Non swivelling front seats

[stephen watson]

Hi
I'm new to the forum so apologies if this isn't in the right place or some other faux pas. I've been thinking of buying a cali for years, but have never actually used or slept in one yet. I've recently test driven an Ocean and thought I'd found a good demo to buy. I've just discovered it doesn't have swivelling front seats. I must admit I didn't even know you could buy one like this and my initial reaction is that it seems mad not to have this feature and I've decided not to go ahead with this vehicle. I'd be interested to hear of owners opinions though-am I right?
Thanks Steve

 

[CoboCali]

some essential reading here... https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/front-seats-wont-swivel-swivelgate.12613/. the quick summary is; avoid.

 

[motacyclist]

Hi Stephen, yes there has been some discussion on this forum about this and it appears that if you spec the comfort seats they are non-swivelling. The problem is that the ordering process does not make this clear and therefore there have been some very disappointed new owners.

Of course a big part of the joy of a camper is to have the ability to swivel the seats so I think you have made the right choice by deciding against this particular camper.

Welcome to the forum, I'm sure you will have many replies to this.

Colin

 

[Days out]

Hi there Steve,

Don't know if this is of help but I was searching for an ex-demo California recently and came across a van with non-swivel seats. I immediately told the dealer that this van wouldn't be any good to me, but he mentioned he could get the seats to swivel at his cost if I went ahead with the van. In the end it wasn't quite the right spec for me and I found one which was the right colour, specification so went ahead with that. But it might be worth asking if they can get the seats to swivel. I guess they were prepared to fit a conversion kit to make them work. I'd have thought that a non-swivel equipped van must be hard to shift and perhaps if the one you mention was good apart from this issue, you could ask if it's a possibility? I'm sure other more knowledgeable owners out there could advise further. I'm only telling you what I was told.... What dealer was it you saw the van out of interest?

 

[GrannyJen]

Hi Stephen,

First of all, welcome .

Swivel seats are imo an essential.

Without them the rear of a Cali can be claustrophobic, cramped, dark, dismal .....

with them swivelled spacious, open, friendly.

I'm sat on a swivelled seat now, bed all made up, just having my evening cocoa (honest!).... could not do that with the seat facing a boring steering wheel and a blanked out screen.

Seriously for me it is an absolute no-brainer, the difference between a comfortable home on wheels and a van with a couple of beds in it.

 

[Hotel California]

....the swivelgate...!

Welcome by the way.
Do not buy that demo-Cali....swivel seats are essential!

 

[Tommy Gun]

Hi Steve & welcome to the forum.

Have a read of swivelgate & you'll see my name pop-up

My main concerns were the obvious usable space compromise, looking at the back of folks' heads during meal times etc, how would the aftermarket swivel seats perform in a crash (?) & the resale value. I really didn't want to have that kind of cash tied up in something that could be difficult to shift, should circumstances change.

It might be worth asking the dealer if he is willing to negotiate a price or contribute towards changing-out the existing 'comfort' seats for genuine VW swivelling ones. They can be changed-out, we know that, but they ain't cheap.
For T6 buyers, the waiting list is becoming rediculous. For dealers, 'comfort' seats must surely be a curse - so maybe there's a conversation worth having....

Let us know how you get on & all the best.

Cheers
Tom

 

[stephen watson]

Hi
Thank you all so much for your quick replies. What a fantastic resource this forum is. I feel a bit like I had a lucky escape with not going ahead with this van - everyone seems to agree swivelling seats are essential. The demo in question is registered in Northern Island - which I was planning to bring back to England where I live. (Any pitfalls there I dont't know about, I wonder?).
Fortunately the dealer seems excellent and volunteered the information early on - it certainly wouldn't have occurred to me to ask. It does make me wonder a bit about other unwary traps you might not think about though when buying. Maybe they make some without starter motors and just give you an old fashioned starting handle to keep the weight down?!
Cheers Steve
PS Thanks for the link to the previous thread about this - I'm still getting to grips with forums and wasn't able to find this before.

 

[hirsty]

I too am new at this & wouldn't have picked up on it without this forum - I agree the shared experiences here are invaluable.

The VW price does mention 'not swivelling' in two places, but it's like the bottom row of an eye chart:
https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/media/2483319/california_t6_pl.pdf

 

[GrannyJen]

Hi
Thank you all so much for your quick replies. What a fantastic resource this forum is. I feel a bit like I had a lucky escape with not going ahead with this van - everyone seems to agree swivelling seats are essential. The demo in question is registered in Northern Island - which I was planning to bring back to England where I live. (Any pitfalls there I dont't know about, I wonder?).
Fortunately the dealer seems excellent and volunteered the information early on - it certainly wouldn't have occurred to me to ask. It does make me wonder a bit about other unwary traps you might not think about though when buying. Maybe they make some without starter motors and just give you an old fashioned starting handle to keep the weight down?!
Cheers Steve
PS Thanks for the link to the previous thread about this - I'm still getting to grips with forums and wasn't able to find this before.

where do you live?

There is a wealth of help, knowledge and esprit de corps in this forum.

I'm sure someone local would give it a quick checkover for a glass of wine...

If you live in Sussex then I would be happy to give it a slow checkover for a bottle.......

 

[stephen watson]

Hi GrannyJen
I live in Kendal, not very near Sussex I'm afraid! Although this has been my first post and I haven't a Cali yet I've followed this forum for the last year or so in the hope of becoming an owner one day. I missed the previous thread on "swivelgate" and what has shocked and worried me a bit is that I like to think of myself as quite cautious and often overly careful when buying something - and yet I totally missed this and was fortunate the dealer was upfront with it. I'd be mortified if I'd gone ahead and found out too late - I really feel for those people who have ended up in that position already. As I said before it would never have occurred to me to ask - everything points to swivelling seats to be standard, although I do now see it is mentioned in the price list.

