The more i read the less I like..'there must be somewhere out of here..'

simonrichards said:
Hi VWCC folk

As my long held desire for a California approaches financial viability I guess I am reading more specific information on this fab website. What I am finding is that I am beginning to think that an expensive, fault prone purchase from an uncaring, and questionably dishonest, multi national company is not such a good idea. While I do read positive stuff also I am aware that this is all from people who have made the decision and bought one....................the sand shifts beneath me.
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Unlike (it seems) most of those on here, I bought my California secondhand - 9 years old in fact.
I bought it because having looked at all the other campervans of comparable size, they simply didn't match up in any way (oh well, they may have been cheaper of course). One year on, I'm still of exactly the same opinion!
I've only had one problem so far with my 'old' van, which was sorted easily and fairly cheaply by a good workshop (not a VW one) and paid for by the dealer (also not a VW one) in spite of the van being just out of warranty.

So there's an option for you if you don't want to deal with VW - buy from a dealer (one with a first class rep, do your research) and have it maintained by the workshop the dealer uses.

It works for me.
 
We've had our Ocean for six months, and it is just about to go on its 12th trip. The California has transformed our lives in so many positive ways (and our dog's life!) and we haven't had a single fault. We absolutely love it!
 
There are 100's of positive posts for every negative post. Try not to concentrate on the odd negative post and read about the pride owners have in their Cali's, the day to day usability and the joy they get from using it. I pontificated for a year and eventually bit the bullet and bought one. That was almost 3 years ago and I've not regretted it for a single day.
 
If you have to think then it's not for you. :D
 
I think we scared him .....this was his first post and he has not been online here since the 29th april
 
I think it's so much better for everyone to point out all the positives , of cause there will be some negatives which potential buyers need to know of .
I've read them all and made my own decisions.
but for me there is far more positives,
Picking my new Cali beach ex demo up in 6 weeks .
Can't wait for the adventure to begin!!!
 
Maybe my Cali has a defect .... I can not spend more time on my boat !! But I can not give up Cali, I use it every day .... and every weekend. My wife does not want to get off the Cali anymore, she feels quieter than running the boat at 60 mph ... and the gas spared the permute with the wine ... hahaha
 
My wife read the forum for first time and I will not repeat her words but suffice to say she thought the negativity too much to continue reading. She said that if she did not know the vehicles she would never consider purchasing due to the postings on the forum.
We are on Transporter number 6 and if we have an issue it is easily fixed. No vehicle is perfect but please lets have some realism. Yes they cost a fair bit, but so do most cars. All vehicles have faults and some more than others. Apart from the roof issue (unforgivable) and maybe some engine problems the California does exceedingly well and a damn sight better than most - Mercedes included.
 
Digger said:
My wife read the forum for first time and I will not repeat her words but suffice to say she thought the negativity too much to continue reading. She said that if she did not know the vehicles she would never consider purchasing due to the postings on the forum.
We are on Transporter number 6 and if we have an issue it is easily fixed. No vehicle is perfect but please lets have some realism. Yes they cost a fair bit, but so do most cars. All vehicles have faults and some more than others. Apart from the roof issue (unforgivable) and maybe some engine problems the California does exceedingly well and a damn sight better than most - Mercedes included.
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To be fair @Digger i think most people on the forum are very 'real'. The issues discussed are real to those encountering them. But very few people here recommend against a Cali (occasionally against a specific dealer). The very nature of the forum is for members to be able to discuss experiences - good and bad - for mutual benefit. We don't need help with the good experiences so inevitably we post less about those. But all things considered we post lots of good experiences as well.

So let's all continue to share here to help each other - and newbies should take encouragement that the Cali generates such a close community around it who love and cherish their Calis for good and bad ;)
 
Every motoring forum will be full of bad posts about problems, if we were all here to sing the praises of the Cali it would be a pretty boring place! I think most sensible viewers of the forum will be able to see it is a great vehicle with a few glitches just like any other car, bike, boat etc.. discussed on the internet.
 
I love my Cali. And so does Archie. I've corrosion and I'm checking the oil as advised as it's a 180. but nevertheless the freedom and pleasure is immeasurable. Mind you my previous 'camper' was a 1983 Eriba Pan so I'm impressed by all the mod cons.
 
There are loads in Germany and that's a demanding market so it can't be that bad. We try and remember to always stop and think before using any of the equipment, and if something has to be forced you're probably doing it wrong and it'll break. People have genuine issues but I think a lot of the complaining is unreasonable - user damage and unrealistic expectations. The roof issue is different but remember it doesn't affect usability of the van.
 
As of today 10th May Simon last looked at the forum on the 29th April so perhaps is has decided a Cali is not what he wants
 
We love ours. It is our second and we collected it end of March having waited 6 months for it. We sold our first within a week, for a ridiculously good price having owned it for nearly two years. It is not our daily drive, but it certainly doesn't sit around on the drive. We use it all year round, there are plenty of sites open in the winter to satisfy our wander lust. If my husband has a long business journey to make, he takes the Cali and travels in comfort. Weekends away, day trips, sporting fixtures. Apart from a burst of overseas sunshine during Spring, we virtually use it for all our holidays now.
 
