Very honest review. We've been running a fleet of these for hire over the last 2 years. Oh boy never a dull moment! When we receive brand new ones now, we have a routine of pulling out parts we know fail and changing them before they ever go out. We upgrade the water pump to a proper pressure pump. The cheap submersible pump is a joke. The tap is rubbish. When the step gets stuck it will trip the comfort ecu, which means no water, you have to reset it by pulling the plug out. Running the step through the ecu was a big mistake. We plan a bypass switch for this and a direct 12v feed. Turning the gas taps off will always create an airlock in the boiler. sometimes you have to get to the actual boiler and reset on the boiler. Not very easy to get to the boiler! However, I think they drive lovely and they have got a cool high tech feel to them. We're just waiting for VW to improve on those issues. They have improved on the California ocean so I'm sure they will get to it eventually.
hello. you have perfect expirience. valuble for vag ingeneeres and GC owners. if i take one GC, will you serve it right after buying? does you service men works with third party clients? are you in Portugee?
The water dumping at low temperature is to protect the Truma heater not the fresh and grey water tanks. They they are plastic and won't split, infact the water in them won't freeze unless you are in a really cold place for a few days, it the pipes to them that freeze. What the dump value is protecting is the metal tank in the Truma, which if it froze would split and you would be rather unhappy with the resultant bill for a new one. I have the same problem in my Adria Twin, I just use a cable tie to keep the value closed while we are using it in winter. The only thing is to remember to take it off when you are not using it.
It seems some big wig at VW has said, 'we can just trade on the badge when it comes to campers, so don't spend much money on training, bulid quality or customer service.'
The only thing I can say about buying a VW California is that I’ll never buy another one. The after sales customer service at some VW van centres is awful and the VW Van centres don’t want to touch a lot of things on the California unless they are specialist campervan centres so you just get fobbed off and messed around and I’m just pleased my warranty has now expired so i never have to deal with VW again. Nightmare company and very disappointed with the reliability of my VW California which still has issues that were never fixed despite being in under warranty. Nice to see you giving a good honest view as you’re the voice for the many of us who just suffer in silence.
Hi, I am new to this, I normaly watch german reviews. But I stumbled over one of your videos and I really liked it a lot. Very well done. One thing: With the fridge door not opening - you can access through the "back" to the white front-door and take it off. No need to drill a hole. Takes approx 10-15 min if you know what to do. Keep going! I like what you do a lot. Greetings from Munich
Just started to watch your review, quite literally the first part where you explain that they haven’t actually fixed any of the problems and it’s already prompted me to add this comment. You give them the benefit of the doubt, let me clarify. I’ve had my Kombi for over 4 years and my impression of VW Dundee & Aberdeen is of total incompetence or simply money grabbing robbers. Their practices and behaviour doesn’t seem to be monitored by VW UK or if it is, I can only assume it to encourage the service centres to act in this fashion. They certainly didn’t want to get involved when I raised dangerous practice concerns and also the fact they charged me to rectify their error. I have since stopped using all their network as very few others have anything good to say about any of their service centres. Ford isn’t perfect but at 30% less cost for almost everything, that’s 30% more available to modify/repair to what you actually need.
I had a similar experience with vw Dundee absolutely shocking service bought used 3 year old car and they didn't clean it nor service it like it was supposed to they just blamed covid, would t buy from vw again after that experience
Had similar issues with my T6 when new, my local VW were useless but the guys in Liverpool ( swansway) absolutely awesome service , couldn’t do enough and rectified any issues no problem, so much so my son bought his van there and again bent over backwards to help and assist with any problems. Great vid looking forward to the next one 🤘🏻
I rarely pass comments, but…. I had more giggles listening to you than the best stand-up. I admire your patience and restraint. They’re criminally stupid lol
Most campers are a cross of two companies. For instance, Fiat companys just make the van, and the other company makes the box and structure. Then adds everything in, to run a camper it really makes you handy as your camper can become your own. I think the van look itself is important, I like the idea of stealth camping but also wished we didn't live in a world where it was necessary.
Good honest review. Yeah my Dreamer D60 Fun has a Truma Combi 6D heating / hot water system and the exhaust is in exactly the same place. Open the window and you loose heating / hot water and get a nondescript error code on the Truma control panel (which I think I had to search on google for). I suspect the reason that they position the exhaust there is because the easiest place to put the boiler (space and servicing access) is under the rear seat... I got my gas bottle exchanged a month or so ago (before we went to the Outer Hebrides - spectacular!) and the chap in the local shop said they still had supply issues where they could not sell new Calor bottles (most sizes), only do exchanges. The D60 Fun is a Fiat Ducato 6.36m platform so the beds in the rear let you sleep front to back(or vice versa of course). Definitely a bonus if someone wants to get out to use the toilet in the early hours and you definitely have enough length to accommodate someone well over 6 feet tall. I'm 5ft 10 o so and i have loads of room.
Like many of these world famous brands, they proclaim that the quality is second to none, when the reality is far from true. My mate has an Auto Trail Adventure 65 built on the Fiat Ducato platform and absolutely raves about it. Great honest review 👏
I love Dubs, but when I get to the point where I want a bigger campervan I can't see me getting a Grand Cali. There's way better out there. Another great vlog Chris, really like the honesty 👏🏼
The frost dump isn’t to protect your fresh water tank. It’s designed to protect your truma boiler, if the temp inside the van drop close to freezing. You should be able to shut the water tank supply to boiler. That way the frost valve only dumps the boiler. If you can’t ur right, dumping the whole fresh water system is a design fault.
