The big day

[Crookedtooth]

Hi all,
my better half and I have been renting VW buses for holidays over the last two years. A week or two here and there. All around Europe. She had a VW in her 20‘s, and being German, camping holidays for her are normal. As a transplanted American from an urban area, holidays were not spent in nature. But after the last two years I caught the bug. And after much deliberation, have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. Tomorrow we are going to pick up a used automatic T5 from 2011. As everyone here would expect We have done as much research as we can (At least for two people who don’t know “car” stuff), but we remain nervous about spending so much money. As we just had our first child about a year ago, and this will serve as our ”everyday” car as well, as keeping a second car isn’t feasible/sensible. secretly lurking on the forums has helped tremendously in helping us to move ahead with the purchase. But still.....
I’m sure you know what I mean. ;-P

Anyway, excited to have found this forum. Sorry about the long and rambling post. Combo too much coffee and nerves.

 

[tuono001]

It will be one of the best buys you make. Many happy memories to come for you and your family.

 

[Swissian]

Excellent. You’ll love it and it functions as a great everyday car also.
Welcome to the forum

 

[sapto]

Welcome here
Also a family with a 2years old here and enjoying every trip in our van.
Do not forget to post some picsHappy camping!

 

[kurienp]

Congratulations and Welcome. Happy Days indeed. The weekend impromptu getaways will become a habit now A very good habit.

One of the best tools to create many happy memories for the little one.

enjoy.

 

[ThomasHJ]

Hi all,
my better half and I have been renting VW buses for holidays over the last two years. A week or two here and there. All around Europe. She had a VW in her 20‘s, and being German, camping holidays for her are normal. As a transplanted American from an urban area, holidays were not spent in nature. But after the last two years I caught the bug. And after much deliberation, have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. Tomorrow we are going to pick up a used automatic T5 from 2011. As everyone here would expect We have done as much research as we can (At least for two people who don’t know “car” stuff), but we remain nervous about spending so much money. As we just had our first child about a year ago, and this will serve as our ”everyday” car as well, as keeping a second car isn’t feasible/sensible. secretly lurking on the forums has helped tremendously in helping us to move ahead with the purchase. But still.....
I’m sure you know what I mean. ;-P

Anyway, excited to have found this forum. Sorry about the long and rambling post. Combo too much coffee and nerves.

Congrats! You're gonna have so much fun! Especially with small kid(s). Coincidentally ours is a 2011 T5 as well!

 

[Perfectos]

Hi Crookedtooth


Congrats you made a great decision and will make some great memories.

“Tomorrow” is today, have you got the new addition to the family yet ?

Post a couple of photos to show off your new pride and joy

 

[Karlos]

Hope you have some great adventures.

 

[Crookedtooth]

Hey all. Thanks for the warm welcome. The entire thing was the a disaster. As it is, many of the available californias are (or appear to be) is the southern portion of the country. As a non native I have no idea why this would be. Regardless, we traveled quite a distance to see the vehicle With our 11 month old. Long story short: The dealer (NOT an official VW dealer) was a snake oil salesman. The one we had our eyes on, he wouldn’t allow us to take it to be checked by a mechanic. He did let us take another one (which was our second choice) To be checked. Truth be told, at this point we knew that we wouldn’t buy anything from this dealer. Turns out the vehicle had been in an accident on the kitchen side (not disclosed) the automatic transmission was in need of repair (I’m sure everyone knows how costly that could be) . The me handicap warned us to stay away, which we already knew.
As fate would have it, we came across one that is from 2013, automatic, very low mileage, directly from a VW dealer. So we have our fingers crossed. The last experience has put us off somewhat.
again, thanks for the warm welcome. Will circle back here. Happy to have found this site.

 

[Perfectos]

Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people out there, no matter what industry.

Glad you dodge a bullet, but I’m sure a Cali with your name on it is out there.

Don’t give up at the first Hurdle, I was looking for a couple of years, budget spec etc are hard to marry up, but not impossible

Good luck, I look forward to a happier report next time.

 

[AlisonF]

Sounds like a lucky escape. Fingers crossed for a better experience next time...

 

[Crookedtooth]

So just got back from abother long trip. This time to a VW Dealer, with fairly good reviews. the Model in particular is an Automatic California T5 2013 with just about 25,000 miles on it. The previous Owner was a retiree who purchased this vehicle from the same dealer we visited. The widow apparently sold it back to the dealer. Having said that, the car was immaculate. Very nicely kept, and obviously not often used. However (always something) during our test drive, the power steering failed, the battery light came on and the air conditioning went out. the dealer immediately put it into their shop to be fixed. And assured us they will handle the issue.
I have seen that this is an issue for some, and read through some of the threads here. Which is starting to make me worried.
i guess my question is - should we walk away from this? Or, as we are purchasing from VW, does the warranty, provide enough protection in case this is a larger issue.
The price (35k euros) for a California in this condition seems more than fair for the condition and mileage, as it is practically new.
any thoughts or suggestions at this point would be very much appreciated. We are trying to be positive.

 

[Paulro]

Firstly, I believe you are making a life enhancing decision and one that you’ll enjoy for many years to come.
They will be members on the forum that are much more qualified than myself to comment on your situation.
I’d want to see the VW parts used and invoices and if it has been repaired correctly and having done your research, you are happy that the price is about right, then you might have found your California.
“Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince”. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t buy.
look at the mileage and make sure it checks with the service history and test certificates.
Do your checks and if it feels right, do it...but.
Always remember, there will be others.
Good luck. We are missing greatly our annual trip to France then France again followed by a journey through France and Spain ending in the Algarve.
Stay positive and you go with our best wishes.

