Bellows becoming detached

[The Little Red Cali]

Happened to mine. Simple job under warranty. They stick it back in with a bit of sikaflex. The garage did it whilst my van was in for a service. You can’t raise the roof for a couple of days after to allow proper bonding. It’s been perfect ever since, that was about 13 months ago. To be honest if your van is out of warranty it’s a simple job to do yourself.

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

I am new here, and hopefully replying to this relevant thread is the right way to go. I have paid a deposit on a 2021 T6.1 Ocean - my first ever van and a long-held dream.

I went for a second inspection yesterday, test drove it, watched the roof go up and down, and checked various other things (all thanks to the great advice I have picked up from this forum!). Overall, everything seems very good, bar the corners of the pop top, which have come out slightly (see attached). From searching on here, it seems to be a reasonably common issue.

I mentioned it to the dealer (not VW - an independent motorhome dealer with good reviews, their own workshop, and auto electrician on site). He said they would "have the guys look at that before collection as part of the habitation check".

The van has the balance of an extended warranty until May 2027 and a full VW service history with a relatively local VW dealership.

My reading of things from this forum is that this is probably not a major issue - pop it back in and perhaps reseal it with sealant, or potentially have VW address it under the extended warranty (if covered).

Just wondering if any experienced owners think:

• this is genuinely minor/common and not something to lose sleep over;
• there is anything specific I should ask the dealer to do before collection; or
• this could indicate anything more serious lurking underneath.

Apart from this, the van genuinely seems immaculate and I am very excited (and slightly terrified!) about finally taking the plunge into California ownership.

Thanks in advance.

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It's very common. VW will apply a small bead of silicone in the corner channels with the roof raised 75pct and let it set overnight.

From my reading of extended warranties, nothing habitation wise is covered. Unlike the 3 / 5 plan which comes with the van.

Personally I'd ask for a few hundred quid off and apply a small amount of Sikaflex 522 to resolve.

Of more interest might be the version of the fabric bellows of which earlier ones were known to leak...