Manual Roof Conversion….?

[Smalls74]

Evening all…..

Im the proud owner of a 2012 Cali, 5.1. Monty is his name!

I’ve had the dreaded unsolicited bonging from the control panel, accompanied by the flashing roof open sign too. Roof sometimes only closing in small increments. Fault codes shown as 1000 and V58 (from memory). I reset the control panel clearing the error messages, and the same issues raise their heads, sometimes immediately and other times hours or days later.

Research on this fantastic forum shows it likely to be the roof sensors/wiring loom.
I’ve got some sensors on order and plan on changing them over by splicing into the loom, as excellently detailed by Lambeth Cali. I’ve got everything crossed that this will work.

However, I’ve really lost faith in the electric roof. Even if my fix works I would still prefer a mechanic operating roof. I live in fear of a road trip failure, and the subsequent hassle that would cause, as well as a ridiculously expensive VW repair bill.

I’m considering whether or not to see if I can have a firm convert the roof to a mechanical affair. Peace of mind would certainly be restored. I’ve pretty much zero mechanical ability so it’d have to be outsourced to the an expert.

My concerns are 1) the cost of such an undertaking and 2) the effect on the value of my van.

There are no Calis with manual roof conversions to compare against. If a conversion was to cost £2k, and the subsequent value of my van was to drop by a similar amount then clearly £4k would not be money well spent.

But if the value remained the same then I think I’d happily spend the £2k (I’m plucking that figure completely out of the air!) for the peace of mind it would give me?

Would you steer clear of a Cali with a manual roof conversion?

I‘d be interested to hear your thoughts on the above. And does anyone know of any reputable roof converters in the South (I‘m based in Kent) that I could approach. I appreciate a Google search with throw up plenty but I much prefer to work off of word of mouth.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can throw my way.

All the best,

Smalls.

 

[Perfectos]

The Coast model has not suffered any negatIve perception effects from having a manual roof!

 

[Corradobrit]

The Coast model has not suffered any negatIve perception effects from having a manual roof!

Quite the contrary

 

[Sad]

Quite the contrary

??

 

[Corradobrit]

??

That many owners prefer a manual roof offered on the Coast

 

[Sad]

That many owners prefer a manual roof offered on the Coast

That's what @Perfectos was saying I think...

 

[Corradobrit]

Exactly and I was agreeing

 

[Jay586]

It cost me 5k to have a decent roof put on a conversion several years ago.

 

[Meoncoast]

Dume a member on here gave an account on his conversion to a manual roof search roof conversion hydraulic >> manual

 

[Sad]

Dume a member on here gave an account on his conversion to a manual roof search roof conversion hydraulic >> manual

Thread 'Roof conversion hydraulic >> manual' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/roof-conversion-hydraulic-manual.21626/

 

[Sad]

Dumè, by the way, last seen in November 2020...

 

[kurienp]

Dumè, by the way, last seen in November 2020...

Drop him an email on cali.popuproof.transformation@+++++.com and he should reply. He does not come on here often. My last conversation with Dumé was in Oct 2020. You should hear back from him quite promptly.

If you do not hear from him, let me know. I will also need to check with him first. I do have a copy of his manual but he has explicitly requested that the docs not be shared online or on the Internet.

 

[vwbob]

Have a word with kernow camper conversions. Based in Redruth without a doubt the ultimate expert on Cali Roofs and Electro mechanical roof conversions.

 

[andyinluton]

Evening all…..

Im the proud owner of a 2012 Cali, 5.1. Monty is his name!


Research on this fantastic forum shows it likely to be the roof sensors/wiring loom.
I’ve got some sensors on order and plan on changing them over by splicing into the loom, as excellently detailed by Lambeth Cali. I’ve got everything crossed that this will work.

However, I’ve really lost faith in the electric roof. Even if my fix works I would still prefer a mechanic operating roof. I live in fear of a road trip failure, and the subsequent hassle that would cause, as well as a ridiculously expensive VW repair bill.

Replace the faulty bits & you are good for another 10 years. The number of failures & people getting stuck is minute, it's just that if it does happen it gets reported on here.

My preference if I was having roof troubles for extra long term reliability would be to bypass the control panel completely and replace it with a simple rocker switch controlling the pump only.
With all the sensors for roof open etc bypassed to show its in the down locked position. Any of the companies that fit Cali roofs to ordinary vans should be able to do this.

 

[Smalls74]

Drop him an email on cali.popuproof.transformation@+++++.com and he should reply. He does not come on here often. My last conversation with Dumé was in Oct 2020. You should hear back from him quite promptly.

