Buy all your VW California Accessories at the Club Shop Visit Shop

Nemo the Blue Ocean

I put the challenge to my kids of naming our forthcoming Acapulco Blue Beach, using yours as an example of the kind of name we're looking for (this was after they suggested 'Bob' and 'Dave', which I didn't fancy).

Anyway, you inspired them with the Nemo theme and it's looking like Dory will be the name of our Cali, when she arrives! The colour similarity is just too much to ignore - might need to get yellow wing mirrors! View attachment 12730

View attachment 12733
Excellent! Though there is something funny about 'Dave the Campervan!'
 
Excellent! Though there is something funny about 'Dave the Campervan!'
I weighted up the pros and cons:

'Where's my bag?',
'You may have left it in Dave'

o_O
 
Dreams can come true. First major trip in Nemo. Two dads. Two daughters. 660 miles from London to Samoen in the Alps. We're sat eating brownies after a great morning of end of season skiing. The van is worth every penny and drove like a dream.

Kids and dads are loving it!!!!!

image.jpeg
 
Wonderful.
Definitely on our list for next ski season .
Might have our ocean by then !!! ??
 
Brilliant. Hope to do the same when I get mine.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
LED lights in the roof are plenty bright enough to read by. Not sure why the woman in the VW advert uses a gas light? Perhaps she hadn't worked out that if you hold the button, they go brighter.
Actually - two trips done and I hadn't spotted that. Off out to the drive to test it.
 
Thanks @comfortz for 'roofless' roof cover. Went for this one so that I can use my roof rails if needed. Managed a dry trial run before the trip to the Alps in a couple of weeks.
How did you get on with the roofless topper in the Alps ? I also want to use a roofrack but am nervous about snow seeping under the edges of the cover and getting between the topper and the roof canvas. So I was thinking about an internal cozy for most use and a full topper for winter trips when it is unlikely that I would have the roof-rack on.
 
How did you get on with the roofless topper in the Alps ? I also want to use a roofrack but am nervous about snow seeping under the edges of the cover and getting between the topper and the roof canvas. So I was thinking about an internal cozy for most use and a full topper for winter trips when it is unlikely that I would have the roof-rack on.
@DM There wasn't snow in the campsite so it's hard to say but it's a snug fit when installed so I don't think it would be an issue. Seemed warmer than when I camped at Robin Hoods Bay without one. It also made it darker too which was a bonus.
 
LED lights in the roof are plenty bright enough to read by. Not sure why the woman in the VW advert uses a gas light? Perhaps she hadn't worked out that if you hold the button, they go brighter.
HaHa - so they do. As do the ones in the tailgate.
 
View media item 824
Today was the big day. Nemo (named by my youngest daughter as it's a blue Ocean) was picked up from VW Van Centre. Easy handover. I'd recommend Mark Wheelright. The van was pristine and the handover was thorough.

DSG gearbox drives very smoothly and the 204 4Motion felt nippy and very planted. Cruise control works easily from the M/F steering wheel. Chalk and cheese compared to my T2!!

Dynaudio upgrade sounds lovely. I like my music so this and the CarPlay toys will keep me entertained. Siri reads out texts and you can speak to Siri and he'll dictate your SMS for you.

Fitted the Sparesafe without a problem. Haven't fitted the bungee yet. The roof folded nicely into itself.

@greenp the 'birthmark' is there. It doesn't look that noticeable. I'm sure that within a few weeks there will be more scuffs, nicks, scratches and stains. The kids have cross country at weekend so it's going to be a mud fest!

Steel wheels have a nice 'pepper pot' design which looks quite retro. Will save the alloys and the standard tyres for the summer.

New dash is nice. It feels more like a luxury car. I like that the A/C can cool the glove box (choccies) and the bottle holder. There's I swivel vent inside both that you can close if you need to.

Heated seats are lovely and we had three zones working on the climate control this afternoon.

Acapulco Blue looks lovely. Photo doesn't do it justice.

The rear seems very similar to my friends T5. Light carpets will be a pain as we have a black dog. Hey ho.

Parking heater works a treat. Tried it on number two and I could have sat in shorts & a T-shirt!

