VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[Ryemslie]

I'm currently considering buying a 2008 California se. The front panel has the bubbling around the top line of the front window. I see the paint warranty has been and gone but am I right in saying the corrosion warranty is twelve years? Has anyone had the front panel repaired out with the warranty by an independent garage & what were the costs to do so? The Cali I'm looking at is a fair price because the owner has considered the cost of repair but I'm finding it difficult to gauge the costs involved to do so.

 

[xvdave]

Hi All,
I received a call on 29th September from a firm called Claridges telling me they were ringing to book my Cali in for a repair. At first I was suspicious that this was a scam call. I had reported the corrosion to my roof over 2 years ago and having heard nothing from VW since had totally forgotten about it.. They told me that the appointment was for 10th January 2018 and that I would have take my Cali to my nearest dealer and leave it there. I have since looked Claridges up and they are a body repair outfit in Southport. A bit more communication from VW would have been great.!

I live in Southport. Claridges sprayed my side door after it was thoughtlessly scratched. Whilst I was there they proudly showed me work they were doing on other California's. They had an excellent attitude and I am sure they will do a good job.
In fact if I have any sign of corrosion I will take it there straight away, at my expense, so it dosen't get out of hand. I'll take my chances with VW after.

 

[Meoncoast]

I thought VW collected your Cali on a low loader and left you a loan Cali?

those were the days

picked up
full new Cali for time of repair
all front section taken off and replaced
new bellows
van dropped back home

 

[ArunAlec]

I'm currently considering buying a 2008 California se. The front panel has the bubbling around the top line of the front window. I see the paint warranty has been and gone but am I right in saying the corrosion warranty is twelve years? Has anyone had the front panel repaired out with the warranty by an independent garage & what were the costs to do so? The Cali I'm looking at is a fair price because the owner has considered the cost of repair but I'm finding it difficult to gauge the costs involved to do so.

The warranty that the roof corrosion is covered by is only 3 years BUT for the T5 it was extended to 6 years. I think the 12 years refers to holes in panels etc rather than cosmetic.

 

[Tom Rae]

My repair was approved on 22 June 2015 (July 2009 T5), collected on low loader on Monday 2nd October 2017 no replacement vehicle of any type was requested or offered. I was told it would take two weeks but had a phone call this week from the bodyshop doing the repair and they are awaiting VW approval for some work and will update me on Thursday, (tomorrow). Hardly confidence inspiring but it will be good to get it finally resolved - for me anyway.

 

[Tom Rae]

Now there's a surprise, no update as promised :-(

 

[leightonjthomas]

Just bought a new Cali, born in July '17, so hoping that VW have solved the issue prior to mine being built but I won't be holding my breath. Mine will sit used for periods so have bought a cover for it but I guess moisture between the roof panels of differing metals will still be present thus still having the potential for galvanic corrosion so intend on inspecting regularly. Talking to someone at work this problem has been solved in the manufacture of Yacht masts by using a silicon based material I believe between the metals but I am no expert and I would have thought that the great minds at VW will have investigated all options???

If only........

 

[sbmcd]

If anyone else has had their T5 elevating roof repaired recently and it has not started blistering again (it will), you could consider fitting the protective tape VW having been fitting to T6 roofs since end of 2016. At only £35.60 for 4 rolls of 25 mm wide 3 meter long 3M 8671HS tape is has got to be worth a try, (only 8 m needed for the job).

I will certainly be fitting the tape and filling seal with silicon grease before refitting on my T5 when I get it back from the bodyshop. The protective tape will provide an extra protective and insulation barrier, and the silicon should fill any voids and prevent the water (electrolyte) ponding in the U shaped seal.

 

[WelshGas]

If anyone else has had their T5 elevating roof repaired recently and it has not started blistering again (it will), you could consider fitting the protective tape VW having been fitting to T6 roofs since end of 2016. At only £35.60 for 4 rolls of 25 mm wide 3 meter long 3M 8671HS tape is has got to be worth a try, (only 8 m needed for the job).

I will certainly be fitting the tape and filling seal with silicon grease before refitting on my T5 when I get it back from the bodyshop. The protective tape will provide an extra protective and insulation barrier, and the silicon should fill any voids and prevent the water (electrolyte) ponding in the U shaped seal.