If you do not hear from him, let me know. I will also need to check with him first. I do have a copy of his manual but he has explicitly requested that the docs not be shared online or on the Internet.

Thanks for the info. I’ll drop him an email and see how I get on.

Thanks everyone for your replies/advice/thoughts.

 

[Perfectos]

Quite the contrary

Original statement: “The Coast model has not suffered any negatIve perception effects from having a manual roof!”

For clarity & not wanting to sound condescending:

Contrary means the opposite to the OP (I.e you disagree with the OPs statement.)

if you agree you “concur” with the original OPs statement. (Agree)

hope that clears it up as I believe your later statement “ Exactly and I was agreeing” is what you originally intended in your “contrary“ post.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

It’s an interesting idea. I’m guessing it wouldn’t be easy and therefore would cost quite a bit. If it wasn't expensive then I imagine many might fancy it too.

I‘m hoping my sensors fix will last another 10 years and I will try and be a little more careful about not letting the sensors get wet. I suspect that’s the root cause. I’m no mechanic or electrician but the sensor swap is achievable. It requires a bit of planning, no rain and some basic tools.

Ultimately it’s quite good to get to know your van if you’re planning on keeping it many years, as I am. It gives you confidence to have a go at things. I’ve done 4 jobs on my van so far and it gives you a lot of satisfaction.

 

[Smalls74]

I thought I’d update this thread as my roof woes continue.

I’ve had the sensors and affiliated bits n bods for the past couple of months but not had the weather or inclination to tackle the job. I finally plucked up the courage today to splice the loom and insert the new sensors.
Low and behold the roof will now not raise. It started to incrementally but it wasn’t behaving itself at all, only achieving a partial opening. I managed to get the roof closed after what must have been 20 odd attempts. I’ve used the emergency tie down kit to secure it as the regular noise indicating a full lock wasn‘t present. I can definitely feel a draft now when I’m driving, indicating only a partial closure.

I’ve approached “WhamBamCampervans’ in Brands Hatch. I had a really good chat with the owner Martin, and a couple of his engineers. They’re confident a manual conversion is more than achievable and I’m dropping the van off to them on Thursday for them to carry out the work. They are unable to quote a price for the work as they haven’t done anything like it before. I’ll keep you posted of how I get on.

I’ve thought long and hard over the past couple of months of whether or not to have Monty converted to a manual roof. Today has made my decision easier.
The roof is the only aspect of my van that I dislike. It’s the one that fills me with dread. The thought of being away with the family on a holiday somewhere and having the issues I’m having now.
Yeah, I could have the new sensors fitted and the roof may well work perfectly for the next 10 years. But it wont stop me worrying about it. So peace of mind it is. Even if it costs me a few quid.

Whambamcampervans are aware that this upgrade/downgrade, or ‘modification’ may well prove popular with Cali owners who are seeking to do the same thing. Monty is a bit of a test case. I’ll report back here with the results, as well as costings and some photos too.

All the best,

Smalls.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

That would be helpful. I’m sure some people feel the same way.

 

[johnyboy]

Awaiting with interest! Were I to spec a new cali it would be with kitchen, manual roof and diesel heater

 

[Corradobrit]

Awaiting with interest! Were I to spec a new cali it would be with kitchen, manual roof and diesel heater

Sounds like a Coast

 

[johnyboy]

Sounds like a Coast

Yup coast with the heater upgrade 100% the best option, wouldn't be missing anything but the roof would I?

 

[andyinluton]

Yup coast with the heater upgrade 100% the best option, wouldn't be missing anything but the roof would I?

Nothing at all apart from:
Heated seats
Digital dash
Privacy glass
extended lighting
LED headlights
ACC
Driverside sliding window - depending on year
Upgraded radio etc
3 zone aircon
electric latching for sliding door
electric latching for boot
Optional bigger engine
optional 4wd

Thats from memory for a UK coast v Uk ocean

 

[Corradobrit]

Nothing at all apart from:
Heated seats
Digital dash
Privacy glass
extended lighting
LED headlights
ACC
Driverside sliding window - depending on year
Upgraded radio etc
3 zone aircon
electric latching for sliding door
electric latching for boot
Optional bigger engine
optional 4wd

Thats from memory for a UK coast v Uk ocean

True, you RHD Coasters have it rough. All those lovely options are available on an EU spec Coast, but after 18 months wait for mine, they all seem like vapourware.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Yup coast with the heater upgrade 100% the best option, wouldn't be missing anything but the roof would I?

There’s a lot of standard kit on an Ocean the Coast doesn’t get…
You’re actually missing quite a bit with the Poverty spec van.