Roof Bellows Warranty Work

[inthemidnighthour]

We picked up our new cali last week and found during the handover that there is a small hole in the canvas, it looks like it has probably caught in the roof mechanism as the roof has a very slight/ hardly noticeable small kink. Straight away the warranty process swung into action to replace the roof and bellows, albeit with a very long wait for the parts.
A week later i am now really concerned that replacing the roof will cause more problems in the long run , as the replacement job will never be as good as the original.
does anyone have any experience of having a new roof or bellows replaced ?
the pulling about of the vehicles trims etc now concerns me
The bellows will need to be replaced due to the hole and is there much pulling about just to replace the bellows? as thinking about leaving the roof.

not a very good start to california life

looking forward to your help as always

dave

 

[BerndRos]

Roof warranty work

I had a new roof and bellows for the same reason. The roof arrived from Germany within a few days, pre painted ( fresco green ) all fitted ok a year ago.

 

[CannellWalker]

Re: Roof warranty work

Glad you have got the chance to get it sorted under warranty. What would happen if it was found a month after taking ownership? Would it still be under warranty or would they say user error?

 

[Martin]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hi Dave

In an ideal world you would have a right to refuse the vehicle but obviously this could lead to an even longer delay, I totally understand what you mean about having the new roof fitted so soon and must be so frustrating. One thing I would say is to make sure the dealer has replaced a roof before or it might be worth travelling to another dealer that has more experience of california's.

Good luck with it and keep us all updated.

 

[Californiaman]

Re: Roof warranty work

I found a small dent in mine once I got it home. My handover was rubbish and thinking back, I was very much steered away from the area of the ding! (the sales person was sacked or at least left in very uncomfortable circumstances very soon after) I never bothered highlighting it - as I had images of loosing the van for weeks on end - they really were rubbish.

I've not had a roof canvas replaced, although I have heard of it being done and done well.

Perhaps, if the hole is insignificant and you have the canvas and the replacement work 'in the bag' you could agree with the dealer that you don't actually do it straight away? Perhaps get it done after a year or at the first service... or never if the hole isn't an issue and doesn't get worse.

 

[MickyBlue]

Re: Roof warranty work

We had ours replaced (roof & bellows) in a similar situation & time frame to yours by JCT600 in York, & you wouldn't know it from factory, they did a very good job. Albeit that as ours is a silver van the roof/bellows were in stock in the UK, so only a weeks wait.

Ours had the Iso-top incorrectly fitted (& the wrong one BTW) so when the salesman demo'd the roof at hand over one of the ribs in the bellows didn't fold in (it went out) & the bellows went through the scissor mechanism cutting a 3" gash in it, & cos the rib was sticking out it put a fold in the roof panel. :roll:

Needless to say we weren't impressed as we couldn't use the roof for a couple of weeks whilst parts arrived & were fitted, but we are quite happy now.

I think roof's & bellows' get replaced more than you might imagine, that was certainly not the 1st JCT have done by all accounts :roll:

 

[trenchfoot]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hmm this interests me what do you suppose happens to the removed roofs repaired under warrenty?

 

[MickyBlue]

Roof warranty work

Good question. I have absolutely no idea, but I do know the roof's come on some special pallet transport system which makes me think they go back to Milton Keynes.

Although they may just get 're-cycled'. If I remember I will ask next time I'm at the dealers.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

 

[inthemidnighthour]

Re: Roof warranty work

bit worried tonight
4 week old cali going in tomorrow for new roof and bellows ,
hope it is still as good as new when we get it back
will be going over it with a fine tooth comb when we get it back

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Re: Roof warranty work

Nothing to worry about with replacing either to be honest. We have replaced quite a few sets of bellows in and out of warranty. Can be done in a day without issue, but does hurt your thumbs when fitting the new ones. The metal roof is generally the part that causes the delay when ordering it.

cheers

 

[inthemidnighthour]

Re: Roof warranty work

thanks for the reply
has been changed with no problems
funnily the engineer told me his thumbs were sore
:boohoo

 

[glendower]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hi
I am a new member, and have joined to seek advice on the reliability of the roof mechanism. I had my roof replaced by Colbournes of Guildford- it took EIGHT WEEKS! and now, two weeks later, guess what-it has stuck on extension and folded the roof and rippled the whole roof panel. Am I alone, or is this a common problem?
Thanks
Rick

 

[Californiaman]

Re: Roof warranty work

Ouch!

I have certainly never heard of this before!

 

[Martin]

Roof warranty work

Sorry to hear about that Rick, it is the first time I have ever heard of this problem, what year is your Cali ? What do Colbournes say ?

 

[calikev]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hi it sounds to me like it hadn't been fitted properly. Most members have no problems at all
Infact one member used his roof bed for 13 months without any problems every night
In my experience if you are carefull when closing checking the canvas is folding inwards
They should be reliable

 

[Isa Neal]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hi I have had my Cali for 3 months I bought the vehicle new in Mayfrom Cardiff. There have been numerous problems since including the roof and SMG have just replaced the whole roof and bellows under warrantee. I went to Colbournes 12 months ago when I forst started to look for a Cali, I didn't buy from them as the Sales person was not knowledgeable aboughtvCalis , they also told me when taking the roof down only to open the drivers window. Since I have had numerous warrantee. Issues fixed at SMG Cowfold Alex there would prefer all roofs are put down with multiple windows and doors open in case there is a gust of wind which seems entirely logical.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Re: Roof warranty work

The worst bit about the whole process is fitting the bellows. I helped our master tech fit the bellows to speed the process up and my fingers on my left hand still hurt today :lol:

Best thing to do when closing the roof is to open the front doors, sliding door and tailgate in my opinion. Obviously not in a strong wind either.

