WHY DON'T VW MAKE HEADRESTS REMOVABLE..?

[SusiBus]

Many owners only use their Cali for camping trips with two occupants, therefore have no requirement for the headrests. When they are folded down they consume a lot of useful storage space under the bed, where we store soft bags. I know there is available info on the forum about removing them, but have never felt happy about doing it myself. Am l right in thinking that it would be a good idea if VW made them removable?

 

[Rich20]

They are in a Beach. Oh dear is it time to get my tin hat?

 

[Maxx]

They are in a Beach. Oh dear is it time to get my tin hat?

 

[TripleBee]

If you have an Ocean, where are you going to put the headrests when not in use? In your garage? And if you return and you want to take some more people, they "need" the headrests to be legal.
It's a bit tricky on both.
In daylight I like the headrests down, but in winter I like them up so the cars behind me won't blind me with their lights (Xenon, LED, fog, ...).
I like to have them with me all the time. And it's less trouble to turn the headrests over than trying to plug them out and find storage...

But that is just me.

 

[Hamish S]

Don't think headrests are a legal requirement in the UK.

 

[BeagleMum]

They are in a Beach. Oh dear is it time to get my tin hat?

You beat me too it was about to say the same

 

[WelshGas]

Who cares if they are a legal requirement. Get a shunt from the rear and you’ll be glad you have them.

If you need to remove the headrests to carry more “ stuff “ then you’re carrying too much “ stuff “ in the first place.

 

[Elly Swanson]

I think there’s a file on here somewhere that explains how to remove them if you decide you won’t need them. I looked at it once but decided against removing them because:

1. to me it looked irreversible
2. once we started using the Cali if I was the passenger I sometimes would fancy sitting in the back, especially useful if I‘m doing something that needs a bit of space, there’s a blistering hot sun shining through the windows or the dog‘ a little unsettled (he has a seatbelt clip to secure him to one side of the bench seat).

The headrests are also really useful for hanging something over (like a blanket or towel) to block people looking in from the rear if you don’t want to get out of the van or can’t/don’t want to reach over to put the back blind down; Like at night if you’re sleeping upstairs or you’re out for the day and want to use a loo in the van or get a change of clothes, anything where you want/need a bit of privacy.

For me though it would be really useful to be able to temporarily remove them In our Ocean. On long journeys, it’s great to stop and put the bed down for a power nap or late night stop (if for whatever reason you can’t pop the top to sleep “upstairs”). Sometimes, if we’re carrying a lot of gear, the headrest space is the difference to being able to do that or having to sleep in the cab, one of us upright in the seat In front of the “kitchen” that can’t recline enough. It would be great to slip off the headrests and stick them in the cab, easy to put back on when the seat goes up and we’re ready to continue our journey.

I also would like to be able to adjust them for passenger comfort.

 

[Keith Smith]

They could make them a lot less bulky so that when they are pushed down they are flush with the top of the reshaped seat back.

 

[SusiBus]

Who cares if they are a legal requirement. Get a shunt from the rear and you’ll be glad you have them.

If you need to remove the headrests to carry more “ stuff “ then you’re carrying too much “ stuff “ in the first place.

"Get a shunt-------", l agree with you if you're sitting in that seat, but we are only two people, only ever using the front two seats while the vehicle is in motion, so it is not applicable.
"Carrying too much "stuff" is also not applicable. We always wild camp, and move on everyday. No toppers, bbq's and wind breaks for us. Everything is kept to the minimum. Yes extra water, gas and lots of OS maps. It's more about utilizing available space. Having two headrests that fold and occupy a disproportionate amount of space and aren't fulfilling any function, is not what l call a sensible use of space, hence my question - why don't VW make headrest removable?

 

[SusiBus]

They could make them a lot less bulky so that when they are pushed down they are flush with the top of the reshaped seat back.

Now that's a good idea.

 

[Hotel California]

We are always just two of us and had mine removed years ago by drilling out the locking pins. The headrests stay on the attic in the garage , the only time they go in is when the Cali needs the annual "Keuring" sort like your MOT . As i do think it's a legal requirement to have when peope are sitting in the seat (while driving)
You could wonder why VW not made them easy removable with sort of pushbutton release as in many verhicles .

