VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[ArunAlec]

VW may extend beyond the 6 years, my 2010 Cali has been approved by VW to have the roof edge corrosion repaired after the recall for the roof seal corrosion check. The cowl corrosion was repaired by VW with the previous owner.

I think there are 2 overlapping aspects/issues, the old general corrosion issue which should be covered by the 6 year cover and the more recent roof tape “recall”, which as you say covers your 2010 Cali.
Fingers crossed VW have it sorted now!

 

[keredewor]

Where has 6 year come from... corrosion warranty is for 12 years (manifesting from within to without) which is clearly what the roof issues are and moreover as this is clearly a latent defect or defects I do believe that as VW are aware of the problem then it is an open ended issue ...

Time to call the dealer

 

[ArunAlec]

Where has 6 year come from... corrosion warranty is for 12 years (manifesting from within to without) which is clearly what the roof issues are and moreover as this is clearly a latent defect or defects I do believe that as VW are aware of the problem then it is an open ended issue ...

Time to call the dealer

Good luck!
You need to trawl the soon to be 208 pages for clarity over the 12 year argument. I can’t recall the answer but it’s been argued before. I think it’s around the fact that the roof rot is considered a paint defect rather than bodywork corrosion.

 

[TripleBee]

As it is derived from a commercial vehicle, there is no 12 year warranty.
And the roof is not a structural part of the vehicle body.
And the corrosion is not from inside, but from external influences.
And even with the corrosion, there is no structural problem.
Sad, I know.

 

[keredewor]

As it is derived from a commercial vehicle, there is no 12 year warranty.
And the roof is not a structural part of the vehicle body.
And the corrosion is not from inside, but from external influences.
And even with the corrosion, there is no structural problem.
Sad, I know.

Interesting take, however the facts as I see it are.......

> Page 17 of the service schedule "warranty" "the additional warranty on through-rusting covers the first 12 years after delivery"

> "paintwork and body warranty" .. volkswagen commercial vehicle dealerships ....."guarantee their vehicles will not be subject to paint faults (3 years) and body through rusting for a specified period (12 years)

> through rusting is evident on the panel over the roof cab, which is a component of the body

> the panel is factory painted with no ability to fail from an external source unless damage has occurred to the paint giving rise to ingress (without to within)...in my case zero external damage

> the corrosion in relation to that part is is deemed "galvanic" manifesting internally as a result of dissimilar materials breaking down the paint.. internal to external

Factually VW have admitted, by carrying many repairs, that this is a manufacturing defect, which is well documented and published, as a consequence (imo) falls outside the warranty limitations as it is a latent defect which ....

I now have enough to take a "sensible" discussion with the dealer and for them to inspect

 

[TripleBee]

Of course it is a manufacturing issue.
That is why (and because of the millions, or at least thousands of California's (all of them) suffer the same problem since 2004 or 2005) VW has finally caught up with the problem and is still trying to find a decent solution.
Let's all hope that this solution will be the end of our problems.
Although I don't see how the 2 small stripes of clear tape on the front spoiler here:

and here:

will solve this white stripe in the middle:


Excuse my ugly pictures. It's more cleaned now.

 

[danvan]

I appreciate there is a lot on here about this issue, but I couldn't find a full answer to my question.

I have a 2013 SE which I purchased last year. I've just noticed some bubbling type corrosion on one side of the roof, which I think is new since I checked all around it when I bought it. The van spent most of its life in Spain, despite being a UK vehicle, and hasn't been near a VW dealer since 2015.

So my question is, is this something that I can get VW to fix or is it now too late for that? There seems to have been a recall at some point, but I'm not aware of this van having been in for that.

I'm not sure if this is relevant (or normal), but the colour of the roof is ever so slightly lighter than the van itself (it's Olympian Blue).

 

[WelshGas]

I appreciate there is a lot on here about this issue, but I couldn't find a full answer to my question.

I have a 2013 SE which I purchased last year. I've just noticed some bubbling type corrosion on one side of the roof, which I think is new since I checked all around it when I bought it. The van spent most of its life in Spain, despite being a UK vehicle, and hasn't been near a VW dealer since 2015.

