Prospective Beach buyer

[NJay]

Hi all
New member and prospective buyer here. I'd be grateful for thoughts and tips to help guide future purchase.

Having suffered from van-envy for a while now I've been browsing classifieds etc for almost a year, but only started looking more seriously over the past 3 months.
We've never had a van before but have used and abused S-maxs for the past decade. As an active, outdoors-loving family of 5 with kids from 9 - 14 yrs age, I think now is the perfect time to make the switch. For our needs I think the Beach offers the perfect versatility as it will be used as a daily driver, with lots of weekend day trips, several full weekend trips and hopefully the odd longer camping trip (if Mrs J can be persuaded).

I'm amazed at how these calis seem to retain their value, but I've noticed that a 2016 T6 will carry a significant price increase over a 2015 T5 despite almost identical mileage, and often better spec on the 2015. What is consensus on how much more, if any, it is worth paying for T6 over T5. What are the real differences for ownership, driving, and potential future resale value?

Having scrolled the forums here, it seems that Parking heaters are highly recommended. Is there any major difference between factory fitted and retrofitted, or are there particular things to watch out for in second hand vehicles with regards to the heater?

I have seen some ads for vans without the awning rail. To be honest, I'm not sure how much we'd use a side awning. How useful do you all find them? and what are downsides - do they rattle for example? If fitted on a van, are they easy to take off and reattach as needed, or best left on full-time? If wanted to retrofit, how much roughly would this cost?

Thats all my questions for now, although I'm sure there will be more. Many have already been answered from searching these excellent forums. Thanks in advance, I look forward to learning lots form you all, and hopefully sharing news of a purchase in near future

 

[NZCol]

Try and get a Euro6 engined model ie T6 if you can for longevity would be my opinion.
PArking heater v useful, factory fit is very neat but add-on uses same vents etc just controller not as neatly integrated - still work the same
Awning v expensive after the fact, if you can get one with it can be handy to have to roll out 1 ft when its wet for getting in/out etc, useful extra space with a tie down kit and sides if you need them, with kids gives you some instant extra storage space with sides. You can store sides in the seats as well in thetailgate.

 

[Borris]

Hi all
New member and prospective buyer here. I'd be grateful for thoughts and tips to help guide future purchase.

Having suffered from van-envy for a while now I've been browsing classifieds etc for almost a year, but only started looking more seriously over the past 3 months.
We've never had a van before but have used and abused S-maxs for the past decade. As an active, outdoors-loving family of 5 with kids from 9 - 14 yrs age, I think now is the perfect time to make the switch. For our needs I think the Beach offers the perfect versatility as it will be used as a daily driver, with lots of weekend day trips, several full weekend trips and hopefully the odd longer camping trip (if Mrs J can be persuaded).

I'm amazed at how these calis seem to retain their value, but I've noticed that a 2016 T6 will carry a significant price increase over a 2015 T5 despite almost identical mileage, and often better spec on the 2015. What is consensus on how much more, if any, it is worth paying for T6 over T5. What are the real differences for ownership, driving, and potential future resale value?

Having scrolled the forums here, it seems that Parking heaters are highly recommended. Is there any major difference between factory fitted and retrofitted, or are there particular things to watch out for in second hand vehicles with regards to the heater?

I have seen some ads for vans without the awning rail. To be honest, I'm not sure how much we'd use a side awning. How useful do you all find them? and what are downsides - do they rattle for example? If fitted on a van, are they easy to take off and reattach as needed, or best left on full-time? If wanted to retrofit, how much roughly would this cost?

Thats all my questions for now, although I'm sure there will be more. Many have already been answered from searching these excellent forums. Thanks in advance, I look forward to learning lots form you all, and hopefully sharing news of a purchase in near future

Hello NJay,
I'll attempt to answer your questions.

1. The problem with the Beach is that the supply of good examples is decreasing rapidly. They are not being imported anymore so my advise would be to find a good example that ticks as many of your boxes as possible.
There are differences between the T5 and the T6 but in the end they both do the same thing. The driving experience will be very similar. I can't comment on how much more you should pay for a T6 other than to say that Cali prices don't follow the usual car pricing norms. Prices tend to fluctuate with the seasons and are effected by spec. A few basic spec pre registered low mileage Beaches can still be found at dealers at reasonable prices. Finding a high spec Beach will be difficult and expensive. There aren't many so they get snapped up quickly. Obviously the T6 will attract a higher resale value but I wouldn't worry about that. It's more important to find a Beach that suits you. Condition, service history and spec are more important IMO.

