Sagging Roof bellows in hot weather - experiences

[WelshGas]

How do you get the drivers side one on if youve got the awning out?

Put it on before deploying the awning?

 

[Califan61]

There's lot's of posts on this one and a long one I created some time ago.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ng-bellows-roof-poptop-tpi.56210/#post-728126

Ours still sag too much for my liking and am thinking about having a new Hydraulic pump fitted. Apparently there is a new version of the pump in production now (I don't know when it hit production) but I'm keen to hear peoples experiences. It is rumoured there was a bad batch in late 2022 into 2023 so I'm keen to understand if any folks have the problem with T6.1s manufactured in 2024 or indeed T7s. I'm guessing they use the same pump, but only a guess.

Our Jan 24 Ocean has only experienced sacking once this summer and it was very hot and only to the point the fabric wasn’t as taught as normal, so only a minor issue. Any other use has been fine so I feel this is acceptable and is mentioned in handbook. I’m also happy to report no leaks from the 06S roof in a heavy downpour thunder storm

 

[sidepod]

Is it just hot weather that causes this?
We had 10 days in Austria last Christmas, warmest temp all trip was -5, coldest -13.
Roof sagged slightly after three days.

 

[WelshGas]

Is it just hot weather that causes this?
We had 10 days in Austria last Christmas, warmest temp all trip was -5, coldest -13.
Roof sagged slightly after three days.

It’s the temperature change that causes it.
At the higher temperature the hydraulic fluid expands the pressure goes up as the hydraulic rams containing the fluid don’t expand so much and so the excess pressure bleeds through a pressure relief valve. When the temperature drops the fluid contracts and the pressure drops so the rams will drop . That’s why the pump is supposed to re-pressurise the system at regular intervals once the pressure has dropped sufficiently.
Normally this occurs 10 hrs after Ignition off with roof up and thereafter on a regular basis only if there is sufficient pressure drop.

 

[myvanrodney]

It’s the temperature change that causes it.
At the higher temperature the hydraulic fluid expands the pressure goes up as the hydraulic rams containing the fluid don’t expand so much and so the excess pressure bleeds through a pressure relief valve. When the temperature drops the fluid contracts and the pressure drops so the rams will drop . That’s why the pump is supposed to re-pressurise the system at regular intervals once the pressure has dropped sufficiently.
Normally this occurs 10 hrs after Ignition off with roof up and thereafter on a regular basis only if there is sufficient pressure drop.

We get this too. I just resort to lowering the roof to the first stop (is the bed down prompt etc) and then press the open button. It's annoying, but not the end of the world. Your explanation helps me accept this. Thanks.

 

[sidepod]

That’s why the pump is supposed to re-pressurise the system at regular intervals once the pressure has dropped sufficiently.
Normally this occurs 10 hrs after Ignition off

I suspect there’s a caveat to this condition?
I always leave the keys in the ignition. At no point has the roof ever auto corrected.

 

[jaydisc]

09/2023 build: I had single side sag… the lights would stop being usable within 30 minutes of putting up the roof. VW "bled" it, and that has now nearly perfectly resolved it. The auto fix must be happening (haven't witnessed it, but have noticed corrections overnight), I never lose the lights any more, and only very rarely have unfixed sag, for which I just do the quick close it--a-CM, and open-it-back-up-again (a process I got very used to doing when I had bad sag), which sorts it right out.

 

[AliMcCali]

There's lot's of posts on this one and a long one I created some time ago.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ng-bellows-roof-poptop-tpi.56210/#post-728126

Ours still sag too much for my liking and am thinking about having a new Hydraulic pump fitted. Apparently there is a new version of the pump in production now (I don't know when it hit production) but I'm keen to hear peoples experiences. It is rumoured there was a bad batch in late 2022 into 2023 so I'm keen to understand if any folks have the problem with T6.1s manufactured in 2024 or indeed T7s. I'm guessing they use the same pump, but only a guess.

There's lot's of posts on this one and a long one I created some time ago.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ng-bellows-roof-poptop-tpi.56210/#post-728126

Ours still sag too much for my liking and am thinking about having a new Hydraulic pump fitted. Apparently there is a new version of the pump in production now (I don't know when it hit production) but I'm keen to hear peoples experiences. It is rumoured there was a bad batch in late 2022 into 2023 so I'm keen to understand if any folks have the problem with T6.1s manufactured in 2024 or indeed T7s. I'm guessing they use the same pump, but only a guess.

