At the beginning of the year, we were shocked to discover that the roof seam on our Grand California had cracked, leading to water ingress, particularly at the A-pillar. We published this report on the topic in January.
Faulty roof seal – new trouble on the horizon
Volkswagen does not yet “officially” want to know anything about this and is talking about isolated cases, but once again something seems to have gone
Apparently, the error has now been understood in Hanover and a new TPI was published at the end of May. In it, Volkswagen now states, quote: “Water ingress at the A-pillar” and further “Customer complaint can be verified”.
In any case, the publication of the TPI is very welcome, as until now it has always been individual decisions that have resulted in the renewal of the roof seam.
So if your Grand California has a cracked roof seam and the vehicle is still under warranty, take it to the dealer with reference to TPI 2073114. The damage should then be repaired.
VW states that the cause of the faulty roof seals is a “lack of adhesion between the adhesive sealant and the roof”. For this reason, the Sika 100 activator is now used in the factory to prepare the sealing surface before sealing.
It is also very pleasing that the dealers or workshops have been instructed to replace the seal completely and not just partially. This prevents new leaks from developing at the transitions between the old and new sealing seams.
The fact that the TPI is urgently needed is also clear from our survey results: 56 percent of all respondents stated that their Grand California has a cracked roof seam.
A personal note at the end: In my opinion, the problem cannot be due solely to a missing activator. It is particularly noticeable that it is mostly white seals that are affected by the problem. Thanks to several photos you sent us, we were able to determine that at least the white seal does not appear to be UV-resistant.
But even if this is the case, the seam will be replaced under warranty, as mentioned above. The sealant used is Sikaflex 221, either in black or white. The color is determined based on the original seam, i.e. a white Grand California is given a white seal.