2. The parking heater is a pretty reliable piece of kit. It's rare to see posts where people are reporting faults. I don't think it really matters if it's a factory or aftermarket heater as long as it works. As far as I am aware most converters use the genuine heater etc with only the control unit being the major difference. Most factory fitted units have remote control fobs so that you can activate it remotely. I have heard that they still work at distances of up to half a mile but I haven't tested that. The heater is a brilliant option that turns the van into a 365 day a year camping proposition consequently it's a very strong asset when the time comes to sell. Just one final thing, it's a good idea to run it for half an hour each month regardless of the weather just to keep it used. If you don't use it from one end of the year to the other then it may not play ball when you actually need it.

3. The awning rail is very useful and it isn't really a Cali without one. However they aren't without there problems. Firstly they can rattle however you can usually, but not always, trace the source and rectify with well placed sticky felt pads. The main thing to be aware of is there operational limitations. Having the awning wound out is like raising that flappy thing on a yacht. The slightest brease and it can take off causing damage. So it must always, always be tied down. If high winds are forecast then wind it in. If rain is forecast then you must drop one leg slightly otherwise it will act as a giant rain collector. If left to fill up it can damage the awning.
Having said all that it's a great addition to any Cali. It provides shade from the sun and shelter from the rain. You can sit beneath it, cook beneath it and even attach a Comfortz Awning room to it creating a great space. Finally it's better to buy a Cali with one as it will be very expensive to retro fit one. I've done it and the bill came to around £900!!!

I hope that helps.

Good luck.

 

[rupertpoon]

One thought on the parking heater.. it’s expensive if only used a few times a year. If you are on grid, you can use a small electric fan heater. I moved from a T5.1 SE where I only used the diesel heater once in 2 years, to a T6 Beach without. Just ask yourself how often will you camp when it is cold and you are offgrid? We were long weekend summer campers, so heating generally not needed. If you are an all weather camper, great you will get value for money from the diesel heater out of summer and many swear by them. But since they are an option on Beaches, you may feel better LED lights give you more value as a daily driver and touring machine. The standard H4 Beach lights are a bit rubbish. Just my 2 pence.

 

[An-j]

We bought an early T6 beach, it had a higher mileage than most so was within our budget. It has the Euro 6 engine (with ad-blue) so is an advantage if we travel to areas with emissions controls. As we are hoping to keep the van for along time it seemed sensible to get the most up to date engine possible.

The factory fit parking heater is great. I didn’t discover ours had one till after we bought it! So glad it does, it’s really easy to use and we use it a lot on day trips and to warm the van before use in winter. It’s the feature of the van the kids like the best! We used to camp a lot in a tents and having the heater really does make all year round trips possible, which weren’t before.

Our side awning does rattle - mind you the whole van squeaks and rattles. Its worth test driving on a bumpy country road to check this out! We only use ours occasionally, but for me it‘s part of the campervan look so don’t think I would take it off. Like all the options, they add flexibility, which is the great thing about the beach.

 

[NJay]

Thanks for your replies. Very useful. Except my ideal spec list keeps growing!
another question; what exactly is included in a lights and vision package? And what is included in comfort package? I Initially assumed lights and vision meant the LED/ Xenon lights but I think I’m wrong.

Cheers

 

[Stuart]

Standard Beach headlights are H4 and are terrible.

Light and Vision package is actually just auto wipers and auto lights. Same H4 lights.

To get H7 headlights on a Beach you needed to pick the Exterior Package option Good option naming VW. Or buy a yellow one as more recently they came with the Exterior Package.

Even more confusingly, on the VW Transporter there is an option called Light and Vision Plus which does include H7 lights

And LED lights are a different option altogether.

Upgrading H4s to H7s or aftermarket lights isn't too hard. Upgrading to LEDs is hard / expensive.

 

[NJay]

Standard Beach headlights are H4 and are terrible.

Light and Vision package is actually just auto wipers and auto lights. Same H4 lights.

To get H7 headlights on a Beach you needed to pick the Exterior Package option Good option naming VW. Or buy a yellow one as more recently they came with the Exterior Package.

