Leaking pop tops on 2023 California Oceans

[Grigio Van Grigio]

Yes everyone is entitled to express their opinion and dissatisfaction!
However I thought the purpose of this thread was to try and help and move forward! Not go round round round etc etc

I thought of taking the option you took?

But if everyone followed this path nothing will be done? That was my point and logic!

Yours is a personal choice, but doesn’t help solving the issue?

Do something that helps others and makes a difference!
Actions speak louder than words!


Enjoy your Cali they are great versatile vehicles

I will be speaking with my dealer (I have a warranty appointment for this) and writing to VWCS. I will be pursuing both routes, until there’s a satisfactory conclusion if possible. I don’t see how this doesn’t possibly “solve the problem”? I don’t see how this doesn’t “help others and makes a difference”.

Rejecting a vehicle isn’t the only route. I respect people who take that route. Please respect those who don’t.

 

[OooOooTheMonkey]

I will be speaking with my dealer (I have a warranty appointment for this) and writing to VWCS. I will be pursuing both routes, until there’s a satisfactory conclusion if possible. I don’t see how this doesn’t possibly “solve the problem”? I don’t see how this doesn’t “help others and makes a difference”.

Rejecting a vehicle isn’t the only route. I respect people who take that route. Please respect those who don’t.

I don’t think we can predict what the outcome will be from VW in the long run, but I think it’ll take significant pressure for a satisfactory resolution. Anybody who keeps a 2023 Cali is going to have to either accept the vehicle as it is and live with it, keep it and manage the issue with a topper and take on a long term battle if you want it ultimately resolved, or hand it back as not fit for purpose. I don’t see any other options. Life’s too short to take on a long term battle for us, I would rather just enjoy things and not be concerned about these types of issues. A Cali is definitely the right vehicle for us, but not one that leaks.

 

[ArunAlec]

I will be speaking with my dealer (I have a warranty appointment for this) and writing to VWCS. I will be pursuing both routes, until there’s a satisfactory conclusion if possible. I don’t see how this doesn’t possibly “solve the problem”? I don’t see how this doesn’t “help others and makes a difference”.

Rejecting a vehicle isn’t the only route. I respect people who take that route. Please respect those who don’t.

If you decide not to reject I would try to get some written agreement for VWCS stating that in the event that they do not resolve the problem by a given date that they extend your right to reject up to that date.
I think it highly unlikely that you'd get them to agree but worth a try!

 

[Joncali2023!!]

I don’t think we can predict what the outcome will be from VW in the long run, but I think it’ll take significant pressure for a satisfactory resolution. Anybody who keeps a 2023 Cali is going to have to either accept the vehicle as it is and live with it, keep it and manage the issue with a topper and take on a long term battle if you want it ultimately resolved, or hand it back as not fit for purpose. I don’t see any other options. Life’s too short to take on a long term battle for us, I would rather just enjoy things and not be concerned about these types of issues. A Cali is definitely the right vehicle for us, but not one that leaks.

This is exactly on point. I didn’t spend 72k on a vehicle I can’t enjoy. Worrying about if it will rain, how heavy is the rain and should I put the roof up.
Not an enjoyable experience at all.

 

[HIGGINS]

Why are you taking it personal!

I am not going to take it personal that you are saying I am disrespectful!

Read my previous threads!
I am stating: in order for VW to stand up and accept there is a problem, so it can get resolved, more members on here should maybe take a different route of returning or cancelling their order rather than getting the bellows replaced with leaking bellows or getting a cover.
It’s not personal

Like previously mentioned!

More people are happy to live with the problem, rather than be proactive and return or cancel!
It’s not personal! It’s common sense!

Dozens and dozens of Cali’s returned or cancelled orders!
I am sure VW will react sooner rather than later!

And remember you will benefit from it, it’s not a negative it’s route to resolution)

 

[HIGGINS]

I would also suggest requesting and extended warranty for your vehicle if you are happy to retain!
This will cover possible electrical, staining and water damage to the vehicle components in the future!

 

[The Pox]

The problem with having a lined poptop is that where the two materials touch there will be capillary action. Anyone who has been camping in a tent knows that you never have the flysheet touching the inner if you want to stay dry. It does not matter how waterproof the flysheet is. In my mind it is a basic design fault, made by people who have never been camping in a tent, which is what in effect the bellows is.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Can anyone tell me why we can't have the old T6 canvas back? Mine never leaked or wicked in four and a half years. (Ignoring the weather with over 250 nights with pop top up!)

 

[Grigio Van Grigio]

I’ve found VWCS’s complaints procedure online and attach it below. Whether you decide to cancel your order, reject your vehicle or go down the warranty route, I think making an official complaint will help tell VW their customers aren’t happy with this issue. As @dspuk suggests, also let VW’s regional MD know. You can find them on LinkedIn.

