daniel_thomason
Having owned my California Ocean from new since April 2022 and have used it on many occasions without any problem, I was horrified on my last trip at what happened to the roof.
I had already been made aware how fragile the roof assembly was on California's by the person handing the vehicle over to me upon collection from Liverpool Van centre. He told me that a £10 bungee would be the best money spent, and after doing research I decided that was the case. So I purchased and fitted one even before my first outing. I was also made aware of the importance of making sure windows or doors were open before lowering the roof. And without fail I have always done this.
On the 2nd February 2025 at around 10am, after one night staying at Meadow Springs Country and Leisure Park, we packed away our cali, doing the usual checks of making sure there was nothing left up in the pop-top before dropping the bed and lowering the roof. I was stood outside with the sliding door fully open and my wife lowered the roof using the overhead panel button. I watched the roof fully lower and my wife waited for the green tick on the panel to say that the roof had fully closed. All appeared successful and we set off. Important note: it was a calm day and we were sited on a level hardcore pitch.
Before we left the site, someone waved us down to say that the roof was not down properly. I immediately pulled over and to my horror, the passenger side of the roof was raised by around 150mm. And worst of all, there was a clear bend down the middle section of the roof. I cannot tell you how sick me and my wife felt.
We tentatively raised the roof back up, and I checked for any reason why it had become stuck. I noticed that the rear scissors mechanism had fouled on itself, therefore not allowing the back end to fully lower, and fighting against the front power mechanism, thus causing the bend in the middle.
As we were two hours from home, I decided that we should try and close the roof again (as usual ensuring the windows or door was open) to get home in order to get over this ordeal.
Once home, I raised the roof once more (with the usual checks) to try and identify the reason and take photographs (see attached). My only thought is, thank goodness I purchased a VW California and the manufacturers warranty which goes with it. Why else pay all that money??
On Monday the 3rd Feb I phoned up the service team at Liverpool Van Centre and told them what had happened. They seemed extremely sympathetic and said I could bring it in and leave it with them for their California specialist to look at. I dropped it off on 8th Feb and on the following Monday morning I had a phone call to say that their technician had said that the bellows had been trapped in the mechanism and that basically it was my fault and therefore not covered by the warranty.
I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked to speak to the technician directly, who basically suggested it was mis-use. I got absolutely nowhere.
My blood was boiling. We had followed all the guidelines when lowering the roof, and the weather conditions were perfect. WHAT MORE COULD WE HAVE DONE??
On the 10th Feb I contacted VW customer care who again were extremely sympathetic and said that they would liaise with the van centre to resolve the situation. Since then we have been back and forth on calls, with VW and Swansway basically calling me a liar. Their word against mine - them suggesting mis-use and me saying we did everything we should.
The latest situation with VW customer care is that they are recommending that I take the van to another VW van centre and get a second opinion. But I get the feeling this will be a total waste of time and effort.
Whilst being in this mess, I obviously have done some online searching. I did find a post on https://thevwcalifornia.com/buying-a-volkswagen-california/ suggesting
"Check that the roof is in alignment when raised, and look for any signs of damage on the canvas, especially behind the metal “scissor” mechanism at the rear sides of the pop top.
There is an area; a type of band or spine that naturally folds inwards when the roof is lowered, and if the canvas has been caught this is usually the place where damage occurs. This is the result of user error and failure to observe the roof bellows closing inwards especially in windy conditions. This is not uncommon, so if there is any damage assess whether you can live with it or not; the damage is usually minimal in this section and only usually affects the outside."
AND
"Look down the profile of the roof sides to check for any kinks or bends. A small kink can indicate the canvas has been trapped regardless of whether damage has been done to the canvas or not. It could also be that someone has closed the roof with bedding or objects still in the top. Most people are happy to live with a small amount of kinking, so it is up to you to decide if this is an issue or whether it has been reflected in the purchase price."
SO - my ultimate question to this forum is: Am I being unreasonable expecting VW to fix this under warranty? After all, we followed all guidelines when lowering the roof. The sliding door was fully open, the bed was down, there was nothing left up-top and the weather was an extremely calm day.
I am at a total loss. At this point I feel the van is not fit-for-use. And so much for the false-security of having a manufacture warranty.
