Oh dear! Problems already....

[GillianC]

Think that I might have bought a Friday afternoon Cali!
The other day when I was putting the roof down I noticed that it hadn't gone down straight but was higher one side than the other. Put it up and down again and it was fine.
However, it has done it again today. We have cleaned out the seals etc round the roof and given it some lubrication and so far it seems to be OK but is this a common problem?
ALSO, there is an area in where the front of the bellows meets the roof where the fabric has pulled away from the rubber seal. It was noticeable when up the ladder doing the previous work.
They say that things come in threes and the other problem, which I have already booked to have done under warranty is the control knob is very hit and miss. Doesn't seem to select the right thing straight away.
Vehicle is booked in for its second service on Monday and to hopefully have the Bluetooth etc fitted so I will make sure that all these things are done at the same time but I must say it has taken the shine off things a bit.
As others have said, I do find it amazing that such an expensive vehicle can have so many faults so quickly

 

[2into1]

Gillian, your profile is showing your van as a 2014. It doesn't sound as if that's correct from this question. (Or is it just fresh out of an expert (not) dealer as a used Cali?).

 

[GillianC]

Gillian, your profile is showing your van as a 2014. It doesn't sound as if that's correct from this question. (Or is it just fresh out of an expert (not) dealer as a used Cali?).

Correct T4WFA. Fresh from not very competent dealer!

 

[GrannyJen]

Gillian, uneven roof lower does appear to be a common feature of some but as it is in warranty put it on the list and if you are taking it in to Breeze they can look at it under warranty. Equally the fabric pulling away.

 

[GillianC]

Thanks Jen. Unfortunately the first time the roof was uneven it caught the bellows in the mechanism and made a small cut. We have repaired it with the club kit but do we claim that under warranty too? We have only had the Cali a week and already all these problems

 

[teeboy]

We had the wonky roof problem in the first week of our Cali ownership. I had one of the rams replaced and it has been fine ever since.

We also have a nick in our bellows (not related to the wonky roof), and have just left it - it will get replaced when we get the rusty roof repaired!

Don't let the little bugs put you off - VW are actually pretty good at fixing them

 

[Dazshep]

Hi, I had a dodgy roof in the 1st week, (not good when being flash for the in laws). Went back to vw who was going to change a ram but instead replaced a pump. Been perfect since.

 

[GillianC]

Thanks everyone! I'm sure that it will be ok when it has been to the VW dealer...
Just all seems to be going pear shaped at the same time!
Gillian

 

[Days out]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your problems. We too have had the wonky roof a few times. It seems that occasionally when we lower it the passenger side (never the drivers) is about 2" higher. We have found some times it's easier to give it a light helping hand.

We bought the bungee from the Cali shop and although we always keep our eye on the bellows it always folds correctly. If you don't have a Bungee I'd recommend one. For the small price it's a load off my mind.

Now I've read more of the post and seen others with similar problems I might get it checked out next time it happens.

Anyway I hope you get it all sorted. It's an expensive vehicle and relatively complex but it needs to all work properly doesn't it?

 

[DM]

Hmm. First hint of a possibly wonky roof today. I put it up on the drive to dry it out as I had to put it down wet yesterday. It appeared to go up as normal but then I notived that the offside front was not taught and the bungee was still slack. I lowered it a few inches and then raised it again and it went up fine. However I have also noticed that it occasionally squeals when lowering (never when raising) and that one of the bolts on the mechanism on the offside side is corroded.

Time to get it checked out I guess. The corroded bolt is of most concern - what is it like inside the mechanism?

It's due its first service anyway so I'll add that to the list.

 

[Sheffield10]

Help! From France (at the moment), three days in to 3 week trip, roof has started lowering unevenly. No canvas caught, small children left in roof bed etc. Have tried partially closing , fully opening etc, but the problem does not correct itself. Ive measured the amount of movement the rams on each side have made at various points of lowering, and the nearside, is consistently about 10mm further towards the fully closed position than the offside. I've tried fully closing the roof, but the offside has a gap of about 20mm at the front edge.

Looking for ideas please, do I need to manually close the roof and head to a dealer tomorrow, or has anyone found a way of fixing this themselves?

Thanks all!

 

[Meoncoast]

I would give VW assist a call looks like something failed on a new van. Need that local dealership for repair

from VW website

European Assistance
Volkswagen Roadside Assistance will also provide roadside assistance, recovery, repatriation, replacement vehicle and accommodation whilst you are travelling outside the UK within Europe

1. In the event of mechanical or electrical breakdown only, Volkswagen Roadside Assistance will arrange and pay for a replacement vehicle up to a maximum of two days. This excludes road traffic accidents.2. Overnight accommodation for the driver and up to seven passengers. (This does not include the cost of meals and drinks).

 

[briwy]

We had the wonky roof problem in the first week of our Cali ownership. I had one of the rams replaced and it has been fine ever since.

We also have a nick in our bellows (not related to the wonky roof), and have just left it - it will get replaced when we get the rusty roof repaired!

Don't let the little bugs put you off - VW are actually pretty good at fixing them

Really, what makes you think they will replace the fabric? I have been told that unlike the early fixes where the whole lot was replaced now they clean under the seal, repaint and fit a new improved rubber seal.

We tried to get ours replaced un der warranty when it got nicked and told no chance.

 

[Sheffield10]

Does anyone know if manually closing the roof on an Ocean requires a dealer trip before it can be operated by the hydraulic system again. Reading the manual, it looks like you release the hydraulic pressure by undoing a screw. If I do the screw up again, would the hydraulics work? Just looking for ways to avoid the van being stuck in a dealer for the next week

 

[Hotel California]

Actually a good Q as i think it never came up here .

If you lower it manual , tighten the screw and reopen the roof ...could work.
Try it out you got nothing to lose , lowering manual is a standard procedure and can not affect your warrenty imo.
Lets us know the outcome .

 

[ArunAlec]

One side of my roof tends to droop slightly until the automatic height correction decides to operate. I recently saw a thread where the poster had similar or worse and on recommendation of VW "bled" the system by putting the roof up and down 5 times in succession. It worked for them and although I've only checked mine once it does seem to have worked. Might be worth a try!

 

[BillyCasper]

My wonky roof California is currently in a VW workshop. I believe the plan is to replace a hydraulic ram.

(Seems like wonky roofs is a popular topic this summer, taking over from roof paintwork and EGR valve issues?)