Edit: See Andyinluton’s post below for the VWCV complaints procedure we need to use.

 

[Corradobrit]

The problem with having a lined poptop is that where the two materials touch there will be capillary action. Anyone who has been camping in a tent knows that you never have the flysheet touching the inner if you want to stay dry. It does not matter how waterproof the flysheet is. In my mind it is a basic design fault, made by people who have never been camping in a tent, which is what in effect the bellows is.

The double skinned fabric is bonded. The new fabric has a MUCH higher water column rating than the old one it replaced. The problem is not the fabric itself but the seams.

 

[Corradobrit]

Can anyone tell me why we can't have the old T6 canvas back?

Its discontinued

 

[andyinluton]

I’ve found VWCS’s complaints procedure online and attach it below. Whether you decide to cancel your order, reject your vehicle or go down the warranty route, I think making an official complaint will help tell VW their customers aren’t happy with this issue. As @dspuk suggests, also let VW’s regional MD know. You can find them on LinkedIn.

Thats the process for VW cars, Californias are sold by VW commercial Vehicles & have a different document. See attached:

 

[Fish111111111.]

Ladies and gents not surprising people are upset and have many varied ways of expressing this, the forum can be and is a vital source of information and indeed help be it now or in the future. We all have one thing incommon for good or bad we all love our campers for whatever reason. To the point i wish to make, the route cause of this issue is a new part fitted to our campers which is not performing to our expectations, luckily at the moment it has not happened to mine (yes i have the new version) but i am concerned it is but a matter of time. It seems to me a formal letter expressing our concerns needs to be sent to VW asking for a way forward to sort the issue . It would be better if everyone could supply a formal letter listing what has happened to there individual vans along with relevant details ie Vin numbers then these can be all sent in on a particular day to the MD by registered mail, thus increasing there impact. Obviously this would need quite a bit of co-ordination, to this point is there anybody out there willing to co ordinate this/ have the time to put into this endeavour? I would be willing to act as a collection point for the letters and to send them on mass to the MD once they have been collected together.
What do you think? Please be nice!!

 

[COAST22]

I had issues with my Coast roof and bellows for the past 14 months. A new roof was fitted with new bellows. The bellows were not fitted correctly so another dealer refitted but tore the seal. New 2023 bellows were fitted as a result and this is the result:- see photos. There is a drip line but not sure if it’s water ingress or not. Needs water testing - I will feed back after this. VW Executive Office state they are not aware of any known issues with the new bellows and no recalls recorded.

 

[Viktorgeorge]

Ladies and gents not surprising people are upset and have many varied ways of expressing this, the forum can be and is a vital source of information and indeed help be it now or in the future. We all have one thing incommon for good or bad we all love our campers for whatever reason. To the point i wish to make, the route cause of this issue is a new part fitted to our campers which is not performing to our expectations, luckily at the moment it has not happened to mine (yes i have the new version) but i am concerned it is but a matter of time. It seems to me a formal letter expressing our concerns needs to be sent to VW asking for a way forward to sort the issue . It would be better if everyone could supply a formal letter listing what has happened to there individual vans along with relevant details ie Vin numbers then these can be all sent in on a particular day to the MD by registered mail, thus increasing there impact. Obviously this would need quite a bit of co-ordination, to this point is there anybody out there willing to co ordinate this/ have the time to put into this endeavour? I would be willing to act as a collection point for the letters and to send them on mass to the MD once they have been collected together.
What do you think? Please be nice!!

This sounds a clever approach, leaving individual owners taking independent action at dealer level but adding a separate collective level of impact at VW UK level). In a perfect, world a solicitor (or some other equally professional ‘expert’) who is here and a California owner might contribute on the collective front - as there is a world of difference between a layman’s letter and a solicitor’s (even if not on a professional letterhead).

 

[ArunAlec]

Ladies and gents not surprising people are upset and have many varied ways of expressing this, the forum can be and is a vital source of information and indeed help be it now or in the future. We all have one thing incommon for good or bad we all love our campers for whatever reason. To the point i wish to make, the route cause of this issue is a new part fitted to our campers which is not performing to our expectations, luckily at the moment it has not happened to mine (yes i have the new version) but i am concerned it is but a matter of time. It seems to me a formal letter expressing our concerns needs to be sent to VW asking for a way forward to sort the issue . It would be better if everyone could supply a formal letter listing what has happened to there individual vans along with relevant details ie Vin numbers then these can be all sent in on a particular day to the MD by registered mail, thus increasing there impact. Obviously this would need quite a bit of co-ordination, to this point is there anybody out there willing to co ordinate this/ have the time to put into this endeavour? I would be willing to act as a collection point for the letters and to send them on mass to the MD once they have been collected together.
What do you think? Please be nice!!