I’ve done 3 van builds, and as much as I like the professional finish of the GC’s, nothing compares to having everything exactly as you want it- designing and building a custom camper. The down side is the time it takes. You can’t just turn the key and drive away. Even with all these flaws, I think I’d still buy one to have that pro finish. I can fix anything so I can manage. I love the look and they do drive like a dream (I currently have a VW mwb crafter).
I also calculated the cost of a high quality van build with a new Crafter MWB and it was pretty close to the cost of a GC anyway, hence the reason I’d still buy one next time.
Interesting re dumping water from the internal water tank that isn’t at risk, but not dumping water from the grey water tank that is outside the van which is at risk. Seems that at point of build, they have rigged the dump to the wrong tank. Nice honest straight forward video.
no not really. Its actually installed inside the Truma system, so its not dumping water from the tank directly, but through Truma boiler. So water slowly flows through Truma boiler to the floor. But I completely agree with Chris - Truma engineering is a whole world of idiotic decisions one stacked on top of another. No clue how they are the leaders of this sector and why no one is trying to compete with them.
It's good to have a honest review for a owner, I own a VW kepler 6 and also think it good but could be better and the service from my local Westfalia centre and Westfalia is S..t Also the review that are also on TH-cam are poor due to the people now owning them and just jumping and doing for hits. It's great to have an honest review. A big thank you.
Vw have lods of dealers around the uk and here in Ireland, if you have problems with the engine or the normal parts of the vw crafter they will fix it , but unfortunately the dealers no absolutely nothing about the campervan parts of the vehicle, , its crazy , i dont understand why vw dont train people up worldwide to be able to fix the campervan side of things , it turned me off buying a vw camper They have loads of complaints even with the normal california , ie , roof bellows , water pumps , paint issues , electric motor issues with the roof not closing or opening properly , , sadly vw are only interested in profit and cost cutting Great honest review , thank you anf fair play
Still a problem getting 6kg Calor bottles. Ended up fitting a refillable LPG Gas It system for sheer convenience. Might take a few years to pay for itself but better than driving the 120+ mile round trip to find bottles at the minute.
@@jayt5970 thanks for answer - i just saw it's only for 2 persons - we are 4, 2 small kids so i guess it is out of the question...plus i am 180cm and i guess will have some problem with small bed
Really appreciated this honest review from someone who has used the van for more than a week. The fridge never looked particularly great to me but you've reinforced in my head a major negative about this van. I shall go back to looking at the Adria. Hope VW watch this and respond in your favour.
Really appreciate your honest recommendation at the end. Given how much money and effort you sunk into it, many on your place would be compelled psychologically to justify it and recommend it despite all the problems. Your fair warning gets two thumbs up from me! As a fellow GC600 who had it for more than 2 years now (Dec 19 production) I also would hesitate to recommend it to many, even if I still like mine a lot and not planning to sell it just yet. But once I do sell mine, I most likely will not get another VW factory one. Maybe a Hymer Sprinter 4x4 or a Westfalia. GC600 had loads of potential, but QC and testing was totally lacking - soooo many problems...
OMG 😱 all that money and it’s just full of problems I’m so please I have a home built VW Crafter I don’t have any problem with my van over the years 👍 if I was you I would get rid asap and have one built and save the money for other toys and adventures 👍
Only just discovered your channel and I don’t know if you still have this van but the fridge door alignment could probably be adjust with the side rails, in most kitchen cabinets these are threaded to allow for adjustment designed to help with this situation.
Having a VWT6 (which is brilliantly reliable and gives me an average of 46 MPG) and wanting a little more space I've been looking at the Grand California and after watching your excellent review, as they are now there's no way I'd buy one. It's simply not good enough (so many design faults VW needs to put right and the gas outlet is beyond words) for a vehicle that costs £80K or so. The only real reviews one (IMO) should take note of, are those by real users of the said item, well done with your review.
Thanks. I’m fine with taking my mistake on the chin but I’d hate someone to buy one without hearing what they are really like. Look elsewhere. My California ocean was superb, loved it and worked great. This unfortunately isn’t the case
Great review Chris, I’ve watched most of your videos now, this one is a slightly different style .. a bit more serious and to my mind pretty well said & balanced. That all said, don’t get too serious on us … Campervaning it is about having fun, your earlier videos had a good amount of tongue in cheek humour which was great. I know a few folks had a go at you over some of the detail in one of them and you seem to have gone to some effort to correct that in this video. Enjoy the van Chris and keep the videos coming. PS - we’ve only had our GC600 6 weeks or so now, 10 nights away , all perfect so far .. 🫰
Thanks mate. Only reason I made this one a bit more serious was just literally to put a more serious more reliable review rather than me ranting a little bit. Normal service will be resumed soon 😂😂 glad yours is working and running great. That’s good news fingers crossed it stays that way
I suppose that's one benefit (of just a few) to building your own camper. You know how things work, why they break and you'll also make do with the bodge job to fix it, cause like, it's your van..
