What have you bought for your Cali today :-)

[Amarillo]

Today, I received a set of air vents for front windows. really look the part and I think they are much better than wind deflectors.View attachment 86492

They are a faff to fit, but I agree that they are really good.

 

[kurienp]

... and I think they are much better than wind deflectors.

Different use-cases:

• you cannot have these fitted when in slow/stopped traffic and rain, you want to roll down your windows without the rain coming in.
• deflectors are fit and forget and they stay on.
• when at a site, these are good, but as mentioned, a faff to fit on.
• you have to take them on and off when needed and also find place to store them when not in use.

 

[Dell]

Could you have both on, I mean you could take them of when driving and just leave on the wind deflectors

 

[kurienp]

Could you have both on, I mean you could take them of when driving and just leave on the wind deflectors

Yes. There are stick on deflectors that do not interfere with the window closure channels.

 

[andyinluton]

I can’t see that adding anything will effectively stop the rust particles from touching your roof, once the rust forms it’s able to penetrate the paint and react with the Aluminium which then corrodes and bubbles the paintwork and so the process goes on !
the method adopted by VW, create an impermeable barrier, appears to be the most reliable long term but does rely on you noticing when the seal fails and the rust form , then change the roof seal ASAP warranty of £75 per pop if out of warranty!

Do you think that part of the problem is people inspecting the seals?
If the seal has a thin coating of rubber over the central steel clip, surely pulling it on & off is more likely to expose the steel which will then rust.
The tape put on the edge of the roof should stop any rust coming into direct contact with the paintwork as it forms a physical barrier, unless of course the steel clip has scratched through the tape as a result of it being pulled on & off.
If I was pulling the seal off once a year to inspect, I would be thinking about a new seal every time as a precaution.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Do you think that part of the problem is people inspecting the seals?
If the seal has a thin coating of rubber over the central steel clip, surely pulling it on & off is more likely to expose the steel which will then rust.
The tape put on the edge of the roof should stop any rust coming into direct contact with the paintwork as it forms a physical barrier, unless of course the steel clip has scratched through the tape as a result of it being pulled on & off.
If I was pulling the seal off once a year to inspect, I would be thinking about a new seal every time as a precaution.

Good point @andyinluton but I guess the answer might be whether ONLY those who have removed and refitted the seal have been affected by corrosion?

 

[Perfectos]

Do you think that part of the problem is people inspecting the seals?
If the seal has a thin coating of rubber over the central steel clip, surely pulling it on & off is more likely to expose the steel which will then rust.
The tape put on the edge of the roof should stop any rust coming into direct contact with the paintwork as it forms a physical barrier, unless of course the steel clip has scratched through the tape as a result of it being pulled on & off.
If I was pulling the seal off once a year to inspect, I would be thinking about a new seal every time as a precaution.

Inspecting the seal should not cause an issue, the first time I inspected the factory fitted seal it was rusty !
the replacement seal was than found to be rusty after the second inspection
the third seal rusted after two weeks and was visible from the outside !
the amount of rust experienced will simply rise above the tape through natural process

the seal is not a water tight seal against the roof panel, Have you ever looked under a roof seal ?
the answer is there is a lot of crud and water accumulates in the recess, providing an ideal environment for rust to form on a faulty part

I don’t think merely pulling the rubber seal back in two foot sections twice a year causes the issue, I think VW provide sh ite seals that are known to cause a severe issue with their product and are unwilling to fix a problem they created & know fully the consequences (4K repair and a two year wait with no guarantee to fix the problem)

look at the rust carefully, this is after two weeks, the seal has failed on the out side and inside. Had I not requested tape to be applied to the front lip, the rust would be in contact with the roof panel, and bi metal corrosion will start very soon after. the tape is a sticking plaster (literally) it is not applied to the whole roof, you can see from the photo the rust will track along the rubber seal and as it grows it will breach the tape (where it is applied)

this is a case of poor product not fit for purpose.

why are the dealers told by VW via a work shop bulletin, to remove the seal and inspect for corrosion if the action of removing the seal damages the seal seal to the extent the problem would occur ?



The applicable Workshop action is 75A1 states that if the roof frame seal has damage such as corrosion or cracks then it should be replaced. Even if your vehicle is not due the workshop action and the seal has corrosion then it is a warrantable item and should therefore be replaced.

 

[Perfectos]

Good point @andyinluton but I guess the answer might be whether ONLY those who have removed and refitted the seal have been affected by corrosion?

Those vans that have had The roof seal fail will never know it has failed until either it is visible outside the rubber or the roof corrodes !

I’ll keep checking the item that is known to be an issue, particularly as I have first hand experience of a new seal rusting within two weeks of it being fitted !

Just announced - T6 recall for roof corrosion beneath the seal

VW have introduced a recall for the well documented issue of roof corrosion / paint bubbling below the seal. The roof will be inspected with the seal removed and if ok protective "foil" will be applied. I dont have any info regarding what will happen If not ok but I will find out today /...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Those vans that have had The roof seal fail will never know it has failed until either it is visible outside the rubber or the roof corrodes !

I’ll keep checking the item that is known to be an issue, particularly as I have first hand experience of a new seal rusting within two weeks of it being fitted !

Just announced - T6 recall for roof corrosion beneath the seal

VW have introduced a recall for the well documented issue of roof corrosion / paint bubbling below the seal. The roof will be inspected with the seal removed and if ok protective "foil" will be applied. I dont have any info regarding what will happen If not ok but I will find out today /...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Checked mine today @Perfectos . The van is one year old and there was lots of crud (and some water) under the seal which I cleaned off but no sign of rust. I noted that mine already had clear protective tape wrapped around the roof edge as fitted in the factory. Still wondering whether a light spray of light Waxoil might be a good precautionary treatment?

