It happened - change from T6 Ocean to Grand California 600

[Eber123]

The weather good a bit more "normal" (17 degrees, light rain) which gave me a bit of time to look into the various things that caused us a wee bit of problems during the last weeks.

Here is a short update:

• Skylights - The rear one is ok now. The front one is ok as well. I must have seen the skylights from a GC 680 which does open wider as in a GC 600 (which makes sense).
• Control Unit Camping mode
• Sliding door
• Water in wet room cabinet
• Shower - not tested yet
• Water inside the shower tray
• Water outside wet room - not tested
• Dimmed radio, dashboard, LEDs of buttons. Sorted. I've been told a "controller" had to be replaced. When I collected the camper I've asked how many "controllers" are in the van, I've been told they had to replace the radio (Discover Media)

Have I said all that (aldo in previous posts) I lost my confidence in the camper product, not in the VW dealer. I must be honest and fair, they looked after me very well. Really, it is not their vault that there are not enough spare parts available quickly.

After 2x years in America my daughter came home for 2x weeks, which is brilliant. But because of this we had not tested and used all the "camping functions" yet. Only after 2x or 3x tours, after everything is (still) working I am convinced that the main issues are gone.

We found a company in the greater Dublin area who wraps campers. They were very good and after a longer visit we agreed a design. We just wait for a date to get the work done. As soon as the wrapping of the GC 600 is done I will upload some pictures.

Alarm is not installed yet. I contacted the company to arrange a date. My VW dealer agreed to pay for have of the installation cost, which I think is fair.

I watched a lot of Youtube videos about the VW GC 600/680, but the information there is different to what is available as standard in Ireland (my fault not to check everything in detail with VW dealer). For instance:

• I expected to find 2x SD-Card slots in the glove department, that is not the case. Now I don't know how to upgrade the maps for the navi and I don't know how to listen to my music (there was a SD-Card slot in the Ocean). There are 2x USB-C connectors in the lower part of the dashboard, but I don't know if it will work if I get a USB-C memory stick.
• There is no USB connector on top of the dashboard.
• The gas heating is Truma Combi - I expected the Truma Combi (E). If we had visited campsites we could have saved some gas. Not the end of the world, but...

If somebody is in the process to buy a GC 600/680 (stock/demo) maybe it is better to check those things before the contract is signed. Also check the storage. I believe there is sufficient storage for 2x adults in the overhead lockers (cloths), in the wet room (soap, toothbrush etc.), in the boot for all camping related items. I don't think there is enough room in the kitchen area, neither for pots and pans nor for food storage. So, we have to think about this and find solutions.

Beside this, my wife and I believe that the GC 600 met our needs and expectations. If it turns out that the camper is on top of this reliable than it is a very good, capable and wonderful vehicle.

Happy Grand California,
Eberhard

 

[Laercio]

The weather good a bit more "normal" (17 degrees, light rain) which gave me a bit of time to look into the various things that caused us a wee bit of problems during the last weeks.

Here is a short update:

• Skylights - The rear one is ok now. The front one is ok as well. I must have seen the skylights from a GC 680 which does open wider as in a GC 600 (which makes sense).
• Control Unit Camping mode
• Sliding door
• Water in wet room cabinet
• Shower - not tested yet
• Water inside the shower tray
• Water outside wet room - not tested
• Dimmed radio, dashboard, LEDs of buttons. Sorted. I've been told a "controller" had to be replaced. When I collected the camper I've asked how many "controllers" are in the van, I've been told they had to replace the radio (Discover Media)

Have I said all that (aldo in previous posts) I lost my confidence in the camper product, not in the VW dealer. I must be honest and fair, they looked after me very well. Really, it is not their vault that there are not enough spare parts available quickly.

After 2x years in America my daughter came home for 2x weeks, which is brilliant. But because of this we had not tested and used all the "camping functions" yet. Only after 2x or 3x tours, after everything is (still) working I am convinced that the main issues are gone.

We found a company in the greater Dublin area who wraps campers. They were very good and after a longer visit we agreed a design. We just wait for a date to get the work done. As soon as the wrapping of the GC 600 is done I will upload some pictures.

Alarm is not installed yet. I contacted the company to arrange a date. My VW dealer agreed to pay for have of the installation cost, which I think is fair.

