skiracer Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hi, i am new to the forum, although an avid reader of MMM for many years and have owned many American Motorhomes, now decided to downsize a bit with a recently purchased 2008 Lunar Roadstar 800 with the Fiat Ducato 3 litre engine, really pleased with the all round package. Except that i now notice the dreaded water on the engine around the injectors, with the rust etc, i have read old forums where this has been discussed at length, but having spoken to Fiat today they want £654 to supply and fit the remedy !!! Has anyone dealt with this as a cheaper solution, i believe it was a recall back in the day but obviously my vehicle is now 7 years old and Fiat have no appetite to fix under warranty. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hello, There was no recall for any Fiat Ducato for remedial work to prevent water ingress. There was an 'in service fix' that would have been applied to the vehicle if it was serviced by a franchised dealer which was merely the application of some waterproofing gunge around the injectors but if an owner had complained, any vehicle that had been originally supplied without the plastic engine cover would have had this retro fitted. Since this vehicle does not have a cover, I would advise contacting Fiat customer relations and asking them to ascertain whether it has ever been fitted with one and if not; and with them clearly deciding that they should be fitted on all later vehicles (all of ours since 2008 had them from new), would they consider either getting it done or contributing to the cost? It may well be that the vehicle (which was probably made in 2007) is several years out of warranty but Fiat did identify a flaw in the design and they did remedy any vehicle that was complained about up to about 5 years ago so I think it's worth a try. Fiat Customer Relations are pretty helpful and have surprised more than a few people on this site over the last couple of years. The number is 00 800 342 800 00 Good luck. Nick PS I doubt very much if Fiat will offer to do anything about the actual water ingress behind the windscreen scuttle. There has been much advice about sealants and the like which you should consider, but the actual harm that comes from standing water on top of the engine needs to be addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiracer Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thanks for that help I will try that approach with Fiat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAZID1 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I have just this minute got back from a 200 mile round trip to look at A Lunar Moonstar circa 2007. I noticed rust on top of the engine and mentioned the water ingress, the vendor did not even know about it. I was going to buy it but am now having second thoughts. Daz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiracer Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 DAZID1 - 2015-06-03 7:12 PM I have just this minute got back from a 200 mile round trip to look at A Lunar Moonstar circa 2007. I noticed rust on top of the engine and mentioned the water ingress, the vendor did not even know about it. I was going to buy it but am now having second thoughts. Daz Gives room for serious negotiation on price, as once resolved as I understand all is well with the motor. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 In all honesty, the issue of water dropping onto the engine does not actually cause any serious problems. If, in the unlikely event that you ever have to remove an injector they will be incredibly difficult to extract anyway. The interaction between steel screws and injectors in aluminium head and cam carrier is a recipe for disaster which water cannot compete with! The ECU has a cover over the top of it and even the notoriously bad fuse box does not get attacked from above. What is more likely if a vehicle is left un-used and in the elements for a prolonged period is that the water will be dripping on the alternator and this will corrode. Then it will seize and the first you will know is that your alternator belt will go up in smoke! Use the water thing to lower the price by all means; particularly at a dealer (!) but really; it just is not that big a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 euroserv - 2015-06-04 11:28 AM In all honesty, the issue of water dropping onto the engine does not actually cause any serious problems. If, in the unlikely event that you ever have to remove an injector they will be incredibly difficult to extract anyway. The interaction between steel screws and injectors in aluminium head and cam carrier is a recipe for disaster which water cannot compete with! The ECU has a cover over the top of it and even the notoriously bad fuse box does not get attacked from above. What is more likely if a vehicle is left un-used and in the elements for a prolonged period is that the water will be dripping on the alternator and this will corrode. Then it will seize and the first you will know is that your alternator belt will go up in smoke! Use the water thing to lower the price by all means; particularly at a dealer (!) but really; it just is not that big a deal. Or get dealer to fit the Fiat cover as part of the deal without charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cervantes Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 skiracer - 2015-06-03 3:33 PM Has anyone dealt with this as a cheaper solution, i believe it was a recall back in the day but obviously my vehicle is now 7 years old and Fiat have no appetite to fix under warranty. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Hi and welcome to the forum. We bought a 2013 Ducato X250 and the problem is still there! - not sure if they've fixed it on the X290. Our cheap and effective fix involves clear sealant and lengths of pipe. If you want an idea of how we did it take a look at this old post. http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/water-leaks-into-Engine-ECU/33593/ The fix is still working 35,000 km and 2 years on. Hope this is of some help to you, and good luck with your motorhome hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Cervantes - 2015-06-05 5:53 AM ...We bought a 2013 Ducato X250 and the problem is still there! - not sure if they've fixed it on the X290.. Discussed in my posting of 1 June 2015 8:00 AM here https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Fiat-Ducato-scuttle-issue/38410/#M464050 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorhomefromhell Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 In October 2013 we ordered a Burstner Brevio 645 from Camper UK at the N.I.C. caravan and motorhome show in Birmingham. It was delivered in April 2014. There were numerous snagging issues, the main one being a leaking back window. In August, after four months of waiting for the repairs to be carried out, we decided to reject the motorhome. However, following negotiations with Camper UK, we accepted £5,000 in compensation on the understanding that all the snagging issues would be addressed. Unfortunately, the snagging issues were not all addressed. The back window leaked again and further snagging issues became apparent. In November 2014, we discovered water pouring all over the engine and electrical components causing substantial damage. We found, via the internet, that this was a major design fault on motorhomes built on a Fiat Ducati chassis and has been for over several years. John Dabek, a Forensic Engineer who has carried out work for Watchdog in the past, examined the vehicle as Camper UK would not accept the damage this had caused. They only offered a modification to the bonnet seal. The report was very damning but we cannot show it as the matter is now in litigation. We would not wish this nightmare on anyone. 80% of all motorhomes are built on a Fiat Ducati chassis. Water ingress is a major design fault and is causing thousands of pounds of damage e.g. ECU units, throttle control valves, turbos, various other electrical problems and blown engines. They should be made to reimburse all the unsuspecting customers the thousands of pounds they have cost them after the warranty has run out. We want to warn others that are interested in buying one of these motorhomes on a Fiat Ducato chassis. Take a look through the pictures, videos and forensic engineers report. Bursnter, Fiat and Camper UK are too big to care that they are selling faulty goods. Offering people further poor repairs is just not good enough. We feel the pictures and videos speak volumes. Please visit our website motorhomefromhell.com and leave a comment in our Forum to help stop the dealers and suppliers selling such misery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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