Roof Repair Question

[Bertie]

Hi, my California has just been returned from the repairer that VW use (Claridges of Southport) and I'm wondering if it is not as good a fit as before. The front cowl has been replaced and it looks slightly bigger than before and the gap much wider. Can any one take a photo of an repaired roof to allow me to compare please.

Many thanks,

Bertie

 

[pjm-84]

Looks a little large to me. Here mine (original factory placement),

Plus has the front been capped?

 

[Vantastic2]

Hello
Ours was repaired April 2017 and it is the same as your picture.
We were told VW repairers now fit a poly cap and I believe that is why it is higher.
Sorry but now the bad news, our cap came apart around this time last year and let in water, started near where I see on your picture and then travelled a long towards the middle, i used super glue and it stuck dn but now gone at another place so I have a tape stip where cap joins body. VW are a waste of time for help.
If I was you, inspect this regularly, it looks like when changes in temperature i.e a hot summer it can start lifting away and if yours do before the warrenty runs out you have a chance to get something done.

 

[Vantastic2]

# black Tape strip over the joint

 

[TripleBee]

Don't let them place that stupid cap.
They have to clear the surface from corrosion, repaint the original front spoiler (and roof) and that's it. Don't let them change anything.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Don't let them place that stupid cap.
They have to clear the surface from corrosion, repaint the original front spoiler (and roof) and that's it. Don't let them change anything.

It seems the OP's has already been done. He'll have to keep an eye on it to see that it stays stuck on. Mine didn't and had to go back, a year on and so far it's ok, but who knows for how long.

 

[TripleBee]

It seems the OP's has already been done. He'll have to keep an eye on it to see that it stays stuck on. Mine didn't and had to go back, a year on and so far it's ok, but who knows for how long.

I would get rid of that cap, and let them place a new front spoiler.
They did it on mine (without going through the hassle of that cap). For my OCD it's not a good idea of placing a new front spoiler and roof, but anything would be better than that cap.
The new front spoiler and roof are corroding again, and I have an appointment pending, but with the current situation, my van won't be recalled until further notice.

Too bad VW can't make things right the first time, and the second, and the third. Let's hope they have it right the fourth time (T6.1)? But I doubt that those 2 clear stickers on the front spoiler, under the roof rubber will prevent the spoiler from corroding any place else.

 

[Simon Slocombe]

Hi, my California has just been returned from the repairer that VW use (Claridges of Southport) and I'm wondering if it is not as good a fit as before. The front cowl has been replaced and it looks slightly bigger than before and the gap much wider. Can any one take a photo of an repaired roof to allow me to compare please.

Many thanks,

Bertie

View attachment 58307

Hi, Mine came back very similar to your picture, but it seemed ok.
Then 10 days before we were due to leave for France and Italy I noticed a humming noise, which gradually became worse. Took it to the dealer and they discovered that it had actually started to detach itself.
In the dealers defence (bearing in mind that they did not do the repair themselves) they organised a local bodyshop to do a temporary fix so we could have our holiday.
Upon our return I was put in touch with VW customer services, who in conjunction with my dealer, couldn't have been more helpful, arranging for a complete repair to the front section and also did the recall on the rear roof corrosion at the same time. All done to a far better standard than the original repairers.Good luck with getting it put right.

 

[Paul_W]

Ours had the cap repair before we purchased it, about 4 months after we purchased it we noticed it was coming detached on the passenger side, I brought a tube of supposedly the strongest adhesive in the world, used about half the adhesive (similar size to no more nails) and left it with buckets of sand on top for 72 hours so it could set. It worked but came loose again two weeks later. Took it back to VW as repair was within warranty period, eventually they agreed to repair again. 12 months later and all is ok. I’ll post you a picture tomorrow but I think that’s about what ours looks like. To be fair you never see it unless you’re washing the roof

 

[Vantastic2]

Ours is over due a major service, so if and when we all get back to normal might see what the dealer in Hereford can suggest,, told them last time but not really impressed with there service ,although I was told at that time the Nationwide Company that did the job are sacked ! and VW don't have many ' specialists ' to do this job around the Country ?
The warranty was a joke only for 1 year ,this cap came loose about a month or 2 later after 1 year. Desperate at the time with water pouring in when it rained I used NO Nails and taped the joint, it worked but in time it opens at another joint to lift. The cap should be taken off to do a proper glue fix job but not for me.
So 3 years later i don't think i will get anywhere.
Apart from putting up a brolly when we travel in the rain, not sure what else to do?