I watched a lot of Youtube videos about the VW GC 600/680, but the information there is different to what is available as standard in Ireland (my fault not to check everything in detail with VW dealer). For instance:

• I expected to find 2x SD-Card slots in the glove department, that is not the case. Now I don't know how to upgrade the maps for the navi and I don't know how to listen to my music (there was a SD-Card slot in the Ocean). There are 2x USB-C connectors in the lower part of the dashboard, but I don't know if it will work if I get a USB-C memory stick.
• There is no USB connector on top of the dashboard.
• The gas heating is Truma Combi - I expected the Truma Combi (E). If we had visited campsites we could have saved some gas. Not the end of the world, but...

If somebody is in the process to buy a GC 600/680 (stock/demo) maybe it is better to check those things before the contract is signed. Also check the storage. I believe there is sufficient storage for 2x adults in the overhead lockers (cloths), in the wet room (soap, toothbrush etc.), in the boot for all camping related items. I don't think there is enough room in the kitchen area, neither for pots and pans nor for food storage. So, we have to think about this and find solutions.

Beside this, my wife and I believe that the GC 600 met our needs and expectations. If it turns out that the camper is on top of this reliable than it is a very good, capable and wonderful vehicle.

Happy Grand California,
Eberhard

Hi Eber,

You can update the maps and listen to your music or movies using the usb-c port, I bought a micro sd card adapter to usb-c and works perfectly

You do have gas/electric it is standard, you just need to turn on on gas first on the control panel and if you are connected to the power the electric/mix options will show up, or you can do directly on the Truma control under the seat.

 

[Eber123]

Hello Laercio,

Thank you for the information. I ordered a USB-C memory stick this morning. It will be here in a few days. I was hoping it will be recognized and I can listen to my music.

If that works I will follow your idea to get an SD card reader - to USB-C. That would be brilliant if that works. I am in contact with my VW dealer about this, but they did not come back to me yet.

I thought about this too. So far I did not connect the GC to power. Against all hope I was hoping it will come up with the electric heating option. Maybe you are right. I will test this soon. At the moment there is one downpour after the other at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow.

Happy and hopeful California,
Eberhard

 

[Laercio]

Hello Laercio,

Thank you for the information. I ordered a USB-C memory stick this morning. It will be here in a few days. I was hoping it will be recognized and I can listen to my music.

If that works I will follow your idea to get an SD card reader - to USB-C. That would be brilliant if that works. I am in contact with my VW dealer about this, but they did not come back to me yet.

I thought about this too. So far I did not connect the GC to power. Against all hope I was hoping it will come up with the electric heating option. Maybe you are right. I will test this soon. At the moment there is one downpour after the other at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow.

Happy and hopeful California,
Eberhard

Sounds good! that is the one I use:

Satechi USB 3.0 Aluminum Type-C Reader and Micro/SD Card Reader for Type-C Devices (Space Grey)

It reads SD and Micro SD

 

[Eber123]

I just went out to test it. No, it doesn't work.

I connected the GC to power, which was confirmed at the camper unit. But there is no option to chose from the power source. Neither on the VW camper unit nor on the Truma unit.

So I can say with confidence that the Truma Combi E is not standard in Ireland. I will check the options list later.

I don't know why everything is so expensive in Ireland. We have to pay a lot and won't get a lot in return, just the basics. It is not the end of the world, but it would have been nice if we could have chosen electricity to use the heating. We plan to use more free places around Ireland, but now and then I am sure we will go to a campsite. Also gas is rather expensive. A 11 kg bottle cost EUR 35.00 for the refill.

Happy Grand California,
Eberhard

 

[Laercio]

I just went out to test it. No, it doesn't work.

I connected the GC to power, which was confirmed at the camper unit. But there is no option to chose from the power source. Neither on the VW camper unit nor on the Truma unit.

So I can say with confidence that the Truma Combi E is not standard in Ireland. I will check the options list later.

I don't know why everything is so expensive in Ireland. We have to pay a lot and won't get a lot in return, just the basics. It is not the end of the world, but it would have been nice if we could have chosen electricity to use the heating. We plan to use more free places around Ireland, but now and then I am sure we will go to a campsite. Also gas is rather expensive. A 11 kg bottle cost EUR 35.00 for the refill.