Reference the other roof problem, it seems difficult to not fit it properly. The rear of the metal roof is held in with approximately 3 bolts either side and the front part of the roof slides in and out once the rear has been released. If the roof is not lined up properly in the first place then it would not close properly once it was fitted.

Give me a call if you want us to have a look at it

cheers

 

[Tdbaff]

Re: Roof warranty work

My 3 mth old van had Roof replaced because of small bulge on right hand side near scissor mechanism, after wait of 3 weeks!!
On inspection post repairs roof bellows cut by scissor mechanism, paint finish looks drab compared to rest of van colour not a full match. Sealant used, looks bad, 5 year old grandson could have done better!! Spare screws found under roof by scissor mechanism? Roof leans to one side and if held at the rear feels really loose, not correctly adjusted!
Not Happy!!!
I am currently waiting for VW response to replace van. There is obviously a quality issue with the roofs, prehaps Mr VW needs to go back to the drawing board or re-train its technicians!!
:headwall

 

[BerndRos]

Roof warranty work

I had my roof and bellows replaced due to same problem. Fresco Green and they got the roof pre painted from Germany. This was prior to my trip and it's held up very well having been raised maybe 300+ times....

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Re: Roof warranty work

The roof is not available in all available colours for the California. The one we have just done we had to get painted. Sent to a VW Approved Bodyshop and it is spot on. Could be that your roof doesn't look great if it came through one colour and had to be painted to match the van.

Reference replacing the van, it is not completely straight forward. You have to give them opportunity to repair the fault before you can reject it with the manufacturer. If it has been back countless times to rectify the same fault over and over then you have a good case for rejection.

Keep me posted on how you get on with it.

cheers

 

[mountainman]

Re: Roof warranty work

An interesting discussion. I am fairly certian that our roof and bellows were fine when we took delivery in February. Since then, we have managed to cut the bellows at the point where the roof supports cross in that very effective scissor action. It is a very small 2cm cut and I certainly won't be replacing the bellows for that as I am assuming VW would point to user error. Having said that, it is too easily done!

I would like advice though, on how best to repair a small tear. Also what does it cost to replace the bellows? DIY? or dealer? How easy a job is it to do yourself?

In the meantime, we are very much enjoying the van. It is a prefect companion for collecting those Scottish Munros.

On the dealership, we got ours in Aberdeen, Dyce. The dealer had the Berghaus edition in the showroom, which we bought, and a 4motion demonstrator. The sales people had not done the course and had really no idea about the heating, controls, electrics or electronics. In fact they had no idea about campers at all, being a commercial outlet with this as a new line for them. The sale guy I dealt with didn't even know that with the roof up, the bed could be raised for headroom. Lucky I had read a few reviews. It wil be a miracle if the demonstrator roof system survives the demonstrations!

 

[CaliforniaDAN]

Re: Roof warranty work

Hi

I had a similar problem that you described in same location on the bellows. My dealership replaced it with no hassle. In view of the poor lack of knowledge of the dealership staff about a California, I think you had a very good case for getting the bellows changed rather than a repair.

 

[Kaydee]

Re: Roof warranty work

bit worried tonight
4 week old cali going in tomorrow for new roof and bellows ,
hope it is still as good as new when we get it back
will be going over it with a fine tooth comb when we get it back

Hi ,new on the forum ,our Cali is two and a half years old, noticed a hole,told the dealer,new bellows ordered and fitted within a week ,looks as good as before ,very good job!didnt even have to ask for the job to be done,the moment I said hole they offered immediately with no further comment,stunning service.dont worry just get it done,they always say they will get their "master tech" to do the job,I tend to think that one good technician working on a vehicle at his own pace can easily do a better job than the original in many cases as he isn't rushed ,not working on a track .Have worked in the industry and that's just an opinion,

 

[Brisbees]

Re: Roof warranty work

I am hugely unimpressed by the service I just got from VW Customer Care.

Last week we were up on the Downs in Bristol, for the first bit of sunshine in a long while. My husband went to close the roof, with not just the window but the sliding door and hatch open as we know we are supposed to, and have done assiduously since we were briefed to do this when we picked the van up from the dealership in February. The mattress was sitting as it should and there was nothing left up there.

The bellows got caught and there is now a slice in them, and the roof is slightly dented. There was no wind, so that could not have caused the problem.

We took it into the VW van centre today who say they have seen this a lot. However they called the warranty people who say it can only be caused by operator error.

The Customer Care line gave me a robotic response, as though trying to catch me out. They present it as a fait accompli that it has to be operator error. I said we have mobile phone pictures after it had happened when the bellows just caught. They said these don't prove anything, they're not relevant, and then suggested we could doctor them or change the date. Their tone was extremely poor.

In addition to this our central control panel is broken (you have to push it with both thumbs to make it work). This is under warranty and will be replaced, but the fact that we have had to do stop start on pushing the button because it's so stiff may have contributed to the bellow problem?

I have to say that the Van Centre themselves have been fine, but I had to get really quite aggressive with Customer Care to get them to refer the case on. Very poor!

They now say somebody will get back to me in 48 hours..

Has anybody else had a similar experience?

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Re: Roof warranty work

Sorry to hear of this. VW need to make a stand as to how these issues are to be dealt with as at the moment it is very difficult. I wouldn't have thought that the faulty control panel would cause the issue. What does your handbook say about closing the roof and what should be open? We advise to open all the doors, windows, tailgate and sliding door as well as having the hatch open as well.

Be interested to see what they say when VWCS call you back.

cheers