 

[Vantastic2]

Hi, Mine came back very similar to your picture, but it seemed ok.
Then 10 days before we were due to leave for France and Italy I noticed a humming noise, which gradually became worse. Took it to the dealer and they discovered that it had actually started to detach itself.
In the dealers defence (bearing in mind that they did not do the repair themselves) they organised a local bodyshop to do a temporary fix so we could have our holiday.
Upon our return I was put in touch with VW customer services, who in conjunction with my dealer, couldn't have been more helpful, arranging for a complete repair to the front section and also did the recall on the rear roof corrosion at the same time. All done to a far better standard than the original repairers.Good luck with getting it put right.

Do you no if they fiitted a poly cap ? if it is not flush and slightly raised then a poly cap is fitted over the original.

 

[Paul_W]

Ours is over due a major service, so if and when we all get back to normal might see what the dealer in Hereford can suggest,, told them last time but not really impressed with there service ,although I was told at that time the Nationwide Company that did the job are sacked ! and VW don't have many ' specialists ' to do this job around the Country ?
The warranty was a joke only for 1 year ,this cap came loose about a month or 2 later after 1 year. Desperate at the time with water pouring in when it rained I used NO Nails and taped the joint, it worked but in time it opens at another joint to lift. The cap should be taken off to do a proper glue fix job but not for me.
So 3 years later i don't think i will get anywhere.
Apart from putting up a brolly when we travel in the rain, not sure what else to do?

The warranty on the cap repair is not 1 year! This was disputed by this forum with VWCV UK and they agreed that the warranty be extended to the normal period that applies to any VW bodywork repair, which might be 3 years, I can’t remember off the top of my head. There is a copy of the letter from VWCV in the long roof repair thread on this forum. So get yourself a copy of the letter and contact VWCV customer service, this is what we did, it went in for inspection then was booked in for another repair under warranty. Think our original repair was 18 months old at this point. All has been good with ours since the second repair that was actually carried out by the local VW body shop not the third party repairer.

 

[Paul_W]

Hi, my California has just been returned from the repairer that VW use (Claridges of Southport) and I'm wondering if it is not as good a fit as before. The front cowl has been replaced and it looks slightly bigger than before and the gap much wider. Can any one take a photo of an repaired roof to allow me to compare please.

Many thanks,

Bertie

View attachment 58307

As promised, here’s ours, you can clearly see the cap over the original roof. Think yours looks fine.

 

[Paul_W]

Ours is over due a major service, so if and when we all get back to normal might see what the dealer in Hereford can suggest,, told them last time but not really impressed with there service ,although I was told at that time the Nationwide Company that did the job are sacked ! and VW don't have many ' specialists ' to do this job around the Country ?
The warranty was a joke only for 1 year ,this cap came loose about a month or 2 later after 1 year. Desperate at the time with water pouring in when it rained I used NO Nails and taped the joint, it worked but in time it opens at another joint to lift. The cap should be taken off to do a proper glue fix job but not for me.
So 3 years later i don't think i will get anywhere.
Apart from putting up a brolly when we travel in the rain, not sure what else to do?

Found the letter for you, as you will see the repair carries a three year warranty

 

[Bertie]

Thank you for the replies.

I have contacted the repairer and asked that the roof is adjusted forward such that the 'wiper' part of the seal correctly seals against the rear face of the cowl. This is the design intent for that type of seal.

It is a shame that VW have specified such an intrusive repair...

Bertie

 

[briwy]

I agree with TripleBee. Better to have it done by a local body shop even if it goes again in a few years. At least it wont leak water into the van like the plastic cap after a while. Ours has been in four times now since they fitted the cap which has leaked very badly. For info the front the original cap is removed and the rear part remains as it is a structural component.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi guys, sorry to hear some of the woes with repairs and failing bonded panels.

Sika (the chemical / building product manufacturer) do a product, in various colours that is an excellent all weather Exterior high strength adhesive/ filler, (it’s like mastic).

I have used it to glue the packing pieces in place, When fitting a plywood floor to a T5 Combi, it was strong enough to use wood screws to fix the plywood floor, there is no way you would get it off or separate two bonded surfaces without mechanically cutting the product.

It comes on cartridge format and is not very viscous, I found warning the product before application, makes it more viscous ( I.e you can get it out of the cartridge)
Not 100% sure what it was called (the converters use it for bonding everything that needs to stay fixed permanently).
This product is the same as the mastic type products car manufacturers use.

Warning, You must make sure that the two parts being bonded are in the correct position, they will not be coming apart again. (It stick like the proverbial Sh*t to a blanket)

The product may be Sika flex, but I cannot be 100% sure ( the package has a depiction of a broken roof tile being “glued together” amongst other depictions / uses.

