derek pringle Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Hi, I wonder if anybody can help. My wife and I have the above motorhome on order to be su[[lied as 3 litre auto. but I am concerned reading Fiats gearbox problems which were unknown to us at time of order. Are there any owners of the same set up out thjere or anybody who could give us advice please. (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Derek Welcome to the forum. My understanding is that the automatic gearbox fitted to current Fiat 3.0litre motors is essentially identical to the manual gearbox, but with sophisticated electro-hydraulic 'gubbins' looking after clutch operation and gear-changing rather than relying on a driver's hands and feet. In principle this does suggest there may be the potential for the automatic transmission to share the same problems as those reported for the 3.0litre motor's manual transmission. These (to the best of my knowledge) translate to a tendency to damage the clutch assembly when the vehicle is being reversed slowly under load (eg. up a slope or on a grassed campsite). However (again "As far as I'm aware"), there have so far been no reports of clutch damage (or any other transmission faults) relating to Fiat Ducato vehicles (motorhomes or commercial 'white vans') fitted with the 3.0litre motor and automatic gearbox. Whether auto-gearbox 3.0litre Ducatos are genuinely 'bomb proof' and immune long-term to the defects that can afflict 3.0litre manual-transmission variants remains to be seen, but, currently, received wisdom seems to be that, if you are going to buy a new Fiat Ducato-based motorhome, specifying the automatic gearbox is the wisest move and the risk of getting a 'duffer' (at least as far as the transmission is concerned) is unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyStothert Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'll second everything Derek has written, but I wouldn't buy one just yet as there are strong rumours that changes are to be made to the 3 litre range in October/November - with a new gearbox and two slightly modified engines of 140 PS and 180PS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 thanks lads, but how do i find out if changes are imminent and what can i do about this.As you probably guess we are new to motorhomes and this will be our first.Can we possibly postpone order?maybe we have to talk to fiat/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Derek It's hard enough to obtain reliable information from Fiat about the present transmission problems, let alone what the company's future plans may be, so I wish you luck discussing such things with Fiat. (Well worth a try though.) Although rumours of late-2009 3.0litre engine/transmission modifications may (as Andy says) be "strong", they are still rumours. There is also no guarantee that, even if the rumoured changes do take place in October/November, that they will find their way into UK-built motorhomes at that time or shortly afterwards, nor (dare I say it) that the modifications won't introduce further unwelcome quirks. You'd need to talk to the motorhome dealer with whom you've placed your order about cancelling or postponing it. I'm not sure what your legal position is in either case, as I don't think 'being apprehensive' would be considered a valid argument for breaking your contract. I believe, if you read your purchase-contract's terms and conditions, you'll find that you are pretty tightly locked in unless you could prove that the vendor is definitely at fault in some way. As you've now become aware that lots of owners of manual-gearbox Ducatos have reported transmission problems, you could emphasise your concern over this to your dealer and, should you decide to go ahead with the order, demand that a clause be added to the contract (or that the dealer confirms to you separately in writing) to allow you to reject the Bessacarr if it shows any evidence whatsoever of 'juddering' on delivery. (You haven't said whether you've actually test-driven an auto-box Ducato motorhome: if not, it would be worth doing so just so you know how one performs before you got yours.) I've said several times on this forum that I would never consider buying a new Fiat-based motorhome as I've always felt (ever since I began driving in the 1960s) that Fiat's attitude was atrocious towards buyers whose vehicles had developed mechanical maladies. I fully accept that this may be paranoia, but I've yet to be persuaded to change my opinion. Nevertheless, if somebody gave me a new current-model Ducato-based motorhome with automatic gearbox, I'd be reasonably confident that it would, during normal use, show no signs of the juddering in reverse, or clutch-damaging, symptoms that are plaguing manual-gearbox vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted May 26, 2009 Author Share Posted May 26, 2009 thanks very much for your help.it is greatly appreciated and maybe we continue to canvass for reports on this mpdel. Meantime I will find out anything I can from local Fiat service guys. cheers derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 hi, as the motorhome my wife and I have ordered is new and will not be delivered until Sept. has anybody any idea as to what assembly it will contain. The order is for E630 Bessie 3ltr auto with cruise control. I seem to be picking up that there may be different configurations, eg, will the reverse gear fix be done at point of manufacture? derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Probably the manufacturer has already got your chassis, try to find out if they have it and when your motorhome will be built. If they do not have it and/or it is not yet built yet it will be easier to postpone your order or tell your dealer that you do not want a Fiat based motorhome and choose an alternative based on Ford Merc etc. The dealer will still get his sale and good relationships will be maintained. Be very carefull about a Fiat based motorhome, DO NOT become another statistic on this forum. The problem has been well documented on several threads, so please read them all. I believe that even Andy has been told that there will not be any more done to his van although he I understand is not fully satisfied with the transmission. Your final decision will then be well informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 thanks, popping along to see dealer this week, hoping chat is informatve and advances us in our decision. Problem seems to be that wechose this mh for its interior and layout and have not seen one we like anywhere as much--hence dilemna cheers derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.