Just announced - T6 recall for roof corrosion beneath the seal

[Perfectos]

posted to assist other and make as many people aware of this issue as possible.

below are photos of a Brand new seal fitted following the second failure of a roof seal. This seal was fitted two weeks ago !

you can clearly see the rust on the tape (tape applied by the dealer, at my request following a failure of the previous seal along the front edge) fortunately the rust has wiped off and the dealer had been informed of the failure Of the new part !

This is an absolute disgrace by VW, this is a new part supplied to the dealer and is a replacement (again) for a failed roof seal.

note Two of the failures have been on the front roof section where no factory tape is applied ! which if left would lead to roof corrosion a costly repair and a very long wait to have the repair carried out .

during my conversation with the dealer today, they suggested that I dont take the new seal off as it needs to seal !
I pointed out that I could see the seal had failed, rust was visible outside & when the seal was removed it was Blatant.

Go check your roof seals and get them replaced if you see anything like rust.

 

[sbmcd]

The issue of rusting seals has been an issue on T5 and T6, how difficult can this be for VW to resolve?

 

[Borris]

As far as I'm aware the only anti corrosion mod carried out on the T6 roof was the fitment of a clear "protective" tape buffer strip under the roof seal. This measure was carried out to prevent bimetalic corrosion taking place between the steel gripper, which should be encapsulated within the rubber roof seal and the aluminium pop top roof. This was offered as a dealer recall mod on early T6s and became a standard factory fit on later T6s. Unless my memory has failed me, that was it.

If you are saying that despite this tape having been fitted, corrosion is still taking place, then surely all T6s and T6-1s could eventually develop this problem?

 

[Perfectos]

As far as I'm aware the only anti corrosion mod carried out on the T6 roof was the fitment of a clear "protective" tape buffer strip under the roof seal. This measure was carried out to prevent bimetalic corrosion taking place between the steel gripper, which should be encapsulated within the rubber roof seal and the aluminium pop top roof. This was offered as a dealer recall mod on early T6s and became a standard factory fit on later T6s. Unless my memory has failed me, that was it.

If you are saying that despite this tape having been fitted, corrosion is still taking place, then surely all T6s and T6-1s could eventually develop this problem?

Hi Borris,

for clarity :
the later T6 has tape applied to three sides of the roof ( rear and both sides) the front of the roof does not attract the same treatment at the factory, therefor I can only assume VW do not think the front of the roof is at risk (I,e, the front of the seal is not affected by failure / rust) which is clearly not the case.
The T6 seems to have less incidence of roof corrosion, than that reported on previous models without the factory “fix” but it is not unheard of on a T6, yet to see any reports of a T6.1, but I assume its only a matter of time Before we do see reports. particularly as the T6.1 is the same as the T6 roof seal.

Important, had I just assumed the new Seal was OK & had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip of the roof panel, this “New” seal would undoubtedly cause roof corrosion if left.

Remember the pictures posted above are of a seal that is less than two weeks old !
The rust is clearly visible and would / will spread and get worse the longer it is left, ( fortunately the tape I had installed is preventing the rust from making contact with the paint work !

Why have VW assumed that the front of the roof is not subject to the same conditions as the other three sides ?

it has been proven that a new part, fitted to resolve a potential issue with the original roof seal failed after a year, which was subsequently replaced by another seal has failed at approximately 2 years old!
Now the third seal, less than two weeks old has failed and has the potential to cause unnecessary damage to the roof (had I not seen the issue again! )

because this has the potential to devalue the vehicle and create a lot of Hassle, I think it important to let other know the potential issue still persist, despite the the tape “fix”

I believe the VW factory “fix” Merely delays the issue, should the seal fail.
IMO having had three fail in 3.5 years my only conclusion is that the seal is not fit for purpose and the )”fix“ is merely a delaying tactic to get vehicles further down the line without potential roof issues, it certainly does not fix the issue, because as soon as the rust migrates past the plastic tape, which it will naturally do when held against the seal / panel within an environment that is ideal to promote rust, the problem persists.

