Warranty Issues - Pop Top and others

[Princess Doris]

Our Princess Doris is coming up on 18 months.
Only previous issue was the fridge lid popping up. We got that fixed.
We usually sleep up top and noticed recently that the pop top had sagged a little.
What is really worrying was that we have heard the mechanism starting in the middle of the nights. We think it was retentioning the canvas.
Nightmares about ending up a sandwich !
The next issue is the sliding door has become difficult to close and makes a horrible clunking as it locks in place.
The final issue I We have noticed the black roof bars have become very discoloured. Are they corroding ?
We have booked Doris in to have these issues checked and resolved.
Just wondering if any similar experience.

 

[WelshGas]

Our Princess Doris is coming up on 18 months.
Only previous issue was the fridge lid popping up. We got that fixed.
We usually sleep up top and noticed recently that the pop top had sagged a little.
What is really worrying was that we have heard the mechanism starting in the middle of the nights. We think it was retentioning the canvas.
Nightmares about ending up a sandwich !
The next issue is the sliding door has become difficult to close and makes a horrible clunking as it locks in place.
The final issue I We have noticed the black roof bars have become very discoloured. Are they corroding ?
We have booked Doris in to have these issues checked and resolved.
Just wondering if any similar experience.

The re-tensioning of the roof is normal. The Hydraulic pressure is checked 10 hrs after last Ignition Off and thereafter every 5 hrs. If the pressure has dropped then the roof pump starts automatically.

 

[Princess Doris]

Thanks for that information. It's only just started happening. I wasn't aware of automatic re-tensioning.

 

[lr67]

The re-tensioning of the roof is normal. The Hydraulic pressure is checked 10 hrs after last Ignition Off and thereafter every 5 hrs. If the pressure has dropped then the roof pump starts automatically.

Hi, I noticed recently that the roof is sagging after about 12 hrs, but while initially we heard it re-tensioning, recently this has stopped happening. Do you know if there a way to check the functionality? I haven't raised this with the dealer as yet, but will do, and it still has a lot of warranty to run!

 

[WelshGas]

Hi, I noticed recently that the roof is sagging after about 12 hrs, but while initially we heard it re-tensioning, recently this has stopped happening. Do you know if there a way to check the functionality? I haven't raised this with the dealer as yet, but will do, and it still has a lot of warranty to run!

Sorry, don't know of anyway to test functionality of this. I suppose it depends on the degree of pressure drop of the Hydraulic system which would depend on ambient temperatures.

 

[KevH]

There are literally hundreds of posts about sagging roofs, worth a search if you have insomnia.
My roof sags, it retentions at 10 hours occasionally, never at 15, 20, etc.
My dealer was hopeless. I now put up with it and if it looks too worrying I drop and raise the roof.

 

[Celiavan2]

Our Princess Doris is coming up on 18 months.
Only previous issue was the fridge lid popping up. We got that fixed.
We usually sleep up top and noticed recently that the pop top had sagged a little.
What is really worrying was that we have heard the mechanism starting in the middle of the nights. We think it was retentioning the canvas.
Nightmares about ending up a sandwich !
The next issue is the sliding door has become difficult to close and makes a horrible clunking as it locks in place.
The final issue I We have noticed the black roof bars have become very discoloured. Are they corroding ?
We have booked Doris in to have these issues checked and resolved.
Just wondering if any similar experience.

Hi The roof issue is common with 6.1 Californias VW says unless it sags by more than 200mm they won’t do anything! But do try and be persistent!
The door is an easy fix they get a bit clogged with dust etc give it a good clean and use a silicone spray. I do this every 3 or 4 months and it keeps the door sliding nicely.. (our first van a T5 cali had none of these issues).

 

[sidepod]

I keep reading about roof re-setting after ‘n’ hours but ours has never done it once?

I’ve just been doing it myself by lowering it slightly and re-raising.

It’s booked in to be checked but since returning to the 3rd world I can’t get it to sag FFS!
It’s never dipped anywhere near 200mm! I’d be horrified if it did as it usually dips more on one side.
It doesn’t sound like I’ll have much chance of getting it sorted.

 

[WelshGas]

I keep reading about roof re-setting after ‘n’ hours but ours has never done it once?

I’ve just been doing it myself by lowering it slightly and re-raising.

It’s booked in to be checked but since returning to the 3rd world I can’t get it to sag FFS!
It’s never dipped anywhere near 200mm! I’d be horrified if it did as it usually dips more on one side.
It doesn’t sound like I’ll have much chance of getting it sorted.

On my T5.1 it re-tensioned a few times generally after a very hot day, especially if the van was in direct sun. Very little sag either side.

 

[Mehdime]

We usually sleep up top and noticed recently that the pop top had sagged a little.

If it sags a little after 2-3 days being up, especially in hot weather, it’s normal. If sagging a lot, it needs fixed. Taking pictures when it happens is best for the dealer.

The next issue is the sliding door has become difficult to close and makes a horrible clunking as it locks in place.

Happened to us too. Asks the dealer to fix it. Could he just cleaning. They always do it for me at the service and it’s always niece as smooth and quiet afterwards.

The final issue I We have noticed the black roof bars have become very discoloured. Are they corroding ?

Happened here. When I googled, I found it appears to be normal and common. Not sure there’s a way to make it look better. Let us know what the dealer says.

 

[sidepod]

Handbook states,

Engine off/key out (EOKO) system will check for movement after 10 hours.
If no sag is detected, no further checks will be carried out.
If sag is detected then roof will self correct. Recheck after/every 5 hours until zero sag is detected.

The point of this is VW obviously know/expect the system to loose pressure.

I guess it becomes a real issue if the system looses excessive pressure in less than 10 hours.

I’m more curious why mine won’t self correct.

I assume it uses the limit switches on the rams to monitor movement or perhaps the light switch function (which stops functioning when the roof closes).

 

[sidepod]

I’ve just spent and hour trawling through the VW erWin pages , TPIs etc and fault logs etc on this subject.
Makes quite interesting reading!

In short I’m nowhere near the amount of required sag for them to even entertain looking at it.