must have's

[ElsJan]

Not sure if I'm reading arguments pro or con reverse camera/parking sensors here

 

[Max-Felix]

I think at least in the UK the camera + sensors is around £650 vs £450 so on that basis I'd get it. But as always with VW sensors on a vehicle like this should be standard regardless...

 

[jackelliemolly]

We got 7 seat in stock my march so had to go with options it had (plenty!). 6 weeks in my thoughts:

Beach 150hp manual:
Wouldn't have chosen without:

Acapulco Blue Metallic (2W2W)
3-seater bench (movable) with reclining seat mechanism, multi-flex board with padding, 3 drawers (ZV3)
2 swivel seats with integrated child seats in 2nd row of seats (ZB9)
Awning (housing and rail in black) (NF1)
Seat trim covers in Kutamo fabric (N0N)
Heated driver and front passenger seats (4A3)
Heated front windscreen (4GR)
Discover Media Navigation system (ZI7) and SD card (Europe) (7RE)
3-zone A/C system Climatronic, 2nd evaporator, auxiliary heater, air-cond. headliner a. add. control in pass. comp. (ZZ9)
Front and rear parking sensors (7X2)
Fog lights with cornering lights (8WH)
Bluetooth with Wi-Fi connectivity (9IE)
2 year extended warranty
4 service plan
T6 bike rack

Would regret if didn't have:

Green heat insulating glass in cab with green privacy glass in the passenger compartment (QL5)
Leather multi-function steering wheel and gearshift knob with radio and telephone controls (ZE7)
Bed extension with comfort sleeping mat (Beach: bed enlargement including storage compartment) (3U1)
Sliding window in front and fixed windowin rear in load/passenger compartment on driver side (4JN)
Wing mirrors: heated,power adjustable and power folding (6XP)
Programmable parking heater (air) with radio remote control and auxiliary ter heater (coolant) (7VF)
Cruise Control (8T2)
Interior light concept for Camper Comfort in passenger compartment (9CI)
Lights & Vision package (Z4A)

Option wouldn't have added if factory ordering although may come in handy:

Socket in front and magnetic flashlight (EU3)
Guide & Inform-Contract duration: 3 years, 1 year FOC (Z99)
Towbar; removable/lockable (incl. trailer stabilisation) (1D2)
Cooling/warming box (32 l) (1W1)
4 remote control folding keys (8QM)
Volkswagen Media Control and App Connect (9WX)

Options might have considered adding:

Reversing camera - but sensors are good and visibility is good for size.
Led lights - but lights are ok (dont need to see 1/4 mile ahead if driving inside british soeed limits) and cost ridiculous.
Adaptive cruise and safety braking - had on hire vehicle but i prefer using feet to resting them.

 

[Stuart]

Heater!

 

[GeoS4]

another one for the heater!

 

[Max-Felix]

@jackelliemolly

What sort of cost is the 4 service pack and the 2 year extended warranty?

Is the two year extension the same wide ranging cover as the existing three year - ie no quibble (mostly!) cover for a whole five years on all the mechanical and camper conversion parts?

 

[calimera]

Buy 2 Services for £199^ or 4 Services for £349^ for new vehicles financed through Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle Financial Services.

Regular servicing and maintenance will help you keep your vehicle operating at its best all the time. Purchase your new van through Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle Financial Services, and you can now benefit from great value offer on Pay Upfront servicing.
On VW commercial site .
We have 4 yr plan ,only available if you get finance.Which we then paid off after 7 days

Also have extended warranty for 5 yrs,cover is the same for final 2yrs.

 

[Amarillo]

Buy 2 Services for £199^ or 4 Services for £349^ for new vehicles financed through Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle Financial Services.

We have 4 yr plan ,only available if you get finance.Which we then paid off after 7 days.

I paid £720 for 4 services. But as my vehicle is nominally an ex-demo, the same finance deal, and therefore service plan, was not an option.

 

[Max-Felix]

Thanks - that's good - just wondering if they include then the Cambelt/water pump/tensioner and (if DSG fitted) the DSG oil change which adds up to over £700 in all on top of a normal service and is due at 40k or 4 years.

How much is it to extend the warranty for two more years?

