Is a California T6.1 MY22 Coast robust enough for camping?

[phil keegan]

Recently back from an excellent 2 week trip mainly cycling in the Belgium Ardennes. Really love the flexibility of a Cali and bikes for travel. We have owned our MY22 6.1 Coast for just under a year

Lots of things we would not change but are now left wondering if it’s a bit ‘delicate’ for its intended use.

Despite taking ‘reasonable care’ after our recent 14 nights camping we have the following issues:

1. Passenger side roof bed hinge broke
2. Passenger side bellows started to come away at the front corner
3. Rear kitchen cabinet catch broke
4. A piece of plastic broken off somewhere in the region of the wardrobe (haven’t had time yet to confirm from where)

We followed advice from this forum and got a 5 year warranty at the time of purchase + it’s been easy to book the van into our nearby local commercial van dealer (Newcastle upon Tyne).

I’m sure these issues will get fixed one way or another but I’m left wondering if some conversion companies might produce a VW camper that’s a bit more robust for actual use as a camper compared to a California?

(Ps have specified the manufacturing year etc as really asking the question about new vans rather than previous models)


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[RockinNRollin]

They do appear to more fragile than ideal, but it's a balance; everything could be made 10x more robust but it would cost more and weigh more . . . I suspect VW don't actually make enormous profits on Calis and the cost of warranty claims clearly hasn't reached a level that it justifies increasing the robustness of the fittings or else they'd have done that.

 

[Mattsv]

Bed hinges usually break if anything is left on the ledges just inder the bed (guess how I know!). I think the plastic hinge is designed to be sacrificial as otherwise you risk twisting the bed frame/more damage. I agree however they can be a bit 'fragile'...

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Recently back from an excellent 2 week trip mainly cycling in the Belgium Ardennes. Really love the flexibility of a Cali and bikes for travel. We have owned our MY22 6.1 Coast for just under a year

Lots of things we would not change but are now left wondering if it’s a bit ‘delicate’ for its intended use.

Despite taking ‘reasonable care’ after our recent 14 nights camping we have the following issues:

1. Passenger side roof bed hinge broke
2. Passenger side bellows started to come away at the front corner
3. Rear kitchen cabinet catch broke
4. A piece of plastic broken off somewhere in the region of the wardrobe (haven’t had time yet to confirm from where)

We followed advice from this forum and got a 5 year warranty at the time of purchase + it’s been easy to book the van into our nearby local commercial van dealer (Newcastle upon Tyne).

I’m sure these issues will get fixed one way or another but I’m left wondering if some conversion companies might produce a VW camper that’s a bit more robust for actual use as a camper compared to a California?

(Ps have specified the manufacturing year etc as really asking the question about new vans rather than previous models)


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Our last van, T4 Bilbo conversion was built like a tank, but did not look as 'polished' as a Cali. ie - chipboard cupboards, curtains i/o window blinds, carpet on walls etc. But camping items were easy to replace using generic parts..cupboard catches, sink pump etc.

Oldest van was a T2 Viking, and this was also bomb proof, conversion was done by Devon + Westfalia:

The Viking roof

Viking roofs originated in the early 1970s in Hertfordshire by a company called Motorhomes International

www.spaceroofs.co.uk

Shouldn't need to rely on a warranty, the vans should be built to standard to ensure that things do not fail during normal use...especially given the new purchase price of a Cali.

Seem to be a few issues reported recently on the forum with bellows coming away on newer vans. Prior to that issue was with galvanic roof corrosion on older vans, which was eventually solved using double sided sticky tape! The recall repair was described as a one fix wonder / goodwill gesture, so if it failed again it was a case of tough sh*t. The Alu roof on the Cali seems to be its achilles heel, perhaps why other tried & tested convertors use a manual GRP roof.

Still great vans, but quality needs to be better if they want to see repeat business. Our van has been on the waiting list for the roof recall work for the past 4 years, and VW never follow up / return calls, but are more than happy to take our cash each service. I don't actually want the work done, but just means I can pass our place in the queue to the next buyer to give them peace of mind.

Think our next van will be a Westfalia conversion as they have stood the test of time (...so possibly a Ford Nugget!..who knows).

 

[RockinNRollin]

Still great vans, but quality needs to be better if they want to see repeat business.

