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New 2017 Beach owners (after 2016 VW build / delivery issue!)

E

Esandar#1

Messages
186
Location
South West
Vehicle
T6 Beach 150
Hi,

Hopefully this post will prove to be useful to anyone ordering a new VW California or experiencing any build error issues.

We are proud and very happy owners of a new VW Beach after an interesting year from time of order until now. I have been reading this forum (under a different, now defunct alias) since we ordered in Feb 2016 and read many great posts including some about build errors. Thank goodness I did, as articles posted here have helped us successfully overcome what could otherwise have been a potentially very awkward situation.

We ordered our Beach in Feb 2016 after a few months of pondering. As a family of 4 - who do loads of sports and often take other people / family members on trips - we wanted the flexibility of a 7 seater (think Caravelle) but with the full 'camper' flexibility of a California - for weekends away and holidays. Buying a second hand Beach was near on impossible, so 'going new' was the only way to get what we wanted and fortunately that was an option available to us.

Our VW dealer was really helpful in guiding us through the ordering process - all the optional extras that take the base price from high 30s to high 40s - and our delivery date was set at Wk18 (the relevance of this Wk number won't be lost on anyone who has ordered new!). The lead time was longer than expected, 14 weeks, but we were scheduled to be in possession of our van by the start of June - perfect timing for the 3 months of English summer (this does a slight dis-service to the month of May which is oftens has great weather).

Long story short, the delivery date slipped for various, slightly dubious, reasons (that we never really got to the bottom of) and we ended up getting 'Womble' at the start of the second week of August. This was 24 weeks after ordering - rather than the 14 weeks originally promised. We were slightly annoyed to have missed all of June and July, but there was no other option than to accept it as a late registered 16 plate - if we wanted to enjoy the last few weeks of the school holidays, which we duly did.

However there was a big and unwelcome twist on delivery day. At the end of the two hour paperwork / showround handover, and as almost the final act in this otherwise exciting experience, I asked for the remote control for the auxilliary diesel heater - which we had been 'sold' as the must-have 2nd hand market factory fitted option. As we waited for the salesman to 'check his desk drawer' he returned to deliver (rather nervously) the news that it hadn't been fitted...!

'What happens now?' asked my rather crest fallen wife. This is where my readiing of the VWCC site became invaluable, as I was able to answer her question before the VW rep could. "We keep this van and use it as ours until you build us a new one" (as retro fitting is not an option and we wanted the extra heater as it makes the van an all- year round camper). The salesman went off to check with his boss and fortunately this was agreed. You would expect VW to have a system whereby they could jump you to the front of the queue where the build error was a factory one (as it was in this case) but alas no, so our new order goes to the back of the queue which then had an estimated 26 week lead time.

Seven months later - at the start of March 2017 - we handed back 'Womble'... in/with whom we'd had some great adventures. I actually felt sentimental, even disloyal handing her back, as we'd looked after her impeccably and it felt like (I imagine) it would if taking a puppy back to the breeder after 7 months because our new 'slightly better' one had arrived! Anyway, we are now over that...!

Our new van was here and thankfully everything was exactly as per the order this time... and it was registered as a new 17 plate before the rise in VED on 1st April. It had all been a bit tense though, as any delays or errors could have seen us into April or having to go to the back of the queue again (if there had been another build error).

With the paperwork finally confirmed to our satisfaction, I can finally heap praise on this wonderful piece of german engineering and also highly recommend VW Heritage in Bristol (John Lawry in particular) for the way they / he dealt with this issue caused by a factory build error. This dealership has put the customer first and, other than some delivery date slippage communication frustrations, acted very positively throughout to resolve a problem that was not of their direct making. When it comes to ordering a new van you do want to know that your dealer will be on your side if things go wrong.

We've had 7 months of experiences with Womble and now a month with our new van (name TBC). The sense of fredom and adventure that comes with owning a VW California is amazing. Over the winter months we've had it in 7 seater mode, but will now take the extra two seats our for what will hopefully be a long summer of adventures in the UK and on the continent too.

We took advice posted on here not to buy too much extra stuff until we had tried using our van - which is sound advice. Our garage now has our pre-loaded camping boxes ready to pack into the van at the drop a hat, and a pop up pup tent is perfect at the other end for saving our pitch and storing these boxes whilst we head to the beach etc. We have now bought a Kyham drive away awning in anticipation of some longer stays this summer and a Dometic RC2200 fridge, but last August we enjoyed the simplicity of just being able to hop from one site to the next, day to day.

Now we are hoping for a great summer of sunshine and fun on the road! Thanks to everyone who posts such useful stuff on this site. If anyone wants more info on what happened with our delayed / incorrect delivery please just ask.

One final point: we were offered a new van by various third party 'brokers' but I am so gald we ordered directed with the Heritage VW Dealership as I'm not sure this would have worked out so smoothly otherwise. Also, we saved a heap of money using the (free and simple to use) 'Drive The Deal' website which gave us leverage to push for a much better dealership discount.