So my question is, is this something that I can get VW to fix or is it now too late for that? There seems to have been a recall at some point, but I'm not aware of this van having been in for that.

I'm not sure if this is relevant (or normal), but the colour of the roof is ever so slightly lighter than the van itself (it's Olympian Blue).

Is it the panel above windscreen? It's apparently 6 yrs from registration.
If its the elevating section you are in luck. Recall on all vehicles from 2010 onwards to the T6 about 2016 or so.

 

[SusiBus]

Hi danvan,
I'm not quite sure what you are looking for as a "full answer", but my shot at giving you one is,
you would be wasting time trying to get VW to fix it. Sorry.

You've bought a second-hand vehicle, with no recent VW service history, which sounds like it's had its roof already repaired. Is out of the extended VW Goodwill Paintwork Warranty, which was 6 years from the date of registration.
The recall was to apply a piece of tape to insulate the seal from the aluminium roof. I'm sorry, I'm not sure what vehicles are eligible for this recall.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi danvan,
I'm not quite sure what you are looking for as a "full answer", but my shot at giving you one is,
you would be wasting time trying to get VW to fix it. Sorry.

You've bought a second-hand vehicle, with no recent VW service history, which sounds like it's had its roof already repaired. Is out of the extended VW Goodwill Paintwork Warranty, which was 6 years from the date of registration.
The recall was to apply a piece of tape to insulate the seal from the aluminium roof. I'm sorry, I'm not sure what vehicles are eligible for this recall.

As above, for the elevating section from 2010 according to VW guru when he was a member. The recall involves removing the seal and applying the tape. Any minor corrosion fixed in house but major goes to body shop.

 

[andyinluton]

Of course it is a manufacturing issue.
That is why (and because of the millions, or at least thousands of California's (all of them) suffer the same problem since 2004 or 2005)

Not all them mines a 2015 model & no sign of corrosion, there were a couple of other owners with similar age vans that were also corrosion free. I dont know if they did something different for a batch. Its one of the things causing me to necessitate about buying a new cali.

 

[WelshGas]

Not all them mines a 2015 model & no sign of corrosion, there were a couple of other owners with similar age vans that were also corrosion free. I dont know if they did something different for a batch. Its one of the things causing me to necessitate about buying a new cali.

My 2014 is ”corrosion free” and has had the tape applied.

 

[TripleBee]

Mine had no problems untill you started to look good (after 5 years).
Unless you are really lucky and have no corrosion at all.

 

[WelshGas]

Mine had no problems untill you started to look good (after 5 years).
Unless you are really lucky and have no corrosion at all.

Very close inspection, front panel ( mine is in fact MY2015 and the alloy composition of the windscreen panel is supposed to have changed then ) is clear as was the elevating roof section when the tape was applied.

 

[andyinluton]

Very close inspection, front panel ( mine is in fact MY2015 and the alloy composition of the windscreen panel is supposed to have changed then ) is clear as was the elevating roof section when the tape was applied.

Mines the same a 2014 registered MY2015 Ive not had the tape done & no inclination to do it.

 

[Rob1972]

We're about to buy privately a 2008 T5 with the corrosion problem. Obviously this is out of warranty now so we'll be getting this repaired ourselves at some point. (Rather do this ourselves properly than the seller hiding the issue with a patch job) Are there any recommended bodyshops who can do this and what sort of cost are we looking at?

 

[WelshGas]

We're about to buy privately a 2008 T5 with the corrosion problem. Obviously this is out of warranty now so we'll be getting this repaired ourselves at some point. (Rather do this ourselves properly than the seller hiding the issue with a patch job) Are there any recommended bodyshops who can do this and what sort of cost are we looking at?

The Original VW repair was full replacement costing them about £4500/vebicle.
The present repair involves removing some of the panel and then putting a colour coded cap on, but some owners have had lots of problems with leaks, wind noise etc.
The easiest way is to find a company that specialises in body repairs for classic and aluminium vehicles, not your high volume insurance repairs. Treating and respray costs about £450 and should last at least 3 or more years.

 

[GSX1300R]

Not all them mines a 2015 model & no sign of corrosion, there were a couple of other owners with similar age vans that were also corrosion free. I dont know if they did something different for a batch. Its one of the things causing me to necessitate about buying a new cali.