Hence why I suggest the seal should be checked regularly and replace at the first sign of rust / damage to the seal and help others potentially avoid a stressful situation.

I will be speaking to the dealer with regard to ongoing replacement after warranty ends due to the high incidence of failures I have experienced And the fact the part is clearly not fit for purpose

 

[Stoneybroke]

I had my dealer replace the tape as examination showed it was poorly placed and showed signs of condensation in the lose bits.
They also fitted tape along the front edge.
The black seal shows no sign of rust.

 

[Borris]

Hi Borris,

for clarity :
the later T6 has tape applied to three sides of the roof ( rear and both sides) the front of the roof does not attract the same treatment at the factory, therefor I can only assume VW do not think the front of the roof is at risk (I,e, the front of the seal is not affected by failure / rust) which is clearly not the case.
The T6 seems to have less incidence of roof corrosion, than that reported on previous models without the factory “fix” but it is not unheard of on a T6, yet to see any reports of a T6.1, but I assume its only a matter of time Before we do see reports. particularly as the T6.1 is the same as the T6 roof seal.

Important, had I just assumed the new Seal was OK & had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip of the roof panel, this “New” seal would undoubtedly cause roof corrosion if left.

Remember the pictures posted above are of a seal that is less than two weeks old !
The rust is clearly visible and would / will spread and get worse the longer it is left, ( fortunately the tape I had installed is preventing the rust from making contact with the paint work !

Why have VW assumed that the front of the roof is not subject to the same conditions as the other three sides ?

it has been proven that a new part, fitted to resolve a potential issue with the original roof seal failed after a year, which was subsequently replaced by another seal has failed at approximately 2 years old!


I believe the VW factory “fix” Merely delays the issue, should the seal fail.
IMO having had three fail in 3.5 years my only conclusion is that the seal is not fit for purpose and the )”fix“ is merely a delaying tactic to get vehicles further down the line without potential roof issues, it certainly does not fix the issue, because as soon as the rust migrates past the plastic tape, which it will naturally do when held against the seal / panel within an environment that is ideal to promote rust, the problem persists.

I agree with this entirely. The design of that seal has always been the issue and if it wasn't for the tape, all Cali Models would be involved at some point. The tape is merely a sticking plaster.

 

[Scaliwag]

As far as I'm aware the only anti corrosion mod carried out on the T6 roof was the fitment of a clear "protective" tape buffer strip under the roof seal. This measure was carried out to prevent bimetalic corrosion taking place between the steel gripper, which should be encapsulated within the rubber roof seal and the aluminium pop top roof. This was offered as a dealer recall mod on early T6s and became a standard factory fit on later T6s. Unless my memory has failed me, that was it.

If you are saying that despite this tape having been fitted, corrosion is still taking place, then surely all T6s and T6-1s could eventually develop this problem?

Can you tell me what the name (item #) of the tape is & where it can be got please?

 

[Loz]

Can you tell me what the name (item #) of the tape is & where it can be got please?

Post 400 is also what I used.

Just announced - T6 recall for roof corrosion beneath the seal

I’d be interested in getting a roll to protect Doris’s paintwork, assume after paintwork is cleaned, polished etc simply apply with a help of a hair dryer ? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Clean with paint with IPA before fitting, ( lint free cloth) to remove wax etc, then apply the tape...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Keith Smith]

I put the tape on my roof but it didn’t stop corrosion from starting on all four edges of the roof. Then, because I had put the tape on myself, they washed their hands of responsibility. So be very wary of doing anything yourself.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

The only thing that will stop roof corrosion is by taking out the steel in the roof seal then gluing the seal in place. While VW continue to use Aluminium for the roof material and steel in the roof seal and nothing to stop water from entering the seal then Galvanic corrosion will continue to occur.

