VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[BerndRos]

My Cali is 9 years old. In 2013 it had some bubbling on the front panel, and was dealt with under warranty by a VW nominated paint shop. This was before the talk of a ‘VW approved fix’

Since then, no issues and no deterioration.

So, while I am on the list for the VW approved fix, I can’t really see the point of me letting them do any work.

 

[David Eccles]

I'd be interested to know if its fixed by dealer body shop, or if it is decided on closer inspection it needs to go to a specialist body shop...(roof)

my understanding is the foil protection is a sep thing being done as precaution to all Calis ....
VW are being very coy about how many are a straightforward fix and how many like mine have to wait in a long queue to go to a specialist body shop
no change there then...

 

[WelshGas]

My 2012 Cali SE was serviced recently, a roof inspection was made, and I’ve now been invited to book it into the body shop for unspecified remedial work. The roof is in decent shape after 6 years, with just a few tiny areas of paint bubbling on the front section, and a single small patch on the raising roof, some distance from the seal.

I assume they want to apply the tape under the raising roof seal, and the heli tape to prevent rubbing at the front. It’s not clear to me if any work on the front panel is planned.

Having followed this saga from the beginning, it’s obvious that VW still haven’t come up with a good long term fix, and the reports of shoddy workmanship, poorly refitted parts, malfunctioning roofs and reappearing paint blisters following the repair don’t fill me with confidence.

Therefore I’m thinking of not having the work done, and dealing with the problem at some point in the future, probably using a reputable paint shop with experience in finishing aluminium panels.

Am I worrying too much? Is it crazy to pass up VW’s free fix? Does anyone have any positive experiences?

There are 2 problems with the roof on the California.
1. Front Panel above windscreen. VW Extended the Warranty period for this problem to 6 years from 1st Registration. This is a substantial repair.

2. Elevating Roof Panel, under the rubber seal. This is the application of a clear tape under the seal, if there is no corrosion. If there is it is treated, re-sprayed and tape applied. This is apparently for all California’s since 2010.

One Forum member whose vehicle was outside the 6 yr warranty period for the front panel got a specialist body shop ( not a run of the mill accident repair shop ) to treat it and respray. Cost about £400 and he was very pleased with the result.

 

[Monkeyflush]

We took our 2014 California SE in for an MOT at SMG Tonbridge a couple of days ago. We were informed that it was now common practice to inspect the roof for corrosion (on paper work as 'Carry out campaign 75A1-S California corrosion Criterion 01,02). I had not inspected under the rubber seal, but did notice a minute paint bubble above the seal line. The guy took one look at it and informed me that repairs would have to be undertaken by a body shop. I was warned that there might be a bit of a wait, but it would all be covered by VW.
I'm not sure how I felt. I'm certainly pleased that I'm now in the system, and there seemed to be an urgency about getting on top of the situation. On the other hand, I thought our wonderful van had eluded the dreaded issue; although that was undoubtedly down to my naivety and denial!

 

[MattBW]

I'd be interested to know if its fixed by dealer body shop, or if it is decided on closer inspection it needs to go to a specialist body shop...(roof)

my understanding is the foil protection is a sep thing being done as precaution to all Calis ....
VW are being very coy about how many are a straightforward fix and how many like mine have to wait in a long queue to go to a specialist body shop
no change there then...

Bit of an update on mine, I had the roof up for camping at the weekend and inspected the job.

Listers Coventry (Van centre) confirmed that my corrosion was minor but I also had paint rubbed away by the rubber seal showing the undercoat (they called it white marks on the report). Because it was classed as minor it could be repaired by the Listers paint centre (also in Cov) and then finished by the dealer. So the dealer would send the van for paintwork and then receive it back to add the foil tape and some reinforcing clear tape to the key areas. It's worth pointing out when my warranty was running out I had the van checked and they found nothing so it seems the issue came on within a year. The fact it is now a recall though is wonderful for customers, even if painful to deal with. The small repair was booked in within a few weeks and would have been quicker if I didnt need a loan vehicle.

I can confirm the paint job is beautiful, it's like new and the clear tape is precisely fitted. I did raise the seal problem with them and they've refitted it and it now has no gap. The roof used to squeak I guess the seal rubbing, but no longer does. So win win.