 

[Meoncoast]

How much is it to extend the warranty for two more years?

below from VW

Every new Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle comes with a three year warranty, protecting you against the costs of unexpected repairs. Now you can extend the factory warranty to cover unlimited mileage for the third year. You also can extend the warranty for an additional one or two years, or up to 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

- A range of flexible options offered at competitive prices with 80,000, 120,000 and 150,000 mile limits

- Easy to arrange. Simply talk to your local Van Centre

- Must be purchased within three months of your vehicle’s initial registration

 

[Meoncoast]

Cambelt/water pump/tensioner

not included in service plan

 

[Amarillo]

How much is it to extend the warranty for two more years?

I paid £329 + VAT for an extra 2 years or 80,000 miles.

 

[Borris]

IMO anyone ordering a new Beach should consider these as the basic must haves:
1. The parking heater - Utter luxury. You can then use the vehicle all year round.
2. Lights - the basic lights are at best poor. Consider a better lighting option.
3. Seating - Decide how many seats you are ever going to need and include on the factory order.
4. Awning - Decide if you want one. Factory order it as they are bl##y expensive if you retro fit.
5. Climatronic three zone Aircon - It's a big van to keep warm or cool.
6. VW Comfort mattress - If you order the 5 or 7 seater Beach you will need this to make the downstairs bed reasonably comfortable.
7. Front and rear parking sensors.

 

[Max-Felix]

I paid £329 + VAT for an extra 2 years or 80,000 miles.

No brainier at that price, great value compared to other manufacturers costs for extending.

 

[Amarillo]

6. VW Comfort mattress - If you order the 5 or 7 seater Beach you will need this to make the downstairs bed reasonably comfortable.

We use a £75 Ikea mattress topper.
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/...rs/talgje-mattress-topper-white-art-40298254/
It's perfectly adequate and folds up really small.

 

[Borris]

We use a £75 Ikea mattress topper.
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/...rs/talgje-mattress-topper-white-art-40298254/
It's perfectly adequate and folds up really small.

Do you still notice the contours of the bench seat?
The reason why I suggest the VW Comfort Mattress is because it is contoured to fit the shape of the seat and therefore provides a perfectly flat bed. Some may find it a little on the hard side but we found it very comfortable. It is bulky though when not in use.

 

[Amarillo]

Do you still notice the contours of the bench seat?
The reason why I suggest the VW Comfort Mattress is because it is contoured to fit the shape of the seat and therefore provides a perfectly flat bed. Some may find it a little on the hard side but we found it very comfortable. It is bulky though when not in use.

It doesn't flatten out all the lumps and bumps of the seat, but does a pretty good job of it.

 

[Jay586]

I paid £329 + VAT for an extra 2 years or 80,000 miles.

I did this too, tho it took a bit of chasing...

 

[Max-Felix]

I paid £329 + VAT for an extra 2 years or 80,000 miles.

No brainier at that price, great value compared to other manufacturers costs for extending.

To follow this up I just checked with VW's own extended warranty website and the quote on a 13 plate Cali SE even with a £250 excess is £1219 for one year. Strangely enough the quote was the same for a much more elderly 2008 Cali.

Moral is if you plan on keeping your Cali longer than the three years of included warranty then I'd say forget heaters, parking sensors and whatever as the first tick on the list - the best value option on VW's list is the extra two years for under £400.

 

[ElsJan]

Thank you all ! And thanks for pointing out the warranty extension as a possible option. I should really also give the financial options vs. possible life cycle some thought. Good one

 

[Hotel California]

Hi everybody, I will soon order (in Belgium) a new T6 Beach and I sometimes get mildly dizzy looking at the configurator & possible options. So I wonder: what is your single, n° 1 must-have factory option ? And why ? Can be anything - from the paint colour to the suspension type. I'm really curious, thanks in advance !
(my apologies if this or a similar thread already exists, thanks for pointing me in the right direction !)

A soon-to-be-owner...

Hi and welcome Els&Jan , it took three pages to welcome a fellow Belgian witch is rare for me as i usually welcome people on the first day....
We are on a trip (current in Poland) and been not that much online the last week.