 

[Borris]

Can you tell me what the name (item #) of the tape is & where it can be got please?

I'm sure that it must have a VW part number and therefore must be available through any VW Commercial parts department. However, before you start any DIY work, I would raise the subject with your VW dealer as it should have been done as a recall. Also see post #409.

 

[Seamelody]

Not roof related but I’ve had several repairs on my electric door scraping the rear wheel arch. Have pushed for extended cover on the last door repair as it was just a few week before the warranty was due to end. No luck !! They won’t entertain, will be interested in your success


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SusiBus]

Hi Borris,

for clarity :
the later T6 has tape applied to three sides of the roof ( rear and both sides) the front of the roof does not attract the same treatment at the factory, therefor I can only assume VW do not think the front of the roof is at risk (I,e, the front of the seal is not affected by failure / rust) which is clearly not the case.
The T6 seems to have less incidence of roof corrosion, than that reported on previous models without the factory “fix” but it is not unheard of on a T6, yet to see any reports of a T6.1, but I assume its only a matter of time Before we do see reports. particularly as the T6.1 is the same as the T6 roof seal.

Important, had I just assumed the new Seal was OK & had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip of the roof panel, this “New” seal would undoubtedly cause roof corrosion if left.

Remember the pictures posted above are of a seal that is less than two weeks old !
The rust is clearly visible and would / will spread and get worse the longer it is left, ( fortunately the tape I had installed is preventing the rust from making contact with the paint work !

Why have VW assumed that the front of the roof is not subject to the same conditions as the other three sides ?

it has been proven that a new part, fitted to resolve a potential issue with the original roof seal failed after a year, which was subsequently replaced by another seal has failed at approximately 2 years old!
Now the third seal, less than two weeks old has failed and has the potential to cause unnecessary damage to the roof (had I not seen the issue again! )

because this has the potential to devalue the vehicle and create a lot of Hassle, I think it important to let other know the potential issue still persist, despite the the tape “fix”

I believe the VW factory “fix” Merely delays the issue, should the seal fail.
IMO having had three fail in 3.5 years my only conclusion is that the seal is not fit for purpose and the )”fix“ is merely a delaying tactic to get vehicles further down the line without potential roof issues, it certainly does not fix the issue, because as soon as the rust migrates past the plastic tape, which it will naturally do when held against the seal / panel within an environment that is ideal to promote rust, the problem persists.

Hence why I suggest the seal should be checked regularly and replace at the first sign of rust / damage to the seal and help others potentially avoid a stressful situation.

I will be speaking to the dealer with regard to ongoing replacement after warranty ends due to the high incidence of failures I have experienced And the fact the part is clearly not fit for purpose

Have you don

Hi Borris,

for clarity :
the later T6 has tape applied to three sides of the roof ( rear and both sides) the front of the roof does not attract the same treatment at the factory, therefor I can only assume VW do not think the front of the roof is at risk (I,e, the front of the seal is not affected by failure / rust) which is clearly not the case.
The T6 seems to have less incidence of roof corrosion, than that reported on previous models without the factory “fix” but it is not unheard of on a T6, yet to see any reports of a T6.1, but I assume its only a matter of time Before we do see reports. particularly as the T6.1 is the same as the T6 roof seal.

Important, had I just assumed the new Seal was OK & had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip of the roof panel, this “New” seal would undoubtedly cause roof corrosion if left.

Remember the pictures posted above are of a seal that is less than two weeks old !
The rust is clearly visible and would / will spread and get worse the longer it is left, ( fortunately the tape I had installed is preventing the rust from making contact with the paint work !