Cheers
Esandar#1 & family.

PS. I have read much about the Beach v Ocean debate and think each to their own on this. For us, as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12, the extra room and versatility of the Beach is perfect, but for others the Ocean will tick more boxes. We are all lucky to be California owners together!

:cheers
 
Love a story which has a great ending.
Have brilliant summer adventures with your new Cali TBC & family :):happy
Many thanks for your comprehensive write up .It will help new orders & those awaiting delivery
Forgot to say :welcome
 
Last edited:
Thanks for sharing - great story with happy ending. Credit to Bristol Heritage.
Now you can enjoy a full, even extended, summer with your Cali plus heater:)
 
Hi. Heard about your issue when I had mine:-

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/phew-oops-b-r-hurray.13280/

Similar problem at the same dealership who dealt with it in much the same way. Mine was 2WD instead of a 4Motion.

Mine was the 2nd time a Cali had been built with the wrong options and at the time I was told a Beach had been built without the specified heater. (Obviously yours).

In my case they were able to switch the spec of one they had in the system as a demonstrator and I therefore got my new one in January. (Molly)

Same as you in that we had treated the first one (Stanley) with great care and felt treacherous swapping it in. I have since been in contact with the new owners who are also in Bristol.

VW Heritage in Bristol were as horrified as me by the error which in my case and I suspect in yours was down to the options and spec being re entered at the factory due to the change in build MYO2017 in May. Dealership had done everything right and were excellent in sorting out the issues.

Mike



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Great post and so pleased it all turned out well in the end. Let the good times roll !

..message ends..
 
Hi Mike,
I have read through your thread and agree our vehicles probably suffered in the mid year model change at the VW factory. I am not sure if mine got delayed by the July holiday at the factory or not but VWCC were pretty good at keeping me updated with the status of the order, status 20 (Confirmed) seemed to be the key one in my two build experiences.

Exactlyas with your van, Heritage were mightily relieved to find that the error was a build error rather than an order error, although I was a little surprised that no-one had checked the vehicle against the specification when it was delivered to Bristol. I think in our case the paperwork that arrived with / for the vehicle said the aux diesel heater was fitted, but clearly it wasn't.

Anyway, in the end it has all worked out OK and Heritage were very customer centric in the way they dealt with it.

Your van (the spec) sounds stunning. Do you live in Bristol - as well as the new owners of Stanley? I haven't asked what happened to Womble as I'm not sure if the new owners would actually care to think that someone used their van before them!!!!

Cheers
Ian
 
Hi. Heard about your issue when I had mine:-

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/phew-oops-b-r-hurray.13280/

Similar problem at the same dealership who dealt with it in much the same way. Mine was 2WD instead of a 4Motion.

Mine was the 2nd time a Cali had been built with the wrong options and at the time I was told a Beach had been built without the specified heater. (Obviously yours).

In my case they were able to switch the spec of one they had in the system as a demonstrator and I therefore got my new one in January. (Molly)

Same as you in that we had treated the first one (Stanley) with great care and felt treacherous swapping it in. I have since been in contact with the new owners who are also in Bristol.

VW Heritage in Bristol were as horrified as me by the error which in my case and I suspect in yours was down to the options and spec being re entered at the factory due to the change in build MYO2017 in May. Dealership had done everything right and were excellent in sorting out the issues.

Mike



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Mike - I've added a post below in response to you. Thanks, ian
 
Hi Mike,
I have read through your thread and agree our vehicles probably suffered in the mid year model change at the VW factory. I am not sure if mine got delayed by the July holiday at the factory or not but VWCC were pretty good at keeping me updated with the status of the order, status 20 (Confirmed) seemed to be the key one in my two build experiences.

Exactlyas with your van, Heritage were mightily relieved to find that the error was a build error rather than an order error, although I was a little surprised that no-one had checked the vehicle against the specification when it was delivered to Bristol. I think in our case the paperwork that arrived with / for the vehicle said the aux diesel heater was fitted, but clearly it wasn't.

Anyway, in the end it has all worked out OK and Heritage were very customer centric in the way they dealt with it.

Your van (the spec) sounds stunning. Do you live in Bristol - as well as the new owners of Stanley? I haven't asked what happened to Womble as I'm not sure if the new owners would actually care to think that someone used their van before them!!!!

Cheers
Ian
Hi Ian, in my case the Cali had just arrived in and dealer Adrian called me in to have a look before it got properly checked over so he was as shocked as me.

Yep I live in Bristol as well, down by the harbour side if your ever about.

Spotted New owner when they popped up on the board with a question and I put two and together and worked out it was new owner. They were quite happy to hear the history and there were no problems with the Cali other than it not being the spec ordered.

