Protruding water/hook-up outer cover, advice please?

[Smiffy4bikes]

Afternoon all

Please see the images below of the exterior water/hook-up panel on my Cali Ocean.









As you can see the front half (front as in towards the front of the van) is proud of the bodywork by a good 1/4 inch. As you can also see, an Ikea pencil fits easily in the gap. (there is also a random pin-prick hole that appeared from nowhere on the front of the panel, but I digress...)

Now, this is not a new problem. I noticed this not long after I picked the van up and immediately informed the dealer. The gap has in my view got larger over the last few months. I've done almost 10,000 miles since collecting the van at the end of January this year. There is a pre-drilled hole in the bodywork almost where the ikea pencil is, as if the panel should have a ‘plug’ which slots into the hole. The panel is flat at the rear, no plug or similar.

The dealer has looked at it and told me (or at least the service engineer has) that a) its a warranty issue and b) its not an uncommon fault. He also said it will require a new panel. And, will take 2 days to fix as the kitchen has to be removed

This is a big worry to me as given that the kitchen is installed at the factory by a robot, I fail to see how a dealership can simply just remove it and then plop it back in, so to speak. Now, I have no issue thus far with the dealer, who was happy to fix it straight away (back in June) but I said I’d rather wait until the end of the summer as I had loads of trips booked up. This was deemed to be fine, and they await my call to book it back in.

My other issue is that the van is my daily driver, so I will need a courtesy vehicle whilst its being fixed. Is this reasonable to ask for given thats it’s a warranty issue? And, as the dealership is a 4hr round-trip from me, again, would it be unreasonable to ask that the Cali is collected, a courtesy car delivered and then returned and swapped once fixed?

Anyone else had this problem?

Thanks in advance peeps....

 

[PudnBob]

Afternoon all

Please see the images below of the exterior water/hook-up panel on my Cali Ocean.

View attachment 25670

View attachment 25671

View attachment 25672

View attachment 25673

As you can see the front half (front as in towards the front of the van) is proud of the bodywork by a good 1/4 inch. As you can also see, an Ikea pencil fits easily in the gap. (there is also a random pin-prick hole that appeared from nowhere on the front of the panel, but I digress...)

Now, this is not a new problem. I noticed this not long after I picked the van up and immediately informed the dealer. The gap has in my view got larger over the last few months. I've done almost 10,000 miles since collecting the van at the end of January this year. There is a pre-drilled hole in the bodywork almost where the ikea pencil is, as if the panel should have a ‘plug’ which slots into the hole. The panel is flat at the rear, no plug or similar.

The dealer has looked at it and told me (or at least the service engineer has) that a) its a warranty issue and b) its not an uncommon fault. He also said it will require a new panel. And, will take 2 days to fix as the kitchen has to be removed

This is a big worry to me as given that the kitchen is installed at the factory by a robot, I fail to see how a dealership can simply just remove it and then plop it back in, so to speak. Now, I have no issue thus far with the dealer, who was happy to fix it straight away (back in June) but I said I’d rather wait until the end of the summer as I had loads of trips booked up. This was deemed to be fine, and they await my call to book it back in.

My other issue is that the van is my daily driver, so I will need a courtesy vehicle whilst its being fixed. Is this reasonable to ask for given thats it’s a warranty issue? And, as the dealership is a 4hr round-trip from me, again, would it be unreasonable to ask that the Cali is collected, a courtesy car delivered and then returned and swapped once fixed?

Anyone else had this problem?

Thanks in advance peeps....

