armstrongpiper Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Headlight protector and beam deflectors for the new Fiat Ducato will be available from Vancomfort early next year. Vancomfort replied to my email asking if they had these items yet, and they said they would email me when they are available. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Very interesting, thanks. As a further headlight related point i would like to warn anyone tempted by the Fiat LED daytime running light option to be careful. The option is 'just' £250 at the factory and is discounted in line with the base vehicle so you should not be paying more than £150. However..... If you ever need replacements they are £401 each plus VAT as opposed to the standard (non LED DRL) version which is £166 plus VAT. In time, the regular ones will be available as aftermarket items for less but I doubt the LED ones will. They may look pretty but I think they are pushing their luck a bit. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I met up with a late model Hymer in France which had suffered a cracked headlight unit (from a road gravel strike) and he had been quoted 900€ plus VAT for a replacement unit from Hymer. This was for one headlamp unit - I think it was an S Class, which have their own Hella-made lamps. Hopefully Fiat headlampunits are considerably cheaper. He could i suppose make an insurance claim and hopefully damage of this sort is rare, but having perspex headlight protectors which fit over the vehicle's unit (and can carry beam deflectors) are an attractive idea. I had them on my Honda GoldWing motorcycle and they worked well. Very little noticable reduction in headlamp performance and they would certainly provide relable protection against road chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 StuartO - 2014-11-12 5:02 PM I met up with a late model Hymer in France which had suffered a cracked headlight unit (from a road gravel strike) and he had been quoted 900€ plus VAT for a replacement unit from Hymer. This was for one headlamp unit - I think it was an S Class, which have their own Hella-made lamps. Hopefully Fiat headlampunits are considerably cheaper. All the A Class Hymers from around 2007 use the same unit that's about the right price unless you buy in the UK then they are considerably more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfletcher Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Tried them recently, would not fit correctly. It appears that the shape at the rear of the later ducato headlamp does not have the necessary rebate for the clips to fit flush, ended up abandoning the idea until more development has been done, with an alternative retention system for the later Ducatos mine is 2012 model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 tonyfletcher - 2014-11-12 5:57 PM Tried them recently, would not fit correctly. It appears that the shape at the rear of the later ducato headlamp does not have the necessary rebate for the clips to fit flush, ended up abandoning the idea until more development has been done, with an alternative retention system for the later Ducatos mine is 2012 model. I didn't know the later X250 headlights / surrounds had been re-designed / changed. Ours is a 2010 model and these pics from another van illustrate how the deflectors are fitted - don't know if it helps? http://deepredmotorhome.com/headlampdeflectors.php Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfletcher Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 There are 2 clips that locate the protectors in place . Both rely on a rebate in the black part of the headlamp assembly at the rear. My headlamps did not have the required rebate for one of the clips, which meant that the covers did not fit flush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 This thread is meant to refer to the NEW Ducato being introduced, ie X290. As far as I know, Headlight protector/beam deflectors are not yet available for these vehicles, hence my enquiries to Vancomfort, who advertise in MMM. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamw Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Also interested in the headlamp protectors for the X290 but in the meantime I have a set of protectors with all clips and fitted with beam deflector masks for the X250 if anyone is interested for £10. Lincoln area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocro Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 The nearside headlamp of my 2007 Boxer had no rebate to accept the clip , I drilled the clip and used a small stainless steel self tapper to hold in place, I thought this was common. After two years use I have noticed a large star crack on the off side protector, so it's done it's job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 euroserv - 2014-11-12 3:59 PM Very interesting, thanks. As a further headlight related point i would like to warn anyone tempted by the Fiat LED daytime running light option to be careful. The option is 'just' £250 at the factory and is discounted in line with the base vehicle so you should not be paying more than £150. However..... If you ever need replacements they are £401 each plus VAT as opposed to the standard (non LED DRL) version which is £166 plus VAT. In time, the regular ones will be available as aftermarket items for less but I doubt the LED ones will. They may look pretty but I think they are pushing their luck a bit. Nick Motorhome price discounting doesn’t work like that, Nick. A motorhome buyer will not know what sort of deal a motorcaravan converter will have been able to negotiate with the manufacturer of the base-vehicle that will be transformed into a motorhome. All the buyer will know is the quoted price of the basic motorhome post-conversion and the quoted price of any options offered. The price of a motorhome ‘chassis’ option may well be significantly higher than the price quoted in the