Do we reject our new California

[Glenhyrst]

What is the 30day deadline? So long as you have reported it within the 30 days you are covered. My insurance company supplied a tracker (£90) and gives windscreen cover so not sure why you would have those added. The water ingress could just be compressed door seals and might resolve itself (mine did on the tail gate - I put some Vaseline on the rubber and ensured the rubber was properly seated.

Not sure this is correct. "Which" advised me that a failure to reject within 30 days damns you to negotiation with the dealer and if an agreement is reached, a deduction for mileage would have to be agreed.
This despite my reporting problems with my new Joker on the day of collection and multiple times subsequent to that, with 4 return journeys to the dealer with whom it stayed parked outside for 2 weeks (details via tracker), and the problems reported as having been fixed were not fixed.
The majority of the mileage has been too and from the dealer.
I decided to hang on as I could see it likely that a dealer that could turn out a van with faults that should easily have been spotted at PDI or fixed when reported were not go to go down without a fight, and what with the likely fight over the alarm and tracker added to the van, it was a route I did not fancy.
But some good news, yesterday, 6 months and 5 days from its collection, a spring clip arrived through the post to enable me to refit a cap at the back of the headlight unit.
I could not buy from this dealer again.
PS - Can anyone tell me how to get a response from emails to Westfalia?

 

[DaveT54]

I would reject the van. I’m still having leak issues with the roof bellows seal after 3 years. New bellows, joint between bellows and roof re sealed. Lots of trips to the dealers for a week at a time for “investigation”. Invariably they can’t get it to leak. Every time I put up the roof in the rain it leaks. I send them photos and videos each time. They then can’t get it to leak.
I wish I had not bought mine. It’s spent more time at the dealers for various faults than I’ve spent time away in it.

 

[Jon123]

Emailed the dealer Tuesday, day 29, got a reply from manager, full refund received the following day, just waiting to sort the tracker that is still inside the vehicle. Will be selling all the accessories that we bought as never used. This experience has totally put us off the California after years of looking forward to this lifestyle after retirement.

 

[SFO]

Emailed the dealer Tuesday, day 29, got a reply from manager, full refund received the following day, just waiting to sort the tracker that is still inside the vehicle. Will be selling all the accessories that we bought as never used. This experience has totally put us off the California after years of looking forward to this lifestyle after retirement.

Looks like - easy rejection and quick refund - the dealer really wanted your van for their stock ..

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

What is the 30day deadline? So long as you have reported it within the 30 days you are covered. My insurance company supplied a tracker (£90) and gives windscreen cover so not sure why you would have those added. The water ingress could just be compressed door seals and might resolve itself (mine did on the tail gate - I put some Vaseline on the rubber and ensured the rubber was properly seated.

We had something similar on the tailgate. I small branch or twig from overhanging vegetation had got stuck on the boot rubber seal & allowed water to drip onto the bed extension area. Easily resolved when we found the offending twig but took a few days for the seal to ping back into shape.

 

[The Blue Merle]

bits

What is the 30day deadline? So long as you have reported it within the 30 days you are covered. My insurance company supplied a tracker (£90) and gives windscreen cover so not sure why you would have those added. The water ingress could just be compressed door seals and might resolve itself (mine did on the tail gate - I put some Vaseline on the rubber and ensured the rubber was properly seated.

Vaseline isn’t good for rubber seals (will weaken it and slowly rot), you should use silicone lube.

 

[neally]

I got my new California in December, I ordered the sports pack with privacy glass & im pretty sure it’s not !!!!, I pointed out to the garage when I picked it up , got told that that’s legally as dark as it’s allowed , I said but it’s not the windscreen it’s the side & back & I can see in the van , the glass is dark but no darker than standard, no more was done about it

 

[The Blue Merle]

Not sure this is correct. "Which" advised me that a failure to reject within 30 days damns you to negotiation with the dealer and if an agreement is reached, a deduction for mileage would have to be agreed.
This despite my reporting problems with my new Joker on the day of collection and multiple times subsequent to that, with 4 return journeys to the dealer with whom it stayed parked outside for 2 weeks (details via tracker), and the problems reported as having been fixed were not fixed.
The majority of the mileage has been too and from the dealer.
I decided to hang on as I could see it likely that a dealer that could turn out a van with faults that should easily have been spotted at PDI or fixed when reported were not go to go down without a fight, and what with the likely fight over the alarm and tracker added to the van, it was a route I did not fancy.
But some good news, yesterday, 6 months and 5 days from its collection, a spring clip arrived through the post to enable me to refit a cap at the back of the headlight unit.
I could not buy from this dealer again.
PS - Can anyone tell me how to get a response from emails to Westfalia?