Why have VW assumed that the front of the roof is not subject to the same conditions as the other three sides ?

it has been proven that a new part, fitted to resolve a potential issue with the original roof seal failed after a year, which was subsequently replaced by another seal has failed at approximately 2 years old!
Now the third seal, less than two weeks old has failed and has the potential to cause unnecessary damage to the roof (had I not seen the issue again! )

because this has the potential to devalue the vehicle and create a lot of Hassle, I think it important to let other know the potential issue still persist, despite the the tape “fix”

I believe the VW factory “fix” Merely delays the issue, should the seal fail.
IMO having had three fail in 3.5 years my only conclusion is that the seal is not fit for purpose and the )”fix“ is merely a delaying tactic to get vehicles further down the line without potential roof issues, it certainly does not fix the issue, because as soon as the rust migrates past the plastic tape, which it will naturally do when held against the seal / panel within an environment that is ideal to promote rust, the problem persists.

Hence why I suggest the seal should be checked regularly and replace at the first sign of rust / damage to the seal and help others potentially avoid a stressful situation.

I will be speaking to the dealer with regard to ongoing replacement after warranty ends due to the high incidence of failures I have experienced And the fact the part is clearly not fit for purpose

Have you, or considered, escalating your experience with corrosion in the seal to beyond your dealer or VW Customer Services?

 

[Perfectos]

Have you don


Have you, or considered, escalating your experience with corrosion in the seal to beyond your dealer or VW Customer Services?

Hi SusiBus,
not yet, I want to have a convo with the dealer first.
VW are more than aware of the issue as it’s being going on since the T5 !

one more complaint from a disgruntled punter, who is within warranty & therefore gets a free seal whenever the old one fails won’t have an impact me thinks !

the only way to get VW to sit up and listen is if they received an awful lot of complaints (such ad petition etc and some pretty bad press IMO)

IMO VW simply do not care about this issue and are not prepared / have not been prepared to do anything about it for the last 15 years !

 

[SusiBus]

I agree with this entirely. The design of that seal has always been the issue and if it wasn't for the tape, all Cali Models would be involved at some point. The tape is merely a sticking plaster.

We brought up the fact that the seal was not fit for purpose due to having an inherent problem i.e. the metal insert at the meeting we had at VWs HQ at Milton Keynes in November 2014.

Hi Borris,

for clarity :
the later T6 has tape applied to three sides of the roof ( rear and both sides) the front of the roof does not attract the same treatment at the factory, therefor I can only assume VW do not think the front of the roof is at risk (I,e, the front of the seal is not affected by failure / rust) which is clearly not the case.
The T6 seems to have less incidence of roof corrosion, than that reported on previous models without the factory “fix” but it is not unheard of on a T6, yet to see any reports of a T6.1, but I assume its only a matter of time Before we do see reports. particularly as the T6.1 is the same as the T6 roof seal.

Important, had I just assumed the new Seal was OK & had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip of the roof panel, this “New” seal would undoubtedly cause roof corrosion if left.

Remember the pictures posted above are of a seal that is less than two weeks old !
The rust is clearly visible and would / will spread and get worse the longer it is left, ( fortunately the tape I had installed is preventing the rust from making contact with the paint work !

Why have VW assumed that the front of the roof is not subject to the same conditions as the other three sides ?

it has been proven that a new part, fitted to resolve a potential issue with the original roof seal failed after a year, which was subsequently replaced by another seal has failed at approximately 2 years old!
Now the third seal, less than two weeks old has failed and has the potential to cause unnecessary damage to the roof (had I not seen the issue again! )

because this has the potential to devalue the vehicle and create a lot of Hassle, I think it important to let other know the potential issue still persist, despite the the tape “fix”

I believe the VW factory “fix” Merely delays the issue, should the seal fail.
IMO having had three fail in 3.5 years my only conclusion is that the seal is not fit for purpose and the )”fix“ is merely a delaying tactic to get vehicles further down the line without potential roof issues, it certainly does not fix the issue, because as soon as the rust migrates past the plastic tape, which it will naturally do when held against the seal / panel within an environment that is ideal to promote rust, the problem persists.