 

[AliMcCali]

I’m getting so fed up with this problem. We have an Ocean bought from VW Van Centre Birmingham, new in April 2022.

Our sagging roof has never been rectified despite a new pump being fitted in November 2023. The problem continued, but I can’t be bothered travelling in and out of Birmingham and being without it for days.

However in May/June 2025 after 5 weeks in Europe the roof needed pumping up daily, and sometimes twice daily, occurring in all weather types.

Taken back to VW Birmingham in July 25, guess what, after their test of 12 hours inside the workshop they report no fault.

Frustrated no doubt I’ll be returning it to them again. when we use the van later this month.

 

[AliMcCali]

Correction to previous post. 24 hours not 12…….,

I’m getting so fed up with this problem. We have an Ocean bought from VW Van Centre Birmingham, new in April 2022.

Our sagging roof has never been rectified despite a new pump being fitted in November 2023. The problem continued, but I can’t be bothered travelling in and out of Birmingham and being without it for days.

However in May/June 2025 after 5 weeks in Europe the roof needed pumping up daily, and sometimes twice daily, occurring in all weather types.

Taken back to VW Birmingham in July 25, guess what, after their test of 24 hours inside the workshop they report no fault.

Frustrated no doubt I’ll be returning it to them again. when we use the van later this month.

 

[DianeM]

There's lot's of posts on this one and a long one I created some time ago.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ng-bellows-roof-poptop-tpi.56210/#post-728126

Ours still sag too much for my liking and am thinking about having a new Hydraulic pump fitted. Apparently there is a new version of the pump in production now (I don't know when it hit production) but I'm keen to hear peoples experiences. It is rumoured there was a bad batch in late 2022 into 2023 so I'm keen to understand if any folks have the problem with T6.1s manufactured in 2024 or indeed T7s. I'm guessing they use the same pump, but only a guess.

We have a March 24 van and definitely experience this, previously owned a 2019 and had no issue like this, the 2019 once dropped slightly after a week but automatically corrected the 24 plate doesn’t auto correct we have to do it by lowering a bit then raising.

 

[Vinnie Van G]

There's lot's of posts on this one and a long one I created some time ago.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...ng-bellows-roof-poptop-tpi.56210/#post-728126

Ours still sag too much for my liking and am thinking about having a new Hydraulic pump fitted. Apparently there is a new version of the pump in production now (I don't know when it hit production) but I'm keen to hear peoples experiences. It is rumoured there was a bad batch in late 2022 into 2023 so I'm keen to understand if any folks have the problem with T6.1s manufactured in 2024 or indeed T7s. I'm guessing they use the same pump, but only a guess.

We have a June 2022 Ocean. After 3 days of warm weather the pop top sags & slightly more on the drivers side. Ignition on and select raise pop top again and it resolves the slight sag. Annoying. Haven’t ever taken it to VW to be checked though. Interested to know how people get on with dealers.

 

[Up10]

Perfect weather to test the fix!!!

The 10 hour re-pump is a bit temperamental. If you open the roof from closed at hour zero it will check at hour 10. If you manually raise the roof before 10 hours that definitely messes up the timer and it never checks again. I have a suspicion that turning on the ignition could also mess up the timer...

Testing the roof up today in 25 degs plus. Looked fine from the outside but when I got in, found we had sag on the passenger side

Will drop and test again tomorrow when we are forecast 30 degs so should sag quicker!! Then we are back to my favourite garage in Southampton if it doesn't behave itself.

So the saga continued for us.
We had the hydraulics bled 3 times and hoped the sag issue had gone away. However, we had a sag on the passenger side.
The workshop manager at Breeze, Southampton suggested I lowered and raised the roof twice which resulted in the roof sagging more equally on both sides so it went back this week for a roof test.
That resulted in the hydraulic pump being replaced.
I hope that concludes our issues, testing next week so will find out!
Ocean, 2024
Shout out to VW Breeze, Southampton who have been great.

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

So the saga continued for us.
We had the hydraulics bled 3 times and hoped the sag issue had gone away. However, we had a sag on the passenger side.
The workshop manager at Breeze, Southampton suggested I lowered and raised the roof twice which resulted in the roof sagging more equally on both sides so it went back this week for a roof test.
That resulted in the hydraulic pump being replaced.
I hope that concludes our issues, testing next week so will find out!
Ocean, 2024
Shout out to VW Breeze, Southampton who have been great.

Some decent weather to check it next week. Good result getting the pump replaced. May I ask how much it was sagging?