base-vehicle manufacturer’s price-list for the same option on the equivalent commercial-vehicle but, even if motorhome buyers are aware of this, there’s little they can do about it. If the option to have LED DRLs on a Ducato X290-based motorhome were listed at, say, £300 (£250 + 20% VAT) a motorhome buyer won’t be in a position to say “I want that option for £180 because I’m sure the motorhome converter will have obtained a 40% discount on the Ducato chassis”. What a buyer will be presented with is a price that combines the price of the completed motorhome in its basic format, plus the prices of any ‘chassis’ and ‘habitation’ options the buyer will have selected. The buyer may be able to negotiate a good discount at this point, but the discount will be on the combined price not on the pricing of the motorhome’s individual elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-11-13 9:26 AM euroserv - 2014-11-12 3:59 PM Very interesting, thanks. As a further headlight related point i would like to warn anyone tempted by the Fiat LED daytime running light option to be careful. The option is 'just' £250 at the factory and is discounted in line with the base vehicle so you should not be paying more than £150. However..... If you ever need replacements they are £401 each plus VAT as opposed to the standard (non LED DRL) version which is £166 plus VAT. In time, the regular ones will be available as aftermarket items for less but I doubt the LED ones will. They may look pretty but I think they are pushing their luck a bit. Nick Motorhome price discounting doesn’t work like that, Nick. A motorhome buyer will not know what sort of deal a motorcaravan converter will have been able to negotiate with the manufacturer of the base-vehicle that will be transformed into a motorhome. All the buyer will know is the quoted price of the basic motorhome post-conversion and the quoted price of any options offered. The price of a motorhome ‘chassis’ option may well be significantly higher than the price quoted in the base-vehicle manufacturer’s price-list for the same option on the equivalent commercial-vehicle but, even if motorhome buyers are aware of this, there’s little they can do about it. If the option to have LED DRLs on a Ducato X290-based motorhome were listed at, say, £300 (£250 + 20% VAT) a motorhome buyer won’t be in a position to say “I want that option for £180 because I’m sure the motorhome converter will have obtained a 40% discount on the Ducato chassis”. What a buyer will be presented with is a price that combines the price of the completed motorhome in its basic format, plus the prices of any ‘chassis’ and ‘habitation’ options the buyer will have selected. The buyer may be able to negotiate a good discount at this point, but the discount will be on the combined price not on the pricing of the motorhome’s individual elements. While I don't doubt the mechanics of what you are saying, Derek, I would still be certain that the price for the 'whole vehicle' will be negotiated closer to what the actual elements have cost. The 'bottom line' will be about what they paid and not what their list price says. I think it is perfectly valid to be armed with the cost information when making the final negotiations. If they want £500 for the LED lights, it's got to be useful to know that Fiat only ask £250 and that the converter got over 40% discount on that. Negotiations always go more smoothly when each party knows what the bottom line really is. Incidentally the headlamp units on X250's from 2006 to 2011 have one type of plug connector and the 2011 onwards have a different connector. There is an adaptor wire that convers later headlamps to earlier looms. There were no other physical changes to the lights and the electrical changes were to accommodate the optional DRL's. The new X290/295 has either a 21W bulb for DRL or LED's. In this market (UK) DRL is now standard and can be switched off if desired by menus on the dashboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamw Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 euroserv - 2014-11-13 12:02 PM The 'bottom line' will be about what they paid and not what their list price says. I think it is perfectly valid to be armed with the cost information when making the final negotiations. If they want £500 for the LED lights, it's got to be useful to know that Fiat only ask £250 and that the converter got over 40% discount on that. Negotiations always go more smoothly when each party knows what the bottom line really is. I would have thought that also Nick but my experience doesn't support it. I once queried why alloy wheels ordered with a van from Fiat were priced at £800 when on Fiat's option list they were priced at £490. I didn't get an answer. The truth is customers are still buying so why change? I'm a firm believer in what you are saying that to have the knowledge is to have the power but I'm afraid in most van buying situations from the top independent converters it usually only allows you to walk away. Not all is lost though as through information you've posted in the past and my own research I've just purchased my own X290 with all the options at a saving of £15,000 off list price. With that sort of saving I can ensure that more of my money goes into the conversion and not into the converter's pocket. Thanks for enlightening me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Seeing as how the thread has diverged from the original topic (not unusual!!), can I ask Mr Euroserv a question about the door-mounted mirrors on the X290. Are they identical in shape to those of the X250? I have looked at the two vehicles at a local dealers, and they do look to be the same, though there could be small detail changes.. I have used Mirror Guards for a couple of years on my X250, and believe them to have saved my nearside mirror at least three times from serious whacks. If I could get them off the current vehicle, I would fit them to my new X290 when it arrives. I hope this is not too trivial a query, Nick. