ChrisD Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Greetings Does anyone have any experience of the cost of servicing an April 2017 registered Fiat Ducato 2.3? I've just been quoted a whopping £492 by a Fiat Professional dealer. This is the first service. I have to do this for the warranty. Surely that can't be right. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Hi Chris, It probably is "in their eyes" as they hold 'the strings' to further warranty issues and use. Unless you are a self sufficient firmly hand on user and repairer who can cope with any mishap you have little redress on what they charge you. Unless you are able to stand beside those and understand all that's going on, which of course they will not allow then you have no idea what has been checked except a signed page in the vehicle documents that its been carried out. When I was faced with a similar issue I paid once only then did my own checks but I did have a vast amount of mechanical knowledge. Items such as gas need a specialist which can be done independently plus other mechanical problems. I cannot comment directly on your question 'right or not' its what it is and it's your choice. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 If you choose not to pay and have the service carried out there are certain to be other forum member who can advise on the legality aspect if a serious fault occurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 FP dealer quoted me around that price for a four year service on my 2013 2.3. Being out of warranty I had it done by an independent for just under £300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I have checked my records and the service cost for my van has been virtually the same for the last 5 services at just under £200. The van has done 18,400 in this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavieR Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Just booking a first service myself. The two quotes from my two local(ish) Fiat Professional dealerships for a first service are £370 and £550! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Chris In March 2017, when my 2015 Ducato had its initial service by a Fiat Professional agent, the cost (including VAT) was £353.52 My Ducato has just been serviced by the same FP agent and the VAT exclusive prices for the following parts are shown below OIL FILTER 12.08 AIR FILTER 16.12 FUEL FILTER 49.48 POLLEN FILTER 13.08 Total £90.76 + 20% VAT = £108.91 I’d expect SELENIA oil to be used by an FP agent for the inititial (at 24 months) service, and 6 litres of SELENIA oil won’t be cheap (£70-£80 ?). Servicing labour charges can vary significantly, but about £190 (VAT inclusive) would be what the nearest FP agent to me would charge. Allowing (all values VAT inclusive) £109 for parts, £80 for oil and £190 for the servicing itself comes to £379 - so £492 does indeed seem expensive. You need to obtain an estimate from the Fiat Professional agent itemising what parts will be replaced/used within the service process and what the cost of each of those parts will be. You should also confirm what the scope of the service is. For example, a brake-fluid change should be carried out, but the FP agent that services my Ducato includes this within the service and does not charge for the fluid. (The Fiat warranty does not INSIST that the servicing be carried out by a Fiat Professional agent, but if any Fiat software revisions should be applied to your Ducato, an independent garage won’t do this. And, if something seriously amiss were discovered during the service, an independent garage woould not be able to address this under warranty.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 The following is a breakdown of my recent service at Fiat: Oil filter. £14.78 Sealing gasket. £3.10 Oil. £58.12 Environmental charge. £5.00 Labour. £81.50 Total £195 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneb Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Was that at S.G. Petch in Darlington? Very reasonable main dealer prices if so. I've bought service items from them in the past and found them cheaper than my local dealers even with the postage on top! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamRienza Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Chris d, you don’t specify wether the cost is purely a base vehicle service or if habitation or damp checks are included. It is quite easy to google Fiat Ducato service costs and come up with various companies from independents, to kwikfit who seem to offer a Ducato specific service, all of these offer comparative prices to talk to your own dealer about. Obviously as others have said labour may be a substantially different cost depending on location. Do Fiat not show in their dealerships menu pricing? My own Hymer is serviced by Donaghey’s of Letterkenny. They are both Hymer dealers and Fiat professional dealers and service agents. The figure they charge me is an all inclusive of service, hab check, damp check