Volkswagen California
Registered from 1999 to 2021.
About this model
The Volkswagen California is a campervan based on the mid-sized Transporter panel van, developed by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) and sold since 2003. It is the first campervan designed and built in-house by VWCV Special Business Unit, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
From the Wikipedia article Volkswagen California, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2017 2.0 diesel. 173 of 1,443 tests failed, 12%.
Better than 48% of 2017 cars. The typical one fails 12%, across 926 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres and wheels | 34% | 58 |
| Suspension | 31% | 53 |
| Brakes | 24% | 42 |
| Body and structure | 9% | 15 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 6% | 10 |
| Visibility | 6% | 10 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
- Warning device shows system malfunction
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Tyres and wheels — 34% of its failures
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
- Suspension — 31% of its failures
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- Brakes — 24% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Exhaust and emissions — 6% of its failures
- Body and structure — 9% of its failures
- Visibility — 6% of its failures
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
When it starts failing
At 80–100k miles this one fails 8% of its inspections, against the 16% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 6% | 6% | 134 | |
| 20–40k miles | 11% | 10% | 601 | |
| 40–60k miles | 14% | 13% | 471 | |
| 60–80k miles | 13% | 15% | 182 | |
| 80–100k miles | 8% | 16% | 39 |
1,427 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 20k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2.0 diesel · 165 hp · 2405 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 8.2 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2020 | 2.0 diesel · 151 hp · 2332 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 8.5 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2019 | 2.0 diesel · 2507 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 8.7 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2018 | 2.0 diesel · 162 hp · 2370 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 8.8 L/100km (WLTP) |
| 2017 | 2.0 diesel · 154 hp · 2340 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 6.4 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2016 | 2.0 diesel · 159 hp · 2366 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 6.5 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2015 | 2.0 diesel · 151 hp · 2211 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 7.5 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2014 | 2.0 diesel · 146 hp · 2191 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 7.6 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2013 | 2.0 diesel · 145 hp · 2174 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 7.8 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2012 | 2.0 diesel · 131 hp · 2157 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 7.8 L/100km (NEDC) |
| 2011 | 2.0 diesel · 144 hp · 2360 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 7.9 L/100km (NEDC) |