Happy Grand California,
Eberhard

That is strange, did you turned on on gas first and let it run for a bit? picture of the control panel?

 

[Eber123]

The gas is on at the moment. On both displays is simply no opiton to chose a different source. I don't have a picture yet (but I disconnected the power anyway).

I will check the option list for the GC and see what it says there

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[Eber123]

I just had a look in the GC Irish prospect. In the list for standard equipment I can't see any information about the heating in the campers. Hm...

I had a look at the options list and yes, there is an option for the gas / electric mix heater. How much it is I don't know, because the Irish option list is without prices.

Also flying through the GC Irish prospect it is not easy to see what is standard and what extra / options. Everything is mixed and it is easy to oversee an item.

It is not the end of the world, but it would have been nice to get a few extras for that huge amount of money we have paid.

Kind Regards,
Eberhard

 

[HugoFar]

Hi Eberhard. It's been a few months now since your last post. How's the GC going?

 

[Eber123]

Hello,

The journey to get a working Grand California was painful and long. If all the effort was worthwhile we still don't know.

We had many, many issue with the GC 600. The last round was leaking water from the kitchen tap, not stopping pump, Camper Control Unit freezing.

While they checked the CCU it died and it took a combined effort from the VW dealer, VW Ireland and VW Germany to get it working again. Also as a result the step did not work.

Finally they fixed the CCU and changed the water tap. The camper was ready one day before our trip to Germany.

Weeks ago we got 2x new controllers and the Emergency Unit exchanged trying to fix the dark radio / dashboard. At the moment it is working.

While the camper was 3x weeks with the VW dealer I got annoyed and wanted to start the process to get a new camper. Fair play to VW that would have been no problem, but they wanted to order a new one. Lead time July 2022. In May 2022 we have our ferry booked for our Scandinavia trip. So this was no option.
I asked if there is no other GC 600 available in Ireland that has a similar or better configuration. But they said no. Even the two the VW dealer had in the forecourt have some items missing which are important to us.

Later at 3 pm we are of to Rosslare to get the ferry to France. We will be in Germany for a week and cover a distance of about 2.500km. Let's see how the camper will behave.

If everything is ok we will install new and update software for the Camper Control Unit (available Friday week). After that we finally will enable the car alarm again (it was disconnected because VW claimed the alarm is responsible for the darken radio / dashboard).

With this experience and thinking about the Grand California I am not so sure anymore. Is it really a quality and reliable product? I don't know. To change configuration I am scared because the electric and electronic of the Grand California is very fragile.
I don't believe that the one 92 Ah AGM battery is sufficient. But change to a Lithium battery means to change the electronic setup, which I don't trust. And if installing a Lithium battery a booster has to be installed, wich even more impacts the electronic. Nobody knows what happens then. And VW will wash there hands.

The plan is to get the German trip done and see how it goes. Than I will talk to my VW dealer to see if he will work with me on some changes. If we have massive problems with the camper during our trip to Germany and the VW dealer won't work with me to get some changes done, I don't know what to do from here.
Beside all this my wife loves the Grand California (and actually I as well) but it has to be reliable. We toyed with the idea to get the GC changed, but we might ask to get the money back and get a campervan based on a Fiat. Which one it depends on the availability in Ireland.

Sorry for the long answer, but there is a high level of frustration. The T6 Ocean was good, no problems. The Grand California caused us problems from the first week.

Frustrated Grand California,
Eberhard

 

[kurienp]

Hello,

The journey to get a working Grand California was painful and long. If all the effort was worthwhile we still don't know.

We had many, many issue with the GC 600. The last round was leaking water from the kitchen tap, not stopping pump, Camper Control Unit freezing.

While they checked the CCU it died and it took a combined effort from the VW dealer, VW Ireland and VW Germany to get it working again. Also as a result the step did not work.

Finally they fixed the CCU and changed the water tap. The camper was ready one day before our trip to Germany.

Weeks ago we got 2x new controllers and the Emergency Unit exchanged trying to fix the dark radio / dashboard. At the moment it is working.

While the camper was 3x weeks with the VW dealer I got annoyed and wanted to start the process to get a new camper. Fair play to VW that would have been no problem, but they wanted to order a new one. Lead time July 2022. In May 2022 we have our ferry booked for our Scandinavia trip. So this was no option.
I asked if there is no other GC 600 available in Ireland that has a similar or better configuration. But they said no. Even the two the VW dealer had in the forecourt have some items missing which are important to us.