Hence why I suggest the seal should be checked regularly and replace at the first sign of rust / damage to the seal and help others potentially avoid a stressful situation.

I will be speaking to the dealer with regard to ongoing replacement after warranty ends due to the high incidence of failures I have experienced And the fact the part is clearly not fit for purpose

Hi SusiBus,
not yet, I want to have a convo with the dealer first.
VW are more than aware of the issue as it’s being going on since the T5 !

one more complaint from a disgruntled punter, who is within warranty & therefore gets a free seal whenever the old one fails won’t have an impact me thinks !

the only way to get VW to sit up and listen is if they received an awful lot of complaints (such ad petition etc and some pretty bad press IMO)

IMO VW simply do not care about this issue and are not prepared / have not been prepared to do anything about it for the last 15 years !

You're right, when I, as an individual owner complained to VW Customer Services back in early 2013, about our roof corrosion, they denied there was widespread problem with roof corrosion on California's. After collating details of 55 vehicles that had roof corrosion issues, out of 90 that we inspected at the club meet, Cali's on the Farm, Sept 2013, then submitting it to the current MD, they realised they had a problem. It will take numbers to get them to remedy the issue, then after all this time that's doubtful that they will.

 

[Perfectos]

We brought up the fact that the seal was not fit for purpose due to having an inherent problem i.e. the metal insert at the meeting we had at VWs HQ at Milton Keynes in November 2014.



You're right, when I, as an individual owner complained to VW Customer Services back in early 2013, about our roof corrosion, they denied there was widespread problem with roof corrosion on California's. After collating details of 55 vehicles that had roof corrosion issues, out of 90 that we inspected at the club meet, Cali's on the Farm, Sept 2013, then submitting it to the current MD, they realised they had a problem. It will take numbers to get them to remedy the issue, then after all this time that's doubtful that they will.

I like your style Susibus and I admire your approach with VW.

if I thought for one minute VW would do something about the Known issue (I,e. VW are and have been aware of this issue since the T5). The numbers of replacement roof seals , remedial works to roofs, roof caps, application of tape, touch up paint work etc relating to California roofs that VW have and continue to deal with must be truly mind boggling.

The fact that VW, knowing the issue and the major issues it can cause, decided not to addressed this issue properly, instead they apply a bit of tape as a “Fix” to a 50+K (now 65 - 95k) vehicle astounds me.
(The bright spark that thought of that must have retired on his profit / productivity share ! )

I would consider making contact with head office, sadly I think that horse has long bolted on this issue due to the impending change to T7 / ID Buzz etc.

I would be interested to know the real figure and % of affected vehicles (in one form or another) over the production run of the Cali T5 -current model, let alone in future!

I think it’s only a short matter of time before we start to see T6.1 reports rolling in now that the 6.1 is a few years old

 

[Perfectos]

The issue of rusting seals has been an issue on T5 and T6, how difficult can this be for VW to resolve?

VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

Blistering Paintwork Front Roof Pannel Hi All, Anyone else have blistering paint work on the front pannel of the roof? I'm talking about the metal body pannel thing that meets the windscreen and forms the 1st part of the roof at the front. There's another thread about this sort of thing, but...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

We are about to take delivery of our new Ocean. This will be a "second" car, do fewer miles than our first car and will spend a lot of it's time in a dry but cool underground garage.
Is there any point in slightly opening the roof and/or wiping any moisture out when parked?

 

[WelshGas]

We are about to take delivery of our new Ocean. This will be a "second" car, do fewer miles than our first car and will spend a lot of it's time in a dry but cool underground garage.
Is there any point in slightly opening the roof and/or wiping any moisture out when parked?

No. It is water within the ‘U’ shaped rubber and steel reinforced roof edge seal. Unless you took the seal off each time to dry it out.
My 2014 T5.1 has lived outside 24/7 for the past 7+ years. No corrosion. Why, I don’t know. Certainly no evidence of rust from the steel reinforcement.