Since 07.02. we have our second Grand California, in this time we have covered 1000 kilometers. We want to share with you our experiences of the first 1000 kilometers. Some may have already noticed on Instagram or Facebook that the start has already not been the best.
- Mileage 20, the following defects were present ex works
- The faucet in the bathroom is loose and needs to be replaced.
- The bathroom door does not close properly, according to VW it is warped and also needs to be replaced.
- Defective sink, the entire component was warped and dented. The sink could be used as a drum.
The next problem should occur at mileage 200, the Grand California owners among you will know it, the heater turns off by itself. Without error, without reason. One could write an entire article about this problem alone. Volkswagen currently has no solution for this! We are waiting to hear back from the appropriate department.
Mileage 1000, I had quite thick surprise ready for us.
Our Cali has a really thick dent in the side panel, this was not caused by us applying force. We assume that the side panel or the window was inserted under tension and that this dent occurs depending on the temperature. Volkswagen is also working on this issue and will provide feedback.
There are only positive things to say about the handling, it’s a Crafter and it drives really great. You always forget how big the Grand California is while you’re driving. If you only look at the cockpit, you might think you’re sitting in a Golf. Consumption has now settled at a good 9.5 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers. Considering the size and weight, that’s perfectly okay. So far we have used diesel for about 300 euros.
Last weekend we had a lessons learned moment. At the Grand California meeting we wanted to use the heater in electric mode for the first time, we had a shore power connection and so this had lent itself to us. That was the thought, but we were soon to be proven wrong. Outside it was relatively cold with four degrees and the heater had to work accordingly. We have not considered at all that the electric heater consumes 1.8 kilowatts. So you can imagine how stupid the faces were when after two hours the three euros for the electricity were used up. That’s how fast you can consume 3.6 kilowatts. If you think about it now, of course it was foreseeable, but we absolutely didn’t have it on our radar. In the future we know, the electric heating is only worthwhile if you have a power flat on the camping or pitch. Otherwise, it is cheaper to use diesel heating and even at current prices.
We thought about always writing in steps about our experiences with our Grand California. The next experiences and adventures we have written on the note for the 5000 kilometer mark. If there are any updates to the open points in the meantime, we will share them with you directly.
Update from 30.03.2022
In the meantime, we have received initial feedback from Volkswagen regarding the heater and the dent in the side panel.
For heating, as already mentioned above, there is no solution. We have now also received this statement in writing. The department is currently working on a solution, but cannot yet estimate if and when a working solution will be available. We are not yet quoting the exact wording at this point, as we are very grateful for the open communication from the dealership. We do not want a dealer who is very transparent to have problems with an incompetent manufacturer.
However, Volkswagen’s statement about the dent is so unbelievable that we have to quote it since it is an official action.
On the left or right side of the vehicle, one or more sink marks/dents form in the side panel in the area of the bond between the side bows or the roof frame with the side panel.
During travel, zones of negative or positive pressure form next to the vehicle. The resulting forces can deform the support adhesive between the hoops and the side panel, causing a permanent sink mark to form. Cut the bonding in the affected area and re-bond the side panel with the transoms
Thus, our new Grand California is to be completely disassembled inside to fix a faulty bonding from the factory. We did not agree to this repair and now insist on the delivery of a new vehicle free of defects. The anger and frustration are still very deep at this point. It is inexplicable to us how a vehicle manufacturer delivers such shoddy work from the factory to customers. We will report on the further steps here.