VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[Alan]

That seems good advice.

What wax do you use?

Thx JW

Old school,Tertle wax or Simonize (thick stuff from tin rather than liquid)
I shampoo wash first
Preferably away from strong summer sunlight

Alan

 

[Alan]

Ours is off next week for the new fix - although I await news of the "replacement vehicle" with interest

Good luck

Alan

 

[thehorse]

Hi All, I am still waiting for my Cali to be delivered and of course I am more than just a little concerned that we have now seen at least two confirmed roof corrosion problems on the new T6. At the top of this thread is a poll as to how many Cali's have suffered roof corrosion and the results as of today. I am guessing/assuming these are all pre T6.
So far the poll results are:
View attachment 18469
Do we have any idea what percentage this 377 (assuming no duplication in that number) is of all Cali's sold in the UK? An estimate?
Also do we know approx what is the cost of repair for the FP and the ER?

Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Just been looking at the beginning of this thread and on page 8 the following comment....

"Out of 89 Calis inspected at COTF, 55 had roof corrosion, one of which was only 6 weeks old! I am too depressed to talk about it at the moment! Will post more information in the near future."

So around 62% !!

 

[Jabberwocky]

Just been looking at the beginning of this thread and on page 8 the following comment....

"Out of 89 Calis inspected at COTF, 55 had roof corrosion, one of which was only 6 weeks old! I am too depressed to talk about it at the moment! Will post more information in the near future."

So around 62% !!

Wow, thanks for your time finding this for me.
JW

 

[Grey one]

That seems good advice.

What wax do you use?

Thx JW

Surely even VW could not argue that waxing the roof invalidates the warranty!

 

[Jabberwocky]

Surely even VW could not argue that waxing the roof invalidates the warranty!

Depends on level of desperation I guess!

 

[snowy55]

Applying a film of Vaseline or the like may be counterproductive
Particles,dust in the atmosphere will find its way onto the surface !

Ever since I've had my Cali I make sure there's a layer of wax that meets tight to the seal (needs to be dry behind the seal first)
I also try and sponge the roof off after a downpour (time permitting)

I seem to have been free of blistering so far

Alan

Have you ever pulled part of the seal off and inspected underneath?

 

[Alan]

Have you ever pulled part of the seal off and inspected underneath?

My dealer gave the all clear last service and I checked 5 months ago
I went around the roof dropping the seal approx 3 foot at a time

Can I be the only one here that's gone this long without suffering this epidemic?

March 2018 (5 years old) will be when I'll look again
I won't worry until then

Alan

 

[jeff]

Can I be the only one here that's gone this long without suffering this epidemic?

2008 van front panel ok roof ok but have never looked under seal. Windscreen replaced at 9months old . 7year old transit van windscreen surround rusted out and needs welding.

 

[Brianc26]

A small update- I inspected our new roof today and I must say they have done a great job, the new canvas material is a lot more durable and hard wearing. I will try and add a couple of pictures

 

[Alan]

2008 van front panel ok roof ok but have never looked under seal. Windscreen replaced at 9months old . 7year old transit van windscreen surround rusted out and needs welding.

I don't suppose you really want to know if it is under the seal now there no warranty do you?

"Out of site out of mind"

Alan

 

[Brianc26]

View media item 1244

 

[Brianc26]

View media item 1246

 

[Brianc26]

View media item 1245

 

[Ambler]

Not sure which of the 2 threads to post this but a couple of points.
1. The front panel corrosion seems to have been solved from late 2013 vans onwards. That is my impression anyway.
2. The main problem now is the corrosion under the rubber strip around the elevating roof which also applies to T6's. If the cause of this is a metallic strip in the rubber seal then with all the tech. at VW's command you would think that a rubber compound that does not need a metal strip could be designed. It would be a much cheaper and easier fix than the current method of waiting til it "rusts" and then repairing. All Californias could be recalled and a new rubber seal could be fitted in 20 mins.
This may have been suggested before, I can't remember as there are so many posts.