I would be very surprised if the seal would stay On, if filled with Silicon Grease, as the Seal can stick to the roof due to residual dirt/ tree sap etc: so there is a significant pulling force on it. I hope it works OK for you.

 

[leightonjthomas]

If anyone else has had their T5 elevating roof repaired recently and it has not started blistering again (it will), you could consider fitting the protective tape VW having been fitting to T6 roofs since end of 2016. At only £35.60 for 4 rolls of 25 mm wide 3 meter long 3M 8671HS tape is has got to be worth a try, (only 8 m needed for the job).

I will certainly be fitting the tape and filling seal with silicon grease before refitting on my T5 when I get it back from the bodyshop. The protective tape will provide an extra protective and insulation barrier, and the silicon should fill any voids and prevent the water (electrolyte) ponding in the U shaped seal.

I genuinely admire your initiative and expertise but my concerns are
a) I do not feel sufficiently confident that I could do a professional job that would stand the test of time i.e. prevent the problem recurring, and
b) I would worry that the roof warranty, which VWCV assure me has been extended through goodwill, to six years, would be cancelled due to my amateur efforts.
Having said that I have no confidence that the problem will have been fixed when it returns from its forthcoming second visit to Marshalls within the space of three months, as it seems they have no intention of utilising the protective tape that has been employed successfully on recent T6s in the factory.

 

[Loz]

Just bought a new Cali, born in July '17, so hoping that VW have solved the issue prior to mine being built but I won't be holding my breath. Mine will sit used for periods so have bought a cover for it but I guess moisture between the roof panels of differing metals will still be present thus still having the potential for galvanic corrosion so intend on inspecting regularly. Talking to someone at work this problem has been solved in the manufacture of Yacht masts by using a silicon based material I believe between the metals but I am no expert and I would have thought that the great minds at VW will have investigated all options???

Hi Mark, this post should be in a different topic (The T6 roof discussion area) I'll ask the mods to move it for you.

 

[leightonjthomas]

Hi Mark, this post should be in a different topic (The T6 roof discussion area) I'll ask the mods to move it for you.

Except that it is exactly the same problem that is affecting T5s, which is why I'm posting on both threads and repeating (needlessly) my experiences, as presumably a lot of T5 owners will not read the T6 thread, and vice versa.

 

[Loz]

Whatever

 

[leightonjthomas]

Whatever

Sorry. I didn’t mean to be awkward. What you are suggesting makes sense but there is some really useful information being posted on two separate threads about an identical problem and I think that some people may be missing it. I’m not sure what the answer is.

 

[Tom Rae]

Well I have it back and apart from some grubby hand prints it looks fine but time will tell. I certainly hope it is the end of that sorry chapter.

 

[sbmcd]

I would be very surprised if the seal would stay On, if filled with Silicon Grease, as the Seal can stick to the roof due to residual dirt/ tree sap etc: so there is a significant pulling force on it. I hope it works OK for you.

Time will tell.

 

[sbmcd]

I would be very surprised if the seal would stay On, if filled with Silicon Grease, as the Seal can stick to the roof due to residual dirt/ tree sap etc: so there is a significant pulling force on it. I hope it works OK for you.

I had considered silicon sealant but I wanted to be able to take the seal off to inspect it, it would however keep the water out and hold the seal in place.

 

[sbmcd]

Well I have it back and apart from some grubby hand prints it looks fine but time will tell. I certainly hope it is the end of that sorry chapter.

I hope so, but the history of these repairs is not good.

 

[Lloydfred]

Hi I have just purchased a 2010 Cali with two small bubbles (size of 10p) to the front section of the roof. Sorry I. Sure this has been covered but this thread is 179 pages long.

Am I correct in as much as VW no longer address this issue?

If not can anyone let me know of how much the work costs privately and best people to look at it in the South East. I'd like to get it seem to before it gets out of control.

Thanks in advance

 

[WelshGas]

Hi I have just purchased a 2010 Cali with two small bubbles (size of 10p) to the front section of the roof. Sorry I. Sure this has been covered but this thread is 179 pages long.

Am I correct in as much as VW no longer address this issue?

If not can anyone let me know of how much the work costs privately and best people to look at it in the South East. I'd like to get it seem to before it gets out of control.

