VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[raynormor]

I have recently noticed that I have the dreaded roof corrosion. My California is 5 1/2 years old. Is it bad enough? there is vert slighy bubbling in a few places. I've sent pictures to the supplying dealer and had no reply from the warranty manager. I'm going to phone today to see what I need to do next.
I'm surprised some people are not reporting it to watchdog in support of your campaign - the bottom line is it shouldn't have happened and VW's good service in their case doesn't alter that fact.

Wish me luck (I have added my details to the watchdog appeal)

Regards

Ray

 

[Tanya Gander]

I read these stories with a sinking heart. My 65 plate is clean for now, but I will keep checking. Really hope that vw sort this out for all concerned.

 

[Martin]

I have received quite a few messages over the weekend and there are still a lot of people unaware of the problem.

Please remember you are not just checking the front panel, you must also look under the rubber seal of the elevating roof (This INCLUDES 2015/2016 plate Cali's) The seal can be a bit stiff to remove at first but it is designed to come away for cleaning.

The image below ( courtesy of @snowy55 ) is showing you what you should be looking for. It starts as very small bubbles that become larger and they will then spread to above the seal.

 

[MattBW]

I'm going to check mine today.

 

[andreww51]

done

 

[JULIANLISMORE]

I can understand that but maybe another way to look at it is that VW know your van has a design fault that means it is going to corrode but were happy not to tell you. If you had gone another year without noticing it they would have refused your claim just like they have other vans outside the warranty period.

Are you sure they've treated you fairly? I think fair treatment would have been to contact you to say they know there's a problem with your van and they're going to fix the design fault so you don't suffer like their other customers have.

O.K., thanks larrylamb and Custardtart. On reflection you are quite right that I do have a complaint about the way VW UK has chosen to handle this whole business, and I do want to show solidarity with everyone else who is plagued by this problem. So I have just sent my details to BBC Watchdog and for your information this is what I wrote: -

Significant roof corrosion, signalled by "bubbling" paintwork is reported by numerous California owners. Under pressure from the California Owners Club VW have acknowledged that there is a design problem with (I think) pre-2014 models and have arranged a very tedious procedure for remedial action.

VW has not adopted the most customer-friendly solution which would have involved a call-back of all vehicles falling into the risk period for periodic inspection/remedial work. Instead they expect vehicle owners to take their vehicle to one of their authorised dealers, who then inspect and send a report to VW UK. If satisfied that the defects noted by the dealer qualify as resulting from the design fault VW then place the vehicle in a queue for remedial treatment at one of only 4 UK bodyshops approved for the necessary remedial work. The waiting time for remedial work is, I understand, currently over a year.

In short VW have taken no initiatives to minimise customer inconvenience and anxiety. They have placed a great deal of the onus for obtaining a satisfactory outcome onto the shoulders of customers. They don't care, for instance, that I will have to take my vehicle to a dealership more than 100 miles from my home merely in order to have an inspection made of a defect which is well-known by manufacturer, dealers and customers, is easily recognised and which results from defective design.

Lastly, and of great concern to California owners, no-one yet knows whether the remedial work VW have carried out in one of their appointed bodyshops is of lasting effect.

I have only just detected this problem with my 2011 vehicle and so, at this stage, I have no correspondence with VW or any of their dealerships.
.

 

[Aca_chap]

Yes mine had it under the rubber seal round the edge - garage found it while trying to figure out why the roof was catching on one side when closing. It was less that a year old. The respray seems to be ok thus far and the roof no longer catches above the passengers door when closing.

Hi thanks for the replies to my earlier posts. This is a great way to share useful information about a really painful issue.

I'm being a bit slow maybe (probably?), but it looks like the issue still exists on new vehicles then? Has enough time lapsed to prove this? Sounds like from your post the corrossion is still at large which will make me cancel the order I was about to place.

Thanks again and good luck to everyone.