Yes deal only with the dealer they are westfalia and it’s not your responsibility to deal with the German side.
Had lots of issues with my joker and dealer first asked me if I wanted to drive it back to Germany to have the whole thing gutted and replaced.
I said no, and dealer fixed/received compensation/ and even bought van back at price I paid 7mths later as couldn’t live with a van that had been flooded (mould issues later no doubt), plus a few other silly issues.
Down side lost my dream van and the price was at 2020 prices and van arrived 2022. Same van today would cost nearly £30k more!
Campersales was great dealing with issues but should have picked up on faults before handover.
Lesson learned and now making my own van.

Hope you get issues resolved with your dealer

 

[Cameron]

Emailed the dealer Tuesday, day 29, got a reply from manager, full refund received the following day, just waiting to sort the tracker that is still inside the vehicle. Will be selling all the accessories that we bought as never used. This experience has totally put us off the California after years of looking forward to this lifestyle after retirement.

A hard decision and very disappointing for you, for what it’s worth I think I would have done the same , your dream van should be just that , not a tale of woe. Good luck with your next adventures.

 

[Esandar#1]

Never got as far as getting the poptop up !

Wow! Part of our excellent 2 hour hand-over included opening & closing the pop-up roof (under the direction of the Salesman) so that we were aware of how to do it properly - as this is a manual process in the Beach.

As almost the last thing in the hand-over, we asked about controlling the auxiliary diesel heater. To the horror of us and the salesman we discovered the Factory had missed adding it… so we took away our new van whilst VW took 6 months to build a brand new one, to the spec we had ordered. VW Heritage Bristol were 10/10 for dealing with this problem.

 

[66tim99]

Wow! Part of our excellent 2 hour hand-over included opening & closing the pop-up roof (under the direction of the Salesman) so that we were aware of how to do it properly - as this is a manual process in the Beach.

As almost the last thing in the hand-over, we asked about controlling the auxiliary diesel heater. To the horror of us and the salesman we discovered the Factory had missed adding it… so we took away our new van whilst VW took 6 months to build a brand new one, to the spec we had ordered. VW Heritage Bristol were 10/10 for dealing with this problem.

Wow. It does make you wonder if they actually perform a pre-delivery inspection. Mine had a missing black B-pillar on one side only. I spotted it on the video the salesman sent to me.

 

[Corradobrit]

To the horror of us and the salesman we discovered the Factory had missed adding it…

Almost as bad as VW installing a 150PS engine instead of the 204 I ordered. Had to wait an additional 8 months to get what I ordered and acquired a leaky 03S for good measure to add insult to injury.

 

[Grorich]

Looks like - easy rejection and quick refund - the dealer really wanted your van for their stock

Emailed the dealer Tuesday, day 29, got a reply from manager, full refund received the following day, just waiting to sort the tracker that is still inside the vehicle. Will be selling all the accessories that we bought as never used. This experience has totally put us off the California after years of looking forward to this lifestyle after retirement.

Glad you got a refund. I need to decide next steps as vw lawyers rejected my vehicle rejection and said no contract has been breached under consumer rights act and that any and everything should be done under warranty as that is what I signed.

I signed for a camper van to go camping. Not a return trip to dealer every other week

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Glad you got a refund. I need to decide next steps as vw lawyers rejected my vehicle rejection and said no contract has been breached under consumer rights act and that any and everything should be done under warranty as that is what I signed.

So the question is what happens if the roof is never actually fixed within the warranty period?

 

[Esandar#1]

Wow. It does make you wonder if they actually perform a pre-delivery inspection. Mine had a missing black B-pillar on one side only. I spotted it on the video the salesman sent to me.

I was hugely grateful that I had read on this forum about experiences where vans were delivered missing key items… so when my wife asked “what happens now?” - and given the salesman had sold us this as a must-have added extra - my immediate response was “we take away this van & use it until VW deliver a new one to the proper spec”.

We were offered a cash discount or post factory fit, but we stuck to our demand. We really looked after the van we had for six months, before swapping it for the new one. The view of the Salesman was this was a VW Factory fault (where you would expect checks to be made) but he also pointed out he would be able to resell this van very easily for very good money on its return, so it wasn’t a big deal for the dealer. And I guess it wasn’t a big deal for VW in general scheme of things. It would have been worse for us if the factory had noticed it, raised it & said “do you want it without the heater or wait for a new one?” Maybe VW just hoped we’d take it or accept a cash discount… but it worked out well for us in the end as, we had a van that was only 36 months old (rather than 42) which we purchased at the end of the contract for the same residual value as in the initial contract.

 

[Grorich]

So the question is what happens if the roof is never actually fixed within the warranty period?

