MODIFIED VW Grand California TOUR 

One of the reasons I bought my GC600 is that it had a cool looking Skandi interior anything to get away from fake wood. Got to agree it can look a bit clinical my solution is to use colours for bed covers and pillows. I do like the plants in the cubby holes looks great but we tend to need the space for storage. Best accessory is Wi Fi and a camera rear view mirror. Like you love this van just been north south in France it cruises at 80 mph get around 27 mpg.

Cracking video again Chris, I finally picked up my new t6.1 swamper last Saturday I spent a week in Wales camping with the wife ,best vehicle I've ever bought. Bit like you I spent a small fortune but it was worth every penny and I'd do it again in a heart beat

Top videos, great delivery! I love the humour too 👍😂 I have the 680 4motion as I am one of them blokes you mentioned with grandfather rights! I know I am lucky because as a big fat bloke sleeping length ways is better and just gives me and the wife a bit more room. I know people say to me what I could have brought if I had gone for a conversion but for my first van I was happy with a VW factory build and don’t regret it. Keep up the good work love the upgrades/changes

Looks a super job Chris. Being a factory build will keep its value. Look forward to seeing your adventures. Enjoy. The video and audio footage are spot on too.

Chris, I have a GC 680 in the same colour and have done a few of the same things, best thing I did was extra shelves in some of the cupboards and had the seat re-upholstered in leather and alcantara, I also bought a Bluetooth projector and screen instead of a tv and lastly upgraded the solar and batteries to lithium…everything makes a little difference which all adds up to a much experience out in the big wide World !

Very refreshing approach to reviewing your van, has helped me a lot, along with the VWCC forum to get a grip of what to expect in terms of issues but also the good bits, I’m going in eyes open this week! So thank you for helping me out. All campers have some issues and most conversions at Crafter size, with the kit you get in the GC are easily as expensive or more. Finally, great quality video.

Love the brutal honesty

Hi Cris, great video. Sound quality and picture quality is spot on. Love the humour of the videos. Plenty of people called Jeff in ireland too!!. Love the mods. Jealous of the fact you can get all that stuff in UK. Here in Ireland there is feck all to be had and getting it imported to ireland from UK, sell a kidney. Love the van. Keep up the good work.

The improvement on sound and image quality is fantastic, keep on with the great content and production quality. Oh and money well spent on the microphone and camera

Hilarious 😂😂😂😂😂😂 .. Just one thing that I'm sure you would have thought out except would the spice racks not have fit behind the kitchen cupboard doors ? .. Brilliant video .. Your travels are amazing .. X

They all have teething problems Chris, we being Scottish and a Schwab(German tight person) bought a 5m40 camper at the camping expo in Stuttgart 5 years ago for the massive price of €35000, with a few extras, it's comfy to drive the bed is great and gets us where we want to go, that's all we need. Oh yeah it's a fiat ducato with a pössel camper. Carry on the good work!!! ATB Chris.

Hi Cris . Elastic bands on the spice jars x. Will stop noise. Roller towel in cupboard above sink ..just pull through. And tear off.

Love your videos and love your sarcasm. Great couple 😁

Great funny video as always! Also appreciate how much effort you put into it. Few realise how much work goes into scripting, filming and my most dreadful time... editing! Image quality is great! Seems like you have a 24mm 1.4 GM lens on it? DJI mikes are also good! I went for Sony A7C and Sony mics.

Great video mate,very direct and honest opinions . Nothing else compares to the look of a VW swamper . I have a T5 . It is all about the experience and pleasure your van can give you . The money is a distant 3rd . If you can afford why not, life is to short. Happy camping !

Another funny video, brilliant dark humour. Personally prefer a 4x4 and large caravan that cost us £65k for the 2 (new caravan 2021 and 1 year old Kia 4x4 bought a couple of years ago). Everyone is different and we all end up modifying our mobile homes as we use them. I was tempted to do a large van conversion as I'm quite good with my hands but having to accommodate 4 and a dog needed something bigger. Really good seeing honest reviews and the van you bought land modified looks amazing.

