camper, you won´t look back.
Have you looked at the mercedes marco polo,
You won´t get as many golf clubs in the back and the bike rack
is a bit of a faff with the numberplate board but its worth a look at.

 

[Bill R]

thank you all for your advice so far.
I'm aware of the forthcoming Price increase and the need to move quickly if I want to beat it.
I looked over one for ages in Coventry today and have e mailed my ideal spec to them.
As suggested above , asked them to search demonstrators that match closely with the ideal spec.
Also asking them how much they would do the ideal spec for as a factory order, as I have a quote from AutoeBid with 8% off the List price of my ideal spec.
I've no hang ups using them as I bought my SEAT Ateca this year using AutoeBid and got a £3k discount that no dealer would come close to

 

[CampervanTime]

8% is about right - most dealers will do this if you push them hard enough, Coventry are able and willing usually too.

There are quite a few dealers that are well known that do decent deals. I expect you know this but there is also another £1k deposit contribution if using PCP and also 2 free services if you do PCP too. Just depends if you want the finance etc.

 

[Jay586]

I would do your own search for pre-reg or demos, use the vw used van site. The search is a bit clunky but text or location works quite well. Becomes obvious who has the keenest prices...there is a fair variation.

 

[Bill R]

8% is about right - most dealers will do this if you push them hard enough, Coventry are able and willing usually too.

There are quite a few dealers that are well known that do decent deals. I expect you know this but there is also another £1k deposit contribution if using PCP and also 2 free services if you do PCP too. Just depends if you want the finance etc.

Any idea if I can have PCP, get the £1k contribution and then pay it off soon after ?

 

[CampervanTime]

Yes I believe you can

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Any idea if I can have PCP, get the £1k contribution and then pay it off soon after ?

Yes, you can settle in-full after 2-weeks.... So, it's a win-win.

 

[sapto]

Welcome Bill R
As mentioned before try to rent some Vans/Cali/motorhome types and get a slight feeling of camping/driving.
I am sure you wont regret it (whatever you order in the end!).

 

[Moakesy]

Also a keen cyclist here, and although a T5 owner rather than T6, I use Apple Maps for nav, even though I upgraded my stereo for an aftermarket solution. I just find CarPlay easier.

Another thing to bear in mind with your £8k of options....

I have the bike rack, but when I order a new Cali (hopefully within the next 2 years), I'll go with tow bar and bike rack. There are LOTS of threads on this, and it has to be what suits you, but I go Cyclo-cross racing every week currently. Lifting the boot fully open (with 3 bikes on) when the roof is up is not recommended. Also, it's quite a height to lift them onto the rack and my missus struggles if I'm not there (or injured). As I say, your choice, but thought I'd mention it.

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

As a keen cyclist as well, please please please, specify the removable towbar option at the point of order. It's only a few hundred quid if its a factory fit, but will cost upwards of £1k as a retro-fit and is a nightmare to fit too, they have to do all sorts of unimaginable things with the wiring loom and airbags to get it to work properly...

Even if you do decide to use a tailgate bike rack, at least you’ll have the option should you want, of being able to use a towbar mounted one. I use a Thule rack and its superb.

Also, bear in mind that its far easier to ‘put' a bike on a rack (towbar option) as opposed to having to lift it on and off a tailgate one.

Good luck in your search!!

 

[Andy]

As a keen cyclist as well, please please please, specify the removable towbar option at the point of order. It's only a few hundred quid if its a factory fit, but will cost upwards of £1k as a retro-fit and is a nightmare to fit too, they have to do all sorts of unimaginable things with the wiring loom and airbags to get it to work properly...

Even if you do decide to use a tailgate bike rack, at least you’ll have the option should you want, of being able to use a towbar mounted one. I use a Thule rack and its superb.

Also, bear in mind that its far easier to ‘put' a bike on a rack (towbar option) as opposed to having to lift it on and off a tailgate one.

Good luck in your search!!

Retro fit towbar is simple & straight forward with westfalia under van wiring loom. I fitted mine myself in a day.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[DaveB]

Another keen cyclist and another recommendation for towbar carrier. Mine fits perfectly into the space under the bed in the rear of the van and I personally think it looks much better without the rack (which is a faff to clean).

I have the Satnav fitted, it was expensive but I use the dash prompts a lot and VW regularly update the mapping. The key thing for me is no faffing with the phone to download maps for offline use as I regularly go into areas of poor reception.

 

[B J G]

Ref carrying your bike(s). Due to the vertical mounting and low bottom edge of the tailgate most towbar mounted bike carriers do not allow the tailgate to open. Only ones that are deemed suitable are the Thule 929 and Atera Strada DL3.

I use a Tomtom with built in Sim card that cost a few £100 with no running costs for live traffic, free map and camera updates.

 

[hirsty]

A California is ideal for supporting cycling & golf trips - get one rented ASAP & you’ll soon know one way or another if it’s for you. Neglible depreciation if it then turns out not to be getting enough use later on.

I’m in the minority as I love the T6 factory satnav & wouldn’t be without it - clearest screen & mapping I’ve ever used & I’ve had a lot of built-ins, aftermarkets, Tomtoms & Garmins to compare with.

I tried Apple Maps again in France recently (on iPhone 7 Plus) and was pleasantly surprised by the current iteration, having used Google Maps, Waze & Navmii previously. Very simple UI & seemed to recalculate instantly.