VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[skinnywhippet]

Ours just came back from Claridges via Heritage Bristol. It had been on the list for a couple of years, corrosion under the elevating roof seal only. This time Heritage seemed much more clued-up about areas to check for hidden corrosion, and the repair process. Seems a good job, so fingers crossed. We had a California to use FOC from their hire fleet, although it did come with a £1,000 excess, so there was some extra careful driving for a couple of weeks!

 

[BEETS]

All.. This is a design defect and under the sales of goods act VW cannot sell products with known defect... I just wrote a carefully worded letter and VW gave me a brand new vehicle.. The main words are ( I formally reject my vehicle under the sales of goods act due to the known manufacturing defect)... It worked for me.. Got me straight to the exec complaints office, my van was 1 year old and the new van they gave me came with 5k free extras on.... Stop excepting goods with a known defect.... if you want a copy of my letter then just please email me on p.beeton@sky.com

 

[David Eccles]

The bodyshop were ready to valet and ship back but on final inspection of repairs to roof today they have now decided they are not happy and need to repaint entire roof...
deja vu to 3 years ago...
looks like I will be enjoying the DSG T6 loan Ocean a while longer then..such hardship..

 

[westfalia]

All.. This is a design defect and under the sales of goods act VW cannot sell products with known defect... I just wrote a carefully worded letter and VW gave me a brand new vehicle.. The main words are ( I formally reject my vehicle under the sales of goods act due to the known manufacturing defect)... It worked for me.. Got me straight to the exec complaints office, my van was 1 year old and the new van they gave me came with 5k free extras on.... Stop excepting goods with a known defect.... if you want a copy of my letter then just please email me on p.beeton@sky.com

Sounds good, but the new van will also have the roof corrosion so you
have accepted another 'good' with a defect.

 

[BEETS]

Sounds good, but the new van will also have the roof corrosion so you
have accepted another 'good' with a defect.

Bang on correct... I am going through it all again... just written to Watchdog and considering a solicitor... This time VW having none of it... this time my corrosion is only under the seal.. they says it’s the seal rubbing When in transit but I think it could be cathodic corrosion again.. my main issue is the fix that they have proposed is only done with a touch up pen in primer finish... it is then covered with this 3M tape... they cannot answer why it’s not done to match body colour and how they perform periodic inspections in the future???? The van has only done 12k and has only been of my drive 29 times ( I’m a Sado and keep a diary).. I have a metallurgist and paint coating specialist at hand advising...

 

[BEETS]

Bang on correct... I am going through it all again... just written to Watchdog and considering a solicitor... This time VW having none of it... this time my corrosion is only under the seal.. they says it’s the seal rubbing When in transit but I think it could be cathodic corrosion again.. my main issue is the fix that they have proposed is only done with a touch up pen in primer finish... it is then covered with this 3M tape... they cannot answer why it’s not done to match body colour and how they perform periodic inspections in the future???? The van has only done 12k and has only been of my drive 29 times ( I’m a Sado and keep a diary).. I have a metallurgist and paint coating specialist at hand advising...

I’m trying to get an unconditional warranty at the moment, just on the roof...

 

[Mister Baker]

I bought my California 3 years ago second hand from vw dealership knowing it had the roof corrosion and was assured it was authorised for the warranty work so went ahead and bought the vehicle. Two years later I was still waiting and after numerous phone calls to dealership I contacted VW to be told the vehicle was not on the list! I was fuming, so at last now nearly 3 years since I got vehicle I am supposed to be booked in Newcastle VW next month. The front panel looks awful with all the paint off where it has bubbled.

 

[KGCali]

Hi All
Anyone used Lookers North Shields for their roof repair? Any reviews?

 

[BEETS]

My repair was with the new VWCV facility in Leeds.. despite the repair been complete I have still referred this issue to the motoring ombudsman.. I cannot believe that VWCV will not offer any further warranty despite this been a known defect at the point of manufacture. It is currently under a case manager and should know more in the next few days...

 

[Lunar]

Just got mine back the other day, new cap fitted. Went out for a drive got up to about 50mph and started experiencing excessive wind noise. It was like driving along with the window open a little, checked windows then had to pull over to check the roof had been put down correctly. Has anyone else experienced this? Noise appears to be coming from drivers side. Once home I took a closer look at the cap. On the passengers side the gap between the new cap and the awning rail is about 2mm on the drivers side around 5mm. Due to the misalignment there is a gap on the leading edge of the cap towards the end of the cap on the drivers side. I'm thinking this is what might be causing it. Looks like it will be getting trucked back to Glasgow!

Old seal re-fitted around roof edge, though it does not fit well at all now and certainly won't keep water out.

 

[Lunar]

My repair was with the new VWCV facility in Leeds.. despite the repair been complete I have still referred this issue to the motoring ombudsman.. I cannot believe that VWCV will not offer any further warranty despite this been a known defect at the point of manufacture. It is currently under a case manager and should know more in the next few days...

