Roof Elastic Failure

[DavidofHook]

I have just had the tensioning elastic band on the 'tent' fail as the roof went up. The elastic has snapped, It seems to have rotted because when I tried twice to tie the broken ends together but they just fell apart when I pulled on the knot.
I had the roof done in 2014 and presumably the elastic was replaced then so it has lasted about 18 months which seems poor.
Having had an Eriba caravan before with a similar system for the pop up I have been a great advocate of this for the Cali but the Eriba elastic never rotted.......................
Anyone else had this experience?

 

[Hotel California]

Do you mean the bungee strap , like the ones the forum shop sells?
There are others who had it snapped , but hey it is just some elastic so for me i would not make a big deal . Just replace it.
This post is one about that problem
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/bungee-strap.9986/
Also hard to belive that on a roof repair VW has replaced it....this is not a original VW sparepart

 

[DavidofHook]

Thanks for that, I should have known that you would be able find a thread I didn't know that it had happened to others.
It is not a VW product so I was surprised when it came back with a new bungee, maybe they had been onto Kev and got it from the club!
I shall be getting a new one asap

 

[Meoncoast]

Our Bunge we have had since they started selling in the club shop and took it off yesterday when putting roof down for the last time before the van is off to AB Crush next week for roof repair.
The bunge still have loads of "spring" in it,

 

[Hotel California]

Thanks for that, I should have known that you would be able find a thread I didn't know that it had happened to others.
It is not a VW product so I was surprised when it came back with a new bungee, maybe they had been onto Kev and got it from the club!
I shall be getting a new one asap

It is not always possible to find exiting treads tru the search function , even for me!
But the fact i read daily thru the "recent posts" and then remembering if threre are treads already are existing makes me find it quicker...

So , VW actually renewed your bungee strap , in that case .....warrenty claim

 

[WelshGas]

I have just had the tensioning elastic band on the 'tent' fail as the roof went up. The elastic has snapped, It seems to have rotted because when I tried twice to tie the broken ends together but they just fell apart when I pulled on the knot.
I had the roof done in 2014 and presumably the elastic was replaced then so it has lasted about 18 months which seems poor.
Having had an Eriba caravan before with a similar system for the pop up I have been a great advocate of this for the Cali but the Eriba elastic never rotted.......................
Anyone else had this experience?

The Forum Shop did have a problem with a batch of Bungee Cords, about 18 mths ago, in that they were losing their elasticity. I remember they replaced a few.

 

[TwoDogs]

My bungee (bought Dec 2014) has lost its elasticity. I'm just going to order some more shock cord - anyone know if it's 4mm or 5?

 

[d1rtym0nk3y]

I just bought a roll of 4mm to make my own. I figured it was so simple as to not warrant buying a premade one. And the extra bungee chord is always handy.

 

[andrewjh009]

Be careful what bungee you buy as I made my own from some 4mm I bought off eBay, elasticity went in less than two months so it ended up not being very cost effective in the end. That will teach me for being a tight git!

 

[calikev]

The bellows bungee is waterproof marine grade bungee the clip is designed to hold it in place but release if it gets caught

 

[TwoDogs]

I don't really understand why it loses elasticity given that it's not under tension most of the time

 

[AlisonF]

I don't really understand why it loses elasticity given that it's not under tension most of the time

Very good point. Elastomers / polymers fail under stress (tension), heat (sun) and electromagnetic radiation (sun) - so if you tie your bungee too tight so it never relaxes when roof down, are always in hot environments and expose it to sun a lot then it won't last...
Apologies for reciting my research ​

 

[DavidofHook]

That could be the reason ours went. We sat by the Ardeche in France at 34d C for 4 weeks last year. The bungee was under tension and exposed to the sun big time.
I must check that mine isn't too tight so it's still under tension when the roof is down. (Except it is sleeting outside!)

 

[AlisonF]

Glad to know all that time / money on research was well spent (tee tee not mine as was on full salary at the time). But seriously, people should make sure the bungee is NOT under tension when the roof is lowered or it will fail relatively quickly.

 

[TwoDogs]

Mine wasn't...but the blue van does sit on the drive in the sun a lot....so that would probably explain it. Anyway...15m on its way...should last a few years!

 

[Manuela]

I've been wondering... I have manual roof now, but will be changing to ocean soon, and there is only electric roof available. Does anyone know, if T6.1 (which have some stiff stuff, rib-like in the bellows) still needs the elastic band? Manual roof with those "ribs" sewn into the tend works quite fine.

 

[IainB]

I've been wondering... I have manual roof now, but will be changing to ocean soon, and there is only electric roof available. Does anyone know, if T6.1 (which have some stiff stuff, rib-like in the bellows) still needs the elastic band? Manual roof with those "ribs" sewn into the tend works quite fine.

We put one on our Ocean at the suggestion of the dealer when we took delivery, but it's down to personal choice whether you put one or not. I think it gives added assurance that the canvass will fold in as intended and not get caught in the scissor arms, particularly when it's windy.

 

[johna]

I had a bungee for my 6.1 Ocean but took it off, wondering whether it might not be so good for the canvas if it rubs or maybe is a focus for moisture. Anyway I found the bungee wasn’t necessary. As you say, the ‘ribs’ force the canvas to fold. I watch this happening from inside while lowering the roof most of the way, have a quick check around outside, then finish lowering.