JonMac46 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Back in November 2011 several people helped to identify the correct rear shock absorbers for a Ducato X230 "Shocking Ride! (Ducato X230)." Brambles posted: "Anyway, whatever, these are the right shocks.... MONROE V2507 SACHS 280989 BOGE 32-H13-0" My 1999 Dethleffs is lighter, it is plated 3200kg/front axle 1690kg/rear axle 1750kg. It is a Ducato X230 and I guess a type 10/11. The Fiat ePER isn't available. Can anyone tell me if these are the right ones for my vehicle? My manual doesn't say if it is a camping car suspension. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Having looked at the 2011 "Shocking Ride (Ducato 230)" thread you mention, I'm pessimistic that you'll obtain a simple this-is-the-correct-part answer from a forum member. Monroe's website suggests that the V2507 damper would be suitable for a Fiat Ducato 2.8 TDi 230 (1994-2002), which equates to your Dethleffs motorhome's specification, so I assume the SACHS/BOSE parts should be equally suitable. As I emphasised in the 2011 thread "...It might be wise to remove one of the existing dampers to confirm its dimensions contracted and extended as, if you get those figuress wrong when sourcing replacements, the units' design load-carrying capability will be largely academic." I'd ignore the weight differences between your Dethleffs and those of the Hymer motorhome that was involved in the 2011 discussion. Provided that the replacement dampers are dimensionally similar in contraction/extension length to your present ones, if the replacements turn out to be a bit 'stiffer' than the originals I don't believe that would be a negative factor. If they were a lot 'softer' than the originals, that's another matter, but I doubt that would be the case. A Fiat dealership MIGHT be able to steer you in the right direction if you provide your motorhome's VIN-number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 A helpful person on the Fiat Ducato forum looked up the VIN for me. My shocks are the same as the older posting. I have also found the Bilstein ones 24-168748 and they say for Fiat Camping suspension. One odd thing - ePER said I didn't have 2 leaf springs, but I do have them. Would Dethleffs have made that modification themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 It's easy enough to identify whether or not a 2006-onwards (X250) Citroen/Fiat/Peugeot-based motorhome has a 'camping-car' chassis, as that chassis differs technically and visibly from the 'standard' chassis. Prior to the mid-2006 model-change Citroen/Fiat/Peugeot-based coachbuilt motorhomes were often built with what was termed the "Fiat Camping-Car Package". In this 2005 forum-thread you'll see that I refer to this as (then) comprising "Michelin XC Camping tyres + a mild suspension uprating". http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Ducato-Gross-Vehicle-Weight/2164/ It's likely that Dethleffs would have built your 1999 A5820 on a chassis having the Fiat Camping-Car Package and this would explain the twin-leaf rear springs. I'm guessing that the specialised tyres and any revised suspension components making up a Camping-Car Package would be fitted in the Fiat factory rather than at the later motorhome-conversion stage. Dethleffs would have agreed with Fiat what revisions were wanted and Fiat would have incorporated them. Having never bothered to research exactly what a Camping-Car Package comprised, I don't know whether it was just different tyres and a rear-spring upgrade, or whether other modifications could have been involved (eg. heavier-duty shock absorbers). I've no idea how the fitting of a Camping-Car Package might be recorded (if it's recorded at all) on ePER, but I'd certainly be wary of the accuracy of electronically-held data relating to a 15-years-old motorhome's chassis. My 2005 coachbuilt Hobby motorhome is recorded on Ford's database as a modified Transit panel-van, presumably because that's how Ford chooses to refer to the special-purpose Transit platform-cab chassis on which the Hobby is built. My Hobby also has twin-leaf rear springs (complicating rear-wheel removal considerably) and there's little doubt these would have been fitted in Ford's factory in Turkey, not in Hobby's German factory. I'm not aware if the Hobby's rear dampers are standard or revisions, though I vaguely recall reading that some motorhomes built in 2004 (when the Transit platform-cab chassis was introduced) had 'wrong' rear dampers factory-fitted by Ford. If I needed to obtain rear shock absorbers for my motorhome, care would clearly need to be taken regarding suitability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-01-10 9:04 AM I've no idea how the fitting of a Camping-Car Package might be recorded (if it's recorded at all) on ePER, but I'd certainly be wary of the accuracy of electronically-held data relating to a 15-years-old motorhome's chassis. ....for the X240 versions at least, factory build with "Camping Car" options is recorded on ePer, with different diagrams and details available of the various components (and searching by VIN number reveals these different details). Derek Uzzell - 2014-01-10 9:04 AM My 2005 coachbuilt Hobby motorhome is recorded on Ford's database as a modified Transit panel-van, presumably because that's how Ford chooses to refer to the special-purpose Transit platform-cab chassis on which the Hobby is built. My Hobby built on a platform cab is recorded as "Cab Van Floor LCF". Maybe yours IS a van with major surgery (;-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Certainly it was originally fitted with Michelin "camping" tyres. When I had the Hankooks fitted the clearly unused Michelin spare tyre had been made in October 1998! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-01-10 9:56 AM Derek Uzzell - 2014-01-10 9:04 AM I've no idea how the fitting of a Camping-Car Package might be recorded (if it's recorded at all) on ePER, but I'd certainly be wary of the accuracy of electronically-held data relating to a 15-years-old motorhome's chassis. ....for the X240 versions at least, factory build with "Camping Car" options is recorded on ePer, with different diagrams and details available of the various components (and searching by VIN number reveals these different details). Derek Uzzell - 2014-01-10 9:04 AM My 2005 coachbuilt Hobby motorhome is recorded on Ford's database as a modified Transit panel-van, presumably because that's how Ford chooses to refer to the special-purpose Transit platform-cab chassis on which the Hobby is built. My Hobby built on a platform cab is recorded as "Cab Van Floor LCF". Maybe yours IS a van with major surgery (;-)) "Cab Van Floor LCF" may well be how my Hobby is described on Ford's ETIS database. I just remember that the Ford agent who looked it up for me in 2005 had not come across the terminology before. The following link has an ETIS listing for a 2008 UK-registered Transit-based Hymer motorhome with the same "Cab Style" description. http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=37058&hilit=x715+bcu&start=3555 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 JonMac46 - 2014-01-10 11:02 AM Certainly it was originally fitted with Michelin "camping" tyres. When I had the Hankooks fitted the clearly unused Michelin spare tyre had been made in October 1998! As the original tyres were Michelin camping-car tyres (Michelin "XC" pattern in 1999), you can safely assume your motorhome was fitted with Fiat's Camping-Car Package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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