 

[RichardP]

If you do cancel your order, please be sure to tell VW that the reason why is because of the roof corrosion and their handling of the problem! Maybe if they realise that they are losing business they might do something about it!

 

[WelshGas]

Hi thanks for the replies to my earlier posts. This is a great way to share useful information about a really painful issue.

I'm being a bit slow maybe (probably?), but it looks like the issue still exists on new vehicles then? Has enough time lapsed to prove this? Sounds like from your post the corrossion is still at large which will make me cancel the order I was about to place.

Thanks again and good luck to everyone.

Just be aware the problem is " Galvanic Corrosion " due to 2 dissimilar metals in contact with an electrolytic solution. Land Rover Series 1,11,111 and all the variants upto the last Defender produced last year so 1947-2015 all suffered the same problem. Cosmetic but NOT structural in any way.

 

[aclowes]

I did not report my roof corrosion until the vehicle was about 6.5 yrs old. VW rejected any claim as the roof is not part of the bodywork. Get you claim in before you are too late!

 

[Beano]

I have followed up with VW today..... been waiting nearly 2 years. similar info to others..... new bodyshops, my claim has been resubmitted, but no date yet..... very responsive on the phone, but no further forward.

 

[RichardP]

Yep, that's what they do. Very polite on the phone, but no action!!

 

[larrylamb]

I have followed up with VW today..... been waiting nearly 2 years. similar info to others..... new bodyshops, my claim has been resubmitted, but no date yet..... very responsive on the phone, but no further forward.

Yep, that's what they do. Very polite on the phone, but no action!!

Have you both reported it to Watchdog?

 

[RichardP]

Have you both reported it to Watchdog?

Yes.

 

[pjm-84]

Not looking because I know it will be there.

 

[Colinclared]

I had a problem submitting the watchdog form on an I pad so will try again.

Went to VW in Bristol yesterday and they explained the repair is now 'localised' just to the areas of corrosion. The front panel is split into 4 sections and you have to have corrosion in all for the whole panel to be done.

The main roof is more localised. The dealer refused to remove the rubber strip to confirm the extent of corrosion saying he is not authorised to do so! I was left trying to peal sections back to show the problem in the car park. I am sure there are areas that were missed.

I was also told one repair only, so anything missed will be 'out of warranty'. Any new bubbling after the repair is also out of warranty. Repair sections have 12 months warranty from completion.

This appears to contradict the reason for the earlier 'whole' roof/ panel repairs done earlier. Why were early repairs so extensive then, is it because the issue is not localised? Mine has significantly grown across both roofs over the 2+ years I've waited for the original, very small front panel bubble to be repaired.

So after the localised repairs, anything else is my problem and I have no doubt it will occur in the unrepaired areas.

Incidentally, he wouldn't tell me why he measured the paint thickness on the main roof? Any ideas?

All I can say to those lucky enough not to have corrosion, it does apear to take time to spread no matter how much you look after your van.

Colin

 

[Annik]

Not looking because I know it will be there.

I think quite a few people are burying their heads in the sand, this corrosion spreads slowly and the last thing you want is to find it after the warranty expires.

 

[fantic]

Why are you people bleating about your roofs going on watchdog is in my opinion a stupid thing to do it will just tell the whole world there is a problem with Californias then watch the values plumit i phoned Heritage to find out where i was on the list and they said 18 months if i wanted a California as a loan vehicle if not 6 weeks so i took that option that was last November the roof was done in January this year
They had already done 100 roofs and my repair was done to a high standard i have a motor trade backgroud so i know crap work when i see it altho i was very unhappy with the way heritage kept my van in a compoud for a week when they promised it was going straight into the workshop i extracted compensation from them as Californias in compounds can get damaged and i dont really think they gave a sing about that untill i blew up at them explaining i didnt spend £40k for them to let some yop schemer drive my van around a compound and get the panels dented
Im sure people can get it done quicker if they dont need a Cali loan vehicle you can with Heritage anyway
Watch Dog wont solve anything it will only highlight an issue to general public the problem is to big there arent enough man
hours to speed it up and only 4 qualified body shops owners need to calm down and be patient and thats my point really