Good honest review. Had a few VW cars, always wanted a VW camper but hubby not keen - gone with the Fiat ducato camper (which I know you dislike😂). Quite glad we didn’t now, seen other VW channels with problems with oil levels too. There is no perfect van it seems. Anyhow loving your channel and vow very serious today not one swear word…damn🙂
😂😂 possibly my first video without swearing you don’t realise how hard it was. Glad you like the channel and yeah I don’t think there is a perfect camper and if there is it’s definitely not mine 🤣
Just felt that the first piss take video needed a big sister video to actually review it a bit more traditionally than just a wind up for anyone who may actually want to buy one 😂
Very surprised to see those weird problems on a vw product when the other (even cheaper) brands don't have any of these problems. Had a challenger and non of those problems were in that. Most things were a bit simpler as well, but at least everything worked without problems.
Good review, i was thinking of buying one. Those little annoying things are enough to put me off. I certainly wouldn't buy one without trying one first. Thank you.😊
Brilliant reviews. Typical problems of any high value low volume products. As you say, it's like sorting out a new house but VW have made some flashy but dodgy design decisions on this one. Would have been usefull to have seen the bathroom?
Good to hear an honest review both good & bad. Doesn’t show VW in best light though & I agree if it’s a fault with anything inside then it’s till VW that should repair. I wonder if VW will watch your views & reach out to you to bring camper to a garage that sells them to look at your issues. Look forward to next update if they ask for van back to check it. 👍🏻
It’s been in for 2 month mate in total. I don’t think I’d give them it unless they were willing to refund me the £1,200 a month payments on it that I’ve paid while not being able to use it.
Other than the water dumping or not dumping waste water, it is okay. Every problem is manageable with a user that knows how to look out for his car. Just do your own modifications and try to repair minor things and lube the step. Or go wait a service. This is normal. It is a special car.
Thats why i made it. Sick to death of seeing people "review" products and campervans etc when they have used it for a few days. Especially with campervans unless you live with it for a good chunk of time you cant possibly give anyone more information than the brochure already does.
This is the very reason i would never buy a Morden Camper Van, The other is the Overpriced price Tag,s. I have a Landroverdefender110 kitted out with Rooftent etc its never let me down in 12 years,
Great review Chris iv been observing these kind of issues for a long time with camper van and motorhome design Would love you to review our awnser to what we believe vw should of built 👍
Have a large solar panel and 3 batteries, replaced the entire fridge with a wacko system as an option from dealership mine came with a black step use a Yamaha generator.
Imma VW fan driving a Caddy camper self build atm, if I do upgrade to a crafter it'll be a self build again cause lightweight and things how and where I want. Great review... both of them. Jealous of your crafter but would rather build campers myself.
Great review warts and all well done I think you've been very forgiving with vw if I could ever afford to buy the grand california which I can't i would expect a lot better quality and service from vw I'll have to make do with my Renault master self conversion but doesn't ratle lol🤣🤣🤣
Honest and informative, another brilliant video Chris .what's the shower and the toilet like to use . Are these problematic or have these been fault free 👍
Awesome review Chris, especially important from someone who has actually spent tons of time on the road with it. We have a 12/21 GC 600 and in half a dozen trips our only 2 issues are the tap, as you explained (can only bear that pump noise for so long). Can remove the fuse but a fix we found mid trip was to blast the tap with a hairdryer to completely dry out and a month later it's not happened again. Totally with you on the Truma error codes; major pain. Love the channel Chris keep up the good work. PS Agree 100% with the comment re Liverpool VW van centre where we bought our van and who have considerable knowledge.on the GC.
Thanks for the comment. Nice to hear from a fellow gc owner. I’ve actually heard a few bits about the Liverpool place. Is that where the Cali Chris bloke works who has the videos on youtube?
I build campers, our company has combined 40yrs experience. Everything your mentioning is standard across the trade. Motorhome/ caravans, trouble is people are expecting these things to be like a house. It’s NOT it’s a converted van. You have to put up with imperfections. You have to adapt and change your ways. The manufacturer’s design things to work. Their not interested in where they are or what happens when they break. Also your gas system doesn’t comply to UK safety BS/EN standard’s.
Thanks for the review. I wish I had seen it earlier. The van is brand new and I have been on the road for 3 days. So far I had to replace the water pump myself, unscrew à millions screws to reset the boiler under the backseats. My leisure battery drains in a couple of hours and finally found out last night that the fridge door is locked or broken. I managed to fix what I could thanks to TH-cam videos. WG customer service is rubbish. I am in the middle of France in August and every garage I get I touch with tells me they can’t help until late September! Can you please help me out with the fridge handle issue. It seems I need to drill a hole or smash the covers off! Many thanks
As you can see, you have never had a fully-fledged motorhome in the area of a panel van or with a body before. What you are describing are partly continuous problems with manufacturers. It doesn't matter if it's a ducato or a vw. Therefore, you also test the corresponding vehicles that you might want to buy. All the best.
I think the water pump coming on might just be the system keeping water pressure, Most campers should have a button where you can turn the water pump off. I mean to keep the pump charged decreases your battery slowly over time. I used to rent campers in Iceland lol
Thanks for the info! Nowadays, sadly, most products is in a beta state when it goes on sale, best to wait a couple years for the bugs to get discovered and hopefully fixed by the manufacturer before buying.
I noticed that on the longer variant it has air conditioning which is a fantastic addition when in warmer climes but why on earth would you place it over the bed?, you could never have it on whilst sleeping as you would be freezing cold....
Really good open, honest and well balanced review. Just about to hire one, so a newish model, and will come back and feed back any thoughts . . . Nice one 👍
Once the internal temperature is above - 4 degrees the water tank should NOT empty, well ours doesn't and is exactly the same principle altough on a different mho, as I say the principle is the same???
