We took delivery of our California at the end of July 2023 and being aware from the forum here and another owner of the leaking bellows issue, we tested them out at the first opportunity when it rained to discover that our vehicle leaked as described by many other owners on here.
Fast forward to now, we finally had the new bellows version fitted 2 weeks ago (04S - 22/11/23 manufacturing date). The first opportunity to test them was on Saturday and with trepidation, we put the roof up in the late afternoon as the rain started. From our experience with the original 03S version, I was going out to the Cali every 30 mins to check on the situation and much to our relief, no water was getting inside despite the steady rain (light winds). We decided to leave the roof up overnight in the rain to give it a proper soaking and the following morning, there was still no sign of any water having got inside. The roof was left up to allow the bellows to dry before closing in the evening.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I took the opportunity to put the roof up again in the rain (more wind as well) during the morning knowing I would have to close it while the bellows were wet to drive to work this afternoon and see what would happen. I was worried water from the outside skin would soak through onto the inner layer whilst closed. On arriving home this evening, I opened the roof and rubbed my hand on the inside layer and wasn’t sure if the bellows were cold or whether they were very slightly damp. After wiping the inside skin over with some tissues, I was relieved to find that the tissues remained intact and didn’t show signs of having encountered any moisture. Hopefully this means the end of this sorry saga for us (and for those awaiting new 04S bellows to be fitted) and we can get out and enjoy the Cali as we intended when we ordered.
But, there is still a nagging doubt as to whether this is a genuine fix. What has actually changed with this design compared to the previous version nobody seems to know or say. Is it a design change, a new fabric or has the outer layer been treated to make it waterproof which would become less effective with use? Time will tell. It is a pity that VW won’t be open and honest about it, but that is how most large corporations seem to operate these days. They are happy to take our money, but are not accountable when things go wrong. They talk about customer satisfaction being important but don’t follow it up with their actions. VW are not alone in this from our experience.
The 6 months in between reporting the problem and getting the new bellows fitted have been frustrating and there have been many occasions where we came very close to giving up and walking away, even regretting not rejecting it within the 30 days back in August after finding we had the problem. We stuck with it because the Cali is the best compromise and fit for us having looked at many campervans and van conversions during our search. Hopefully we will be glad we did….
View attachment 119570
.