 

[snowy55]

Why are you people bleating about your roofs going on watchdog is in my opinion a stupid thing to do it will just tell the whole world there is a problem with Californias then watch the values plumit i phoned Heritage to find out where i was on the list and they said 18 months if i wanted a California as a loan vehicle if not 6 weeks so i took that option that was last November the roof was done in January this year
They had already done 100 roofs and my repair was done to a high standard i have a motor trade backgroud so i know crap work when i see it altho i was very unhappy with the way heritage kept my van in a compoud for a week when they promised it was going straight into the workshop i extracted compensation from them as Californias in compounds can get damaged and i dont really think they gave a poo about that untill i blew up at them explaining i didnt spend £40k for them to let some yop schemer drive my van around a compound and get the panels dented
Im sure people can get it done quicker if they dont need a Cali loan vehicle you can with Heritage anyway
Watch Dog wont solve anything it will only highlight an issue to general public the problem is to big there arent enough man
hours to speed it up and only 4 qualified body shops owners need to calm down and be patient and thats my point really

Have you had a look underneath the seal again? And at the front section ?

 

[larrylamb]

Just found a link to this newspaper article in Germany regarding the latest fix. Not a great solution to just cover it up!
https://translate.google.co.uk/tran...araturmethode-von-vw-6763281.html&prev=search

 

[2into1]

When I saw those pictures this morning, I commented that I thought I could still see the bottom leading edge of the original cowling. Am I the only one thinking that the first bit to rot is still uncovered?

 

[Custardtart]

Why are you people bleating about your roofs going on watchdog is in my opinion a stupid thing to do it will just tell the whole world there is a problem with Californias then watch the values plumit i phoned Heritage to find out where i was on the list and they said 18 months if i wanted a California as a loan vehicle if not 6 weeks so i took that option that was last November the roof was done in January this year
They had already done 100 roofs and my repair was done to a high standard i have a motor trade backgroud so i know crap work when i see it altho i was very unhappy with the way heritage kept my van in a compoud for a week when they promised it was going straight into the workshop i extracted compensation from them as Californias in compounds can get damaged and i dont really think they gave a poo about that untill i blew up at them explaining i didnt spend £40k for them to let some yop schemer drive my van around a compound and get the panels dented
Im sure people can get it done quicker if they dont need a Cali loan vehicle you can with Heritage anyway
Watch Dog wont solve anything it will only highlight an issue to general public the problem is to big there arent enough man
hours to speed it up and only 4 qualified body shops owners need to calm down and be patient and thats my point really

When I was on the list for the proper repair I also offered to for-go the courtesy vehicle if it would help but was told at that time it made no difference.

Unfortunately, I (and lots of others) have not been as lucky as you and have had the full "back to factory standard" repair snatched away and are now left with a further wait for a quicky-filler-and-cover-up repair. Being quiet and patient isn't going to get us a decent repair like you've had.

For me personally - I want the proper repair to be done. As a bare minimum, if VW insist on the quicky-repair I think they should back it up with a very long warranty against future failure. If they are confident that the repair is a good one, why wouldn't they?

Oh - and welcome to the forum

 

[RichardP]

Looks pretty amateurish at the back to me, but from these pictures difficult to see exactly how it covers the front edge. As the front panel is already over the original roof, is this a plastic replacement or put over the top of the aluminium original?

 

[larrylamb]

Zoom in on the second pic, that's a huge dollop of black silicone filling the gap, uugghhh.

 

[Shaun]

Courtesy of Colin's online dictionary

Repair
verb (transitive)
1. to restore (something damaged or broken) to good condition .
Looks like more of a botch cover up to me.