With the Truma Combi hot water system the frost protection system is automatically deactivated when the space heating is on so no problem using in sub zero temperatures.
@@ChrisSloanes Check with Truma Chris. I don't know which system you have in your van but with the right exhaust cowl and gas shut off/regulator system you can use some Truma stuff whilst driving.
I love VW myself, bit of a fan boy too if im honest but ultimately im not deluded.The camper has some huge problems and id hate to think someone could buy one based on me not being honest. Thanks mate glad you enjoyed it
I would still buy one if I could afford it. Had VW campers and Motorhomes for 40 years. I have tried other makes and the VWs are the best to drive. I hired a new Ducato based Swift and it was badly made and dreadful to drive. ALL Motorhomes need constant attention irrespective of their age and make.
Hi, what tires have you on? Like then and I am modding my GC right now. Honest review by the way. But I think storage could be better especially for the kitchen.
It's shocking really. I had a very expensive T6 which had a very good conversion done on it. Unfortunately, it was the 204 engine and it was made of cheese. So unreliable. We fancied a bigger camper and had a look around at a VW van center in Newcastle. They had a GC in which suited our needs but at c£80k, that's a lot of money to invest in something with so many flaws. We walked away in the end.
Haha well we are now behind the highway car slowing us down while they must be recovering whatever has happened up ahead. Off to Northampton way to collect a trailer… 🤫
Es una pena la cantidad de errores que tiene y ver que vw no los corrige y que sus centros no estan formados para solucionarlos. Yo alquile una por unas semanas para confirmar los errores que había escuchado, y definitivamente decidí no comprarla. Es una pena porque es la que mas me gusta y es super cómoda. Pero tantos errores me darían mucho dolores de cabeza. De momento me quedo con mi t6 california. Cuando se decidan a solucionar esos no pocos problemas tal vez me decida.
Appreciate the honest reviews! Excellent quality! May I ask whether you used an additional suspension kit to elevate the car more (besides the BF Goodrich A/T's)? What's your experience with it?
I haven’t. It’s on standard springs etc. main reason for this is the already tall 3m height. I didn’t initially fancy going much taller due to some low ish bridges near where I live. I’ve heard the lift kits do make a huge difference to ride quality and handling though so I am currently considering changing it
I could go on for age’s on your van and others. To understand your problems fully. Train and compete the 12v/240v electric and gas courses then go build half a dozen then write your review. This isn’t a dig at your problems.
Good review mate. Just a thought regarding the dumping of cold water, could you just swap the fresh and grey water connectors, or is that too simplistic?
The Truma 4e I have in the Sprinter has a manual tap for low temperatures but only dumps water from the internal Truma boiler. I notice the wheels and tyres on your VW look small, I have 245/75/16 A/T tyres on the Sprinter and they fill the arches out, looks better.
Volkswagon will start selling 100% electric minibus into the USA market in June 2024. I plan on buying a new one and having it retrofitted into a camper versus buying the VW camper.
Very honest review. We've been running a fleet of these for hire over the last 2 years. Oh boy never a dull moment! When we receive brand new ones now, we have a routine of pulling out parts we know fail and changing them before they ever go out. We upgrade the water pump to a proper pressure pump. The cheap submersible pump is a joke. The tap is rubbish. When the step gets stuck it will trip the comfort ecu, which means no water, you have to reset it by pulling the plug out. Running the step through the ecu was a big mistake. We plan a bypass switch for this and a direct 12v feed. Turning the gas taps off will always create an airlock in the boiler. sometimes you have to get to the actual boiler and reset on the boiler. Not very easy to get to the boiler! However, I think they drive lovely and they have got a cool high tech feel to them. We're just waiting for VW to improve on those issues. They have improved on the California ocean so I'm sure they will get to it eventually.
Not good enough on VW, they need to do better.
hello. you have perfect expirience. valuble for vag ingeneeres and GC owners. if i take one GC, will you serve it right after buying? does you service men works with third party clients? are you in Portugee?
@camperboys
Oh sweet Jesus. It's been a year, do you have any update please 😅 I'm hoping to get one but terrified
@sandyduane8126 they have been a lot better the past year or so. All my issues were fixed by vw and I haven’t had issues in past year or so
The water dumping at low temperature is to protect the Truma heater not the fresh and grey water tanks. They they are plastic and won't split, infact the water in them won't freeze unless you are in a really cold place for a few days, it the pipes to them that freeze. What the dump value is protecting is the metal tank in the Truma, which if it froze would split and you would be rather unhappy with the resultant bill for a new one. I have the same problem in my Adria Twin, I just use a cable tie to keep the value closed while we are using it in winter. The only thing is to remember to take it off when you are not using it.
It seems some big wig at VW has said, 'we can just trade on the badge when it comes to campers, so don't spend much money on training, bulid quality or customer service.'
The only thing I can say about buying a VW California is that I’ll never buy another one. The after sales customer service at some VW van centres is awful and the VW Van centres don’t want to touch a lot of things on the California unless they are specialist campervan centres so you just get fobbed off and messed around and I’m just pleased my warranty has now expired so i never have to deal with VW again. Nightmare company and very disappointed with the reliability of my VW California which still has issues that were never fixed despite being in under warranty. Nice to see you giving a good honest view as you’re the voice for the many of us who just suffer in silence.
Hi, I am new to this, I normaly watch german reviews. But I stumbled over one of your videos and I really liked it a lot. Very well done.