Overall I am happy with the experience. Coventry have really upped their game in the past year or so and customer service is really good as well as keeping me informed. Recommend Jacob for servicing and Justin for sales very much.

I really feel for the folks like you David who have a more difficult repair to do but the Listers chaps did make it clear it would be done either way but may take some time if I had the bigger issue. They were really careful to manage my expectations and quite apologetic. The bigger jobs are done by specialists rather than VWs paint shop so they said.

 

[David Eccles]

You may be interested in the below from my contacts at VW re the roof issue.
(Also it has been pointed out to me this is NOT a recall, which is how some of us have been calling it, as that term is used for safety issues!)
Once again can I urge anyone who has not done so to book into their dealer to have the roof inspected for signs of corrosion and / or get the preventative measure done
"The initial repair was completed on your vehicle in 2015. Following the release of the original repair the factory have conducted further analysis and have identified a small number of individual cases where corrosion may reappear. For this reason a proactive enhancement action has been released to our network, which is designed to prevent corrosion in the future.
Specifically the proactive California campaign has been designed to check for corrosion across the roof of a California and fit a preventative measure to avoid corrosion in the future, regardless of whether the vehicle has been subject to an earlier repair or not.
Upon inspection of your vehicle corrosion was found above the seal line; in such cases the work instruction requires a California roof specialist to carry out the repair.
Each vehicle is unique as the level of corrosion can very much depend upon the user profile, i.e. weather conditions, storage location and many other variables. For this reason no two vehicles will be identical. To date we have conducted a proactive check on over 700 vehicles in the UK and less than 3% have required a specialist repair.
As we said before we would encourage (and thank you for encouraging!) any owners to visit their local Van Centre and have the check done – in this way we can minimise the likelihood of further problems later in the vehicle’s life."

 

[californiakid]

Just washed my van and found this split in the roof seal. You would have thought that after 3 years plus it would have warranted replacing the seal as it must get stretched on removal and refit. Back to dealership again.

 

[Cpbrodie]

Just got mine back today after 4 weeks getting roof repair and now have "heating not available" displaying on the control panel.

Tried reset and VW diagnosis but no errors showing- looks like another trip to the dealer!

They did a good job of the repair though apart from black marks on the door cards but pleased with the roof and front cap. (done at Glasgow Audi)

 

[californiakid]

Took van in for new roof seal and new awning to be fixed under warranty. New seal fitted okay but when unboxing the new awning it was found to be damaged on the end cap. They asked if I would be happy to let them fit the awning from the California in the showroom which I gladly accepted to save another journey back to them. All in all quite happy with the outcome and happy my dealership goes the extra mile when needed .

 

[Alan]

Nice to hear a happy outcome

Alan

 

[Chinmusic]

Took my van in for a service at SMG Cowfold this week and they fitted the anti-corrosion ‘foils’ around the roof edge without charge. Is this normal now? They also send you a video of the safety check they do under the van as part of the service, cool.

 

[Morganic]

My van is due in next month for a repair to the raising roof under warranty. The dreaded corrosion under the rubber seal.
It’s being carried out by MG Cannon of Westbury ,Wilts
Anyone got any experience of roof repairs by this company please?

 

[westfalia]

Our prescious Cali has been rear ended

Sorry not sure if this is the right section to post in but just wondered whether anyone has been in an accident with their Cali. We were driving our T6 home last week when someone rear ended us at traffic lights. The other car was a write off! It is going to a garage that specialises in VW vans...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Andy]

Several threads on this. Suggest you use the search facility.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Morganic]

Thanks.

 

[Roger Donoghue]

Just awesome - the work, and the location

 

[skipp-e]

Hi Guys, My pride and joy (2015 Cali SE) went off to the VW body shop at Twickenham in January to have the roof rot sorted and was returned two months later in march. On collecting my Cali from the local VW van centre I went through a handover with the van centre Warranty Manager, we were both horrified by the condition the Cali had been returned in.


1, Damaged bellows. Both nearside bellows battens had been bent inwards at some point above the flexi joint leaving support battens deformed, Swarf marks to the inside and outside of the bellows.


2, Swarf hand marks inside of popup roof lining.


3, Roof no longer closes properly. 2cm gap at rear offside corner.