Just been out to check ours which is a 17 reg but an 18 model. No pin hole and it's flush.
When we spoke to our dealer about any problems and or servicing etc in the future he assured us that we would have a courtesy car for as long as the job took as it's my daily drive too.
They also offered to have it delivered but as we were trading a car in as part of the finance we drove it to them and ours is a 4 hour is round trip too.
When we thought we had an issue and they thought it may take a couple of days to sort they offered to organise and have a dealer closer to us sort it so that we didn't have to do lots of driving back and forth! Hope that helps

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Just been out to check ours which is a 17 reg but an 18 model. No pin hole and it's flush.
When we spoke to our dealer about any problems and or servicing etc in the future he assured us that we would have a courtesy car for as long as the job took as it's my daily drive too.
They also offered to have it delivered but as we were trading a car in as part of the finance we drove it to them and ours is a 4 hour is round trip too.
When we thought we had an issue and they thought it may take a couple of days to sort they offered to organise and have a dealer closer to us sort it so that we didn't have to do lots of driving back and forth! Hope that helps

Thanks PudnBob, I shall in that case pursue the collection and courtesy car issue then!

 

[Jabberwocky]

As far as I would be concerned a courtesy car should be a given! It's not as if the problem is of your making. Go for it!

 

[Andy]

Dont know about T6 but on T5 it only an hour or so to replace no kitchen out. Replaced it on my T5. There should be 4 securing screws behind hookup flap.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[JohnGuppy]

Can I ask have you had a tow bar fitted ? if so they have to remove this to gain access's to the wiring plug It does seem its not been fitted correctly and VW would have put this right on the production line and your dealer would have flagged this up on the PDI inspection

If your dealer removes the panel holding the 220v trip and takes out the cover over the gas bottle you can look right in behind
if you remove the screws under the 220v mains flap that slides out leaving a hole to get your hands in behind
Not sure how its fixed but I guess 4 studded threads with nuts if I remember a posting a few days ago to replace the whole flap on the water filler

this would have not left the factory like this , have you had a tow bar fitted or as I and many others have done is to drive away with the mains lead plugged in but this I am sure wont be owned up too

In any case if your dealer is any good an hour should see this repaired is not going to take days

Lastly if the person said it will take 2 days go somewhere else don't let them fob you off with kitchen removal

Looking at the pictures it seems its been pulled out of its fixing hence the pimples

Don't let anyone remove your kitchen you will be forever dealing with water leaks and rattles

 

[JohnGuppy]

PS mine is held on with 4 studs moulded in the plastic my guess is its been pulled back with the mains lead in hence the pimples if its been like it from new then its been done at the dealers

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Can I ask have you had a tow bar fitted ? if so they have to remove this to gain access's to the wiring plug It does seem its not been fitted correctly and VW would have put this right on the production line and your dealer would have flagged this up on the PDI inspection

If your dealer removes the panel holding the 220v trip and takes out the cover over the gas bottle you can look right in behind
if you remove the screws under the 220v mains flap that slides out leaving a hole to get your hands in behind
Not sure how its fixed but I guess 4 studded threads with nuts if I remember a posting a few days ago to replace the whole flap on the water filler

this would have not left the factory like this , have you had a tow bar fitted or as I and many others have done is to drive away with the mains lead plugged in but this I am sure wont be owned up too

In any case if your dealer is any good an hour should see this repaired is not going to take days

Lastly if the person said it will take 2 days go somewhere else don't let them fob you off with kitchen removal

Looking at the pictures it seems its been pulled out of its fixing hence the pimples

Don't let anyone remove your kitchen you will be forever dealing with water leaks and rattles

Thanks for the reply JP.

In answer to your points. Yes there is a towbar fitted, a removable one, fitted at the factory ‘at birth’.

And no, I haven't at any time driven off with the 240v cable still attached...

And I agree with you about the kitchen removal, I shall be resisting that particular suggestion most strongly!!

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Dont know about T6 but on T5 it only an hour or so to replace no kitchen out. Replaced it on my T5. There should be 4 securing screws behind hookup flap.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Thanks Andy, very useful. There are indeed 4 screws behind the hook-up flap, so I shall be discussing that option most definitely!

 

[jts46]

@Smiffy4bikes
The kitchen is installed at the factory by 2 humans (as visit to factory in April) not a robot, and the electrical and water filler can be removed with removing the kitchen, as said it should take between 1 - 2 hours max.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I'm afraid I agree with Grandad John about how this has likely to have happened.