One thing: With the fridge door not opening - you can access through the "back" to the white front-door and take it off. No need to drill a hole. Takes approx 10-15 min if you know what to do.
Keep going! I like what you do a lot. Greetings from Munich
Finally, a video for all of us who own cheap self build camper vans! Thanx! 😉
Just started to watch your review, quite literally the first part where you explain that they haven’t actually fixed any of the problems and it’s already prompted me to add this comment. You give them the benefit of the doubt, let me clarify. I’ve had my Kombi for over 4 years and my impression of VW Dundee & Aberdeen is of total incompetence or simply money grabbing robbers. Their practices and behaviour doesn’t seem to be monitored by VW UK or if it is, I can only assume it to encourage the service centres to act in this fashion. They certainly didn’t want to get involved when I raised dangerous practice concerns and also the fact they charged me to rectify their error. I have since stopped using all their network as very few others have anything good to say about any of their service centres. Ford isn’t perfect but at 30% less cost for almost everything, that’s 30% more available to modify/repair to what you actually need.
I had a similar experience with vw Dundee absolutely shocking service bought used 3 year old car and they didn't clean it nor service it like it was supposed to they just blamed covid, would t buy from vw again after that experience
Had similar issues with my T6 when new, my local VW were useless but the guys in Liverpool ( swansway) absolutely awesome service , couldn’t do enough and rectified any issues no problem, so much so my son bought his van there and again bent over backwards to help and assist with any problems. Great vid looking forward to the next one 🤘🏻
I rarely pass comments, but…. I had more giggles listening to you than the best stand-up. I admire your patience and restraint. They’re criminally stupid lol
Most campers are a cross of two companies. For instance, Fiat companys just make the van, and the other company makes the box and structure. Then adds everything in, to run a camper it really makes you handy as your camper can become your own. I think the van look itself is important, I like the idea of stealth camping but also wished we didn't live in a world where it was necessary.
Good honest review. Yeah my Dreamer D60 Fun has a Truma Combi 6D heating / hot water system and the exhaust is in exactly the same place. Open the window and you loose heating / hot water and get a nondescript error code on the Truma control panel (which I think I had to search on google for). I suspect the reason that they position the exhaust there is because the easiest place to put the boiler (space and servicing access) is under the rear seat...
I got my gas bottle exchanged a month or so ago (before we went to the Outer Hebrides - spectacular!) and the chap in the local shop said they still had supply issues where they could not sell new Calor bottles (most sizes), only do exchanges.
The D60 Fun is a Fiat Ducato 6.36m platform so the beds in the rear let you sleep front to back(or vice versa of course). Definitely a bonus if someone wants to get out to use the toilet in the early hours and you definitely have enough length to accommodate someone well over 6 feet tall. I'm 5ft 10 o so and i have loads of room.
Like many of these world famous brands, they proclaim that the quality is second to none, when the reality is far from true. My mate has an Auto Trail Adventure 65 built on the Fiat Ducato platform and absolutely raves about it.
Great honest review 👏
I love Dubs, but when I get to the point where I want a bigger campervan I can't see me getting a Grand Cali. There's way better out there.
Another great vlog Chris, really like the honesty 👏🏼
A good honest review of the van making possible owners clear on what they can expect. Loving the videos mate and look forward to many more!
Thanks mark appreciate it. Hopefully will help some people make a more informed decision than I did 😂😂
That's why we had ours built by an Independant and to our exact specifications.
The frost dump isn’t to protect your fresh water tank. It’s designed to protect your truma boiler, if the temp inside the van drop close to freezing. You should be able to shut the water tank supply to boiler. That way the frost valve only dumps the boiler. If you can’t ur right, dumping the whole fresh water system is a design fault.
I’ve done 3 van builds, and as much as I like the professional finish of the GC’s, nothing compares to having everything exactly as you want it- designing and building a custom camper. The down side is the time it takes. You can’t just turn the key and drive away. Even with all these flaws, I think I’d still buy one to have that pro finish. I can fix anything so I can manage. I love the look and they do drive like a dream (I currently have a VW mwb crafter).
I also calculated the cost of a high quality van build with a new Crafter MWB and it was pretty close to the cost of a GC anyway, hence the reason I’d still buy one next time.
Interesting re dumping water from the internal water tank that isn’t at risk, but not dumping water from the grey water tank that is outside the van which is at risk. Seems that at point of build, they have rigged the dump to the wrong tank. Nice honest straight forward video.
no not really. Its actually installed inside the Truma system, so its not dumping water from the tank directly, but through Truma boiler. So water slowly flows through Truma boiler to the floor. But I completely agree with Chris - Truma engineering is a whole world of idiotic decisions one stacked on top of another. No clue how they are the leaders of this sector and why no one is trying to compete with them.
It's good to have a honest review for a owner, I own a VW kepler 6 and also think it good but could be better and the service from my local Westfalia centre and Westfalia is S..t
Also the review that are also on TH-cam are poor due to the people now owning them and just jumping and doing for hits. It's great to have an honest review. A big thank you.
Vw have lods of dealers around the uk and here in Ireland, if you have problems with the engine or the normal parts of the vw crafter they will fix it , but unfortunately the dealers no absolutely nothing about the campervan parts of the vehicle, , its crazy , i dont understand why vw dont train people up worldwide to be able to fix the campervan side of things , it turned me off buying a vw camper
They have loads of complaints even with the normal california , ie , roof bellows , water pumps , paint issues , electric motor issues with the roof not closing or opening properly , , sadly vw are only interested in profit and cost cutting
Great honest review , thank you anf fair play
Still a problem getting 6kg Calor bottles. Ended up fitting a refillable LPG Gas It system for sheer convenience. Might take a few years to pay for itself but better than driving the 120+ mile round trip to find bottles at the minute.
