VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[BoredArtist]

What does your roof seal look like , presumably rusty in the recess tgat grips the roof ?

Haven't seen any rust up there...First small blisters ...then more bigger blisters...then the paint was so loose it just flakes off. It's a shame as the van is virtually mint everywhere else. I've had it since 2008...and I'm on 49000miles...Washed it more than I've driven it!

 

[Perfectos]

Haven't seen any rust up there...First small blisters ...then more bigger blisters...then the paint was so loose it just flakes off. It's a shame as the van is virtually mint everywhere else. I've had it since 2008...and I'm on 49000miles...Washed it more than I've driven it!

This is what a failed roof rubber looks like (reinforcing rusting in the recess) suggest you investigate yours along the front edge before considering any remedial measures.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

No sign of leaking...it's just a mess

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View attachment 128951

Is yours metallic wheat beige like ours?
Had ours since 2009 and at Easter it broke down making me worry about it age. On our street there are 2 T25s. I think I am looking to ease our van transitioning into a classic vehicle. Ours is a beloved family member also done 60K holiday miles. I think I now take a view that everything needs to be fixed properly.

 

[reserves]

Looking at a 2012 Cali with roof bubbling.

Based in East Sussex if anyone can recommend anyone to respray the cap, don’t fancy taking it all apart.

 

[KGCali]

Looking at a 2012 Cali with roof bubbling.

Based in East Sussex if anyone can recommend anyone to respray the cap, don’t fancy taking it all apart.

You need to find a repair shop that knows how to handle aluminium galvanic corrosion, perhaps a classic car restorer or boatyard. You could get a quote from these guys in your area ...

Classic Car Restoration East Sussex | Painting Classic Cars

Painting Classic Cars offer Classic Car Restoration in East Sussex. We are proud of our esteemed reputation returning stunning vehicles into their original form.

www.paintingclassiccars.co.uk

 

[Chris_569]

My 2008 SE has paint bubbling and blistering on the roof cap. It is getting worse and now is the time to do something about it. It hasn't had any previous repair work on the roof, so given the issues some have had I think it has done quite well! Main roof seems ok including under the seal.

Anyone know of anywhere around the Bath/Bristol/ Swindon area with experience of repairing and repainting aluminium. Having searched the thread mainly Heritage VW Bristol seem to come up, but I want to take it somewhere independent. I can search google for body shops, but always good to get a recommendation.
Thanks

 

[WelshGas]

My 2008 SE has paint bubbling and blistering on the roof cap. It is getting worse and now is the time to do something about it. It hasn't had any previous repair work on the roof, so given the issues some have had I think it has done quite well! Main roof seems ok including under the seal.

Anyone know of anywhere around the Bath/Bristol/ Swindon area with experience of repairing and repainting aluminium. Having searched the thread mainly Heritage VW Bristol seem to come up, but I want to take it somewhere independent. I can search google for body shops, but always good to get a recommendation.
Thanks

Ideally a dedicated Body Shop that specialises in renovations and bespoke paint jobs, not a large Body shop that does Insurance accident repairs.

 

[Rozzie50]

If you find anyone, let me know. I am still waiting…… since 2012.

 

[owen_h]

Not exactly local to Bath / Bristol but I had the (whole) elevating roof resprayed by this shop in Winchester:

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centralparkbodyshop.co.uk

Reasonable price, good work and quick turnaround. Based on a recommendation from the garage that services my Cali.

Heritage (Westbury I think?) did the original repair to the front spoiler section back in 2014. This was when they were one of the 4 or 5 VW approved shops to remove and replace the spoiler (i.e not put the plastic cap over the issue). That part of the repair is still good 12 years later. The elevating roof 'edge only' repaint they also did I had issues with (paint faded) , got redone by some place in Twickenham who took 6 weeks to do a very poor job that lasted a year. At that point I gave up on VW and had it done locally by central park.

While searching for a bodyshop ask early on if their paint booth can handle the height of a California, not all can and still be able to use the spraygun.

 

[Chris_569]

Ideally a dedicated Body Shop that specialises in renovations and bespoke paint jobs, not a large Body shop that does Insurance accident repairs.

Yes, this was my thinking also, and checking they have aluminium experiance.

 

[Chris_569]

Not exactly local to Bath / Bristol but I had the (whole) elevating roof resprayed by this shop in Winchester:

Loading…

centralparkbodyshop.co.uk

Reasonable price, good work and quick turnaround. Based on a recommendation from the garage that services my Cali.

Heritage (Westbury I think?) did the original repair to the front spoiler section back in 2014. This was when they were one of the 4 or 5 VW approved shops to remove and replace the spoiler (i.e not put the plastic cap over the issue). That part of the repair is still good 12 years later. The elevating roof 'edge only' repaint they also did I had issues with (paint faded) , got redone by some place in Twickenham who took 6 weeks to do a very poor job that lasted a year. At that point I gave up on VW and had it done locally by central park.

While searching for a bodyshop ask early on if their paint booth can handle the height of a California, not all can and still be able to use the spraygun.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm avoiding VW, partly from comments on here and also they will likely send it out to someone else anyway so I'll just be paying their mark up.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Yes, this was my thinking also, and checking they have aluminium experiance.

They just need a dedicated spray booth for aluminium - no other special skills required, otherwise contamination will occur long term if the same booth is used for steel spraying…eventually leading to the same galvanic corrosion that you are trying to rectify!

 

[Chris_569]

They just need a dedicated spray booth for aluminium - no other special skills required, otherwise contamination will occur long term if the same booth is used for steel spraying…eventually leading to the same galvanic corrosion that you are trying to rectify!

Thanks, useful to know.