Ninian Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Hi, I've contacted Fiat Custumercare regarding the above to find out if it was ever the subject of a RECALL before I start to dismantle and carry out a permanent repair. I will keep you updated if I get a reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Your motorhome is a 2014 model based on a Fiat X250 Ducato. Not too long after the introduction in mid-2006 of X250 Ducatos/Boxers/Relays there began to be complaints of rainwater that ran down the windscreen entering the engine compartment and causing damage. There was a early ‘fix’ for this (mentioned here) https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/X250-water-leaks-2-years-on-/17530/ and modifications were subsequently made to rainwater drainage within the engine compartment. This was mentioned in 2014 here https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Ducato-windscreen-drainage/36572/ and these other forum discussions may be of interest https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/New-Ducato-missing-water-engine-compartment-drain-pipe-/25902/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Fiat-Ducato-scuttle-issue/38410/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/fiat-ducato-motorhome-water-in-engine/32197/ In this 2015 forum thread https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/WATER-INGRESS-ON-FIAT-DUCATO-ENGINE-BAY/38456/ Nick Fisher (euroserv) advised 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. The X250 Ducato range was superseded in mid-2014 by the X290 range (that does have significantly different means of dealing with rainwater running off the winfdscreen) so your Dakota should be fitted with the most up-to-date (in 2014) X250 Ducato rainwater drainage arrangement that Fiat ever used. There’s a lot of on-line stuff about this issue https://tinyurl.com/ybnu4lng and this MHFun thtread https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/fiat-ducato-x250-windscreen-scuttle-leak-to-engine-problem-resolved.101807/ mentions a ‘catcher’ (photo attached below) designed to better divert rainwater away. (I don’t know if late-model X250s had this part as standard, but it clearly exists.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Ninian - 2020-06-15 5:33 PM Hi, I've contacted Fiat Custumercare regarding the above to find out if it was ever the subject of a RECALL before I start to dismantle and carry out a permanent repair. I will keep you updated if I get a reply. I stopped my leak with a strip of 25 mm Vinyl tape like they use for vinyl wrapping and been fine for several years now and hardly noticeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninian Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 Update. Well firstly I received an e-mail from Fiat asking for my Van details which I sent off. I had a phone call from Fiat this morning saying I could take the van to a Fiat dealer where they would charge me for the privilege of fixing it. I said why should I pay for a problem that is a design fault. They argued that it's not a design fault and basically if you want the leak stopped FIX IT yourself. So if your thinking of buying a new van on a Fiat chassis make sure you have the dealer to pour water over the windscreen to check the van for water ingress into the engine bay before buying. So I think I'll just get a non-setting mastic and carry out repair myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Ninian - 2020-06-17 12:03 PM ...So if your thinking of buying a new van on a Fiat chassis make sure you have the dealer to pour water over the windscreen to check the van for water ingress into the engine bay before buying... As I said above, any Fiat Ducato ‘X290’ model (built from mid-1014 onwards) SHOULD not suffer the scuttle rainwater problems that beset earlier ‘X250’ vehicles as the scuttle design and water drainage system of the X290 range have been radically altered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninian Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 Hi, That catcher arrangement wouldn't fit my van as I have a component there with tubes coming out of it. I think its some sort of booster but regardless the water runs in the length of the scuttle not only in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 The 'catcher' evidently is only suitable for a Ducato X250 with 2.2 litre motor (and presumably for X250 Boxers/Relays that also have that powerplant. https://coastalmotorhomes.co.uk/fiat-ducato-peugeot-boxer-citroen-relay-2-2-scuttle-drain-pipe-2006-2014-oe.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 When our 2014 van was about two years old the plastic scuttle moulding warped and leaked water into the engine compartment. It was replaced under warranty and has been fine since. The scuttle moulding is stuck to the windscreen with double sided tape and it has come adrift in places but it seems to work OK. There is a little water drops on to the plastic cover over the engine but not a problem. Before it was replaced I ran a length of narrow black duct tape over the join to the windscreen and that looked neat and seemed to work fine but I was happy to get it replaced due to the warping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Don636 - 2020-06-17 4:38 PM Before it was replaced I ran a length of narrow black duct tape over the join to the windscreen and that looked neat and seemed to work fine but I was happy to get it replaced due to the warping. ...black electricians tape makes a good job of it. Being smooth it blends in nicely and unobtrusively, and it will follow the curvature reasonably well, except on the most severe of curves.. Seemed to last well on mine as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I tried electricians tape first but it didn’t seem to work for me for some reason which is why I moved onto duct tape which seemed to stick better for me. Maybe I was doing something wrong - perhaps stretching it too far causing it to spring back and wrinkle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Don636 - 2020-06-17 5:23 PM I tried electricians tape first but it didn’t seem to work for me for some reason . nor for me which was why I used the vinyl tape warmed with a hair dryer it stretches to fit to any curve looks like it was moulded there https://tinyurl.com/yck337sn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 I solved the problem of a leaking sunroof on my daughters VW Polo with sticky back plastic vinyl sheet. Same as is used for vehicle graphics. Same colour as the car. Careful cleaning of the surfaces with meths then carefully cutting out a profile of the sunroof surrounds solved the problem and it is invisible - still sound now after 3 years. We removed the sunroof fuse to prevent accidental use. The advantage over the tapes is that it does not go "sticky" and can easily be cut to any shape. Also cheap. Should work really well on this scuttle problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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