I regret the day I ever purchased it.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
I had already been made aware how fragile the roof assembly was on California's by the person handing the vehicle over to me upon collection from Liverpool Van centre. He told me that a £10 bungee would be the best money spent, and after doing research I decided that was the case. So I purchased and fitted one even before my first outing. I was also made aware of the importance of making sure windows or doors were open before lowering the roof. And without fail I have always done this.
On the 2nd February 2025 at around 10am, after one night staying at Meadow Springs Country and Leisure Park, we packed away our cali, doing the usual checks of making sure there was nothing left up in the pop-top before dropping the bed and lowering the roof. I was stood outside with the sliding door fully open and my wife lowered the roof using the overhead panel button. I watched the roof fully lower and my wife waited for the green tick on the panel to say that the roof had fully closed. All appeared successful and we set off. Important note: it was a calm day and we were sited on a level hardcore pitch.
Before we left the site, someone waved us down to say that the roof was not down properly. I immediately pulled over and to my horror, the passenger side of the roof was raised by around 150mm. And worst of all, there was a clear bend down the middle section of the roof. I cannot tell you how sick me and my wife felt.
We tentatively raised the roof back up, and I checked for any reason why it had become stuck. I noticed that the rear scissors mechanism had fouled on itself, therefore not allowing the back end to fully lower, and fighting against the front power mechanism, thus causing the bend in the middle.
As we were two hours from home, I decided that we should try and close the roof again (as usual ensuring the windows or door was open) to get home in order to get over this ordeal.
Once home, I raised the roof once more (with the usual checks) to try and identify the reason and take photographs (see attached). My only thought is, thank goodness I purchased a VW California and the manufacturers warranty which goes with it. Why else pay all that money??
On Monday the 3rd Feb I phoned up the service team at Liverpool Van Centre and told them what had happened. They seemed extremely sympathetic and said I could bring it in and leave it with them for their California specialist to look at. I dropped it off on 8th Feb and on the following Monday morning I had a phone call to say that their technician had said that the bellows had been trapped in the mechanism and that basically it was my fault and therefore not covered by the warranty.
I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked to speak to the technician directly, who basically suggested it was mis-use. I got absolutely nowhere.
My blood was boiling. We had followed all the guidelines when lowering the roof, and the weather conditions were perfect. WHAT MORE COULD WE HAVE DONE??
On the 10th Feb I contacted VW customer care who again were extremely sympathetic and said that they would liaise with the van centre to resolve the situation. Since then we have been back and forth on calls, with VW and Swansway basically calling me a liar. Their word against mine - them suggesting mis-use and me saying we did everything we should.
The latest situation with VW customer care is that they are recommending that I take the van to another VW van centre and get a second opinion. But I get the feeling this will be a total waste of time and effort.
Whilst being in this mess, I obviously have done some online searching. I did find a post on https://thevwcalifornia.com/buying-a-volkswagen-california/ suggesting
"Check that the roof is in alignment when raised, and look for any signs of damage on the canvas, especially behind the metal “scissor” mechanism at the rear sides of the pop top.
There is an area; a type of band or spine that naturally folds inwards when the roof is lowered, and if the canvas has been caught this is usually the place where damage occurs. This is the result of user error and failure to observe the roof bellows closing inwards especially in windy conditions. This is not uncommon, so if there is any damage assess whether you can live with it or not; the damage is usually minimal in this section and only usually affects the outside."
AND
"Look down the profile of the roof sides to check for any kinks or bends. A small kink can indicate the canvas has been trapped regardless of whether damage has been done to the canvas or not. It could also be that someone has closed the roof with bedding or objects still in the top. Most people are happy to live with a small amount of kinking, so it is up to you to decide if this is an issue or whether it has been reflected in the purchase price."
SO - my ultimate question to this forum is: Am I being unreasonable expecting VW to fix this under warranty? After all, we followed all guidelines when lowering the roof. The sliding door was fully open, the bed was down, there was nothing left up-top and the weather was an extremely calm day.
I am at a total loss. At this point I feel the van is not fit-for-use. And so much for the false-security of having a manufacture warranty.
I regret the day I ever purchased it.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
