VW UK and the Kombi Leaky Window Saga

[jack454]

Van went in this morning for the inspection of the leaky n/s slider, that was declined twice by another dealer, even though they had images of the ingress

vwuk issued case number, case manager etc and also informed me of another local Van service centre( not a sales center mores the pity

all i had to do was ring vwuk and let them know the date the van was booked in for

took it in this morning, they asked me to sit in the back whist a small light sprinkle of water was applied via a hose pipe

as you can see, it was pi55ing in, that was with hardly any pressure from the hose

they agreed immediately the warrantee claim, will be checking the o/s also, even though iv noticed no issues with that one
parts ordered this morning, fitted tomorrow and to be collected friday afternoon or saturday morning)
courtesy van given, insurance not charged etc
works well for me as im in hospital tomorrow morning to have 3 gnashers removed under sedation, so cant drive till friday afternoon anyway, so a van rather than kombi is not an issue

IF, it all goes well, i will name the local service centre, as this one has really slipped under the radar , especially in south lincolnshire ref servicing and warrentees etc
I've been travelling 80+ miles each way up to now !View attachment 44700

Success
Window in, no leaks
New door card in
Went to start it in the workshop after 3 days, guess what , it’s a non starter
4 v left In battery
Guess what battery pmsl !!
Full diagnostic done this morning , sent to Vw by dealer,
Got it started, gave it a good run and going back in next week
For the battery swap

Can’t fault the service centre even though I’d never have though of them

Massive big up to crowsons of spalding
The tech guys certainly knew their stuff and completed the works to schedule and left the bus in a very clean and tidy condition
It’s only a service centre , as they don’t sell vans due to there being a n other in Peterborough ( who declined the warrantee claim ) twice , but did a good job on the repair and sorting the battery issue off their own back

And to top it off , I can finally speak again after the 3 tooth amputation which took 2 hrs longer than the original 1 hr quoted !!!!!!
3 hrs in the chair apparently, but ended up fully sedated all the way through
The last thing I remember was the surgeon talking about getting a caddy for a day van pmsl
Kris

 

[rod_vw]

VW T5 & T6 sliding windows have leaked since introduction in 2003!!

I've had three T5s and now a T6 all have leaked to a greater or lesser degree.

Don't let any dealer tell you that it is the rubber glass seals that are the problem, that is absolute rubbish! The problem is the drain hole ducting leaked water to the outside which is made up of multiple plastic parts that are not properly fitted or bonded together and allow the water to run inside the vehicle rather than out between the glass and the body.

If you want to prove this use a nozzle from a mastic (or similar) cartridge to pour water directly into the visible drain hole at the front of the guide channel. In almost every case you will find that this water runs out inside not outside. Take the lower slide trim off (it can be pulled from its clips towards the inside of the vehicle) and have a look what is going on.
Ten years ago I sent VW a video of this happening so what ever they say they are aware of the problem.

For those who have just had their windows changed, give this test a try as you may find that you only have no leaks because the glass seals are good and clean. When you get some water ingress past the seals you my still have leaks!

I can say all of this because I have just done exactly the above test today on my current T6 and the front drain hole leaks into the vehicle.

There is of course a second drain hidden under the centre of the window slide that you cannot check without removing the sliding portion of the window.

Heaven help you getting VW to admit that it's been a known problem for the last sixteen years!!

Rod

 

[TC1]

Just found that my nearside twin slider window is leaking now.
Looks like ringing VW tomorrow. May have warranty problems with them as it’s a 16 plate.

 

[JonB]

Can I join the club too? 8 months old and it’s pissing in the n/s

 

[Fidget]

I found my window leaking after some particularly heavy rain not too long ago, spoke to my local vw dealer in Exeter and they just replied with - yep, it's a fault, when would you like us to sort it for you?

Booked it in, they had it for a day, I collected it and have had no issues since. Having twin sliders on mine I made them change both and they did it with no questions. Must of been a slow week for them I guess.

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

May have to leave Team Leaky this week as I have just dropped the van in to have both sides replaced under warranty. Had no problem or arguments with the dealer after they had the van for a day to video the leaks and sent it to VWUK.
Can I stay an associate/veteran member of Team Leaky, seems like a fun crew

 

[DaveF]

Has anyone had their windows changed to non-openers? My passenger side window has just started weeping a little (2017 model) but if it's going to be a re-occurring issue I'd rather just replace them with non-openers (as I had on my T5).

