Where is the T5 California ?

[ClubCoconut]

Save your money and get a kombi beach they have everything you need

[MultiplexMan]

Not sure if there are many other T5 Californias in Oz but would be good to know how people went about importing them. I've imported a Golf GTI 8v Mk2 before and it was no real hassle though a lot of paperwork.

I have not seen one in Oz but they are in NZ. Definitely a nice alternative to our local outfitters. The factory finish is very nice!

[jimby]

they had the california at barloworld in mascot a few years ago, it was very very nice and wayyyyyy nicer finish than a trakkadu.

[GTI-VW]

Save your money and get a kombi beach they have everything you need

5 seats (one bench, one removable and two swivel types), electric roof, 4 berths, fridge, stove, fresh and waste water tanks, awning, heaps of storage, insulated and glazed privacy glass, integrated blinds, integrated table, outside table and chairs which stow in tailgate, built-in leisure battery with inverter for 12 & 240v supplies, overhead computer panel for monitoring all camping functions, diesel fired night heater with remote control, chic and luxurious fitout with 8 speaker audio system and all of this contained within a top spec T5 complete with all parking sensors and cruise control.

I need all this.


The California will also double as my office since I work from home and like some peace and quiet. I can stop by the beach or in a nice park, put up the table, fire up my portable wifi router, plug into the 240v inverter, run some heating if it's a chilly morning and listen to some tunes while I work. As a 4 seater it's perfect for dropping the kids to school but with our extra seat (fixes into rails) we can carry an extra friend too. Most importantly (for me), unless you look inside it's very difficult to tell its a camper.

We owned a T4 California for 6 years in Europe which we also used as a daily driver . We covered 110000kms including eastern europe and north africa (we got bogged twice in the Sahara). For a family of 4 they're perfect. Even in countries where the California isn't sold VW can still order the parts if they have the part number (did this a few times in the UK for the T4). The 30 litre fridge is bigger than you think as it's a chest fridge. This makes it more energy efficient too. Again, for a family of 4 we never found it wanting.

[jets]

I would love to see one of these in the metal rather than on paper. The only thing that I can see that I think is better on my Trakka [T4] is the cut out over the cab doesn't go so far forward. We sit our portable TV & lots of odds & ends up there.

[GTI-VW]

Well after owning it for a while, though as yet no serious camping, I can say that the T5 California really impresses, myself and others. Compared to my old LHD T4 California it's obvious that VW have kept with the basic Westfalia design but taken it to a new level of chic. It's bright and light inside, more hi-tech & high quality (such as formed aluminium cupboards with wood veneer finish, electric roof, dual leisure batteries, opaque glass benchtops). Will it prove to be as reliable as the Westfalias ? Time will tell. Westfalia have been making campers since about the 1950s and probably account for a very large percentage of all the campers in the world. Already a common earth fault has emerged in the T5 California where the leisure battery earth termination was placed under the fridge thus allowing condensation onto 2 dissimilar metals. On the plus side the fault info is passed through the VW dealer network and its fix is available to any VW mechanic in the world. The extra weight of a motorised roof gives a feeling of top-heaviness of the T5 Cali compared to the T4. Certainly the T4 'felt' better in corners. This could be just an impression as the T5 sports the 174HP engine vs 102HP in my old T4.

Planning to bring the car to Australia next year continues. An Engineer in Oz assures me that since the car has whole of vehicle Euro approval it should be relatively straight-forward to adapt it for Australian compliance (recognising that a personal import does not require full ADR compliance). I am also aware of a Brit who is planning to bring his California at the end of next year so I will have someone to steal parts from...just kidding. All parts should be available through VW Australia, even if they need to be shipped (I had no problems getting parts for my T4 California in the UK even though it was not sold there). Most importantly, all the mechanicals are standard T5.

Lastly, this T5 California comes with a single 5th seat which is removable. From what I can discern it is essentially the same single seat that is available in other T5s. I would be very interested to see any photos of such a seat in Australia to see how the child restraint is fitted.

[GTI-VW]

Doom and gloom. Reading the Australian standards for gas makes me wonder if it will be at all possible to get the California a gas certificate. Damn, when will we start adopting international standards instead of inventing our own ? I am still trying to track down someone who can certify gas installs in Sydney so I can engage in a dialogue. Anyone know anyone ?

There are rumours of at least one California in Australia. If anyone knows where it is or who owns it please point them to this thread or at least ask them how they got the gas certified. Thanks

[T45LV10]

I find local camper conversion costs very expensive.

If you compare similar work done for your home (bricks & mortar) - campers are certainly sold at a premium. I know I could get a quality kitchen fit out with european appliances for under 20K. Granted the pop top and the auxilliary battery supply are "unique" to the sector but how on earth do we end up over 100K?

I also don't understand the premium we pay for conversions compared to the UK firms.

Check out some of their sites, the materials used and the finished prices. Price is not lower due to volume as most are smaller than Trakka and the like.

I agree with concerns re VW support with a California. I have had enough issues with my Kombi Beach. I shudder to think of the issues one could have with a more complex vehicle.

The Cali does make for a nice brochure though

I agree with you mate. Why are the prices so obscene here? I have been to frontline campers and looked at the units. To be honest I just laughed. The finish is sub standard with screw caps used on the face of the cupboards! They won't sell you anything unless you get the full conversion done by them. I can get pop top roofs shipped here for LWB for $3500 yet conversion companies want $7500 fitted?????

I have sourced the light weight ply locally and will be converting my LWB T5 myself soon. They supply Trakka etc with the ply they use for their fit outs. The other hard item to come by is a decent Rock and Roll bed. There really isn't much selection in the Aussie market for the DIY builder. People seem to be happy to pay a highly inflated premium.

I'll post a build thread soon.

[T45LV10]

why can a plumber who works with gas not certify it? The standards are pretty draconian. A lot of licences needed but no one to enforce them!

[Foxpuppet]

why can a plumber who works with gas not certify it? The standards are pretty draconian. A lot of licences needed but no one to enforce them!

i know we did caravans and marine LPG installation when i got my licence. but it is kind of a specialized industry. at the end of the day gas can kill you very easily. your in a confined space, that confined space can move around from place to place at over 100km/h.... have you ever seen what LPG does when it combusts unrestricted?

I do LPG certification on my licence, but the problem is on an existing van your not going to be able to check how it's been installed without being able to see the pipework, valving etc. plus the location of the cyclinder/s is crucial. perhaps this is done differently O/S so you'd e hard pressed to find a plumber willing to risk his/her licence on something they have not done themselves. I mean i can check it for leaks etc but certification would be a different story, i'd imagine caravan/mobilehome certifiers would be a better source of info.