Nearly bought a 680 looking bk I’m glad we didn’t..and you definitely confirmed that now…
We got a mwb Westfalia Sven hedin .
And how it is? Any problems so far? Would you recommend it?
@@matt7232 lovely mate definitely recommended
@@jayt5970 thanks for answer - i just saw it's only for 2 persons - we are 4, 2 small kids so i guess it is out of the question...plus i am 180cm and i guess will have some problem with small bed
Really appreciated this honest review from someone who has used the van for more than a week. The fridge never looked particularly great to me but you've reinforced in my head a major negative about this van. I shall go back to looking at the Adria. Hope VW watch this and respond in your favour.
Mate. Regarding that truma. Ring em direct. They actually have a really good aftercare. They actually answer the phone. 👍🏻
You've just convinced me not to buy one
Really appreciate your honest recommendation at the end. Given how much money and effort you sunk into it, many on your place would be compelled psychologically to justify it and recommend it despite all the problems. Your fair warning gets two thumbs up from me! As a fellow GC600 who had it for more than 2 years now (Dec 19 production) I also would hesitate to recommend it to many, even if I still like mine a lot and not planning to sell it just yet. But once I do sell mine, I most likely will not get another VW factory one. Maybe a Hymer Sprinter 4x4 or a Westfalia. GC600 had loads of potential, but QC and testing was totally lacking - soooo many problems...
What are you thinking now?
OMG 😱 all that money and it’s just full of problems I’m so please I have a home built VW Crafter
I don’t have any problem with my van over the years 👍 if I was you I would get rid asap and have one built and save the money for other toys and adventures 👍
Only just discovered your channel and I don’t know if you still have this van but the fridge door alignment could probably be adjust with the side rails, in most kitchen cabinets these are threaded to allow for adjustment designed to help with this situation.
As always, informative, honest and helpful.
Having a VWT6 (which is brilliantly reliable and gives me an average of 46 MPG) and wanting a little more space I've been looking at the Grand California and after watching your excellent review, as they are now there's no way I'd buy one.
It's simply not good enough (so many design faults VW needs to put right and the gas outlet is beyond words) for a vehicle that costs £80K or so.
The only real reviews one (IMO) should take note of, are those by real users of the said item, well done with your review.
Thanks. I’m fine with taking my mistake on the chin but I’d hate someone to buy one without hearing what they are really like. Look elsewhere.
My California ocean was superb, loved it and worked great. This unfortunately isn’t the case
Good honest comments. Looks superb on the outside mind!
Thanks mate. Tried to make her not look as ugly as I think they do standard 😂
Great review Chris, I’ve watched most of your videos now, this one is a slightly different style .. a bit more serious and to my mind pretty well said & balanced. That all said, don’t get too serious on us … Campervaning it is about having fun, your earlier videos had a good amount of tongue in cheek humour which was great. I know a few folks had a go at you over some of the detail in one of them and you seem to have gone to some effort to correct that in this video. Enjoy the van Chris and keep the videos coming. PS - we’ve only had our GC600 6 weeks or so now, 10 nights away , all perfect so far .. 🫰
Thanks mate. Only reason I made this one a bit more serious was just literally to put a more serious more reliable review rather than me ranting a little bit. Normal service will be resumed soon 😂😂 glad yours is working and running great. That’s good news fingers crossed it stays that way
The step needs lubing frequently with silicone spray, we have similar steps on minibuses
I suppose that's one benefit (of just a few) to building your own camper. You know how things work, why they break and you'll also make do with the bodge job to fix it, cause like, it's your van..
And you’re right. Mine never turns off. It has one stat IN the van. My truma doesn’t even know what the outside temp is.
Great review and bang on with your observations we have the 680 and have had most of the issues you highlighted . Well done.
Good honest review. Had a few VW cars, always wanted a VW camper but hubby not keen - gone with the Fiat ducato camper (which I know you dislike😂). Quite glad we didn’t now, seen other VW channels with problems with oil levels too. There is no perfect van it seems. Anyhow loving your channel and vow very serious today not one swear word…damn🙂
😂😂 possibly my first video without swearing you don’t realise how hard it was. Glad you like the channel and yeah I don’t think there is a perfect camper and if there is it’s definitely not mine 🤣
Just felt that the first piss take video needed a big sister video to actually review it a bit more traditionally than just a wind up for anyone who may actually want to buy one 😂
it's almost like the biggest companies make the worst stuff
Very surprised to see those weird problems on a vw product when the other (even cheaper) brands don't have any of these problems. Had a challenger and non of those problems were in that. Most things were a bit simpler as well, but at least everything worked without problems.
Good review, i was thinking of buying one. Those little annoying things are enough to put me off. I certainly wouldn't buy one without trying one first. Thank you.😊
Brilliant reviews. Typical problems of any high value low volume products. As you say, it's like sorting out a new house but VW have made some flashy but dodgy design decisions on this one. Would have been usefull to have seen the bathroom?
Good to hear an honest review both good & bad. Doesn’t show VW in best light though & I agree if it’s a fault with anything inside then it’s till VW that should repair. I wonder if VW will watch your views & reach out to you to bring camper to a garage that sells them to look at your issues.