 

[Bigted]

The trouble is that the roof seal is not waterproof- look at the front corners, water can get into the seal. It then sits inside the seal and slowly works on bubbling the paint. I cycle a lot and this time of the year you can taste the salt in the road spray - that will work its way in too not helping matters. My roof has already been fixed once (2015 van) as the garage noted it when try to get the roof to shut properly. I'm sure it will go again in the future.

 

[thehorse]

The trouble is that the roof seal is not waterproof.....

Could well be a totally waterproof seal could fix it. Conversely a less waterproof seal could also be the answer..., it would possibly allow the paint to cure and harden more effectively in the first 4-6 weeks after painting and although it would let water in during wet weather it would evapourate more easily.

 

[Borris]

It will be interesting to find out if Mercedes Benz/Westfalia are using an alluminium roof on their Marco Polo? From the photos that I have seen, they certainly appear to be employing a similar rubber seal.

Will they have similar issues?

 

[Jools]

I just thought I would share with you a little celebration. 3 years and 9 months after first reporting the roof corrosion on our 2011 SE Cali, I have a written reply by email confirming it has been logged. This email was only sent when I specifically asked for it and is the first written communication of any sort from VWCS, Westbury Van Centre, or either of the 2 body shops that have been mooted. I am, by nature, patient and trusting ..... 2 traits that have served me very badly in dealing with this problem. Darren at Westbury today told me that their one and only "new style" repair at Poole Accident, is so bad he is not putting anyone else forward until it is sorted out. I am 5th on his list he tells me, probably so high because all the other people who were on the list up to August last still don't know to ask to go on the new list! As yet, the permission has not been submitted to VW, and as my 6 years are up in 3 months, I am more than a little perturbed. For the record, our Cali is metallic grey and garaged all year in an open barn type garage with plenty of air circulating.

Having read through a good amount of the 150 pages in this thread I might make a couple of points:

Thanks to all those who have added crucial letters and summaries etc, invaluable
There seems to be a massive discrepancy in the way different people have been dealt with, with some dealers names coming up repeatedly as good and some as bad. So whilst VW have definitely not been great here, the implementation of their fix has been the most unhappy part.
The old roof off repair is not a permanent fix, and it is possible, at least, that the new plastic cap is a better job but only if done skilfully.
Whilst it is irritating in the extreme, we continue to enjoy great trips and are planning to go to Bornholm this summer and maybe Faroes and Iceland next year
Would Ed 5000 on page 146 like to share the email address he used for the VW CEO

 

[AlanC]

Our van had the roof done at Westbury back in Feb 2015.
I can't fault the workmanship, and the customer service from Darren was also excellent.

To date I haven't had a re-occurrence of the corrosion.

BTW If you are in a long queue and can do without a loan van, then you can usually get your van repaired very quickly. Westbury picked ours up the next day when I rang them and said I didn't need a loan van.

Alan

 

[Jools]

Yes, my neighbour had very good service from Westbury, but those days have gone I fear as the Westbury body shop no longer involved. Its now not a pick up from home either and this plastic possible bodge to sort the front panel ... basically because I was too patient at the start. Oh well, we dont consider a holiday without it now so still glad we have it.

 

[Judyl]

Still waiting.... I was told in December that it would be done in January, and then they said February and now they have gone very quiet, it has been a 2 year wait so far. I am going via Inchcape VW in Chelmsford. I think they are trying for me, just not any response from the body shop, are their any other dealers near Chelmsford that seem to be faring any better. I use my van frequently over the summer for meetings with other folks, I am having to assume that I will actually have a van to use and it wont be in the paint shop. I am getting really annoyed now after 2 years of patience. The rust is through the paint at the front and deteriorating fast ;-(

 

[RichardP]

Just the 2 years then, you're lucky! I'm at 3 1/2 years now.

 

[snowy55]

Just the 2 years then, you're lucky! I'm at 3 1/2 years now.

So that's a lot of your warranty gone then!
Best start saving for your own repairs!

 

[JULIANLISMORE]

VWCS have told me that my roof repair (front cap, with authorisation for elevating roof expected v. soon) is allocate to Glasgow Audi, I think otherwise known as Lookers Glasgow Accident Repair Centre.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone else who has had this extended warranty roof corrosion work attended to at this bodyshop and what they thought of the service and results.

Thanks in anticipation.