Thanks in advance

This is Galvanic Corrosion, not structural purely cosmetic. VW extended the warranty for this to 6 years. The original repair was to replace the panel costing over £4000 . The new repair consists of some remedial work and covering the panel with a plastic cap, effectively covering any recurrence.
If it was my vehicle I would find a good body shop that possibly specialises in classic cars etc . Use a zinc rich primer and it should last another 6+ years at a fraction of the cost.

 

[sbmcd]

Picked up my van today from VW van centre in Loanhead near Edinburgh, neat job carried out by VW Audi body shop at Hillington Glasgow, van returned spotless and original bellows all fitted correctly.

However, my plans to fit the protection tape have been scuppered by VW bonding the new roof seal to the roof making it impossible to remove. I asked why the roof seal had been bonded to the roof, the lady doing the handover contacted the VW body shop and was told this is now part of the VW repair procedure in order to prevent water ingress. They also advised fitting a new roof seal was part of the procedure.

I do see some merit in bonding the seal if it does in fact prevent water ingress, it also of course prevents any future inspection of the area below the seal avoiding any further warranty claims on the repair.

Can anyone who has had their roof repaired recently check to see if their seal has also been bonded?

 

[leightonjthomas]

Picked up my van today from VW van centre in Loanhead near Edinburgh, neat job carried out by VW Audi body shop at Hillington Glasgow, van returned spotless and original bellows all fitted correctly.

However, my plans to fit the protection tape have been scuppered by VW bonding the new roof seal to the roof making it impossible to remove. I asked why the roof seal had been bonded to the roof, the lady doing the handover contacted the VW body shop and was told this is now part of the VW repair procedure in order to prevent water ingress. They also advised fitting a new roof seal was part of the procedure.

I do see some merit in bonding the seal if it does in fact prevent water ingress, it also of course prevents any future inspection of the area below the seal avoiding any further warranty claims on the repair.

Can anyone who has had their roof repaired recently check to see if their seal has also been bonded?

That is really interesting. I’ll let you know how I get on with mine next month.

 

[DGM]

Picked up my van today from VW van centre in Loanhead near Edinburgh, neat job carried out by VW Audi body shop at Hillington Glasgow, van returned spotless and original bellows all fitted correctly.

However, my plans to fit the protection tape have been scuppered by VW bonding the new roof seal to the roof making it impossible to remove. I asked why the roof seal had been bonded to the roof, the lady doing the handover contacted the VW body shop and was told this is now part of the VW repair procedure in order to prevent water ingress. They also advised fitting a new roof seal was part of the procedure.

I do see some merit in bonding the seal if it does in fact prevent water ingress, it also of course prevents any future inspection of the area below the seal avoiding any further warranty claims on the repair.

Can anyone who has had their roof repaired recently check to see if their seal has also been bonded?

I'll have a look tonight, I had the repair carried out at the same garage, they did a good job.
The bonding may well do away with the water ingress problem if done correctly.
Cheers

 

[RonB]

Picked up my van today from VW van centre in Loanhead near Edinburgh, neat job carried out by VW Audi body shop at Hillington Glasgow, van returned spotless and original bellows all fitted correctly.

However, my plans to fit the protection tape have been scuppered by VW bonding the new roof seal to the roof making it impossible to remove. I asked why the roof seal had been bonded to the roof, the lady doing the handover contacted the VW body shop and was told this is now part of the VW repair procedure in order to prevent water ingress. They also advised fitting a new roof seal was part of the procedure.

I do see some merit in bonding the seal if it does in fact prevent water ingress, it also of course prevents any future inspection of the area below the seal avoiding any further warranty claims on the repair.

Can anyone who has had their roof repaired recently check to see if their seal has also been bonded?

I had my roof repaired/resprayed 18 months ago by VW Kirkcaldy, van spotless and bellows correctly replaced, but with new rubber seal bonded on. That appears to be the standard repair procedure.

 

[leightonjthomas]

I had my roof repaired/resprayed 18 months ago by VW Kirkcaldy, van spotless and bellows correctly replaced, but with new rubber seal bonded on. That appears to be the standard repair procedure.

Mine was done in August and the seal was definitely not bonded on, so not standardised yet.