Look forward to next update if they ask for van back to check it. 👍🏻
It’s been in for 2 month mate in total. I don’t think I’d give them it unless they were willing to refund me the £1,200 a month payments on it that I’ve paid while not being able to use it.
Other than the water dumping or not dumping waste water, it is okay. Every problem is manageable with a user that knows how to look out for his car. Just do your own modifications and try to repair minor things and lube the step. Or go wait a service. This is normal. It is a special car.
It’s awful mate. Let’s be honest. I would not and cannot ever recommend this to anyone. It’s flawed, broken and poorly designed.
At last a honest opinion, rather than what the manufacturers blurb.
Thats why i made it. Sick to death of seeing people "review" products and campervans etc when they have used it for a few days. Especially with campervans unless you live with it for a good chunk of time you cant possibly give anyone more information than the brochure already does.
This is the very reason i would never buy a Morden Camper Van, The other is the Overpriced price Tag,s. I have a Landroverdefender110 kitted out with Rooftent etc its never let me down in 12 years,
Great review Chris iv been observing these kind of issues for a long time with camper van and motorhome design
Would love you to review our awnser to what we believe vw should of built 👍
We are loooking at getting a 2nd hand GC, one year on hows yours been? Would you still recommend looking elsewhere?
Have a large solar panel and 3 batteries, replaced the entire fridge with a wacko system as an option from dealership mine came with a black step use a Yamaha generator.
I love watching your videos. You own a VW camper so I don’t have to! Drive it to NZ sometime and enjoy it at its best.
Imma VW fan driving a Caddy camper self build atm, if I do upgrade to a crafter it'll be a self build again cause lightweight and things how and where I want. Great review... both of them. Jealous of your crafter but would rather build campers myself.
Great review warts and all well done I think you've been very forgiving with vw if I could ever afford to buy the grand california which I can't i would expect a lot better quality and service from vw I'll have to make do with my Renault master self conversion but doesn't ratle lol🤣🤣🤣
I'll be taking my buisness else were. Thank you for the video.
Can you tell me the tire sizes?
Honest and informative, another brilliant video Chris .what's the shower and the toilet like to use . Are these problematic or have these been fault free 👍
Awesome review Chris, especially important from someone who has actually spent tons of time on the road with it. We have a 12/21 GC 600 and in half a dozen trips our only 2 issues are the tap, as you explained (can only bear that pump noise for so long). Can remove the fuse but a fix we found mid trip was to blast the tap with a hairdryer to completely dry out and a month later it's not happened again. Totally with you on the Truma error codes; major pain.
Love the channel Chris keep up the good work.
PS Agree 100% with the comment re Liverpool VW van centre where we bought our van and who have considerable knowledge.on the GC.
Thanks for the comment. Nice to hear from a fellow gc owner. I’ve actually heard a few bits about the Liverpool place. Is that where the Cali Chris bloke works who has the videos on youtube?
I build campers, our company has combined 40yrs experience. Everything your mentioning is standard across the trade. Motorhome/ caravans, trouble is people are expecting these things to be like a house. It’s NOT it’s a converted van. You have to put up with imperfections.
You have to adapt and change your ways.
The manufacturer’s design things to work. Their not interested in where they are or what happens when they break.
Also your gas system doesn’t comply to UK safety BS/EN standard’s.
It’s converted by VW themselves so all the problems are stuff that they need to sort
Thanks for the review. I wish I had seen it earlier. The van is brand new and I have been on the road for 3 days. So far I had to replace the water pump myself, unscrew à millions screws to reset the boiler under the backseats. My leisure battery drains in a couple of hours and finally found out last night that the fridge door is locked or broken. I managed to fix what I could thanks to TH-cam videos. WG customer service is rubbish. I am in the middle of France in August and every garage I get I touch with tells me they can’t help until late September! Can you please help me out with the fridge handle issue. It seems I need to drill a hole or smash the covers off! Many thanks
I seen your van today it looks unreal, this review has really shocked me, it looks hella expensive and would expect better quality and design from VW
As you can see, you have never had a fully-fledged motorhome in the area of a panel van or with a body before. What you are describing are partly continuous problems with manufacturers. It doesn't matter if it's a ducato or a vw. Therefore, you also test the corresponding vehicles that you might want to buy. All the best.
Great review, couldn't agree more with it being the perfect length.
I think the water pump coming on might just be the system keeping water pressure, Most campers should have a button where you can turn the water pump off. I mean to keep the pump charged decreases your battery slowly over time. I used to rent campers in Iceland lol
Thanks for the info! Nowadays, sadly, most products is in a beta state when it goes on sale, best to wait a couple years for the bugs to get discovered and hopefully fixed by the manufacturer before buying.
Great Honest Review
I've worked at dealers for 51 years. Most service in dealers is pretty dire..
Excellent honest review Chris, i still think your van looks cool mate 👍
Thanks a lot. Glad you enjoyed the video. Some changes being made to the van soon 🤫
I noticed that on the longer variant it has air conditioning which is a fantastic addition when in warmer climes but why on earth would you place it over the bed?, you could never have it on whilst sleeping as you would be freezing cold....
Really good open, honest and well balanced review.
Just about to hire one, so a newish model, and will come back and feed back any thoughts . . .
Nice one 👍
Once the internal temperature is above - 4 degrees the water tank should NOT empty, well ours doesn't and is exactly the same principle altough on a different mho, as I say the principle is the same???