and whatever other items I request. I can if I wish strip out the invoice into its component prices but rarely do this as I work on the principle that the cost of the van warrants the cost of the maintainence. There again I am fortunate in that Donaghey’s is renowned for its high levels of customer service and satisfaction, so in my eyes it is all in the mix as often they have reduced or waived the cost on bits needing done outside of the warranty as my vehicle now is at 3 years and 25,000 miles. Davy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Yes, my services are carried out by SG Petch in Darlington. I use them for my Mazda MX5 as well and again the service charges are reasonable - service and brake fluid change has been quoted as £159 this year. Not had the work done yet so not sure if there is VAT on top of this but I would think so, making it £190. I note that Dereck lists an air filter, fuel filter and a pollen filter in his service schedule and I have not had any of these replaced in 5 years. The Fiat service schedule lists these items as requiring replacement at 30,000 miles but also shows 24 months. My van has only done 18,000 miles so do you think I should be getting these filters replaced soon? The garage are pretty good about listing work that they think needs doing but they have made no mention of these items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deffheads Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Hi, Whilst I don't have a newish moho, I do sympathise with those who have to go to Fiat Pro for continuation of warranty, they charge at least £85 an\hour labour. As a comparison,I had my 2.8 jtd serviced and cambelt change in Spain last year for less than 400 euros. Also had 4 tyres fitted by Tyre King much cheaper than UK prices. Guess where I will go for future work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artheytrate Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I’ve had my April 2017 Fiat based van serviced today by an independent garage as we have no Fiat professional garage in our area. The Independant changed the oil, oil filter, pollen filter, topped up the windscreen wash and replaced the sump plug O ring. The total bill including vat was £169.62p John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 My 2015-built Fiat Ducato-based coachbuilt Rapido 640F came with a “Fiat Motorhome Warranty and Services” booklet that explains the scope of the Fiat 24-month vehicle-warranty, 36-month paintwork warranty and 8-years anti-perforation warranty - and it’s made clear what the potentialy negative effect on those warranties might be if faults/malfunctions arose as a result of repairs performed by a workshop that is not a Fiat Professional agent. It’s also made clear that the warranties may be negatively affected if the operations described in the “Scheduled Servicing” section of the Ducato Owner Handbook are not carried out. In my Ducato Owner Handbook the table relating to the Scheduled Servicing Plan for my 2015 Ducato shows the checks and changes/replacements that should be made (at least) every 30,000 miles or every 24 months (whichever limit comes first). Few new Ducato-based motorhomes will cover a 30,000 mileage within the first two years of their working life, so let’s concentrate on the 24-months limit. 24 months after a coachbuilt Ducato motohome has been sold to its first retail owner a scheduled service will be due and the Handbook’s table indicates that this initial service should include change/replacement of the - fuel filter cartridge - air-cleaner cartridge - pollen filter (passenger compartment cleaner) - oil-filter - oil - brake fluid (The Handbook advises that, in certain instances, changes/replacements should be made more frequently, but in ’normal’ vehicle use (rather than ‘demanding’ vehicle use) at the 24-months service the six items listed above should be replaced/changed.) As I mentioned in my posting of 29 March 2019 2:04 PM above, if Fiat-branded parts are used for the first four items on a 2015 Ducato, the total cost of those items will be around £109. And, if 6 litres of the SELENIA oil recommended by Fiat is used, that will cost another £80-£90. John’s £169.62 bill for the 24-months service apparently does not cover replacement of an air-filter cartridge nor of a fuel-filter cartridge, and the oil’s make/specification is not identified. Cheaper ‘pattern’ parts are readily available for all the filters scheduled for replacement during the first 24-months service of a 2015 Ducato (I don’t have any details of the cartridge used in a Euro 6 Ducato’s fuel-filter) as is Fiat-specification oil that is far less expensive than SELENIA oil. If a non-Fiat Professional garage uses parts and/or lubricants that are much cheaper than those used by a Fiat Professional agent, and/or omits to carry out the full range of tasks advised in Fiat’s scheduled servicing plan’s table (Was John’s Ducato’s brake fluid replaced? Were the Ducato’s service and oil-change ‘counters’ reset?) it’s hardly surprising that servicing bills can be radically different. Obviously one wants too avoid paying over the odds, but if what should essentially be the same task (ie. a 24-months Ducato service) costs £170 at one garage, but tends to be about twice that at a Fiat Professional agency, it would be wise to ask why the former bill is so much cheaper than the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I was a bit concerned with the comment that the air filter (amongst other items) should be replaced at 30,000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first. My van is 5 years old at 18,000 miles and is still on the original air filter. I decided this morning to take it out and have a look. I noted the comments elsewhere about the screws getting rusty and being difficult to get out and one of my screws shows surface rust. They were quite tricky to get out due to restricted access and the fact that the screws have quite a grip on the plastic air box but I managed it fairly easily without burring the stew heads. The inside of the box had one small leaf in it plus a tiny bit of debris which I hoovered out and wiped round. The air filter itself is almost like new with hardly any blackening of the paper layers, in fact most of it is pristine looking with some mild blackening at a specific location. Looks like it would do another 5 years or to the 30,000 miles mark so I see no reason to change it just now. I did wonder why an air filter would need changing at 24 months as I would have thought it was affected by mileage, not time. I am now wondering if the same applies to the fuel filter and the pollen filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Parts are easily available on e bay, including the oil Total quartz Inios as recommended by Peugeot/Citroen at £24 for 5 litres. My Fiat dealer wanted £450, I changed ALL filters incl. cabin filter for £150 . Just took me a leisurely afternoon. My Van is out of warranty. At least I KNOW that all the parts are changed as I changed them. Only things I will pay them to do is CamBelt/ water pump and brake fluid change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I now know it is easy to change the air filter but how easy are the pollen filter and fuel filter to change? I have read about problems with fuel filters and people saying it is easier and less risky to change the whole filter and housing rather than just the filter - thoughts anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Fuel Filter (if it is the metal cartridge type post 2011) is easy peasy, connections are 'fail safe' snap on and different sizes. Price about £30 on e bay. I have done 23,000 miles in my van. Oil, van is euro 5 so get Total Quartz Inios 5w-30 C1 as recommended by Peugeot/Citroen. £24 for 5 litres. Mann oil filter £10.99. Cheaper to DIY. Provided out of warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Don636 - 2019-03-30 11:15 AM I now know it is easy to change the air filter but how easy are the pollen filter and fuel filter to change? I have read about problems with fuel filters and people saying it is easier and less risky to change the whole filter and housing rather than just the filter - thoughts anyone? The Owner Handbook for your Ducato provides a table showing the tasks to be carried out within Fiat’s SCHEDULED Servicing Plan. A “schedule” is a plan for carrying out a procedure based on specified criteria - in this instance at a particular time-interval or when a certain mileage has been covered. What you are doing is ignoring the word “Scheduled”. Although the air-filter cartridge of your 5-years-old Ducato proved to be clean, you needed to remove the top section of the air-filter ‘box' to inspect the cartridge and you had some difficulty doing this. Just because the original air-filter cartridge of your 2014 18K-mileage Ducato was in good condition doesn’t mean that the cartridge of all Ducatos with a similar age/mileage will be equally clean. In this 2017 forum discussion https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/2015-130MJ-Euro-V-Ducato-Oil-Usage/46995/ when the air-filter cartridge of a significantly younger Ducato was inspected, the following observation was made: Just changed the air filter after 16K miles/ about 23 months - utterly filthy. Hate to think what state it would be in after the max 30K miles service interval. If an X250/X290 Ducato were to be serviced professionally according to Fiat’s Scheduled Servicing Plan, it would still be necessary to remove the top of the air-filter box and, when the top of the box is off, it makes sense to replace the old cartridge (whatever its condition) with a brand-new cartridge. If the task is to be DIYed, there is the opportunity to obtain a cheap ‘pattern’ cartridge and to replace the original rust-prone screws with stainless ones as mentioned on the above link. But - whether a DIYer or professional accesses the filter-cartridge - a similar amount of labour will be needed, except the DIYer’s labour will