 

[TripleBee]

We are always just two of us and had mine removed years ago by drilling out the locking pins. The headrests stay on the attic in the garage , the only time they go in is when the Cali needs the annual "Keuring" sort like your MOT . As i do think it's a legal requirement to have when peope are sitting in the seat (while driving)
You could wonder why VW not made them easy removable with sort of pushbutton release as in many verhicles .

Then you should have a Marco Polo. But if you just stow them away in the forseen place, in the back of seat, they take more place than the California ones.
The only plus side is that you can take them out and leave them at home.

 

[Hotel California]

@TripleBee , why should i have a MP , i'm happy with my Cali .
I have not any problem with the headreast sitting in the attic on the garage...

 

[SusiBus]

The headrests on our 2002 VW Golf have push button release to allow the rear seats to fold flat. So someone at VW has previously been aware of this technology. Did someone post that Beach headrests are removable?

 

[Elly Swanson]

We are always just two of us and had mine removed years ago by drilling out the locking pins. The headrests stay on the attic in the garage , the only time they go in is when the Cali needs the annual "Keuring" sort like your MOT . As i do think it's a legal requirement to have when peope are sitting in the seat (while driving)
You could wonder why VW not made them easy removable with sort of pushbutton release as in many verhicles .

Push button in the front, I wonder why not the back?

 

[AlisonM]

Our dog travels on the rear shelf and the dog guard attaches to the headrests so we need them. When in camping mode the guard fits under the van and we usually sleep up top so we don’t move the rear seat. If we do sleep downstairs we don’t move the ‘stuff’ in the ‘boot’ so there is a void for the headrests. It’s never crossed my mind that it is a problem. Just shows we all use our vans differently.

 

[ejmoore]

Who cares if they are a legal requirement. Get a shunt from the rear and you’ll be glad you have them.

If you need to remove the headrests to carry more “ stuff “ then you’re carrying too much “ stuff “ in the first place.

You'll only be glad you have them if you have passengers in the rear seat, which we don't. And how much 'stuff' we carry, or more the case, where we choose to carry it, is up to us - there are no rights and wrongs. It isn't logical that the front headrests (which must always be needed, at least on the driver's side) are readily removable, but the rear ones are not.

 

[WelshGas]

You'll only be glad you have them if you have passengers in the rear seat, which we don't. And how much 'stuff' we carry, or more the case, where we choose to carry it, is up to us - there are no rights and wrongs. It isn't logical that the front headrests (which must always be needed, at least on the driver's side) are readily removable, but the rear ones are not.

Take it up with VW then. The amount of storage space gained with the bed down is minimal whereas with them in place means you can put more in the boot space with them in place.
If it’s such a problem, knock the pin out and take them out. Not difficult if that’s what you want.

 

[ejmoore]

I could, but I'm reluctant to make non-reversible customisations to the van

 

[WelshGas]

I could, but I'm reluctant to make non-reversible customisations to the van

According to the VW parts list the rear head rests are removable from the hinging system.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Here’s the link to the downloadable document on how to remove them. You might need VIP membership to download though.

How-To Guide - How to Remove the rear headrests

How to Remove the rear headrests

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Elly Swanson]

We are always just two of us and had mine removed years ago by drilling out the locking pins. The headrests stay on the attic in the garage , the only time they go in is when the Cali needs the annual "Keuring" sort like your MOT . As i do think it's a legal requirement to have when peope are sitting in the seat (while driving)
You could wonder why VW not made them easy removable with sort of pushbutton release as in many verhicles .

Hotel C, when you but them back are they still sturdy and safe, or just for show to pass the test?

 

[Elly Swanson]

It’s not open that threads get a bit “spiky” on here, but headrests? Who knew?

 

[Camperfamily]

I expect the reason they are not removable on the SE/ Ocean is due to this hinge system for making up the bed. Personally I love the convenience and space saving result of the hinged headrests on the SE/ Ocean. We previously rented a Beach and I thought it was a bit of a faff having to remove and stow them to use the bed; it seemed a bit novice compared to the slick storage of the seats and table. (Just my opinion; not tying to start a Beach vs Ocean debate).

Each to their own, but the hinge system is much more valuable than removable functionality to me. So I say kudos to VW on this one.