 

[john eagle]

Hi all,
my better half and I have been renting VW buses for holidays over the last two years. A week or two here and there. All around Europe. She had a VW in her 20‘s, and being German, camping holidays for her are normal. As a transplanted American from an urban area, holidays were not spent in nature. But after the last two years I caught the bug. And after much deliberation, have decided to go ahead and take the plunge. Tomorrow we are going to pick up a used automatic T5 from 2011. As everyone here would expect We have done as much research as we can (At least for two people who don’t know “car” stuff), but we remain nervous about spending so much money. As we just had our first child about a year ago, and this will serve as our ”everyday” car as well, as keeping a second car isn’t feasible/sensible. secretly lurking on the forums has helped tremendously in helping us to move ahead with the purchase. But still.....
I’m sure you know what I mean. ;-P

Anyway, excited to have found this forum. Sorry about the long and rambling post. Combo too much coffee and nerves.

I’m sure you will love the Cali and have some great trips. Hopefully it has a service history which for me is always an important feature of any vehicle purchase

 

[WelshGas]

So just got back from abother long trip. This time to a VW Dealer, with fairly good reviews. the Model in particular is an Automatic California T5 2013 with just about 25,000 miles on it. The previous Owner was a retiree who purchased this vehicle from the same dealer we visited. The widow apparently sold it back to the dealer. Having said that, the car was immaculate. Very nicely kept, and obviously not often used. However (always something) during our test drive, the power steering failed, the battery light came on and the air conditioning went out. the dealer immediately put it into their shop to be fixed. And assured us they will handle the issue.
I have seen that this is an issue for some, and read through some of the threads here. Which is starting to make me worried.
i guess my question is - should we walk away from this? Or, as we are purchasing from VW, does the warranty, provide enough protection in case this is a larger issue.
The price (35k euros) for a California in this condition seems more than fair for the condition and mileage, as it is practically new.
any thoughts or suggestions at this point would be very much appreciated. We are trying to be positive.

It is a 7 Yr old vehicle although the milage is low. Those 3 things that failed are probably all connected. The Auxiliary Drive Belt has probably failed. It drives the alternator, AirCon compressor and Power Steering pump, I believe. One thing to check is the cambelt. It is both milage and Time related for replacement. In the UK, 80,000 miles or 4 yrs, but different on the Continent.
If it is just the drive belt failing then that would not put me off. But get them to check the cambelt.

 

[Crookedtooth]

It is a 7 Yr old vehicle although the milage is low. Those 3 things that failed are probably all connected. The Auxiliary Drive Belt has probably failed. It drives the alternator, AirCon compressor and Power Steering pump, I believe. One thing to check is the cambelt. It is both milage and Time related for replacement. In the UK, 80,000 miles or 4 yrs, but different on the Continent.
If it is just the drive belt failing then that would not put me off. But get them to check the cambelt.

Super! Having a chat with the dealer this morning. So this is certainly something to be brought up. I know from the forum this was a problem in the UK. And it appears from some of the German forums it was a problem here too. However all the threads seem to end around 2016. Which would suggest a fix has been worked out. Let’s see. Many thanks.

 

[Crookedtooth]

It is a 7 Yr old vehicle although the milage is low. Those 3 things that failed are probably all connected. The Auxiliary Drive Belt has probably failed. It drives the alternator, AirCon compressor and Power Steering pump, I believe. One thing to check is the cambelt. It is both milage and Time related for replacement. In the UK, 80,000 miles or 4 yrs, but different on the Continent.
If it is just the drive belt failing then that would not put me off. But get them to check the cambelt.

Stupid question- if it is the cam belt, I assume the effect would be the same as a failure in the drive belt (ie loss of power to the A/C unit, power steering, etc), with the additional engine issues. Is there a way to determine the difference between them? There was no smell, there was no noticeable difference in the engine performance. The only noticeable change was those items mentioned above.

 

[WelshGas]

Stupid question- if it is the cam belt, I assume the effect would be the same as a failure in the drive belt (ie loss of power to the A/C unit, power steering, etc), with the additional engine issues. Is there a way to determine the difference between them? There was no smell, there was no noticeable difference in the engine performance. The only noticeable change was those items mentioned above.

Cambelt and Auxilliary Belt are 2 different things. The Auxiliary belt is often changed at the same time as the Cambelt as it has to be removed anyway to change the Cambelt, but doesn't have to be.

 

[Perfectos]

The key thing would be if the dealer:
A) changes the Aux belts and anything else of concern? They are cheap for a dealer to replace
B) does the dealer offer some guarante (longer than 30 days) for the parts they have changed/ fitted

It may well be worth making the cam belt change, along with water pump change as part of the deal, along with a major service. ( regardless of when it was last carried out)

At 7 years old the cam belt should have been changed, ( based on time ) if the cam belt has not been changed, based on time, it will require changing soon based on mileage!
Fairly cheap for a dealer to do and gives you peace of mind and a VW stamp on the service record.
Similarly the van will be due a major service soon based on time

Don’t be afraid to ask the dealer to replace items as part of the sale / deal, particularly mantainance items that could have a major impact should they fail ( like cam belt and water pump, servicing and shows willing by the dealer)