People who already decided and happy with a vehicle are simply not posting here much.
Like we are, almost all the time on the road. Over 30k km in a year. And it's just the trips, we don't use her for daily driving :D
 
If you want a Cali, buy one. All the faults are well known, the dealer service is well known, every drawback in owning one has been discussed ad-infinitum on here. We all know the crap parts but then here comes the acid test....

With all the crap flaws, the dismal dealers we have to deal with, the fact that diesels are doomed and the emissions are fiddled, the fact that Marco-Polo rewrites the camper van living experience, the fact it hasn't got a loo and the self-igniting hobs do not self-ignite.....

Does it do it for you?

My answer is yes, in spades, and I have yet to find another package so complete.

If it doesn't do it for you then buy something that does, don't just come on here to slag off the Cali.
 
I have had my 2010 SE for about 18 months and it has been brilliant. The roof issues have been sorted and it drives like a dream. The only thing that pees me off is the electric sliding door which is over sensitive and kicks back to often when closing. The thing is...if it works fine then there is no problem and you don't whinge on the forums. So the forums can make the general situation about Cali reliability look much bleaker than it actually is.
 
I was going away at half term to Canterbury. Drove down to refuel, engine management light (an orange coil) came on again. Well at least it wasn't the low tyre pressure light which normally come on. I have to take the van out for a run before we need to use it because every time we take it out a warning light comes on al la Leyland in fact it is the most unreliable vehicle I have every owned. Every trip gets a warning light.
After 10 miles the orange engine light comes on (fault in catalytic) drive on to SMG and they hook it up and it needs a new inlet manifold, this vehicle has done 3000 mile and is one year old. I would have done more miles but it went in 4 times to fix the AC. If you are considering buying a California think again. The T6 is a disaster.
 
Oh and BTW the EGR value on the T6 are falling over in high enough numbers to warrant a mention by a mechanic (sorry technician) as diesels get more environmentally constricted, they get more complicated and more unreliable. Get a T5SE please.
 
Got to disagree. I have 2 T6's both 150 manuals and model year 2017. Both running well and much better than our old T5 models. Maybe lucky but more than happy.
 
This tread can go on +100 pages there will never be a comprimise between one who has issues on his Cali and dissapointed in VW , and one who is perfect happy with it ....
On witch i think the first are few the second are many.

Very sad to hear the horrible stories of new Cali's beeing more at the dealer than on the road but it does not gives a overall view on the Cali or any VW van whatsoever.

Hope they sort you out and you can put it behind you , the Cali is a great verhicle!
 
So I guess we can all agree that not every VW is trouble free. If your lucky you get a good one but do you feel lucky ? I shall get this latest problem fixed but if I get another it's on the market for all you VW fans. Mint VW Ocean, 205 ps Dsg, 3500 miles offers
 
Flood51 said:
So I guess we can all agree that not every VW is trouble free. If your lucky you get a good one but do you feel lucky ? I shall get this latest problem fixed but if I get another it's on the market for all you VW fans. Mint VW Ocean, 205 ps Dsg, 3500 miles offers
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I think you have been UNlucky rather than we to you are lucky to have a trouble free one.
As i said i not want to be in your situ , mine can devollep issues tomorrow , who can tell....
 
hotel california said:
Very sad to hear the horrible stories of new Cali's beeing more at the dealer than on the road but it does not gives a overall view on the Cali or any VW van whatsoever.

Hope they sort you out and you can put it behind you , the Cali is a great verhicle!
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HC if you spend 65000 Euro on a new vehicle you expect it to be 100%. When you put your foot on the brake you expect it to stop your vehicle every time ? Would you accept a vehicle that failed to stop once every 100 brake presses ? So stop your preaching and accept VW is not as reliable as their press office would have you believe.
 
Flood51 said:
HC if you spend 65000 Euro on a new vehicle you expect it to be 100%. When you put your foot on the brake you expect it to stop you vehicle every time ? Would you accept a vehicle that failed to stop once every 100 brake presses ? So stop your preaching and accept VW is not as reliable as their press office would have you believe.
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I accept there are Cali's with faults (mine got some minor issues that been solved under warrenty and i suffer roofcorrosion also), as there are other VW's with faults , as there there are other brands with diffrent models having faults .(just read that also GM has manupulated software in cars to get better emmisions)
Offcoarse you want your verhicle or anything you buy for that matter to be 100% ok , even it is just a bread in the supermarket. I am the first to complain if my goods are not what i expect them to be , believe me ...ask my wife and my friends . Just a few days ago i went back to the supermarket to complain about some goods i bought ....it was 5,5€ worth ...not what the package said ....demanded my money back. You don't want to be on the other side of the counter if i am a unhappy costumer.

I feel sad for those with complaints but breaking down Cali's or VW in general is pretty radical.
As long that my Cali has no major failurs offcoarse i got a diffrent view than you have , excuse me for this.
 
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