Great video, appreciate your honesty.
would you recommend for VW CRAFTER or the MAN TGE or the SPRINTER especially for someone who is looking to be travelling alot/long distance trips...
With the Truma Combi hot water system the frost protection system is automatically deactivated when the space heating is on so no problem using in sub zero temperatures.
However you can’t use the heating or have the gas on when your driving therefor the system is useless
@@ChrisSloanes Check with Truma Chris. I don't know which system you have in your van but with the right exhaust cowl and gas shut off/regulator system you can use some Truma stuff whilst driving.
Ohhhh man - the fan boys are going to love you! Great video - it’s a pity the only people (VW) won’t want to watch it! 👍🏻
I love VW myself, bit of a fan boy too if im honest but ultimately im not deluded.The camper has some huge problems and id hate to think someone could buy one based on me not being honest. Thanks mate glad you enjoyed it
Gas exhaust under the window! That is just amateurish. How on earth has that passed safety inspections?
I would still buy one if I could afford it. Had VW campers and Motorhomes for 40 years. I have tried other makes and the VWs are the best to drive. I hired a new Ducato based Swift and it was badly made and dreadful to drive. ALL Motorhomes need constant attention irrespective of their age and make.
so what are you and your wife wearing to the next vw van release event ? lol . Honest review for a change, nice work chris.
Looks ok but HATE the bed design - it needs to fold away surely?
it kinda folds up but its not great. just like the rest of the van, its very flawed.
Hi, what tires have you on? Like then and I am modding my GC right now. Honest review by the way. But I think storage could be better especially for the kitchen.
Thanks mate. The tyres are BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2 tyres. They a little noisy but great
@@ChrisSloanes thank you Mate
is it monocoq body? thus less noise and vibration?
I just entered a competition to get one of these. Kind hoping I don’t win. 😂
Cheers Ronan. 🙈👍🏼
No converter plug!? What!!!!! Even the T6 has that so thats weird!
Glad I saw this now!!! Back to the drawing board 😞
It's shocking really. I had a very expensive T6 which had a very good conversion done on it. Unfortunately, it was the 204 engine and it was made of cheese. So unreliable. We fancied a bigger camper and had a look around at a VW van center in Newcastle. They had a GC in which suited our needs but at c£80k, that's a lot of money to invest in something with so many flaws. We walked away in the end.
Where is this van manufactured?
China?
Thanks for the review, What camera are you using? Lovely colors...
My camera im using is the Sony A7S III which is fantastic for video. Such a great camera.
@@ChrisSloanes Thanks. Looks like a really good camera.
Can you not find the sensor for frost protect and insulate it ?
Just seen you driving down the A1 so I subbed 🤣👌 this is my dream van 👌
Haha thanks man. Now stick in bad bloody traffic. Maybe my new project I’m picking up won’t be as secret as I hoped haha
@@ChrisSloanes yep stuck in it too, the life of a trucker 🤣you made want YT stickers for my car. Looks sick on the camper 👍good luck with the channel
Haha well we are now behind the highway car slowing us down while they must be recovering whatever has happened up ahead. Off to Northampton way to collect a trailer… 🤫
@@ChrisSloanes brilliant! safe travels 👌
Awesome review. Shame on you VW!
Are you going to sell it ?
What's the leg room like in the front cab? My partner is 6'4 and all legs so has his knees hitting the dash in some vans 😂
Es una pena la cantidad de errores que tiene y ver que vw no los corrige y que sus centros no estan formados para solucionarlos. Yo alquile una por unas semanas para confirmar los errores que había escuchado, y definitivamente decidí no comprarla. Es una pena porque es la que mas me gusta y es super cómoda. Pero tantos errores me darían mucho dolores de cabeza. De momento me quedo con mi t6 california. Cuando se decidan a solucionar esos no pocos problemas tal vez me decida.
I’d buy one regardless think they look good just 1 problem though money 😢
Another good review
I think this review is really helpful, honest and well presented
Its certainly better than my first attempt but its quite an old video now and fortunately i now spend less time rattling on about uninteresting stuff!
In reference to power, John from Utube channel John and Mandy has many good tips that may suit your requirements.
May I ask how much the ban cost?
Appreciate the honest reviews! Excellent quality! May I ask whether you used an additional suspension kit to elevate the car more (besides the BF Goodrich A/T's)? What's your experience with it?
I haven’t. It’s on standard springs etc. main reason for this is the already tall 3m height. I didn’t initially fancy going much taller due to some low ish bridges near where I live. I’ve heard the lift kits do make a huge difference to ride quality and handling though so I am currently considering changing it
I could go on for age’s on your van and others.
To understand your problems fully. Train and compete the 12v/240v electric and gas courses then go build half a dozen then write your review.
This isn’t a dig at your problems.
Good review mate. Just a thought regarding the dumping of cold water, could you just swap the fresh and grey water connectors, or is that too simplistic?
The Truma 4e I have in the Sprinter has a manual tap for low temperatures but only dumps water from the internal Truma boiler.
I notice the wheels and tyres on your VW look small, I have 245/75/16 A/T tyres on the Sprinter and they fill the arches out, looks better.
The wheels are 17’s with 245/65/17s on. They are changing next week but staying same size with the tyres
What absolutely dumb design choices, thanks so much for posting them and I hope you either get it all sorted or get a better camper.
Volkswagon will start selling 100% electric minibus into the USA market in June 2024. I plan on buying a new one and having it retrofitted into a camper versus buying the VW camper.