Correspondence to & from VW Commercials
Origional letter sent by SusiBus to Mr Smith Director VW Commercial Vehicles....
“Dear Sir
I am writing to you on behalf of myself and many other dissatisfied California owners whose vehicles are suffering from aluminium roof corrosion – a manufacturing defect which has been present since at least 2006 but not addressed until March 2013.
On 10th/11th/12th May the California Owners Club, in conjunction with VW Van Centre SMG (Cowfold), arranged an event (COTF) and over 110 California T4s and T5s attended. VW Publicity Manager, John Rawlings, was also present. At this event we inspected the joint between the front aluminium box section, adjacent to the side rails, of 89 of the T5s present.
55 of the 89 vehicles had roof corrosion (62%). One of the affected vehicles was only six weeks old.
In our many conversations with VW Customer Care, the inference has always been that this is not a major fault – which it clearly is - both here in the UK and the rest of Europe. When we asked Anthony Ryder how many owners had submitted warranty claims, he said he would need registration numbers to trace these vehicles. To that end, attached is a list of the affected vehicles at COTF. This list includes vehicles repaired, claims submitted, owners yet to submit claims, and vehicles whose owners may be unaware of corrosion on their vehicle.
Many owners are not satisfied with VW’s warranty response to the aluminium roof corrosion these vehicles are suffering. To merely repaint the external paintwork is a “sticking plaster” approach to a problem which is emulating from within the internal aluminium roof box section. It will not eradicate the cause of the problem which is electrochemical corrosion. Yes, it will temporarily be a cure (probably until after the 3 year paint warranty has expired), but not stop the risk of it reoccurring.
These vehicles have not been manufactured with full protection against rust (in this case, corrosion) attacking the internal cavities as stated in VW’s New Vehicle Warranty Guide August 2011 (page 6). “All Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles are manufactured with full protection against rust attacking the internal cavities”. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT and as such should be covered by the 12 year Body Protection warranty.
VW are fully aware of their responsibility to ensure this type of corrosion does not take place. In VW’s Body Builder Guidelines 2011, under Section 2 Technical Data for Planning, clause 2.3.2.11 Planning Measures, it states:
“Corrosion protection should be taken into account in the planning and design in the form of a suitable material selection and component design.
Information: If two different metallic materials are connected together by an electrolyte (eg moisture from the air) then this will give rise to a galvanic connection. The result will be electrochemical corrosion, and the less noble metal will suffer damage. The electrochemical corrosion will be all the greater the further apart the metals in question are in the electrochemical series. Therefore, the components must have a suitable treatment or insulation applied to them in order to prevent electrochemical corrosion, or the corrosion must be kept at a low level by a suitable choice of materials”
Up to now VW’s repair procedure has been mainly external repainting and no effective modification has taken place to remedy the cause. From our German contacts we know that VW Germany has finally acknowledged this defect and from March 2013, all new Californias have an insulating barrier between the box aluminium section and the steel bodywork. One of these post March 2013 vehicles with this modification was at COTF. Also, we understand that VW technicians in Germany are undergoing a training course and new repair procedures have been instigated to repair vehicles under warranty.
It is totally unacceptable for any present day vehicle to be suffering from electrochemical corrosion, particularly VW Commercial Vehicles’ most prestigious and expensive vehicle. Some owners have already posted their experiences on YouTube
http://youtu.be/L8BEMHZgmWw others have suggested going to the press or Watchdog. At this stage it would be better for VW UK to follow VW Germany and implement the new repair procedure as quickly as possible to stem the growing dissatisfaction of owners.
We deserve, and demand, VW’s assurance that the new repair procedure will be instigated in order to restore our faith in the brand.
Yours faithfully”
User avatar
SusiBus
Reply to above ....
“30 July 2013
Volkswagen California Roof Corrosion
Dear Mr Spencer
Following my letter, dated 29 May 2013, regarding the matter of Volkswagen California roof corrosion, I would like to update you on the progress we have made with the issue that you raised.
Having brought the issue to the attention of our colleagues in Germany, a factory approved repair process has been identified and we are currently preparing key Van Centres in the UK to ensure they can deliver this in accordance with our technical guidelines. Once we have completed this process we will begin to contact customers who have been in touch with our customer service centre. We expect this consultation to begin later this year.
Every Volkswagen California comes with 12 years warranty against through-corrosion (corrosions emanating from inside the body panel) and three years warranty protection for any paintwork defects, offering customers complete peace of mind.
Our customer service centre (08007834 909) is responsible for coordinating all queries and for arranging for vehicles to be inspected. Each case will be inspected on an individual basis by one of our authorised repairers.”
Correspondance from Director of VW Commercial Vehicles recieved by SusiBus .....
Following my letter, dated 30 July 2013, regarding the matter of Volkswagen California roof corrosion, I would like to update you on the progress we have made with the concern.
Having identified a repair process in August, we have subsequently completed all factory¬ mandated training.
Four Volkswagen Group approved Paint and Body Shops have been appointed and are undertaking the training needed to complete repairs to any affected vehicles. Training will be completed in early 2014.
Once this training is complete we will arrange for California repairs to commence.
As per my previous correspondence I would like to reassure California customers that each vehicle comes with a 12-year' warranty against through-corrosion (corrosion emanating from inside a body panel) and a three year warranty for any paintwork defects.
Customers who believe their vehicles may be affected should contact their local Van Centre to have their California inspected. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis by one of our authorised repairers.
I would like to thank you for bringing the issue to my attention. Outstanding customer service is of paramount importance to us and I wish California owners many more years of happy motoring.