 

[widu13]

Warranty or paying? No harm in asking the dealer to fit a non slider- what they charge VW for is down to them, if you are o/s warranty why not explore non VW options that fit the existing cut out? I don't recall anyone complaining of leaks with non OE sliders (that wasn't related to fitting).

 

[DaveF]

Warranty or paying? No harm in asking the dealer to fit a non slider- what they charge VW for is down to them, if you are o/s warranty why not explore non VW options that fit the existing cut out? I don't recall anyone complaining of leaks with non OE sliders (that wasn't related to fitting).

I'd not want to pay for new windows, I was just thinking to get rid of any future problems by fitting OEM VW non-sliders. Usually the dealer says they can only replace like-for-like, but I'm interested to hear if anyone convinced them to change?

 

[DaveF]

Mine's booked in at Pullman Durham tomorrow morning....let's see what they say.

Noticed my driver-side door seal is starting to corrode as well grrrr! #lovemyT6

 

[TC1]

I found my window leaking after some particularly heavy rain not too long ago, spoke to my local vw dealer in Exeter and they just replied with - yep, it's a fault, when would you like us to sort it for you?

Booked it in, they had it for a day, I collected it and have had no issues since. Having twin sliders on mine I made them change both and they did it with no questions. Must of been a slow week for them I guess.

is your van still under warranty

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

Mine is a 2016 but is being done under the Das Auto second hand warranty as I bought it from the local VW van centre.
Or at least it was to be done two days ago but they called today to say the wrong windows were delivered or there was something wrong with them... whatever! Jobs not done grrrrr.
Still in Team Leaky for another week or two!

 

[Scruffy]

May have to leave Team Leaky this week as I have just dropped the van in to have both sides replaced under warranty. Had no problem or arguments with the dealer after they had the van for a day to video the leaks and sent it to VWUK.
Can I stay an associate/veteran member of Team Leaky, seems like a fun crew

Hahahahaha.

You think it’s fixed? Pah! VW replaced them with a new unit with the same fault. I’ve had both mine replaced, and guess what? Yep they leak again.

 

[SNACK]

We have twin sliders on a 16 plate Caravelle and they don’t leak! Are we the only ones?

And how do I make sure they don’t leak in the future?

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

Hahahahaha.

You think it’s fixed? Pah! VW replaced them with a new unit with the same fault. I’ve had both mine replaced, and guess what? Yep they leak again.

Excellent, I will get to stay in Team Leaky, and if I can blag the old windows when they remove them I can give them to my window challenged friend with the PV and he can join Team Leaky

If they don't leak they are aftermarket or you are driving a Transit!

 

[SNACK]

If they don't leak they are aftermarket or you are driving a Transit!

Ha! They’re deffo genuine but I bet previous owner never opened them.

 

[widu13]

And how do I make sure they don’t leak in the future?

Mastic and a very large umbrella

 

[Scruffy]

We have twin sliders on a 16 plate Caravelle and they don’t leak! Are we the only ones?

And how do I make sure they don’t leak in the future?

Never,ever,ever,..........ever open them. Or sell the van.

 

[Scruffy]

Actually, its not funny. My 56 plate leaked and my 16 plate leaked and continues to leaked having been replaced. I do hope someone at VW read these forums occasionally and maybe, just maybe thinks twice about their next move.

 

[TC1]

I contacted my local VW dealer they told me if it’s under warranty they would not charge me for a Diagnosis To tel what’s wrong the sum of £80.00 I told the the diagnosis is it is leaking.
On a closer look myself after taking the window out I did the advice from folks on blowing out the drainage hole, cleaned all the rubber and noticed that the rubber has been cut around the locking handle. And was very sticky.
I took off and re clean and put a little bead of silicone around and re fitted. Left for 24 hours and trued the water test. Yes still in the leaky club.
On Saturday my friend at his garage had a close look at the window and he noticed thunderneath the window after the bottom cover has been removed that there is signs of rust and salt marks. And that the full rail system has started to de- bond from the glass.
I will be ringing Vw tomorrow- keep you all posted.