Great video, gives us a lot of inspiration for pimping our Grand Cali as well. I am interested in the reference of the storage boxes you placed on the upper part - on the second bed really. I am looking for the exact same ones basically. Thanks a lot!

P.S use command strips for the picture frames and a little wedge of foam between the spice jars. Rattles drive me nutts too.

Hi Chris, I just got this answer from VW official shop: "Grand California 600 4Motion models can't be sold in EU due to non-compliance with the applicable CO2 requirements. But at this moment all Grand California models are closed for orders.

Sound and picture quality is grand Chris. The van looks good and you have it just how you want it to be. Mine is still in the planning stages, and your videos, as well as other channels, have helped me choose what it will include or miss out. Keep em coming.

Another great video 👍 Chris let me know if you want do decide to change your wheels in the next few weeks, I'm just in Whitley Bay so could collect 😎

Great video Chris. Video quality i think is better so good choice. Loved the tour and other videos you have put up. A lot of effort made and it shows. i saw you have a dog (or two) so interested to see how you manage travelling with them - i am looking a GC600 and have two labs so would be good to have a vidoo. As a fellow North-east lad, great to see well made videos with some good humour. Keep the cracking videos coming.

The new Sony works well good luck with it & good video.

Mystery over, thought Danny has been at it again. I watched an earlier video and I thought that’s a nice touch a lamp with a shade over the table. No it kitchen bloody paper!

Good video again, it is really interesting to hear your journey with the van, and it has a very different feel to other 'van life' content. Keep up the great work!

Brilliant video again, loving this journey on here, you are obviously very talented at all the installations you have carried out.

Nice video as usual. 👌 Yes.. If I had that money I'd of bought exactly the same ,nicely modified , looks awesome 💪👊 I now what you mean about rattles ,I'm the same. For me The spice rack and flowers rattling would of long gone out the window. 🤣🤣

I typed in OCD and it brought me here 😂

perfectly delivered , good video and jeff had it coming

Love the slapstick element mate. It’s refreshing. Honestly….. always been envious of the space these cali’s have. But didn’t think they could look cool. Yours does…… so I was wrong 👍🏻👍🏻

Great video 👍🏻. Picture quality and sound are spot on.

Great video, Chris. Is the only van I really like fully. But I need for me the 4MATIC... The new camera tools improved the video quality, yes, also that Alpha was on my shopping list next to Grand California 600.. Definitely I agree with your choices very very much! front guard LED lights too!

Fantastic video's mate

Great review love the humour first class 👏😂

Looks good and sounds good Chris, love the humour 👍

Wotcha Chris! Thanks for the videos and love the van. Given me some great inspiration for mods to my Grand Cali 600. As a matter of interest, did you have to have a lift kit fitted before you could fit the Delta's or Black Rhino's with the BF Goodrich tyres?

Cool video, how do you find the rear lower cabinets? Do they keep your clothes in when opening the hatch?

Nice extensions! Are there any links for the products you have used?

Excellent video nice one Chris , love your van looks fantastic mate 👍

You did good buying it. We bought a California Coast. Wouldn't have bought one of those big motor homes. Just don't get that.

Great video. What brand are those storage boxes on the upper bed?

hi chris love the vid , MRI scanner had me pissing myself, your van looks top pal, i went for a roof bar for lighting , 4 jumbo ovals on a unicorn bar ,looks totally bad ass suit your off road aggressive look perfectly, my misses wants fucking fairy lights all over the place , youve got off lightly with dans choice of interior feng su ahh way ur ,whatever you call that shit , cheers pal Cameron ...

Hi Chris, what the wrap that you used on the bottom of the Van , picking the same colour 600 up tomorrow and the wife has given me a list of things to do thanks to your video's :-)

Brilliant

Poor Jeff 😢😂😂😂

Hi Chris, great channel! Do you have a list with (affiliate-) links of all your mods/customisations you took just to know which parts/brands you recommend. Looking forward buying a 600 Model and would love to customise it. Thanks, Moritz

I'm lovin' your vids Chris, and appreciate the latest upgrade in quality. I've got a silver 600 with 4motion, and find all-wheel-drive comes in quite handy here in New Zealand. Which begs my question: wouldn't your ticking the 4motion option have been a final touch that would have fulfilled the dream of building "an ULTIMATE adventure van"?