Even more confusingly, on the VW Transporter there is an option called Light and Vision Plus which does include H7 lights

And LED lights are a different option altogether.

Upgrading H4s to H7s or aftermarket lights isn't too hard. Upgrading to LEDs is hard / expensive.

Thanks for shedding some light on that for me - excuse the pun!

 

[clarinetbcn]

There are quite a few of us who don't have/don't want a roll out awning (and yes @Borris it's a California!), prefer the stealth look which means we can park up and sleep anywhere if need be. Also, be careful with aftermarket parking heaters. The issue is the air outlet. Some installers bring it straight through the floor and mount the air vent there, where every person who gets in when you are using all 7 seats will trip on it and break it. Others install it on a flat panel on the rear base of the right front seat without realizing that that recess actually provides significant foot room for the second row when in 7 seat mode, which that type of installation removes. Installing the original VW B pillar vent is much more complicated and expensive, but worth it.

More serious is the Adblue issue. When I bought my ex dealer demo, after reading here on the forum I decided that I didn't want the more complicated regen issues of the T6. I hardly ever travel to cities though, and although the van is my only car, I use it for hiking/biking/skiing trips year round and only travel by bike at home, so I'm not so worried about center city restrictions. I did get a great deal on the unicorn California: a low mileage ex-demo German Beach with almost every option available except DSG, 4motion and biturbo motor, all of which I didn't want. I've put almost 40,000km on it in two years and I still love it, even though some of VW's very stupid and very cheap design failures can sometimes get my blood pressure up.

 

[NJay]

So, thought I'd better get round to giving an update....

I am now the proud and excited owner of a T6 Beach, the kids have named Bruce; 2017, Blackberry colour, with comfort package.
No parking heater, but I will think about getting that added. Also no parking sensors, which are probably more of a priority!
Got it a week ago. Came with a driveaway awning and bike rack too.
Just back from a weekend camping trip in Devon test it out. Several rookie mistakes under my belt already (trying to pop roof up while the awning tie down straps were still tensioned over the top of the van (driveaway kit added to shopping list), plus almost driving off with the pop-top still up ) but loving it so far.


Any pearls or pitfalls to watch out for with regards to getting parking sensors fitted?
The media system seems to have option for app connect, but it appears this hasn't been activated - is this something that can only be done at main dealer and will cost, or is there a way round this?

 

[Stoneybroke]

Parking sensors a must, camera even better.

Genuine Vw Reverse Camera for Discover Media/ Composition Media - Supply & Fit

We are pleased to offer the Genuine Vw Reverse Camera for All VW models. All parts are Genuine Volkswagen and once installed will operate the same as

www.hazzydayz.com

Integrated with the media centre.
Not cheap, but cheaper than a new rear bumper...

 

[Perfectos]

So, thought I'd better get round to giving an update....

I am now the proud and excited owner of a T6 Beach, the kids have named Bruce; 2017, Blackberry colour, with comfort package.
No parking heater, but I will think about getting that added. Also no parking sensors, which are probably more of a priority!
Got it a week ago. Came with a driveaway awning and bike rack too.
Just back from a weekend camping trip in Devon test it out. Several rookie mistakes under my belt already (trying to pop roof up while the awning tie down straps were still tensioned over the top of the van (driveaway kit added to shopping list), plus almost driving off with the pop-top still up ) but loving it so far.


Any pearls or pitfalls to watch out for with regards to getting parking sensors fitted?
The media system seems to have option for app connect, but it appears this hasn't been activated - is this something that can only be done at main dealer and will cost, or is there a way round this?

& Congratulations,

You make rookie mistakes when your a rookie, we all did / do.

Retro fit of the parking sensors is a simple process, but I would ensure you have then painted to match your bumper colour and integrated into your VW media system, which may require coding
a reversing camera is a great addition as mentioned above. ( I believe Hazzy days offer a discount to VIP members).
App connect is a simple activation (cost) that can be done at the same time as any other work such as sensors etc.( edit: may require minor parts)

 

[Perfectos]

T6 - App Connect - Activation Key

I have an App-Connect option on my second hand t6, the manual says good things about it, when I select it though I get this: "App-Connect" You can activate the function by means of an activation key. Please contact your dealer. Has anyone got this set up, have read online that many have the...

www.t6forum.com