Have you heard anything back from the motoring ombudsman - this is a route I am contemplating so any feedback/insight would be welcomed.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Just got mine back the other day, new cap fitted. Went out for a drive got up to about 50mph and started experiencing excessive wind noise. It was like driving along with the window open a little, checked windows then had to pull over to check the roof had been put down correctly. Has anyone else experienced this? Noise appears to be coming from drivers side. Once home I took a closer look at the cap. On the passengers side the gap between the new cap and the awning rail is about 2mm on the drivers side around 5mm. Due to the misalignment there is a gap on the leading edge of the cap towards the end of the cap on the drivers side. I'm thinking this is what might be causing it. Looks like it will be getting trucked back to Glasgow!

Old seal re-fitted around roof edge, though it does not fit well at all now and certainly won't keep water out.

Mine came back from repair of cap and seal just in time for a 2000km trip with wind whistling through a poorly sealed cap. Back for a month, but a year later both the rubber mouldings on the cap were loose and water dripped on the window controls. Just back for a third time, and all seems well, but for how long? What is clear is that VW has no quality control in place for this repair. When asked by friends about VW quality control, I tell them it's worse than LADA, who for years delivered Nivas whose steering wheels would come off while driving. If you are an automotive engineer and have any professional pride, working at VW must be a living hell.

 

[DMAS]

Hi team - so I've had my repair appointment brought forward. It was due to be June next year but after a cancellation its now Wednesday next week! This has come at a time when this week I collected my van only to find dirty hands prints ALL around the pop top area. Grrrrrrr. Obvs I mentioned it today and they said itll get sorted whilst at Claridges. When looking last night, with a head torch!, I can see who ever closed the pop top at the dealership managed to crimp all the roof canvas within the closing clamp. Grrrrrr again!!

I'm not hoping my canvas will also be replaced??
I can only hope I feel as its not a given.

Hi team - so I've had my repair appointment brought forward. It was due to be June next year but after a cancellation its now Wednesday next week! This has come at a time when this week I collected my van only to find dirty hands prints ALL around the pop top area. Grrrrrrr. Obvs I mentioned it today and they said itll get sorted whilst at Claridges. When looking last night, with a head torch!, I can see who ever closed the pop top at the dealership managed to crimp all the roof canvas within the closing clamp. Grrrrrr again!!

I'm not hoping my canvas will also be replaced??
I can only hope I feel as its not a given.

*now hoping

 

[Bramco]

Hi team - so I've had my repair appointment brought forward. It was due to be June next year but after a cancellation its now Wednesday next week! This has come at a time when this week I collected my van only to find dirty hands prints ALL around the pop top area. Grrrrrrr. Obvs I mentioned it today and they said itll get sorted whilst at Claridges. When looking last night, with a head torch!, I can see who ever closed the pop top at the dealership managed to crimp all the roof canvas within the closing clamp. Grrrrrr again!!

I'm not hoping my canvas will also be replaced??
I can only hope I feel as its not a given.


*now hoping

VW Leicester trapped our canvas - sent photos straight after checking it when we got home. It was replaced.

 

[MisterTea]

Finally got my van’s roof repair date scheduled. Only another year to wait!!!! Currently planned as Nov 2020. What a joke.

But. More interesting is that I got to see the damage and repair report. (I shouldn’t have seen it). I quickly snapped photos of the report. Some interesting reading there.

The bottom line is that it’s only going to cost VW £1700 to fix each each van (ours is an example of corroding all around the edge of the roof and on the hump above the cab. So it’s not really costly enough to motivate them to change much it seems.

FYI.
Labour is £1250
Paint is £94
Parts are £365

I’ve now got full list of part numbers and scope of work info if anyone needs it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[clarinetbcn]

Finally got my van’s roof repair date scheduled. Only another year to wait!!!! Currently planned as Nov 2020. What a joke.

But. More interesting is that I got to see the damage and repair report. (I shouldn’t have seen it). I quickly snapped photos of the report. Some interesting reading there.

The bottom line is that it’s only going to cost VW £1700 to fix each each van (ours is an example of corroding all around the edge of the roof and on the hump above the cab. So it’s not really costly enough to motivate them to change much it seems.

FYI.
Labour is £1250
Paint is £94
Parts are £365

I’ve now got full list of part numbers and scope of work info if anyone needs it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Would you consider posting the photos here, suitably edited to eliminate personal info? It would be a great contribution to knowledge on this forum, and I know from experience with this topic that VW will give this information, but only after mind numbing delaying tactics.

 

[Kirchberg]

Ours got done last summer in Germany. We didn't have any corrosion yet. So they only cleaned the area, sanded it down, but new primer on it and sealed it with a transparent film. Pretty useless, but they did it voluntarily and it stays under their warranty. It took them 4 years to come up with this solution Lets see how long it is going to take them to fudge around with the AGR... We only use it as a third vehicle for camping and it is garaged most of the year.

 

[stew]

VW have announced yesterday a recall to fit a new protective part to the front of the roof & also to check for roof corrosion. Was advised today when getting my brakes done.

I have just had my T5.2 done on this new recall. The bus already has one of the very first fixes for the front part of the roof.

It was taken in for a day for inspection and they discovered corrosion, but where exactly, I don't know since this is second hand from my local dealer who drove it the 20mins to the certified workshop (AMAG) here in Switzerland.