The outer hookup plate is held on with four external screws under the electrical hook-up flap, as mentioned by Andy, but this is what you see outside. On the inside there are other fixings which are nuts. I am not sure how many there are but they screw onto plastic lugs which are part of the front plate. Please see link and look for item 32.

Edit: There are six nuts holding the front plate.

http://www.oemepc.com/vw/part_singl...bcategory/68030/part_id/3706722/lang/e#sec_32

It seems as though some force has pulled at least one plastic lug from behind the water fill side of the front plate. This would explain the "pin hole".

The big question is can it be replaced without kitchen/wardrobe removal? Hmmm......for me the jury is out. The "good" thing is that you are not the first to have this problem and nor will you be the last - Kitchen removal or not. My advice? Tell the dealer you have heard that the plate can be replaced without Kitchen upheaval which at least might get them to start asking questions. Good luck but please let us know how you get on.

 

[AlanC]

I had this problem on my T5. It is not a kitchen out job, but is a little fiddly and I did it myself.

The back of the plate is held with 4 Torx screws accessed from the outside under the 16 amp socket flap.

However, the front has two short plastic lugs that stick through to the interior of the body and are bolted in place inside using self tapping nuts. As the body curves gently, the plate has to be pulled in using these nuts which have to be tightened very carefully. If tightened to much the plastic lugs will twist off allowing the front of the plate to straighten and stick out from the body panel.

It shouldn't take the dealer more than a couple of hours to do, provided they don't follow the prescribed VW process.

I wrote about this back in 2014, here is the link.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ook-up-sticking-out-at-front.6988/#post-61240

Alan

 

[Jabberwocky]

I had this problem on my T5. It is not a kitchen out job, but is a little fiddly and I did it myself.

The back of the plate is held with 4 Torx screws accessed from the outside under the 16 amp socket flap.

However, the front has two short plastic lugs that stick through to the interior of the body and are bolted in place inside using self tapping nuts. As the body curves gently, the plate has to be pulled in using these nuts which have to be tightened very carefully. If tightened to much the plastic lugs will twist off allowing the front of the plate to straighten and stick out from the body panel.

It shouldn't take the dealer more than a couple of hours to do, provided they don't follow the prescribed VW process.

I wrote about this back in 2014, here is the link.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ook-up-sticking-out-at-front.6988/#post-61240

Alan

Great words Alan! The VAG/OEM data suggest there are now 6 self tap nuts - this may be an upgrade since 2010 but all the principals are the same, just slightly more fiddly than four.

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Right...

I’ve emailed the dealer with the images I took above and politely ‘suggested’ that I would like the panel to be replaced without the removal of the kitchen unit, under warranty.

I await their viewpoint!

I shall keep you all posted, and once again, thank you so much for all your helpful advice

 

[Verity]

I had a courtesy car (Caddy) during a warranty job, though I live fairly close by so went to the garage myself. When the service chap was briskly reading through the conditions for the loan, I pulled him up when he said the excess for any accident was a large figure (can't remember what the figure was now, but it was eye watering). I said I didn't want it if that were the case as it was too risky that I would have a little bump and end up with a very large bill. The service lady at the next desk who had a bit more experience quickly chirped in that I could pay a £12 waiver and this would be covered. In the circumstances I happily coughed up the £12, as a taxi fare home would've been more. Something to think about if you have a courtesy car.

 

[Jay20cali]

There's not a cat in hells chance I would let them take the kitchen out to do this job either ..if they are saying that's the case well they need to re design this hook up point as surly with it being plastic it's more prone to being broken also ?? Seems to me that vw should think about these sort of things when designing Californias,
Also
I'm not sure it having a factory towbar fitted, (at birth) would cause this as the van is built first in the vw factory with the towbar being done before it gets turned into a California??
Please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[Hotel California]

Sometimes i think some VW dealers have no clue at all on how a California is constructed. Realy a shame as they are such a popular verhicle and VW could probaly sell double the amount they do now if they want.
But guess selling millions other VAG cars with lease contracts brings in more money.