Therein lies the issue though; they get repeat business anyway. People queue up for Calis. A commercial bean-counter somewhere at VW has decided the cost of warranty claims isn't sufficient to justify increasing the development costs and introducing improved fixtures and fittings, demand remains high . . . commercially, why change anything?

 

[phil keegan]

This is the bit of plastic I found towards the rear or the van (? from rear wardrobe when using doors with a bag inside against the door). Still haven’t spotted where it where it belongs + haven’t missed it!


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[Hawthorn37]

Another forum contributor said, ‘do everything slowly and carefully in a Cali’. We try and live by this motto, and never force anything that should move easily etc. Even so, we’ve had bits break or ping off, including a cupboard catch, and the canvas around the roof.

 

[phil keegan]

Another forum contributor said, ‘do everything slowly and carefully in a Cali’. We try and live by this motto, and never force anything that should move easily etc. Even so, we’ve had bits break or ping off, including a cupboard catch, and the canvas around the roof.

Good advice. Do you intermittently push the roof canvas back on or have you had this permanently fixed? I see some forum members with this problem have even had their entire bellows replaced under warranty. I did wonder if this did get offered to us if we’d get the latest more waterproof version………


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[Hawthorn37]

Good advice. Do you intermittently push the roof canvas back on or have you had this permanently fixed? I see some forum members with this problem have even had their entire bellows replaced under warranty. I did wonder if this did get offered to us if we’d get the latest more waterproof version………


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I believe that if the bellows is undamaged then VW will fix, probably with glue. I fixed ours without glue, just bicycle tyre levers and Fairy Liquid - on a warm day to ensure maximum flexibility. It’s not come out again.

 

[phil keegan]

I believe that if the bellows is undamaged then VW will fix, probably with glue. I fixed ours without glue, just bicycle tyre levers and Fairy Liquid - on a warm day to ensure maximum flexibility. It’s not come out again.

Thanks for the tip. It’s surprisingly hot and sunny in Newcastle today! Pushing it back in from the outside it popped back out. Second attempt with the panoramic window open and pushing it back it from both sides seems to have worked a bit better. I would just glue it as well but don’t want to invalidate any warranty…….

Separately although not an avid car cleaner also used the opportunity of the roof being up on the drive to clean the paintwork around the roof and the rubber seals with a view to applying a bit of wax and some kind of rubber treatment (to hopefully help prevent the roof corrosion issue).


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[Cali Phillip]

Another forum contributor said, ‘do everything slowly and carefully in a Cali’. We try and live by this motto, and never force anything that should move easily etc. Even so, we’ve had bits break or ping off, including a cupboard catch, and the canvas around the roof.

Thats a great comment ,dont force things although theres some exceptions like the awning leg lever, always feels like its too much force going to snap but is designed like that.
Probably 300+ nights use and nothing broken in our ocean, well besides the sliding table where My strong fingered partner pulled the edging off, it glued back on !

 

[Hawthorn37]

Thanks for the tip. It’s surprisingly hot and sunny in Newcastle today! Pushing it back in from the outside it popped back out. Second attempt with the panoramic window open and pushing it back it from both sides seems to have worked a bit better. I would just glue it as well but don’t want to invalidate any warranty…….

Separately although not an avid car cleaner also used the opportunity of the roof being up on the drive to clean the paintwork around the roof and the rubber seals with a view to applying a bit of wax and some kind of rubber treatment (to hopefully help prevent the roof corrosion issue).


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When pushing it back into the slot around the roof, have the roof half up so there’s some slack in the canvas.

 

[Cali Phillip]

When pushing it back into the slot around the roof, have the roof half up do there’s some slack in the canvas.

I put my19 in a few times and out of warranty added a smear of sikaflex I laying about. Not came out since.

 

[Czmitche]

Another forum contributor said, ‘do everything slowly and carefully in a Cali’. We try and live by this motto, and never force anything that should move easily etc. Even so, we’ve had bits break or ping off, including a cupboard catch, and the canvas around the roof.

Prior to the California we had a Westfalia Club Joker City which had the same Froli springs now found on the 6.1 but a manual pop top as opposed to the electric one on the Ocean. Not only is the electric pop top slower to put up but you are also unaware of the force being exerted - not possible to do things slowly and carefully. I would rather that VW had done away with the electric motor on the 6.1, and multiple very annoying safety messages, and put the savings back into a nicer dashboard.