If you get Knaus or Dethleffs you get all the wood look furniture, curtains, spice rack for free.

I've got two kids so I need a four sleeper This van 680 and Adria Supreme 670 I've narrowed my choice to as I'll live in the said van full time and rent my gaff out Croatia is the place I'd love to go as blighty is becoming a 💩 place to live

Mate, does your ‘windscreen camera mount’ hold the Sony ok? I’ve been looking out for a suitable camera holder myself to help Lyndsey out in her corner & wasn’t ready to pull the trigger ‘til I knew one would actually work. Appreciate your help if you have a name/link or if it’s crap 👊🏼

Hi Chris, what brand or where did you get the raptor style vinyl wrap? Thanks

Hi Chris. Great videos. One question. Have you found a fix for the water dumping issue you talk about in another video?

Inspiring for some pimping Chris!

Great vid Chris. I have my lazers (triple r-750's) come on with the main beam; is yours separate because you have the light bar too?

Who did the bottom 3M wrap and what colour is it? Looks awesome

What is the tire size?

I had a T6 california ocean, I wanted something bigger, looked at the Grand california at the NEC couldn't do white plastics, Fancied another, German vehicle, I got a pop top mercedes Hymer free s, 170 ps, 9 speed auto, Truma diesel heater/ Boiler, New wheels, gecko wheel carrier, x2 150w solar panels yet only cost 73k 🙂 its a 5 berth, 4 adults & a child bed 🛌

Can you please LINK to where you can get your Bull Bar and lights? Thanks

Looking at the bed width ways, how much room is there it only looks about 5ft wide? How is sleeping

Also, who’s Jeff?

Hi where did you get the spare wheel holder and ladder from.

Can't carry surfboards on top????

You pay for what you get m8, I've owned a vw scirocco for 12 years all I've changed so far tyres brake pads and discs and still looks like new , different veacle I know but the vw brand so much better than fords fiat's anything French only true rival is a merc but they don't do nothing like your california, I'm about to buy a extended vw crafter and convert it to what I want ready for when I finish work in 3 years

Pour ceux qui regardent ces vidéos avant de se décider à acheter un Grand California, il faut savoir que ce véhicule présente de très nombreux problèmes qui le rendent inutilisable. Les premiers acheteurs comme moi en font les frais! N’hésitez pas à lire les principaux forums allemands et anglais d’utilisateurs de Grand California, et vous verrez que nous sommes très très nombreux à être extrêmement déçus par le produit, et surtout très déçus par le silence du groupe VW face à ses problèmes inacceptables! Personnellement, je me retrouve depuis plus d’un an avec un véhicule que je ne peux absolument pas utiliser, bourré de problèmes en tout genre, qui vont des problèmes électroniques (certainement des problèmes logiciels, de programmation des différents calculateurs) aux problèmes matériels (impossibilité d’utiliser le sytème d’eau normalement dans le véhicule, le chauffage ou le réfrigérateur). Il y a eu également des problèmes d’infiltration d’eau depuis le toit. Le véhicule est bien évidemment sous garantie puisqu’il a même pas 10 000km, mais malgré 8 mois complets passés dans les ateliers VW, le véhicule n’est toujours pas fonctionnel! VW France, ne veut pas reconnaître officiellement le probable et n’envisage pas le remplacement du véhicule malgré ma demande, et m’a restitué un véhicule qui ne fonctionne pas! Donc, si vous cherchez à dépenser 90 000€ pour un presse papier géant et inutile qui décorera votre parking, foncez! Sinon, regardez plutôt ce que fait la concurrence pour 15/20000€ de moins en achetant un véhicule plus fiable, plus abouti, et certainement une bien meilleure gestion du SAV!