VW Won't sell me a California

[T6 CFO]

Thanks - I do find this forum is excellent for the sort of advice you can only get from experienced campers so shall continue to use it. Hopefully, once I have more experience I shall be able to have a positive input myself
Meanwhile, is there anything anyone can do to improve this lousy weather (other than move abroad)? Just come back with the dog - we're both muddy, wet and cold and I’ve not even got my van yet to cheer me up.
Perhaps a few more pre delivery purchases to go under the bed. I can’t wait to try the ridge monkey toaster out but that will have to wait as we’ve only got an induction hob here and no gas.

All will be well when you can return from your cold, wet and muddy walk and flick on the heater in your Cali or MP


Mike

 

[Ginab]

Or MP in my case

 

[T6 CFO]

Or MP in my case

Edit done


Mike

 

[GrannyJen]

Thanks - I do find this forum is excellent for the sort of advice you can only get from experienced campers so shall continue to use it. Hopefully, once I have more experience I shall be able to have a positive input myself
Meanwhile, is there anything anyone can do to improve this lousy weather (other than move abroad)? Just come back with the dog - we're both muddy, wet and cold and I’ve not even got my van yet to cheer me up.
Perhaps a few more pre delivery purchases to go under the bed. I can’t wait to try the ridge monkey toaster out but that will have to wait as we’ve only got an induction hob here and no gas.

I'm going nuts with this weather

My 12 days away so far this year have been 3 of snow and 7 of rain and on the two days there was neither so it was nights of 7 below and ice the following morning that gave problems. I am getting a little bit jaded splashing through waterlogged and churned up fields.

One of the better things VW have introduced, probably spurred on by its use in the MP, is the wood effect yacht floor which, with two muddy dogs myself, has saved my sanity.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I hear you Ginab and I always find your posts well balanced, thoughtful and clear.
But on the subject of bitching about other camper types...it's going to happen and you'll have to choose to ignore I suppose.
A pleasant place to be, is what makes a good forum but it is at least partially a 'faceless' media so people will post stuff they might think harder about on the street. But its nice having you around...rise above it and carry on the man (or woman).

 

[Ethel's dad]

Yes I have read all the posts on here about the Marco Polo and they are mainly just comments from California owners with chips on their shoulders so I have taken with a pinch if salt. The more precise reviews are on the Marco Polo Forum from real owners.

I prefer a baked potato but must admit enjoy a pinch of salt.

 

[Tompoole]

Just go on the used site and buy what you want with just Delivery miles??
And save some money

I did this and bought my 150 ocean and it only had 21 miles on it

 

[Gazellio]

Me too with 63 miles.

 

[ChrisB]

Hi all,

I have been reading up the various problems of new VW California registrations being halted in the UK. I looked at the UK configurator and saw that all diesel variants have been removed with only petrol ones being available. Issues over why this has occurred seem to be centred around a problem with emissions.

One would assume that the vehicles sold in Spain and the rest of the EU have exactly the same engines and emission control systems and that they all meet the same specification as those sold in the UK, because EU reg's should all the same.

No petrol variants are offered for sale in Spain at all. (Most probably because they wouldn't sell here as they are less fuel efficient and petrol costs more than diesel so the chances of your average Spaniard buying one are almost nil)

However, diesel variants ranging through 102CV 150CV and 204CV are all still available for purchase, with manual, DSG & 4 motion transmissions(depending on what you choose.) The German site also offers all variants for sale. So I wonder why the problem of restricted choice and registration only seems to apply to the UK.

 

[tim downes]

Hi all,

I have been reading up the various problems of new VW California registrations being halted in the UK. I looked at the UK configurator and saw that all diesel variants have been removed with only petrol ones being available. Issues over why this has occurred seem to be centred around a problem with emissions.

One would assume that the vehicles sold in Spain and the rest of the EU have exactly the same engines and emission control systems and that they all meet the same specification as those sold in the UK, because EU reg's should all the same.

No petrol variants are offered for sale in Spain at all. (Most probably because they wouldn't sell here as they are less fuel efficient and petrol costs more than diesel so the chances of your average Spaniard buying one are almost nil)

However, diesel variants ranging through 102CV 150CV and 204CV are all still available for purchase, with manual, DSG & 4 motion transmissions(depending on what you choose.) The German site also offers all variants for sale. So I wonder why the problem of restricted choice and registration only seems to apply to the UK.

Interesting point - I was told by a Vw dealership yesterday that the only problem is with the 150 I’m not sure if that was the 150kw or the 150hp ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BikerGran]

I went for the mp rather than the Cali, basically because I just liked it better. I could give you a long list of why one is better than the other but it would only be my opinion, not objective fact. At the end of the day, they’re both pretty much the same - neither will get you far off road or up off piste wild and craggy mountains, but last time I looked, we don’t have many of those in the uk.
Both could be seen as ideal day vans rather than for extended camping by motor home journalists but for many of us the adaptability of these vans outweighs their compromises.
I, for one, find this forum really helpful, as a soon to be first time camper van owner, but I do not like the bitching by some folk about ‘big whites’ and other makes of camper than their own.
PLEASE could everyone keep this forum a pleasant place to visit and not some children’s playground where people are afraid to visit, in case they don’t conform to the bullies rules.