Hope they sort you out and don't let them remove the wardrobe to fix this !

 

[Jay20cali]

I had this problem on my T5. It is not a kitchen out job, but is a little fiddly and I did it myself.

The back of the plate is held with 4 Torx screws accessed from the outside under the 16 amp socket flap.

However, the front has two short plastic lugs that stick through to the interior of the body and are bolted in place inside using self tapping nuts. As the body curves gently, the plate has to be pulled in using these nuts which have to be tightened very carefully. If tightened to much the plastic lugs will twist off allowing the front of the plate to straighten and stick out from the body panel.

It shouldn't take the dealer more than a couple of hours to do, provided they don't follow the prescribed VW process.

I wrote about this back in 2014, here is the link.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ook-up-sticking-out-at-front.6988/#post-61240

Alan

Great post pal.
Probably did a better job than vw anyway in my experience if you can fix it fix it and learn from the experience also passing your information to others
Spot on well done .

 

[WelshGas]

Most Fully Comprehensive Insurances fully cover a Courtesy car whilst in your possession while your vehicle is being repaired. Anyway, there should be NO charges for a Warranty Repair. A loan car for a Service or out of Warrant Repair could be charged for if the garage really wants to alienate its customers.

 

[JohnGuppy]

If you have a good dealer they will lend you a "van " not a car for the time your vehicle is being repaired
I would be so bold as to say when you have this replaced it will show that if it has 4 self tapping nuts on it the plastic studs they screw into will be broken , in the case of my dealer he lent me a caddy van demo to drive into town for a couple of hours all I did was put £5 of fuel in it
If a dealer says he has to remove the kitchen run away and call another dealer and rate them 1star

When you find a good dealer , pop in now and again with a box of doughnut's say hi to the lads in the workshop it shows you care and is better than sitting in the car while better half goes in the supermarket
works both ways if you have a little job they will drop everything and try and help
then rate them 5 stars

 

[ArunAlec]

I think the " we will have to take the kitchen out " must be part of VW's training to dealers as a ploy to scare owners off when there's a job they don't fancy!
I was told my kitchen had to come out to investigate a window leak. I contacted VWCS hoping to talk to someone with some technical skill, so I could challenge them.. No chance!
The window was replaced without touching the kitchen.

 

[JohnGuppy]

Most dealers offer such bad aftersale service and talk to you as you don't have a clue in most cases posting for help on here will get your problem sorted then go to your dealer and tell him what you want done would you let someone with overalls and used to working on engines and gearboxes remove your kitchen and electrics. This is my grip. We are sold a van with a bed inside and mains and gas fitted none of this is checked after it leaves the factory not even on the psi inspection. This is poor service calling vw cs is just like calling a call centre they take details and tell you they have 48 hrs to call you back then never do even after you explain I've called you because of a problem and need to speak to someone now It's the same if the dealer calls them
Time to name and shame they unhelpful people

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

**Update**

Just had a call from the lovely Steve at SMG Cowfold.

Looks like there may have been a communication breakdown at some point as yippee, it's a 2-hr while-you-wait job, with NO kitchen removal.

Kitchen would have to come out if the water tank or similar needed replacing, but NOT just for the auxiliary panel.

Booked in already.

Happy days

 

[JohnGuppy]

Sorry seems my call jogged them into getting it sorted glad all ok glad all ok

 

[Smiffy4bikes]

Sorry seems my call jogged them into getting it sorted glad all ok glad all ok

I’m sure you had good intentions JG, however, if anyone needs to speak to the dealership about my van then it will be me, and only me

My post was to ask for advice, which as always, I got, and very good advice it was too.

I didn’t ask (or want) anyone calling the dealership for me. I’m quite capable of doing that all by myself, thank you