Broken chair

[Alex Currie]

I was wondering if anyone else has had a problem with the deck chair as I have had recently on holiday in Spain. I sat down and the top joint gave way. I am not too heavy before anyone asks if the user is overweight! The yellow bits are my failed attempt at repairing with Gorilla glue.

 

[Borris]

It's a very common issue as those joints aren't fit for purpose. Use the search function and you will see.

If your van is still under warranty or has the factory extended warranty then your dealer should order you a new chair without charge. If they don't then they are not acting in compliance with the conditions of the FEW which are exactly the same as the original manufacturers warranty.

 

[Alex Currie]

Thanks Borris. I am out of warranty and will carry out a search. £145 for a flimsy chair seems excessive.

 

[yossarian]

I'm not sure if this contains that part you'll need to check:

VW California Camping Chair Repair Kit - CampervanBits

This Genuine VW Camping chair repair kit, Depending on which joints have failed, this may fix more than one problem

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Ozzy Pete]

You could try some Epoxy resin and see if it sticks together. Its worth a try for a couple of £.

 

[Borris]

The problem with these joints is that they are by default, manufactured to fail. The part concerned is a cheap plastic component costing pence to produce. It has a hole in the moulding to take the rivet that forms that joint's pivot. That hole creates an obvious weak point. In every case reported on this forum and there have been many, this joint has broken because of that weakness in the design. This joint is not load bearing.

Despite this being a common fault, VW have done little or nothing to change this joint, apparently preferring instead to change the whole chair under warranty or charge their customers a king's ransom for a new one with warranty claims often being dodged by dealers who would rather charge customers for a new one. Believe me, I know. Perhaps this lack of modification is due to these chairs being manufactured by an outside contractor with the cost of any broken chairs being down to that supplying company who are able to turn these chairs out for peanuts. If a replacement isn't costly to them and tooling for a new replacement component is prohibitively expensive then why change the design?

Anyway, you can repair these joints yourself relatively easily by making a new joint in a more robust material. Or there is a chap in Germany that has produced a solid metal joint replacement kits. However having used the search function I have been unable to find details of previous threads on this subject which contained his details. Where have they gone?

Anyway, IMO these chairs are not only prone to failure but aren't that comfortable either. Accordingly, we never use ours. Like us, many owners have reached the same conclusion and have purchased much better alternatives for a lot less. There is also a thread on this subject. Frankly, you'd be better off finding a more comfortable and no doubt cheaper alternative.

 

[matt-k918]

Lots here about it ......https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/folding-chair-broken.20555/page-5

Including the email address for the guy in Germany you mentioned D.Baeurle@gmx.de

 

[Borris]

Thanks Matt,
I typed in all sorts of permutations but clearly all wrong.

 

[ThomasHJ]

I believe there's also a thread in which people give examples of alternative chairs that fit in teh tailgate storage compartment.

 

[Alex Currie]

The problem with these joints is that they are by default, manufactured to fail. The part concerned is a cheap plastic component costing pence to produce. It has a hole in the moulding to take the rivet that forms that joint's pivot. That hole creates an obvious weak point. In every case reported on this forum and there have been many, this joint has broken because of that weakness in the design. This joint is not load bearing.

Despite this being a common fault, VW have done little or nothing to change this joint, apparently preferring instead to change the whole chair under warranty or charge their customers a king's ransom for a new one with warranty claims often being dodged by dealers who would rather charge customers for a new one. Believe me, I know. Perhaps this lack of modification is due to these chairs being manufactured by an outside contractor with the cost of any broken chairs being down to that supplying company who are able to turn these chairs out for peanuts. If a replacement isn't costly to them and tooling for a new replacement component is prohibitively expensive then why change the design?

Anyway, you can repair these joints yourself relatively easily by making a new joint in a more robust material. Or there is a chap in Germany that has produced a solid metal joint replacement kits. However having used the search function I have been unable to find details of previous threads on this subject which contained his details. Where have they gone?

Anyway, IMO these chairs are not only prone to failure but aren't that comfortable either. Accordingly, we never use ours. Like us, many owners have reached the same conclusion and have purchased much better alternatives for a lot less. There is also a thread on this subject. Frankly, you'd be better off finding a more comfortable and no doubt cheaper alternative.

I will search the threads for an alternative chair. In the meantime I have super glued and screwed into the river holding the knuckle in place. It works at the moment, but for how long. Thanks all for your input which is much appreciated.

 

[westfalia]

@flying banana did a repair once using copper pipe,
it looked good too.

 

[flying banana]

@flying banana did a repair once using copper pipe,
it looked good too.

Yes I did. Still holding up well too.cost nothing as I had a length. Fnarr fnarr

 

[oryx white]

Lots here about it ......https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/folding-chair-broken.20555/page-5

Including the email address for the guy in Germany you mentioned D.Baeurle@gmx.de

I've used the German guys parts. They cost just under €50 inc postage but you get enough parts to repair 4 of the joints. Beautifully machined bits of metal. Decent instructions too.

Just need a bit of courage when it asks you to drill out the rivets. It worked for me fine. Done in about 20 mins.

Fully accept the copper pipe is cheaper @flying banana !

 

[Kevin&Becci]

I recently ordered the parts from Domi in Germany. They arrived very quickly. You get four of the parts so have used two to fix the front of one chair. Instructions are German but easily translatable. I am no DIY person but found the repair easy, I was able to easily drill out the rivets. My plan now is to keep the repaired chairs in the loft so they are complete for future van sale. In the meantime we are using two chairs from Argus that were £12 each.

 

[Richy]

@flying banana did a repair once using copper pipe,
it looked good too.

Great idea
22mm copper pipe onto a 22mm Yorkshire straight gives it a nice collar to sit on ,
Don’t bother with 3D printed, failed within a week !