Love the Beach, what colour should I be looking out for around Bristol?

Mike
 
Ian, may I ask (please feel free to decline to answer) as useful for the record for any of us in the same situation in the future but does the dealer deduct a percentage of £'s for the use you had of the van and was the new one sold at the same price as the first contracted price?
 
Hi Ian, in my case the Cali had just arrived in and dealer Adrian called me in to have a look before it got properly checked over so he was as shocked as me.

Yep I live in Bristol as well, down by the harbour side if your ever about.

Spotted New owner when they popped up on the board with a question and I put two and together and worked out it was new owner. They were quite happy to hear the history and there were no problems with the Cali other than it not being the spec ordered.

Love the Beach, what colour should I be looking out for around Bristol?

Mike

Hi Mike,
Our Beach is Indium grey - like yours.
We are occasionally down by the Buttery on the waterfront and so you may well see our van!
If you like, private message me at ianking49@+++++.com as it's always good to know of a few local Cali owners!
Cheers
Ian
 
Hi Mike,
Our Beach is Indium grey - like yours.
We are occasionally down by the Buttery on the waterfront and so you may well see our van!
If you like, private message me at ianking49@+++++.com as it's always good to know of a few local Cali owners!
Cheers
Ian
Sent you an email with my details

Mike
 
Ian, may I ask (please feel free to decline to answer) as useful for the record for any of us in the same situation in the future but does the dealer deduct a percentage of £'s for the use you had of the van and was the new one sold at the same price as the first contracted price?

Hi,
Our view of the situation was that VW had not delivered what we ordered (a fundamental and expensive option was missing), so VW have an obligation to correct their error ASAP. This should have been possible within 4 weeks - being the standard build time - if they put our 'new order' to the front of their build queue... but apparently they won't do that!

Therefore, our view was we should have the replacement vehicle on exactly the same terms as we signed up for on handover day and have use of the original vehicle in the interim. The fact that it took VW factory (not dealership) 7 months to correct the situation is their issue, not ours. The dealership agreed with this, and so we had free use of the first vehicle.

All our terms and conditions remain exactly the same, including importantly the option to buy the new vehicle at the end of the (already running) 42 month lease at the same original residual value. We have an amended Finance Agreement, signed by both parties, in which it clearly states the ONLY variation to the original agreement is the change of registration number. This is why I have great praise for the way in which Heritage Bristol honoured their promises and delivered great customer service. When you are ordering an expensive bit of kit, it is reassuring to know!

This has obviously worked out favourably in the end for us, and any 'loss' that VW suffer could easily be avoided if they change their own policy by 'fast tracking' build errors to the front of their queue. We looked after the vehicle immaculately - which was a slighly nervy situation to be forced into - but didn't ask for any other discounts or compensations, and didn't even take up their offer to buy some sort of interim heating solution.

I guess the dealership will have sold on the original vehicle, Womble, as a "nearly new, low milage, high spec,full warranty, one careful owner etc". Given someone will avoid a 7 month lead time by buying it, the dealership may even be able to command a price comparable to new (as prices had risen in mid 2016 anyway), as it means someone gets a virtually new VW Cali BEACH for use this summer rather than ordering now and having to wait for delivery in the autumn. They may even have been able to line up a buyer last year - knowing the vehicle was coming back this Feb. Next time I am passing I will ask them!

If the new owner of WOMble is out there anywhere, I can assure you that our 16 plate registered WOMble had some great family adventures and has been very well looked after!
 
That's fantastic Ian, as you say the dealer would not of lost financially in any respect of course but it just shows to go that there are franchises that really understand the proper way to treat people. May they prosper and the others wither! :)
 
Just as an update to this story three years on... we have had amazing times in our our van, which has taken us to places in the UK and Europe that we would never otherwise have visited (in the course of what we previously considered to be 'normal holidays' where you fly / drive / book hotels / Air BnB etc).

Heritage Bristol - and John Lawry in particular - have been brilliant in terms of resolving any issues we have had. There is always an element of luck with any vehicle but where there were known flaws / product weaknesses (eg door seals) these were resolved under warranty without any questions, so our experience of this dealership has been ALL GOOD.

It seems insane that VW are no longer producing RHD Beach models for the UK market - as this is such a versatile vehicle! Last weekend we spend many hours giving our Beach a full valet including popping the roof up and carefully cleaning all the rubber seals around the roof (and the gulleys they close into), which now all look as good as new, much like the inside after my wife worked her way through the variety of the Auto Glym cleaning products that have brought up all the interior vinyl really nicely.

Unfortunately due to Covid-19 it is likely to be a while before our next adventure but watching the BBC Coastal Path series (presented by Paul Rose) gave us the chance to plan some more adventures in the SW when we are allowed out again! And actually, even planning future trips in our Beach is a joy as you can begin to imagine the good times and great experiences we will all have!

 
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