This is a California forum not a campervan forum, what do you expect?

I don't understand why anyone would choose to use this forum rather than one specific to their choice of vehicle, if they don't like the way the members are not afraid to express their opinion about other vehicles.

 

[Ginab]

See my last post for your answer.
This forum is excellent for advice on so many issues, not related to any particular make of van. After all, the Cali is a modern classic!

 

[GrannyJen]

See my last post for your answer.
This forum is excellent for advice on so many issues, not related to any particular make of van. After all, the Cali is a modern classic!

Another suggestion:

Ridge monkey "toaster".... just wait until you have bacon cooked in the ridge monkey I do not normally eat processed food but my "bacon butty" is now a Campervan "must have".....

 

[gear box oil]

I'm going nuts with this weather

My 12 days away so far this year have been 3 of snow and 7 of rain and on the two days there was neither so it was nights of 7 below and ice the following morning that gave problems. I am getting a little bit jaded splashing through waterlogged and churned up fields.

One of the better things VW have introduced, probably spurred on by its use in the MP, is the wood effect yacht floor which, with two muddy dogs myself, has saved my sanity.

Just add midges and you will have a perfect Scottish summer.

now that is something to look forward to.

 

[EnricoWindsurf]

I noticed that starting from January Volkswagen removed from their price list California TDI 150ps versions with manual gear (110kw). Only basic versions with 62 and 75 kw (which are of no interest to anyone) and 4Motion 150ps are now available with manual gear. I think it's a marketing choice to force you to spend 3,000 euros more. In my opinion they could better make "only DSG" available for production reasons, but offering it for everyone at a lower price. In this way they confirm that they only want to raise prices and marginalize as much as possible with this model - as already done with prices of certain options (e.g. led lights).

https://www.volkswagen-veicolicomme...nditions/original./20180108-california_t6.pdf

https://www.volkswagen-nutzfahrzeug...rnia/70165/76508/california-beach?page=engine

 

[motacyclist]

Another suggestion:

Ridge monkey "toaster".......

Is that what VW used on their monkeys?

 

[westfalia]

Is that what VW used on their monkeys?

They locked them in a gas chamber, put some cartoons on for them to watch
whilst fumigating them.
I couldn´t believe what i was reading.

 

[Frances Mac]

The title is not exactly 100% true but they won't sell me what I want!

I went into our VW dealer in Yorkshire today to purchase a 150 DSG Ocean only to be told you can no longer buy a diesel California and I can only buy a TSI petrol which is not what I want due to the poor MPG, I realise they are doing away with diesels but I did not realise it would be that quick.

Anyway, off to Mercedes tomorrow to hopefully buy my second choice ( a diesel marco polo)

 

[Frances Mac]

The title is not exactly 100% true but they won't sell me what I want!

I went into our VW dealer in Yorkshire today to purchase a 150 DSG Ocean only to be told you can no longer buy a diesel California and I can only buy a TSI petrol which is not what I want due to the poor MPG, I realise they are doing away with diesels but I did not realise it would be that quick.

Anyway, off to Mercedes tomorrow to hopefully buy my second choice ( a diesel marco polo)

I might have to sell mine if you're interested

 

[WelshGas]

3 pages of comments and the OP has not been back since the original 2 posts. ? Troll.

Maybe VW didn't want to sell him a California.

 

[calicalling]

I went for the mp rather than the Cali, basically because I just liked it better. I could give you a long list of why one is better than the other but it would only be my opinion, not objective fact. At the end of the day, they’re both pretty much the same - neither will get you far off road or up off piste wild and craggy mountains, but last time I looked, we don’t have many of those in the uk.
Both could be seen as ideal day vans rather than for extended camping by motor home journalists but for many of us the adaptability of these vans outweighs their compromises.
I, for one, find this forum really helpful, as a soon to be first time camper van owner, but I do not like the bitching by some folk about ‘big whites’ and other makes of camper than their own.
PLEASE could everyone keep this forum a pleasant place to visit and not some children’s playground where people are afraid to visit, in case they don’t conform to the bullies rules.

First post, I'll throw myself in the scrum then.
The Marco Polo is nice, the kitchen unit is better than the Cali for example. I could not however bear not to have a night heater and I don't like the space taken by the folding chairs in the boot.

 

[CampervanTime]

Welcome calicalling - what do you like better about the kitchen in the MP?

 

[calicalling]

Welcome calicalling - what do you like better about the kitchen in the MP?

Thank you.
Re kitchen; it is beautiful, look at it! It has a nice rounded corner, big soft closing drawers which make it easier to take things in & out and it is also bigger than the Cali due to the MP being a bit longer than the Cali.

 

[GrannyJen]

I had the opposite feeling with the kitchen. Bed down and I can still get into two of the cupboards in the Cali. I hated the piano black gloss, I would be forever wiping dust and fingermarks off it.

I found much to like in the MP but not the kitchen.

All of which goes to prove....

It's all a personal thing

 

[CampervanTime]

I was just about to say the same thing! Didn't like the gloss black or the shape of the bowl, or the melamine look to the cupboard doors.

It's very personal taste!