 

[Perfectos]

Checked mine today @Perfectos . The van is one year old and there was lots of crud (and some water) under the seal which I cleaned off but no sign of rust. I noted that mine already had clear protective tape wrapped around the roof edge as fitted in the factory. Still wondering whether a light spray of light Waxoil might be a good precautionary treatment?

Glad to hear your seal is all good
I cannot advise re wax oil, only to say that VW have not come up with a solution despite this problem having been present on all models to date from the T5

some reading 4300+ posts regarding a whole host of issues directly related to the roof seal failing !

VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

What does your roof seal look like , presumably rusty in the recess tgat grips the roof ? Haven't seen any rust up there...First small blisters ...then more bigger blisters...then the paint was so loose it just flakes off. It's a shame as the van is virtually mint everywhere else. I've had it...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Amarillo]

My van is coming up to five years young. I have never inspected under the seal, but with the five year/80,000 mile warranty about to expire by both measures, I intend to inspect it very soon.

I shall report back when I do…

 

[soulstyledevon]

Van Stickers…

 

[pcevanrulo]

Installed the Calitop Cupboard shelves in the hanging closet. This should be a Cali-option or even come as standard..

 

[Stu@rt]

Installed the Calitop Cupboard shelves in the hanging closet. This should be a Cali-option or even come as standard..View attachment 86871

I can see why plenty like them, but I would miss the hanging space. For us it's packing cubes in the rear cupboard and the wardrobe for hanging jackets. The space at the bottom for a dry sack for dirty laundry. But each to their own and these certainly look nice. Option? Maybe. Standard would be a disappointment for us.

 

[Scoobz1]

Checked mine today @Perfectos . The van is one year old and there was lots of crud (and some water) under the seal which I cleaned off but no sign of rust. I noted that mine already had clear protective tape wrapped around the roof edge as fitted in the factory. Still wondering whether a light spray of light Waxoil might be a good precautionary treatment?

Response deleted as posted elsewhere in the more appropriate " Avoiding-roof-corrosion" thread
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/avoiding-roof-corrosion.22428/page-2

 

[LoveBirds_1964]

We decided to treat our Billy with a Dinitrol treatment. This put us back about 1400 euro's including full warranty for 5 years. And we had the rims powdercoated and we installed Michelin Agilis Crossclimate 205/65r16 107t all-season tyres. We are very happy with her new looks and with the much improved performance on (Dutch) wet roads and wet grass.

We especially like the "stealthy" non-camper look as we love to camp off-grid and public areas.

What do you people think?

Stay safe!

 

[66tim99]

These are fantastic. Not cheap, but the individual ones fit perfectly over the hob, under the glass top, and make easily accessible chopping/serving boards/knee- tables.
https://www.gruenthal-mobilcamping.de/produkt/schneidebrett-fuer-ocean-coast-kueche/

 

[AndyWT]

We decided to treat our Billy with a Dinitrol treatment. This put us back about 1400 euro's including full warranty for 5 years. And we had the rims powdercoated and we installed Michelin Agilis Crossclimate 205/65r16 107t all-season tyres. We are very happy with her new looks and with the much improved performance on (Dutch) wet roads and wet grass.

We especially like the "stealthy" non-camper look as we love to camp off-grid and public areas.

What do you people think?

Stay safe!

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Excellent, the only reason my hard used 21 year old T4 Cali is still around is it was treated to the same Dinitrol early in life, the only corrosion is the bits they missed.

 

[Scoobz1]

More roof woes here - california T6.1 - check your roof seal- https://www.facebook.com/groups/808...cently_seen&multi_permalinks=2022160761279805

 

[pcevanrulo]

These are fantastic. Not cheap, but the individual ones fit perfectly over the hob, under the glass top, and make easily accessible chopping/serving boards/knee- tables.
https://www.gruenthal-mobilcamping.de/produkt/schneidebrett-fuer-ocean-coast-kueche/

We've bought the same. Good choice!

 

[66tim99]

More roof woes here - california T6.1 - check your roof seal- https://www.facebook.com/groups/808...cently_seen&multi_permalinks=2022160761279805

Replaced twice and rusty again?! Are they all doomed?
Is this the same rusty roof issue that’s been reported for years? @sidepod suggested he might have an answer?

 

[wave]

Magnetic cup holder phone mount for those of us with the requirement to plug in for Android Auto on the T6.1. Reasonably neat solution that seems to work well at first impression.

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Thank you - that looks like a great idea!

 

[Calimili]

We decided to treat our Billy with a Dinitrol treatment. This put us back about 1400 euro's including full warranty for 5 years. And we had the rims powdercoated and we installed Michelin Agilis Crossclimate 205/65r16 107t all-season tyres. We are very happy with her new looks and with the much improved performance on (Dutch) wet roads and wet grass.

We especially like the "stealthy" non-camper look as we love to camp off-grid and public areas.

What do you people think?

Stay safe!

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Your van is saying : "I'm ready for war! "

 

[Perfectos]

More roof woes here - california T6.1 - check your roof seal- https://www.facebook.com/groups/808...cently_seen&multi_permalinks=2022160761279805

I’m not on FB , is any one able to screen shot and drop a copy into one of the relevant posts please

 

[Scoobz1]

Here you go