Maybe some of the converters would care to confirm the product, but with a little reasearch it should be easy enough to find from builders merchants.

Hope that is of some use.

 

[Paul_W]

Hi guys, sorry to hear some of the woes with repairs and failing bonded panels.

Sika (the chemical / building product manufacturer) do a product, in various colours that is an excellent all weather Exterior high strength adhesive/ filler, (it’s like mastic).

I have used it to glue the packing pieces in place, When fitting a plywood floor to a T5 Combi, it was strong enough to use wood screws to fix the plywood floor, there is no way you would get it off or separate two bonded surfaces without mechanically cutting the product.

It comes on cartridge format and is not very viscous, I found warning the product before application, makes it more viscous ( I.e you can get it out of the cartridge)
Not 100% sure what it was called (the converters use it for bonding everything that needs to stay fixed permanently).
This product is the same as the mastic type products car manufacturers use.

Warning, You must make sure that the two parts being bonded are in the correct position, they will not be coming apart again. (It stick like the proverbial Sh*t to a blanket)

The product may be Sika flex, but I cannot be 100% sure ( the package has a depiction of a broken roof tile being “glued together” amongst other depictions / uses.

Maybe some of the converters would care to confirm the product, but with a little reasearch it should be easy enough to find from builders merchants.

Hope that is of some use.

I’m guessing this is the stuff, quite a few mentions in reviews of people fixing caravan and motor homes where panels have come loose. Seems to give a permanently flexible and water tight seal, just what that front panel needs, loads of colours as well which is helpful. Guess worth a try for someone with the issue who’s failed repair is outside the 3 year warranty period. I think the problem trying to do this yourself is keeping even pressure on the panel whilst it bonds.
I’ve seen pictures of the front panel being bonded in a VW repair facility and they remove the roof tent and use some specialist clamps along the full length of the panel and leave it for 24 - 48 hours.
Be good to get some feedback from anyone who has attempted this themselves.

Sika Sikaflex EBT+ All-Weather Sealant Grey 300ml - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. High strength construction adhesive. Fast curing time with powerful initial grab. Multipurpose and permanently elastic. Also suitable for joint sealing and filling. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

 

[Vagophile]

Sikaflex 512 is used by the trade; provides a permanent waterproof seal. If you want a seal that you can subsequently break use 710.

 

[ArunAlec]

I’m guessing this is the stuff, quite a few mentions in reviews of people fixing caravan and motor homes where panels have come loose. Seems to give a permanently flexible and water tight seal, just what that front panel needs, loads of colours as well which is helpful. Guess worth a try for someone with the issue who’s failed repair is outside the 3 year warranty period. I think the problem trying to do this yourself is keeping even pressure on the panel whilst it bonds.
I’ve seen pictures of the front panel being bonded in a VW repair facility and they remove the roof tent and use some specialist clamps along the full length of the panel and leave it for 24 - 48 hours.
Be good to get some feedback from anyone who has attempted this themselves.

Sika Sikaflex EBT+ All-Weather Sealant Grey 300ml - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. High strength construction adhesive. Fast curing time with powerful initial grab. Multipurpose and permanently elastic. Also suitable for joint sealing and filling. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

I recall that someone had issues with a leaky windscreen following a roof cap fitting. The clamps used were suction fixed to the screen and it was suspected that they had lifted the screen and broken the sealant bond.

 

[westfalia]

I would be careful what you seal up.

You might get trapped water in there.

 

[Vantastic2]

I would be careful what you seal up.

You might get trapped water in there.

It finds its way into the cab, sometimes water drops over the top of the gear stick Believe me it does !

 

[Vantastic2]

Found the letter for you, as you will see the repair carries a three year warranty

View attachment 58405

View attachment 58406

Thanks for your help, we are over the 3 year warranty now

 

[westfalia]

It finds its way into the cab, sometimes water drops over the top of the gear stick Believe me it does !

If you say its leaking in, then its leaking in.
All i was saying is that if you seal it up all around
and there is a point where water will get in
i.e. somewhere to do with the half existing original front panel, then
you could have water trapped in there.

Looking at the pictures of the way the seal is between the roof and the
front panel, that would be completely unacceptable for me. I could post
you a pic of my original seal but it wouldn't help you because im sure you
know how it looks.

Im sure this Cap remedy is only in the UK, whoever sanctioned it has got it
wrong.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Im sure this Cap remedy is only in the UK, whoever sanctioned it has got it
wrong.

I think it's everywhere. Mine was done in Spain after authorization from VW Germany.