Later at 3 pm we are of to Rosslare to get the ferry to France. We will be in Germany for a week and cover a distance of about 2.500km. Let's see how the camper will behave.

If everything is ok we will install new and update software for the Camper Control Unit (available Friday week). After that we finally will enable the car alarm again (it was disconnected because VW claimed the alarm is responsible for the darken radio / dashboard).

With this experience and thinking about the Grand California I am not so sure anymore. Is it really a quality and reliable product? I don't know. To change configuration I am scared because the electric and electronic of the Grand California is very fragile.
I don't believe that the one 92 Ah AGM battery is sufficient. But change to a Lithium battery means to change the electronic setup, which I don't trust. And if installing a Lithium battery a booster has to be installed, wich even more impacts the electronic. Nobody knows what happens then. And VW will wash there hands.

The plan is to get the German trip done and see how it goes. Than I will talk to my VW dealer to see if he will work with me on some changes. If we have massive problems with the camper during our trip to Germany and the VW dealer won't work with me to get some changes done, I don't know what to do from here.
Beside all this my wife loves the Grand California (and actually I as well) but it has to be reliable. We toyed with the idea to get the GC changed, but we might ask to get the money back and get a campervan based on a Fiat. Which one it depends on the availability in Ireland.

Sorry for the long answer, but there is a high level of frustration. The T6 Ocean was good, no problems. The Grand California caused us problems from the first week.

Frustrated Grand California,
Eberhard

@Eber123 , enjoy your trip. The good part is - there is VW support available everywhere. Do post pics and keep us updated on your travels.

 

[splitwee]

Vw support everywhere, but 99% of the garages has no clue about GC camper unit (the Crafter part is actually working perfectly fine...).
So I would not count on it to solve any problem while traveling...

 

[Billylou]

@Eber123, I guess you might have had a look at this. It might be worth thinking about if it meets your requirements and means you can catch your ferry next year.

Used Volkswagen Grand California 2.0 for Sale

Used Volkswagen Grand California (2021) for sale with a 2.0 177 HP Diesel engine, 8 speed Automatic gearbox, 2 berths, fixed roof, 1 former keeper covering 2,332 miles and finished in Reflex Silver. Warranty and finance available. Ref. CS643.

www.campersales.co.uk

 

[Jester]

Vw support everywhere, but 99% of the garages has no clue about GC camper unit (the Crafter part is actually working perfectly fine...).
So I would not count on it to solve any problem while traveling...

My buddy has a 18 month Autosleeper and has been waiting near on 12 months for bits to be replaced and repaired, then he has to go to a commercial dealer to have servicing. Same with Hymer or any other.

Unfortunately the GC was launched here as COVID started and the training courses started so very few GC to have any experience on.

It is a great camper however all new products have there issues. In Germany they are 12 months in front and have a handle on the GC.

 

[splitwee]

Hello Jester,
Never said it was better with other brands, but today, except maybe in Germany (but I'm pretty sure it's not much better, car mechanics is different than campervan mechanics, just read topics on Caliboard.de...), I don't think it's a good argument to say that VW network will support you better than competitors...
At least from my experience and what I read on the forums!

 

[mpill990]

Forums should come with a public health warning as there always seems to be a significant negative bias.
I also own a KTM motorbike and according to the forum's it should spend most of it's time at the dealer getting warranty work done.
So far no problems with either the KTM 1290 or our VW 680.
I hope I haven't given them the kiss of death

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

 

[Jester]

Hello Jester,
Never said it was better with other brands, but today, except maybe in Germany (but I'm pretty sure it's not much better, car mechanics is different than campervan mechanics, just read topics on Caliboard.de...), I don't think it's a good argument to say that VW network will support you better than competitors...
At least from my experience and what I read on the forums!

Hi Splitwee,
Point taken, however I would rather rely upon VW than other Campervan/motorhome third party suppliers ie one stop shop. It’s also about the individual dealership you use and their experience. Guess they practiced a lot on my first one.

 

[Californication69]

Any update on this story ?
Was a great read
But need to know how the story continues.