The new bellows have arrived from Germany. My concerns are that I’ve had vehicle 5 months. It’s been at vw for 2 of those months and I have no trust in the van. It’s clearly not fit for purpose and

 

[Glenhyrst]

What is the 30day deadline? So long as you have reported it within the 30 days you are covered. My insurance company supplied a tracker (£90) and gives windscreen cover so not sure why you would have those added. The water ingress could just be compressed door seals and might resolve itself (mine did on the tail gate - I put some Vaseline on the rubber and ensured the rubber was properly seated.

Details on the Consumer Rights Act re vehicle purchase can be found here: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-ri...has-a-problem-what-are-my-rights-aAnMC5b0ZzJb

 

[Glenhyrst]

Yes deal only with the dealer they are westfalia and it’s not your responsibility to deal with the German side.
Had lots of issues with my joker and dealer first asked me if I wanted to drive it back to Germany to have the whole thing gutted and replaced.
I said no, and dealer fixed/received compensation/ and even bought van back at price I paid 7mths later as couldn’t live with a van that had been flooded (mould issues later no doubt), plus a few other silly issues.
Down side lost my dream van and the price was at 2020 prices and van arrived 2022. Same van today would cost nearly £30k more!
Campersales was great dealing with issues but should have picked up on faults before handover.
Lesson learned and now making my own van.

Hope you get issues resolved with your dealer

You are right but if the dealer comes up with an answer that doesn't seem to apply to my vehicle and if this and another site give conflicting opinions, to whom do I turn other than the maker, in the case Westfalia.
It's a relatively small issue but of some significance as my Joker leisure and starter batteries seem to drop volatage fairly quickly whilst sat on my drive.
The Joker booklet says that on EHU the starter battery receives a charge, albeit small, but mine doesn't.
Is it possible that there is an easily correctable fault or is the booklet in error?
Hopefully the weather will improve and we will use the van as it should be used. And hopefully find it otherwise error-free. I'm not betting the farm on it being so.

 

[Jon123]

I got my new California in December, I ordered the sports pack with privacy glass & im pretty sure it’s not !!!!, I pointed out to the garage when I picked it up , got told that that’s legally as dark as it’s allowed , I said but it’s not the windscreen it’s the side & back & I can see in the van , the glass is dark but no darker than standard, no more was done about it

We were told it’s the same glass as what is standard on the Ocean, don’t believe it.

 

[Jon123]

Glad you got a refund. I need to decide next steps as vw lawyers rejected my vehicle rejection and said no contract has been breached under consumer rights act and that any and everything should be done under warranty as that is what I signed.

I signed for a camper van to go camping. Not a return trip to dealer every other week

Ask for a loan of the same type of vehicle, one you can go camping in.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

The new bellows have arrived from Germany. My concerns are that I’ve had vehicle 5 months. It’s been at vw for 2 of those months and I have no trust in the van. It’s clearly not fit for purpose and

VW will continue to kick the can down the road until the warranty expires (unless the new bellows are fit for purpose) - VW are all well known for it as they know that most individuals do have the time or money to fight them. Any fix after the warranty expires will be a ‘goodwill’ gesture.

 

[Grorich]

Ask for a loan of the same type of vehicle, one you can go camping in.

Yes I can get that if I pay £25 a day insurance

 

[Grorich]

VW will continue to kick the can down the road until the warranty expires (unless the new bellows are fit for purpose) - VW are all well known for it as they know that most individuals do have the time or money to fight them. Any fix after the warranty expires will be a ‘goodwill’ gesture.

Well still 4 years and 7 months so hopefully it will be ok

 

[The Blue Merle]

You are right but if the dealer comes up with an answer that doesn't seem to apply to my vehicle and if this and another site give conflicting opinions, to whom do I turn other than the maker, in the case Westfalia.
It's a relatively small issue but of some significance as my Joker leisure and starter batteries seem to drop volatage fairly quickly whilst sat on my drive.
The Joker booklet says that on EHU the starter battery receives a charge, albeit small, but mine doesn't.
Is it possible that there is an easily correctable fault or is the booklet in error?
Hopefully the weather will improve and we will use the van as it should be used. And hopefully find it otherwise error-free. I'm not betting the farm on it being so.

Both my jokers were used daily and never really went on electric hookup so I can’t help you.
I would say that the westy dealer I used struggled to get answers from them at times and they turn over million plus business with them.
I’ll be amazed if you get any response going direct, you to email your dealer with concerns and give them chance to resolve if that doesn’t work them it’s the hideous legal action. I would advice trying to sort any issues out without that route always found the friendly approach works best but be persistent.

Webbah Swiss guy maybe able to help with advice as he’s pulled his electric leisure side apart with new bats/solar etc.

 

[WelshGas]

Yes I can get that if I pay £25 a day insurance

Does your insurance not give fully comprehensive cover for a loan vehicle while yours is being serviced/repaired? Mine does.