Mike88 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I bought a Swift Mondial panel van conversion from new in April 2010. In March 2012 I received a letter from Fiat about the safety recall in relation to the spare wheel carrier. I took the vehicle to the main Fiat dealer, signed for the work and when I got home a cursory inspection revealed nothing had been done. I telephoned the dealer who advised me the work didn't need doing as the new spare wheel carrier had already been fitted presumably in the Fiat factory. I asked why I was asked to sign for work that had not been carried out but failed to receive a satisfactory response. Far from me to be suspicious but I can't help feeling that I have the outdated spare wheel carrier on my vehicle and the dealership who were rushed that day simply haven't bothered to do the work. If this is relevant the original toolkit fits the spare wheel carrier on my vehicle. My vehicle chassis number starts with 172 and the recall goes up to chassis number starting 180 so mine is well within the range so it is unlikely the spare wheel carrier on my vehicle is the modified one. Is there any way of telling whether I have the new carrier? I have looked at 2012 models and their carriers look the same as mine but why would Fiat be saying a new carrier was required when they had already fitted the new version in the factory? I can't post a photo as my son has my camera but is there a simple way of telling whether I have the correct kit just by looking underneath. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Mike. I think, that, if the winding mechanism is accessed through the o/s/r door,then it needs changing. The new ones fitted are accessed from behind the o/s/r wheel. There was a previous post which had photos of the new mechanism. Hope this helps. MikeH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Thanks. I have seen some photos on here but the text seems to suggest that they relate to an incorrect type. On mine the spare wheel is accessed through the offside rear wheel arch. There is a bar in the toolkit that fits into a tube encased inset nut for accessing the winding mechanism. The spare wheel is held by a metal lug through the centre and one of the bolt holes. As the spare wheel winding mechanism is accessed through the rear wheel arch then it would seem I have the correct version even though Fiat have issued me with a recall notice. Is that correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowie Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hi Mike88; I'm waiting for notification from Fiat, having sent them details of my spare wheel carrier. Mine is accessed from the rear; o/s rear door, FIAT part no: 1361584080. I'll post as soon as I have their decision, regards alan b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshague Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 you could take your van to your fiat dealer , will sort it for you a lot quicker .i did at same time as van service . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 dshague - 2012-04-04 8:32 PMyou could take your van to your fiat dealer , will sort it for you a lot quicker .i did at same time as van service .I did as pointed out in my original question. My initial post above explains all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirage Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I had mine changed about a month ago on a Peugeot Boxer, original was accessed via off-side rear now accessed behind offside rear wheel. Incidentally new carrier could not be fitted without either moving rear step to a new position or removing altogether as new carrier different to original, opted for removal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 The plot thickens. I have the spare wheel carrier that is accessed through the offside rear wheel arch which on cursory inspection looks like the new version. The dealer indicated the latest version was on my vehicle and told me the modification was unnecessary. Today I e mailed the dealership indicating that if they felt I had the modified spare wheel carrier on my vehicle the Fiat recall letter I had received must be incorrect. However, I stated that if any difficulties arose in relation to the spare wheel carrier then I would be holding them responsible. An hour or so later the dealership telephoned me to say that, after consultation with Fiat, it turns out that the modification must be done. Although on the face of it my vehicle has the latest version there are hidden parts that require replacement. My vehicle was registered in April 2010 and I have read on here that the latest version (version 4) was not factory fitted until around September 2010 after VIN Number ZFA25000001789440. Thus if anybody has a Fiat recall letter then the work must be done. Do not be fobbed off by a dealer because, even if the spare wheel carrier looks like the latest version, it will still require replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 My Peugeot went in for service & there was a recall waiting at the Dealership. But our Coachbuilt had the Converters Spare Wheel Holder fitted - not the Peugeot original. Had to show them WHY I didn't want the Peugeot replacement. >:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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