 

[GrannyJen]

Hi GrannyJen
I live in Kendal, not very near Sussex I'm afraid! Although this has been my first post and I haven't a Cali yet I've followed this forum for the last year or so in the hope of becoming an owner one day. I missed the previous thread on "swivelgate" and what has shocked and worried me a bit is that I like to think of myself as quite cautious and often overly careful when buying something - and yet I totally missed this and was fortunate the dealer was upfront with it. I'd be mortified if I'd gone ahead and found out too late - I really feel for those people who have ended up in that position already. As I said before it would never have occurred to me to ask - everything points to swivelling seats to be standard, although I do now see it is mentioned in the price list.

Well, keep asking questions, do not buy until sure, and please use this forum for what it is (mostly)....

a group of people who love and share a fabulous lifestyle around a fabulous vehicle and will be only too pleased to share their knowledge and experience with you.

 

[larrylamb]

Hi GrannyJen
I live in Kendal, not very near Sussex I'm afraid! Although this has been my first post and I haven't a Cali yet I've followed this forum for the last year or so in the hope of becoming an owner one day. I missed the previous thread on "swivelgate" and what has shocked and worried me a bit is that I like to think of myself as quite cautious and often overly careful when buying something - and yet I totally missed this and was fortunate the dealer was upfront with it. I'd be mortified if I'd gone ahead and found out too late - I really feel for those people who have ended up in that position already. As I said before it would never have occurred to me to ask - everything points to swivelling seats to be standard, although I do now see it is mentioned in the price list.

Hi Stephen, we are reasonably close to you if you want to have a good mooch around ours, you might get a better idea from a Cali owner than in a Cali showroom. There's quite a few of us in the northwest so fire away. Have you been in touch with Guy Vincent at VW Commercial vehicles Preston, they are close to the M6, very helpful and offer good discounts.

 

[stephen watson]

Hi
Thanks for all your messages. Yes, I drove one at Preston with Guy and was impressed. The dealer who has the demo van is trying to be helpful - one suggestion he has sent me is to take out some swivelling seats in a T6 panel van. I'm a little worried about this in that they might not be exactly the same. Even after accounting for the obvious things like fabric, armrests, heated etc I wonder if they are exactly the same height? The dealer asked ME if the standard swivel seats on a T6 cali are height adjustable or not. I don't think they are but the fact he asked doesn't inspire confidence in me!
I'll try and keep the forum posted if I learn anything more - I would like this issue to become common knowledge to keep both potential purchasers protected and also, as long as VW is upfront about it like the dealer I'm talking to, VW's reputation as well.
I agree with some of the comments I've seen - the simplest thing would be only to have swivelling seats and to delete any options in future that don't have that.

 

[DM]

The dealer asked ME if the standard swivel seats on a T6 cali are height adjustable or not.

No - standard Cali seats are not height adjustable. The only height adjustable ones do not swivel.

 

[larrylamb]

one suggestion he has sent me is to take out some swivelling seats in a T6 panel van. I'm a little worried about this in that they might not be exactly the same.

I think best to walk away from these seats, this issue will be never go away for these particular vans.

 

[snowy55]

We owned a T5.1 Kombi before we got the Cali which had the height adjustable comfort seats and we had after market TUV approved swivel bases fitted and it all worked very well.

If I was in the market for a new Cali and I could get extra discount for the non swivels then it would not be a problem to have after market swivels fitted.

Just found this link
http://www.rainbow-conversions.co.u...l-base-plate-turntable-vw-t5-driver-side.html

 

[Digger]

Although I am awaiting new Cali Ocean I have previously owned an Autosleeper Trident which had their swivel seat bases and they worked fine. Is there much difference between those and VW's own? I have not requested swivel seats as I though they were standard and you had to opt for comfort by request.

 

[hirsty]

<deleted for incorrect info - apologies>

 

[WelshGas]

Although I am awaiting new Cali Ocean I have previously owned an Autosleeper Trident which had their swivel seat bases and they worked fine. Is there much difference between those and VW's own? I have not requested swivel seats as I though they were standard and you had to opt for comfort by request.

As far as I am aware, Swivel Seats are Standard and the Comfort seats are an option.

 

[calimera]

Correct but the comfort seats are a FREE option. Buyers beware

 

[GrannyJen]

Goodness,

Milton Freedman would be proud....

"There ain't no such thing as a free swivel"....

 

[Days out]

I really find it amazing that some of the dealers don't know the vehicle enough to be able to explain the basics... I guess that they specialise in commercial vehicles, but as people have said when you are spending over £50k you want to make sure the vehicle is spot on. It's not like there are a shed load of vans around that are available.

In answer to the question as to why VW offer non swivel seats, I guess it's that some customers want more adjustability or height adjustable chairs. There obviously must be quite a few people each year that order this option or else VW wouldn't offer it. I'm also guessing that these seats are used for other vehicles so I expect it's not much trouble to offer this option across all the transporter range..

When I ordered my van swivel seats were standard and you had to opt for height adjustable. My dealer was very clear about this option that it would not swivel if you ordered height adjustability.

 

[Sp0_0k]

I am starting to regret I didn't pick the left driver seat with adjustments
Anybody up for swapping it?

 

[Pineweasel]

In answer to the question as to why VW offer non swivel seats, I guess it's that some customers want more adjustability or height adjustable chairs. There obviously must be quite a few people each year that order this option or else VW wouldn't offer it

I don't think they were ever an option for the T5 Cali. I imagine that dealers got asked for height adjustable seats quite often, so for the T6 VW have obliged in a rather short-sighted, but economical manner by offering seats from elsewhere in the Transporter range.