I would suggest that if letters are sent they are sent individually rather than as a single “bundle”. If sent as a bundle I think there would be a risk that VW would treat and process them as a single complaint, so losing the impact.
Also I would suggest asking “awkward” questions on any VW sponsored online forums, such as Facebook etc. Sadly these days it seems to be the best way of getting attentio.

 

[Corradobrit]

Sadly these days it seems to be the best way of getting attentio.

Very sad but true unfortunately. I recently had an issue charging my Ecoflow Delta 2 via the 12V cable. The unit was less than 6 months old and EF have a 5 year warranty on most of their products and 2 years on cables etc. Wrote several emails with invoice attached. All never received a response. I then called customer support through the App.. Every time I was kept on hold for 1hr or more. I was told by one CS person to buy another 35 quid cable when the original was under warranty. Another call and 90 min wasted I finally talked to another rep and was told the claim form would be emailed. I gave several different email addresses and nothing arrived. Total waste of time. What is the point of having a class leading warranty when its impossible to exercise it.
In the end I complained on the EF FB page with links to Trustpilot showing reviews from other disgruntled customers with similar issues. A day later an employee of EF who's job I assume is to vet FB page content reached out I was able to get the cable I needed.
For EF and similar companies the focus is definitely shifting to social media. Its all about IG and FB now and should be the first point of contact from this experience.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I would suggest that if letters are sent they are sent individually rather than as a single “bundle”. If sent as a bundle I think there would be a risk that VW would treat and process them as a single complaint, so losing the impact.
Also I would suggest asking “awkward” questions on any VW sponsored online forums, such as Facebook etc. Sadly these days it seems to be the best way of getting attentio.

A draft letter from Which might help in getting the ball rolling.
Just a thought.

Car Problem - free Which? tool

Find out if you're entitled to get a refund, repair or replacement for a faulty car you've bought from a dealer or a private seller.

www.which.co.uk

 

[ArunAlec]

A draft letter from Which might help in getting the ball rolling.
Just a thought.

Car Problem - free Which? tool

Find out if you're entitled to get a refund, repair or replacement for a faulty car you've bought from a dealer or a private seller.

www.which.co.uk

Agree, a draft letter sent from individuals.

 

[scabrero]

Don't be naive. VW will never recognize the problem nor recall affected vehicles. The problem will be silently corrected in production and at most a TPI will be published in two years when most of the warranties are over. At least this is what happened with the aux. heater problems in the MY20.

Auxiliary heater not working 6.1

Had our 6.1 for 5 months and still don’t understand why the auxiliary heater cuts out overnight and won’t restart leaving us quite cold by 4am!! VW say it’s meant to cut out after 2 hours as a safety feature but don’t understand why it won’t reset at all until I drop the roof and drive a short...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

The only way to force a movement from VW is to attack its public image. I suggest you to send your videos and complains to specialized and independent youtube channels, magazines, publish in tiktok, etc. Make a lot of noise in social networks.

Ask in X: Hey @VW, why is it raining inside my brand new cali?

 

[.Billy Ocean.]

Edit - just to add when I worked in OEM Warranty and then later social media the thing that got our attention most was letters and mails to the regional MD. You can find him on LinkedIn.

I’ve not used LinkedIn much, so not doing well with a person search (may be my account permission level). It was interesting to see the Volkswagen Commercial page with quite a lot of posts about Californias, so that may also be a good place for people to comment. Example post attached (not sure the link will work https://www.linkedin.com/company/26629449#overlay_share-modal):

 

[Corradobrit]

We need to go on the offensive and pepper the VW Nutzfahrzeuge FB page with our experiences of the new bellows material and leaks. All eyes will be on their page this evening.

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge. 93,198 likes · 3,145 talking about this. Die offizielle Facebook-Seite für alle Fahrer, Fans und Freunde von Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge. Mit News und Infos rund um die Marke,...

www.facebook.com

 

[Jabberwocky]

So we need to start and add comments etc. (I note they have a moderator in place as you cannot add a comment directly.

 

[ParachuteMan]

I’m one of the optimistic dreamers on here (I won’t take it personally!) and I would hope that, in time VW will do something about it. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to share their dissatisfaction on this forum.

But I’m here mainly to share experiences and understand what others are being told/how their issue is being dealt with. I don’t want to reject my vehicle as this, for me, would be cutting my nose off to spite my face (different for others I know). I will get a topper and, hey presto, a dry van. And wait until there’s a solution. I have five years of warranty and I can wait (while applying pressure on the dealer/VW in any way I can).

In the meantime I’ll enjoy what is otherwise a great van.

My idea exactly. If I order one in early Sep, I’ll ask for a contribution to a pop-top cover and then wait for a warranty replacement with a rainproof bellows. I’ve priced in a 5 year warranty so it should resolve itself

 

[.Billy Ocean.]

Here’s the latest VW Commercial Instagram post if anyone fancies dropping a comment:

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