The options that are must haves variates a lot on Cali's , it is all about what "you"are ok with . One can tick the whole list of options , but many things on the list (to me) are overkill . I heard from many other owners they easy could do without some things they added , the T6 option list is endless and very dificult to understand , even some dealers can't figure it out.
There are many posts on these things (like thisone just recent: https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/what-option-do-you-regret-not-getting.17971/#post-205319) as you can see already three pages filled here ....did it make you dicide yet or are you even more confused now

I you go for a Beach important are the aux. heater (heats up the Cali while camped up) and 220v hook up for easy aces to power.

Regarding sat. nav. (GPS) , radio , cruise control, app connect,......i am not the one to speak as my T5 does not have these . It has the RNS510 radio-gps witch was a 2500€ option back then and all i can say os that i never use it ....a 200€ Tom-Tom is way better spent money , alltough the GPS on the T6 suppose to be better (VW says)

Witch part from Belgian are you from , where are you planning to order?

 

[Deskman]

Lots of time. Lots of time. That is all what I am still missing after buying our Cali.

in-car navigation seems to be never as flexible as a separate device. I'm using my iPhone with Navigon for years now and it was never beaten by any built-in navigation I have tried.

 

[Niborn]

Hi ElsJan, I've just hired for several months an Ocean , my actual order being due now in June, previously November estimate so I hired as I couldn't wait to make a few long trips . I got a very good deal from Kamper Hire in Southampton so I had it for a long two months . It's an interesting experience because I already committed to a lot of options on my order , in fact nearly all of the functional options available , i did this before ever trying a van . I opted out of the luxury design options such as more stylish alloys or metallic paint . So my 204 4 motion ( with diff lock ) DSG will have acc with side scan , sat navy and lights upgrades , anti roll , bigger fuel tank , hill descent control , tow bar , heated front screen , privacy glass, camera , pocket light , multi function sw and comfort mattress and shower.

The van I hired was a 150 DSG T6 Ocean and from this experience and 4500 miles made to the North of Scotland and then down to then far South West of France and back to Southampton ( where I hired the van from Kamper hire ) I can now reflect and say what options would I consider a must have and do I regret ordering the ones I did .

The van is a lot of money so I wouldn't want to buy one and have regrets later and here's my list with all the above in mind.

Must have in every case
DSG - it's a big car to manage and it is a lot of pressure off ones mind with the DSG , hill starts and descent are very well handled by the DSG .
Heater - totally essential in Scotland sometimes in France at night and in the morning
R. Camera - one mistake would be expensive
At least 150 engine
Seat covers and carpet mats , the interior finish colour s are far too light and very very easily marked


However I would make the order again as I did and I don't regret one of the options , the 150 is good enough but a little more power would be nice . The 4 wheel drive I think will be useful if not practically physiologically in snowy weather . The lights on the hire van were standard and unless the night was dark and the lights in full beam they were not good at all , like an old mini I had 30 years ago. So I hope the LED lights are much better. I think the shower will be useful to wash a few things down , including me if on a wild camp , especially when my wife was cooking.

As well ....we did not have it on the hire one and I haven't ordered extras yet .....but we will have to have something for the mattresses , my wife found them much too hard . In addition if it rains and the roof is open and sit wet I'm told the top mattress could be stained , so something for that. Even with the heater on upstairs was cold , so a topper of some sort too .

I don't regret at all ( totally a personal view ) not having upgraded alloys , or seat fabrics , or metallic paint as in my opinion these don't affect the experience at all , the alloys which come with the van do a fine job and one can sit on the seats which with any type will need covers on top anyway.

My cali order is a white one and I prefer this colour especially when it's hot . There is extensive research shows white cars / vans do not get so hot in the sun.

Hope this helps , it's an reflection after placing the order and then making and extensive try out .

Best wishes

 

[Erbster]

Lots of time. Lots of time. That is all what I am still missing after buying our Cali.

in-car navigation seems to be never as flexible as a separate device. I'm using my iPhone with Navigon for years now and it was never beaten by any built-in navigation I have tried.

I always thought this too, but I am impressed with carplay (though this is not strictly built in) after a few weeks of use in our new van. We did not use the "proper" satnav app once on our recent continental trip; we found places reliably with apple maps and were able to get to obscure parking spots by typing in gps co-ordinates.

+1 for heating (if not choosing Ocean)
+1 for DSG


Charles

 

[2haw]

I do wish I'd paid the small amount for the rear sliding window on the drivers side, when we all sit in the rear eating our regular takeaway, I wish I could open a window both sides to allow a breeze through.