Mine is a 2015 140 SE the Same as yours and until I gave a very close look didn’t think there was a problem..We were in Spain and a guy with a similar age Beach on our campsite asked if I’d had any problems, I said no but when I pulled back the roof seal there it was.. Micro blistering all the way round..That was around 2 years ago, so whatever you do make sure you check UNDER the roof seal before it’s too late..
We had ours done under warranty.

 

[Elmo3]

The Original VW repair was full replacement costing them about £4500/vebicle.
The present repair involves removing some of the panel and then putting a colour coded cap on, but some owners have had lots of problems with leaks, wind noise etc.
The easiest way is to find a company that specialises in body repairs for classic and aluminium vehicles, not your high volume insurance repairs. Treating and respray costs about £450 and should last at least 3 or more years.

We‘ve got some corrosion along the panel above the windscreen on the 2009 Beach. Spotted before delivery and a conversation had. What would actually be involved in repairing / treating this?

 

[GSX1300R]

We‘ve got some corrosion along the panel above the windscreen on the 2009 Beach. Spotted before delivery and a conversation had. What would actually be involved in repairing / treating this?

As said previously VW used to replace the front panel above the windscreen but this was starting to cost them mega money. So then they decided to glue a plastic cover over the old one...Only thing is it came with its own problems like wind noise and didn’t look very tidy.. That’s VW shirking their duties once again..

 

[WelshGas]

We‘ve got some corrosion along the panel above the windscreen on the 2009 Beach. Spotted before delivery and a conversation had. What would actually be involved in repairing / treating this?

Personally, I would find a specialist body shop specialising in vintage, custom paint jobs and get it rubbed down, high zinc primer and a respray. In your case because of the fading of the roof possibly respray the whole roof to blend in with the rest of the vehicle, or even go a contrasting colour as some of the Limited Edition California’s that have been sold over the years as you seem to have suggested you plan on keeping the vehicle long term.
Even if the Galvanic Corrosion returns in the years to come you’ll only need the front panel redone. How bad is the problem after 11 years?

 

[Elmo3]

Personally, I would find a specialist body shop specialising in vintage, custom paint jobs and get it rubbed down, high zinc primer and a respray. In your case because of the fading of the roof possibly respray the whole roof to blend in with the rest of the vehicle, or even go a contrasting colour as some of the Limited Edition California’s that have been sold over the years as you seem to have suggested you plan on keeping the vehicle long term.
Even if the Galvanic Corrosion returns in the years to come you’ll only need the front panel redone. How bad is the problem after 11 years?

Thanks, I don’t think it’s that bad but of course I can’t see what’s going on underneath the front cap above the windscreen. A general body shop suggested drilling a hole to squirt the inside of the cap with waxoil etc. There is some small blistering on the aluminium roof as well but I’ve seen a lot worse on much younger vans. I suppose I could just live with it and put it into context. Will take some pics when it’s not chucking down with rain!

 

[Elmo3]

As said previously VW used to replace the front panel above the windscreen but this was starting to cost them mega money. So then they decided to glue a plastic cover over the old one...Only thing is it came with its own problems like wind noise and didn’t look very tidy.. That’s VW shirking their duties once again..

Thanks. The general body shop owner down the road thinks some of it is caused by stone chip damage and suggested applying clear 3M tape to protect the capping.

 

[SusiBus]

I think I'd go to a different body shop if l was you. Yes sure the odd chip could happen above the windscreen height. That isn't the cause of the problem thought.

 

[TripleBee]

I just had the marvellous news that VW will not pay for the repaint of the roof and front spoiler. My California can only receive the clear tape on the roof and front spoiler. For repaint/touch up I will have to pay myself.
I think I will need another chat with VW about this issue, together with my Euro classification problem, they say they are nothing to blame.

What a surprise.

I heard that VW only takes full responsibility up to 7 years for the roof corrosion recall. So all the owners of California's younger than 2013 can have the recall completely, all the others just can go Woo Hoo their selves.

Oh, again: Don't let them put on that stupid cap. Get the front spoiler resprayed, not even changed.
Please take my good advice for this!!