The van centre warranty manager advised me I reported the damage to VW Customer Care Centre, I did this and as a result I had to take the Cali back at a later date for a proper inspection. This was done by their Senior Technician and he reported to me I would need new roof lining and new bellows but wasn't sure how to resolve the roof not closing issue.



I have just been contacted by VW Customer Care after two months to be told that they are willing to give me a £200 VW voucher for good will, this was only due to the case taking two months to review. and they would not be taking on any of the necessary repairs. I did argue my case and demanded this issue to be escalated further, only to be told that was not possible and £200 was the maximum they could offer.


Anyway, rant over. Could any one please offer advise as to how or were I could take this further, (cant really afford the Solicitor route) as you can probably appreciate I feel this situation completely out of order.


Many thanks for listening. Phil.

 

[TripleBee]

You just need to insist on fixing the van properly.
Is there no general customer service? In Belgium we have such an instance that might help in such cases. (They did help me out with a case of mileage fraude on my former car.)

I know I would not let it go like that, and might even take it to VW Germany.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi Guys, My pride and joy (2015 Cali SE) went off to the VW body shop at Twickenham in January to have the roof rot sorted and was returned two months later in march. On collecting my Cali from the local VW van centre I went through a handover with the van centre Warranty Manager, we were both horrified by the condition the Cali had been returned in.


1, Damaged bellows. Both nearside bellows battens had been bent inwards at some point above the flexi joint leaving support battens deformed, Swarf marks to the inside and outside of the bellows.


2, Swarf hand marks inside of popup roof lining.


3, Roof no longer closes properly. 2cm gap at rear offside corner.


The van centre warranty manager advised me I reported the damage to VW Customer Care Centre, I did this and as a result I had to take the Cali back at a later date for a proper inspection. This was done by their Senior Technician and he reported to me I would need new roof lining and new bellows but wasn't sure how to resolve the roof not closing issue.



I have just been contacted by VW Customer Care after two months to be told that they are willing to give me a £200 VW voucher for good will, this was only due to the case taking two months to review. and they would not be taking on any of the necessary repairs. I did argue my case and demanded this issue to be escalated further, only to be told that was not possible and £200 was the maximum they could offer.


Anyway, rant over. Could any one please offer advise as to how or were I could take this further, (cant really afford the Solicitor route) as you can probably appreciate I feel this situation completely out of order.


Many thanks for listening. Phil.

The responsibility for correcting the damage done during the Warranty Repair will be the Body Shop that carried out the Warranty repair for VWUK. That’s the way the system works I’m afraid.
It appears the £200 Voucher was due to VWCSs tardiness in reviewing the case.

Have you been in contact with whoever you handed the vehicle over to, they should have checked it before accepting it back, and have you been in contact with the Body Shop Manager?

 

[skipp-e]

The responsibility for correcting the damage done during the Warranty Repair will be the Body Shop that carried out the Warranty repair for VWUK. That’s the way the system works I’m afraid.
It appears the £200 Voucher was due to VWCSs tardiness in reviewing the case.

Have you been in contact with whoever you handed the vehicle over to, they should have checked it before accepting it back, and have you been in contact with the Body Shop Manager?

Thanks, Welshgas. That's really helpful.

 

[skipp-e]

L

You just need to insist on fixing the van properly.
Is there no general customer service? In Belgium we have such an instance that might help in such cases. (They did help me out with a case of mileage fraude on my former car.)

I know I would not let it go like that, and might even take it to VW Germany.

Thanks triplebee, really appreciate your help.

 

[TripleBee]

Or you might just tell them that you will let the roof fix the way it should be, and send them the note. This will be more than €200.

 

[pjm-84]

The corrosion seems to be hit and miss.

Mine (2015_T5) was checked by SMG and no corrosion found so they just applied the isolation tape

 

[KGCali]

My 2010 Cali had the front bubbles repaired a few years ago and all still looks fine but I've now noticed bubbles on the roof edges and it's no longer in warranty so has anyone used a third party to repair the paintwork with any success?

 

[WelshGas]

My 2010 Cali had the front bubbles repaired a few years ago and all still looks fine but I've now noticed bubbles on the roof edges and it's no longer in warranty so has anyone used a third party to repair the paintwork with any success?

I think this Tape application etc: applies to vehicles as far back as 2010. Check with your local Dealership.
It is Not deemed a recall but would be carried out when the vehicle is next in for Service or if you call to book in beforehand.