It was then in the next week for 5 days for sanding, repainting and a clear plastic strip has been applied to the rear 1/4 of the front panel.

When it stops raining! I will open the roof and take some pics to try and see what has been done.

 

[MisterTea]

Would you consider posting the photos here, suitably edited to eliminate personal info? It would be a great contribution to knowledge on this forum, and I know from experience with this topic that VW will give this information, but only after mind numbing delaying tactics.

Yep. I’ll work out how to redact the info that’d cause me or my local garage any potential issues. And then post the 4 page report on here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[briwy]

Well ours is at last coming back from Claridges this week for the fourth time after being away for another month.
It will sit on the drive in as much rain as possible for a couple of weeks to make sure it doesn't still leak before we put anything back in it as my confidence in the VW repair is just about nil.
Alltogether now I estimate that we have lost use of the van for about close on five to six months while it's been away and unusable due to leaks. Fixed it twice myself (successfully) otherwise we would have lost about another six months more time without it.
Once again we are being told this is a permanent fix so we will see, time will tell.
In addition we are over £800 out of pocket over this fiasco as Claridges insisted that "someone" had messed about with the roof and "someone" had taken the complete dash out. Having had the van from new this is most definitely not the case and we had no problems with the roof before it went in for repair so this is yet to be resolved.
I really wish we had never let it go to be repaired and just had the corrosion sorted at our local bodyshop. This has really put us off buying another one as there doesn't appear to have been any distinct alteration in the roof construction.
My advice to anyone with roof problems is don't let them touch it.

 

[DMAS]

All being well I'm collecting the van tomorrow. 6 weeks in total. VW wouldn't replace the bellow tent (even though they trapped it in the buckle) as they said they didn't. Oh well. I can't prove it so I'll just have to roll with that one. The dirty hand prints on the internal pop-top opening area have been cleaned off - I would have lost my sh*t if they denied that particular fix.

Claridges have been great, comms a little slow but always got a reply.
VW have been good, comms have been zero at time, but got a response once pushed
Europcar have been terrible, delivered me a stinking dirty T6 Shuttle that smelt like a chain smoking, alcoholics plasterers van


Will update once I've got it back - it's been emotional to say to the least.

 

[DMAS]

Well ours is at last coming back from Claridges this week for the fourth time after being away for another month.
It will sit on the drive in as much rain as possible for a couple of weeks to make sure it doesn't still leak before we put anything back in it as my confidence in the VW repair is just about nil.
Alltogether now I estimate that we have lost use of the van for about close on five to six months while it's been away and unusable due to leaks. Fixed it twice myself (successfully) otherwise we would have lost about another six months more time without it.
Once again we are being told this is a permanent fix so we will see, time will tell.
In addition we are over £800 out of pocket over this fiasco as Claridges insisted that "someone" had messed about with the roof and "someone" had taken the complete dash out. Having had the van from new this is most definitely not the case and we had no problems with the roof before it went in for repair so this is yet to be resolved.
I really wish we had never let it go to be repaired and just had the corrosion sorted at our local bodyshop. This has really put us off buying another one as there doesn't appear to have been any distinct alteration in the roof construction.
My advice to anyone with roof problems is don't let them touch it.

Weird - we pretty much posted at the same time!


Sorry to hear about your issues - i really hope this is indeed the final fix for you. I'm praying that my van is the first and last time its in Claridges.

 

[JcCali]

hi there. Just got my cali back from the roof corrosion fix... Just a quick question, had mine from new and never noticed this. Is the front seal ( the back of it ) on the elevating roof ..does that not sit as flush to the roof like the side seals and the back of the roof seal around the edges. ..is it sightly raised...cheers!

 

[clarinetbcn]

hi there. Just got my cali back from the roof corrosion fix... Just a quick question, had mine from new and never noticed this. Is the front seal ( the back of it ) on the elevating roof ..does that not sit as flush to the roof like the side seals and the back of the roof seal around the edges. ..is it sightly raised...cheers!

Is the front cap involved? If it is, they will probably fit a new plastic cap on top of it, so it will be slightly higher. Doesn’t solve the problem, just covers it up. On mine the section of the original cap that was affected was cut out before fitting the plastic cap. It was poorly fitted and whistled at highway speed. It went back for another week and was fixed. Be sure and test it at highway speed for wind noise before accepting it. It was almost impossible to get VW to tell me exactly what was done, but after much insisting I was finally given an in depth explanation. You should do the same.
Mine came back from repair of cap and seal just in time for a 2000km trip with wind whistling through a poorly sealed cap. Back for a month, but a year later both the rubber mouldings on the cap were loose and water dripped on the window controls. Just back for a third time, and all seems well, but for how long? What is clear is that VW has no quality control in place for this repair. When asked by friends about VW quality control, I tell them it's worse than LADA, who for years delivered Nivas whose steering wheels would come off while driving. If you are an automotive engineer and have any professional pride, working at VW must be a living hell.

 

[westfalia]

We are not alone with the corrosion problem.

The BMW G31 has, just to make a tad lighter, an aluminium
tailgate.
Anyway, its got the rot.

This is not mine, well not yet.