be ‘free’. It’s widely recommended that the plastic-bodied fuel-filter assembly fitted to 2006-2011 Ducatos is best replaced in its entirety (rather just replacing the filter’s cartridge), though this would be an expensive approach if the assembly were replaced every 2 years. But your Ducato is 2014-vintage and will have a disposable metal fuel-filter canister. Whatever the age of the motorhome it won’t be possible to establish visually whether that canister NEEDS changing, so Fiat recommends that it be replaced at 2-year intervals. The task should be straightforward (I’m sure there are instructions on-line) and ‘pattern’ fuel-filter canisters are obtainable at various prices. Similarly for the pollen filter - it must be removed to check its condition and, if it is to be checked, a new filter might as well be fitted rather than re-install the old filter. How easy the task is will, to some extent, depend on whether the motorhome has a large central hinge-down storage compartment or a 2-bottle ‘cup-holder’. There are on-line instructions on how to do it, but it’s a fiddly job and quite time-consuming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumblewagon Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I've always taken my vehicles to the same local independent garage. They are top class - expensive - but still quite a bit cheaper than the main dealers. Quite simply, they carry out the manufacturer's recommended schedule using approved parts. If a "wear" part that is not covered by warranty needs replaced, they will generally use higher quality parts. If a fault occurs that is covered by warranty, I have to go to the main agent, but as long as the correct maintenance has been carried out on time, there has been no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Derek, many thanks for the comprehensive note. I accept that I am able to visually inspect the air filter and decide if it needs replacing or not but I doubt I’d be able to tell if a fuel filter needs replacing so I think I will have a look at changing that myself sometime soon just to be on the safe side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec176 Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Took my 3 year van for MOT, service and hab check, £762, ??????ouch!!!! Holidaying in the drive this this year ?????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicksob Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Chris, our quote for the 2 year service at our Fiat Pro dealer is almost identical to yours at £470. Checked with another who wanted over £500. Personally I’ll just smile and hand over the plastic! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Don636 - 2019-03-30 5:21 PM ...I doubt I’d be able to tell if a fuel filter needs replacing.... Even if you had X-ray eyesight you could not tell if your Ducato’s fuel-filter (photo attached) was still performing its design function 100% satisfactorily. If your motorhome’s fuel-filter is the 2014 original, it ought to be replaced without delay as ‘clean’ fuel is essential for a modern diesel engine to operate efficiently. As you’ve been having your Ducato serviced by a Fiat Professional agent, it must be asked why no fuel-filter replacement has (apparently) never been carried out. At an NEC shows where Fiat was exhibiting I asked what their official attitude was to Fiat Professional agents not strictly adhering to the Scheduled Servicing Plan (eg. carrying out a ‘low mileage’ service that omitted replacing, say, an air, fuel or pollen filter) and the Fiat represenative told me that Fiat would not be happy if that were done. If you want to change the fuel-filter yourself, guidance can be found here https://tinyurl.com/y3ftx2s4 The pollen-filter needs to be clean for the Ducato’s ventilation/air-con system to function efficiently. Instructions for replacing the filter are here https://tinyurl.com/y4s5cru7 The German website that provided the two links above is a handy source of Ducato-related information. https://tinyurl.com/y3a2qa3r GOOGLE-translation does not always do a good job, but the pictures should still be helpful. It needs to be highlighted that best practice is not always followed and that the advice should be considered as ‘best intentioned’ rather than accurate. (I remember George Collings commenting once in his MMM Magazine “Interchange” columns that, if anyone felt it necessary to ask how easy it would be to carry out a mechanical task and whether they should attempt this, the safest answer was “Don’t”.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawki Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Can anyone tell me why Fiat service seems expensive I take my Merc to main dealer and I believe the Merc has a higher oil capacity Full service £340 + vat Interim service £200 +vat Or you can do what I did last year get a full service and a interim service for £450.00 +vat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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