Laminate glass pack with the private tint included is dark enough for me. But then it was a cloudy day today.

I like the little LED torch that fits into the cigarette lighter socket.

The voice speaker system through the speak worked ok. The kids could hear me in the back when the music was on.

Still lots to figure out. Time to have an early night with the manuals I think!!

Thanks to everyone on this forum for the help and advice over the last six months. I've got some big trips to look forward to including the Alps in a few weeks time, the Hebrides in May, Glastobury in June and Northern Spain in July. So many people have given me tips. Thank you

Now the fun can begin. Here's to the memories!!

All the best

Aidy P & Nemo


Hi
I'd be interested in your opinion on the LED headlights and photos in use? We've been looking at various specs and this is a possible on option. I found out at the weekend that they don't "turn with the wheels" I was expecting for the cost that they would. Apparently those are dynamic ones.

We are looking for hire one for a few days to see if A) it can be a daily drive and B) The Wife can sleep comfortably without back problems.

We had two cars before and it just doesn't work for us. I'd be giving up my beloved Volvo so want to spec it as a good quality daily driver. Sorry for the waffle at the end.

Love the look of you California.

Teejay
 
Hi
I'd be interested in your opinion on the LED headlights and photos in use? We've been looking at various specs and this is a possible on option. I found out at the weekend that they don't "turn with the wheels" I was expecting for the cost that they would. Apparently those are dynamic ones.

We are looking for hire one for a few days to see if A) it can be a daily drive and B) The Wife can sleep comfortably without back problems.

We had two cars before and it just doesn't work for us. I'd be giving up my beloved Volvo so want to spec it as a good quality daily driver. Sorry for the waffle at the end.

Love the look of you California.

Teejay

Hi @Teejay1 I live in the Yorkshire Dales so appreciate good vehicle lights on the narrow lanes. The LEDs are bright white (rather than yellow) light. They don't corner, but they don't need to. It's just something else that could go wrong! They have a function for Continental driving do I don't need beam adjusters which is handy. Other than that there isn't much else to say. Photos don't really do them justice. I'd recommend going to a dealer and viewing them in the workshop with the lights off if its something you need to see before purchasing
 
Excellent! Though there is something funny about 'Dave the Campervan!'

'Dave the Campervan' :) That made me laugh as our last camper was a T25 Westy, called.... Dave!!

Always made everyone smile when we said we were going 'out in Dave"

So much so that we are thinking of calling our new eagerly awaited Ocean (also Acapulco blue which is why I was nosing at this thread) "Dave" ;)
 
'Dave the Campervan' :) That made me laugh as our last camper was a T25 Westy, called.... Dave!!

Always made everyone smile when we said we were going 'out in Dave"

So much so that we are thinking of calling our new eagerly awaited Ocean (also Acapulco blue which is why I was nosing at this thread) "Dave" ;)
There must be a run on Dave Campervans as our friends have just named their T4 Dave too!!
 
Nemo has got mates now :)

image.jpeg

image.jpeg
 
Can anybody tell me if the Standard Headlights can be upgraded to the LED version on a plug and play basis or is there more to it?
 
Can anybody tell me if the Standard Headlights can be upgraded to the LED version on a plug and play basis or is there more to it?
Not simple as it requires an awful lot of replacement parts and very expensive. If you do a search of past posts on the subject you will get a sense of the task.
 
I’d forgotten about this thread... :thumb Nemo says hi!!

Nearly two years in and he’s done us proud including a skiing trip to the Alps, two Glastonbury Festivals, a 2500 European road trip through 7 countries and lots of UK camping too. Oh and he’s also used for the school run, carrying bikes, a changing room before gymnastics, climbing & running, a mobile office, an extra bedroom and a general car replacement. He’s been over and under the English Channel and also driven through snow and ice and at heights of 8200 ft.

So if you’re reading this and are unsure about how versatile a California Ocean is... don’t ask me ;)
 
Impressive! But I bet you weren’t too popular - no kids snow days in your house.
The kids were asking if they could get out and make snowmen! I was more concerned about traction
 
Back
Top