VW’s Idea of ‘fit for purpose’

[Kalikarl]

Here’s a thing - I just had my T6 serviced and asked them to replace a bulb after having had an issue for the past couple of months - bulb warning light on then off and then on again. VW told me that it’d be around £180 worth of labour to fix because the lamp holder has ’distorted’ due to overheating probably caused by continuous long uses ( excuse me but it is a campervan!!!). I was told it was quite common on the T6 but that it isn’t a ‘recall’ issue. Another example of VW’s attitude towards customers expecting a ‘fit for purpose’ approach where an expensive repair will do just as well! ‍

At the same service I was also told the driver’s side rear spring was broken! ‘Is it safe to drive?‘ I asked to be told ‘Yes, but it’ll need doing before your MOT as it’ll fail inspection‘ - the quote for a repair £480 for replacing both rear springs! (VW prefer to change both at once!!!) I asked if this was common on a 2016 vehicle (38000mls) to be told ‘Well it’s all the extra weight the California carries that causes it’ - that’ll be the ‘fit for purpose’ thing again!

Factory fitted daytime running lights that melt on a long journey in a camper van!?
Factory fitted camping equipment adding weight to a vehicle!?

Aren‘t these things considered by the designers of vehicles we’ve paid handsomely for?

I’m just saying…

 

[Tim T]

I think you're getting bad advice, not bad service from the parts.

An intermittent connection on the bulb will cause heat and is probably the reason the holder melted. I'm really not sure why you were told what you were.

Springs do fail and can be use related, though 38K is a little short of a full life you can't rule out outside factors. Though I've never had any service centre replace springs as pairs before, all of the other vehicles I've owned have simply had the broken spring replaced.

As far as MOTs go (and my understanding), they are only valid on the day of issue and any failure means the vehicle is unsafe to drive and often to the point that the garage has a responsibility to make sure the vehicle is not driven off the forecourt.
If you know of any fault that will cause the vehicle to fail then you must really correct that fault ASAP as the vehicle is still classed as un-roadworthy even with a current MOT. Only if the fault is an "advisory" should you get the advice you were given.

NB. What extra weight? It's a Transporter Van. I think springs go because of *work hardening*, they become brittle with time and bumpy roads. Again the advice sounds incorrect to me.

EDIT: It's just an assumption, and my impression based on what I've read, but the guy you've talked to doesn't seem to really know, so i don't know if the "common fault on this vehicle" is really based on fact or the need to fill the gap in the sentence, if you see what I mean.
Also it is possible for a broken spring to be an "advisory" that will need replacement, so again it sounds like something may have been lost in translation here as the mechanics generally give correct advice in accordance with VW policy and the law. I'm not saying that VW as a whole are incorrect here.

 

[ArunAlec]

Here’s a thing - I just had my T6 serviced and asked them to replace a bulb after having had an issue for the past couple of months - bulb warning light on then off and then on again. VW told me that it’d be around £180 worth of labour to fix because the lamp holder has ’distorted’ due to overheating probably caused by continuous long uses ( excuse me but it is a campervan!!!). I was told it was quite common on the T6 but that it isn’t a ‘recall’ issue. Another example of VW’s attitude towards customers expecting a ‘fit for purpose’ approach where an expensive repair will do just as well! ‍

At the same service I was also told the driver’s side rear spring was broken! ‘Is it safe to drive?‘ I asked to be told ‘Yes, but it’ll need doing before your MOT as it’ll fail inspection‘ - the quote for a repair £480 for replacing both rear springs! (VW prefer to change both at once!!!) I asked if this was common on a 2016 vehicle (38000mls) to be told ‘Well it’s all the extra weight the California carries that causes it’ - that’ll be the ‘fit for purpose’ thing again!

Factory fitted daytime running lights that melt on a long journey in a camper van!?
Factory fitted camping equipment adding weight to a vehicle!?

Aren‘t these things considered by the designers of vehicles we’ve paid handsomely for?

I’m just saying…

I feel VW often confuse “normal” with ”unacceptable“. …… normal for roof to drop overnight, normal for side windows to leak etc

 

[flying banana]

My drivers rear spring snapped at less than 30k miles. 2016 ocean. Thy are really easy to change out as a pair if you can use a spanner and trolley jack. I did mine myself. I changed both. Can't remember the cost but it certainly wasn't 480 quid. More like 80 quid for the springs and caps. Never melted a lamp before but again I would change that mysel,vw master techs talk sh1t. If you can't do the jobs yourself go to an indy garage. These are simple jobs to mechanics that don't work at vw

 

[soulstyledevon]

Welcome to the club…

 

[Corradobrit]

Upgrade to LED fogs. Colour temp matches mains and they run much cooler.

