Sold the Beach.. in the market for a new SE.. questions!

[rippers]

I sold my Beach and now in the Market for a SE.

I think I have found one I want spec being

New but registered dec
180PS 4Motion DSG
Reflex Silver Metallic
Silver Awning
Privacy Glass with Heat Insulation
Wireless Internet
WLAN in Glovebox
Leather Multi-Function Steering Wheel
Alloy Spare Wheel
RNS510 Sat Nav
Comfort Mattress
Safe Box
Mud Flaps Front and Rear
Parking Sensors Front and Rear
3 Zone Climatic Aircon

It seems to have been specced without packs, it has everything I would want bar maybe DAB (I heard this can be added?) and towbar (which I could add later) but its brand new pre registered and nearly £10K off the asking price! I did fancy the similar spec one SMG have listed on ebay but they didn't come back to me with a deal (or even a follow up) although I have always found this with all VW dealers sadly.

Few basic questions about the SE

1. VW brochure seems to call the 'fridge' a cool/warm box in some sections and a fridge in others.. just how cold does it get? does it run of the leisure battery? and if not on hook up how long does it last before switching off? is it noisy/vibrate at night considering it being right next to the bed?
Reason I ask is we had the removable 'cool/warm box' in the Beach and because its effected by the ambient temperature it was useless in warm weather and didn't go very cold at all unless it was freezing outside!
So basically is it a proper fridge? or fancy 12v cool box?

2. This Van has the Wifi option (I wouldn't have selected it but I view it as a bonus!) It has a black aerial mounted at the front in the middle of the roof, I have never seen one before is this a uprated version or has the aerial always been there with this option? Can it run a 4G sim card?

3. For the 180 4motion DSG owners out there how juicy are your vans? I don't believe manufacturer MPG's

4. In the brochures they show the passenger captain seat swivelled at an angle, by Beach seats would only lock facing forward or back. The kitchen unit looks like it would be in the way of the seat if not angled? is this the case or just VW bending the truth in the brochure

5. Have VW stopped the roof bubbling on new models? my june 2013 beach never suffered from it

6. Can 180 4motions have the 30mm sportline springs fitted?

Cheers and look forward to going to more events this year.. are you guys going to Stanford hall again? that was great last year!

 

[snowy55]

My answer to q1
It's a proper fridge,some people have trouble with them freezing stuff if set to low.We have ran ours for 3 days in 30 c temps in southern Spain with only little voltage drop from the 2 leisure batteies whilst not on hookup. I'm a light sleeper and always sleep down stairs,there is a very slight hum but no rattles or clonks on start up or shut down so I don't find it intrusive. Hope this helps.

q4
The seats can be used any angle, they do lock 0 and 180 degrees and yes the passenger seat does leave very little room between the kitchen unit.


q5
My Jan 2014 has paint bubbling under the seal on the raising section of the roof.The fixed roof section had a build method change mid 2013 and mine appears to be OK so far.

 

[holliers]

Hi Rippers

Q2. I have the VW Wi-Fi, and I believe it is 3G only. Again, same as you, not something I would have necessarily spec'ed, but it was on the van. I picked up a free SIM from EE and I top up with £10 when required.

Cheers
Mark

 

[teeboy]

The fridge is the best thing the SE has over the Beach. I think I could live without wardrobes, sink and cooking, but the fridge is not only really good, but also massive.

Although if I did have a beach I would also need a hookup.

The seats only lock forward or directly backwards, but we often use ours unlocked (obviously not when moving). The passenger one is usable when facing directly backwards - especially if you slide it forwards (towards the dash)

Can't help with the 4WD or the Wifi stuff - I use my phone in hotspot mode, but I would hope that something with a built in aerial would get a better signal, which should help as most campsites are quite remote.

Hopefully the roof problem is sorted, but as it is nearly new you will have 6 years of protection.

 

[MCh1777]

4G - I use a 4G SIM which works fine but as far as I am aware it works in 3G only. Out of curiosity I have done a couple of speed tests and the fastest was 6mbit/sec. Doing the speed test in the same location using the SIM in my iPad (inside the van) the speed was much slower - I guess there is a significant benefit from using the aerial of the Cali WiFi system.

Fuel consumption - I haven't measured this at all accurately but my 180DSG 4-motion is definitely not doing the official 34mpg combined - more like 27 mpg I would guess.

 

[shambly]

3. For the 180 4motion DSG owners out there how juicy are your vans? I don't believe manufacturer MPG's

26-28 MPG typically.... creeps over 30 on long journeys...

 

[rippers]

Thanks for all the info guys, I decided against this Cali in the end but the info has helped me choose what we really want.

 

[GrannyJen]

I have just returned from Scotland.

2,100 miles of very difficult driving into some awesome crosswinds and headwinds, hilly terrain, low gear offroading... really as rubbish as it gets for fuel economy and my overall return was 30.9 mpg. The return trip, mostly A9 with lots of snow then M74-6-42-40-25, returned 34.8.