 

[B J G]

Whilst not essential to replace springs as a pair there is the factor of the 'good' spring having settled over time and a new one may make the Cali lop sided. Not a given but needs factoring in.
Broken springs are very common now due to the potholed roads that are now the norm. Wouldn't be due to the Cali weight as the VW "expert" says.

 

[sidepod]

It would make no sense to change a single spring. Common mode failure will dictate the other will fail inside 3 months.

 

[flying banana]

Upgrade to LED fogs. Colour temp matches mains and they run much cooler.

It's the drls. Not the fogs

 

[Corradobrit]

It's the drls. Not the fogs

The stock DRL's can still be replaced with cooler-running LED bulbs. But as already indicated there has to be a secondary reason why overheating caused this problem. Maybe corrosion or loose fitting contacts.

 

[Meoncoast]

Factory fitted daytime running lights that melt on a long journey in a camper van!?

We had this on our 2016 T6. Repaired on our extended warranty in 2021. My understanding was that the issue with the daylight running light was a change of bulb holders with a new specification holder. Breeze changed both at the same time as had the bumper off to replace.

 

[silversurfer]

both springs replaced on my 2010SE. My Indy garage said the tops of the VW fitted springs were tapered And thus weaker. Presumably for better ride. Replaced with non- tapered variety. It’s a theory!

 

[WelshGas]

What exactly is " Fit for Purpose ". Components that never break? In which case you wouldn't be looking at a 70K California, more like 500K.
Even high profile engineering projects, such as the International Space Station or Mars Rovers suffer mechanical breakdowns and they cost substantially more.
On my vehicle , almost 8yrs old and 115,000 miles the springs are intact. Such items are designed and tested within expected limits. Looking at the loads some carry , concentrated on the rear axle I'm surprised there aren't more reports of broken springs.

 

[Vagophile]

both springs replaced on my 2010SE. My Indy garage said the tops of the VW fitted springs were tapered And thus weaker. Presumably for better ride. Replaced with non- tapered variety. It’s a theory!

I'm sure that I read that the increase in broken springs was due to a change in the manufacturing process, but I thought that tapered ends were stonger, but not made because of the extra time to manufacture.

 

[PeteS]

I had a rear spring break at 50k miles on my Caravelle. The garage changed both of them for £240 including genuine VW springs. I thought that the mileage was a bit low for them to fail but the garage told that they had a skip out the back full of broken springs. He thought that either the materials used for the springs is not as good or it was the state of the roads that is causing the springs to break. In my case the broken spring was on the off side so I think I could rule out a pothole.

 

[Velma's Dad]

£480 to replace a pair of springs is 'aving a laugh. Ridiculous. They must be asking for about £400 for labour. If you're not confident or equipped to do it yourself I'd find a local independent who will do it for a sensible amount. Doesn't have to be a VW specialist, it's just a pair of springs.

 

[Autumn]

Here’s a thing - I just had my T6 serviced and asked them to replace a bulb after having had an issue for the past couple of months - bulb warning light on then off and then on again. VW told me that it’d be around £180 worth of labour to fix because the lamp holder has ’distorted’ due to overheating probably caused by continuous long uses ( excuse me but it is a campervan!!!). I was told it was quite common on the T6 but that it isn’t a ‘recall’ issue. Another example of VW’s attitude towards customers expecting a ‘fit for purpose’ approach where an expensive repair will do just as well! ‍

At the same service I was also told the driver’s side rear spring was broken! ‘Is it safe to drive?‘ I asked to be told ‘Yes, but it’ll need doing before your MOT as it’ll fail inspection‘ - the quote for a repair £480 for replacing both rear springs! (VW prefer to change both at once!!!) I asked if this was common on a 2016 vehicle (38000mls) to be told ‘Well it’s all the extra weight the California carries that causes it’ - that’ll be the ‘fit for purpose’ thing again!

Factory fitted daytime running lights that melt on a long journey in a camper van!?
Factory fitted camping equipment adding weight to a vehicle!?

Aren‘t these things considered by the designers of vehicles we’ve paid handsomely for?

I’m just saying…

I just had to have rear drivers side spring replaced. VW specialist garage (not dealer) said this really should not happen, he has not come across it before. He repairs all VW Campervans mainly conversions.