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 grahamw - 2014-11-13 2:09 PM euroserv - 2014-11-13 12:02 PM The 'bottom line' will be about what they paid and not what their list price says. I think it is perfectly valid to be armed with the cost information when making the final negotiations. If they want £500 for the LED lights, it's got to be useful to know that Fiat only ask £250 and that the converter got over 40% discount on that. Negotiations always go more smoothly when each party knows what the bottom line really is. I would have thought that also Nick but my experience doesn't support it. I once queried why alloy wheels ordered with a van from Fiat were priced at £800 when on Fiat's option list they were priced at £490. I didn't get an answer. The truth is customers are still buying so why change? I'm a firm believer in what you are saying that to have the knowledge is to have the power but I'm afraid in most van buying situations from the top independent converters it usually only allows you to walk away. Not all is lost though as through information you've posted in the past and my own research I've just purchased my own X290 with all the options at a saving of £15,000 off list price. With that sort of saving I can ensure that more of my money goes into the conversion and not into the converter's pocket. Thanks for enlightening me. Delighted to hear that. It's why i am here. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 armstrongpiper - 2014-11-13 2:27 PM Seeing as how the thread has diverged from the original topic (not unusual!!), can I ask Mr Euroserv a question about the door-mounted mirrors on the X290. Are they identical in shape to those of the X250? I have looked at the two vehicles at a local dealers, and they do look to be the same, though there could be small detail changes.. I have used Mirror Guards for a couple of years on my X250, and believe them to have saved my nearside mirror at least three times from serious whacks. If I could get them off the current vehicle, I would fit them to my new X290 when it arrives. I hope this is not too trivial a query, Nick. Neil B Yes the mirrors are exactly the same. The original post stated that there are no headlamp protectors yet, when they were expected and where to get them from so I think digression is ok as there is no lingering question to answer. It might be poor etiquette though, so my apologies. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Thankyou for that info Nick. Very useful. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 armstrongpiper - 2014-11-13 2:27 PM Seeing as how the thread has diverged from the original topic (not unusual!!), can I ask Mr Euroserv a question about the door-mounted mirrors on the X290. Are they identical in shape to those of the X250? I have looked at the two vehicles at a local dealers, and they do look to be the same, though there could be small detail changes.. I have used Mirror Guards for a couple of years on my X250, and believe them to have saved my nearside mirror at least three times from serious whacks. If I could get them off the current vehicle, I would fit them to my new X290 when it arrives. I hope this is not too trivial a query, Nick. Neil B At last month’s NEC Show I had a longish discussion with the exhibitors on the “Mirror Guard” stand, during which I asked about removing their protective guards that (as I’m sure you know) have self-adhesive foam pads on their inner surface to retain them. They suggested using a hair-dryer on the guard’s outer surface to warm up the adhesive on the pad before attempting to pull off the guard from the mirror. I’d be tempted to contact Mirror Guard and ask if they can provide replacement pads, as there’s a fair chance the pad will tear when the guard is being removed or the pad’s adhesive surface will fail to grip properly when the guard is fitted to another mirror. (Yes, I’m sure there are DIY ways round this, but it would still be worth checking whether Mirror Guard will provide replacement pads.) I noticed that all the X290-based coachbuilt motorhomes on one stand (I can’t remember the marque) had white covers on their mirrors. I don’t know if these were part of the standard specification or an extra, but the covers were almost certainly Milenco-made, and definitely not the heavier-duty/more-expensive Mirror Guard version. Also being offered on the Mirror Guard stand (at a reduced price) was a cup-holder/tray thingie that doesn’t appear on their website and has had mixed (!!!) reviews from buyers. It’s mentioned here: http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/ducato-cup-holder.88726/ I was told that they were selling off old stock as the Ducato X250’s large central ‘glove-box’ storage compartment with hinge-down lid (on to which the tray sits) had been replaced on the latest X290 by a two-bottle holder. In fact the lidded storage compartment is still available as an X290 (£50) option and, although most X290-based motorhomes at the NEC Show had the standard bottle holder, a few (right thinking) manufacturers had opted for the glove-box compartment instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 armstrongpiper - 2014-11-13 2:27 PM Seeing as how the thread has diverged from the original topic (not unusual!!), can I ask Mr Euroserv a question about the door-mounted mirrors on the X290. Are they identical in shape to those of the X250? I have looked at the two vehicles at a local dealers, and they do look to be the same, though there could be small detail changes.. I have used Mirror Guards for a couple of years on my X250, and believe them to have saved my nearside mirror at least three times from serious whacks. If I could get them off the current vehicle, I would fit them to my new X290 when it arrives. I hope this is not too trivial a query, Nick. Neil B Neil, Surely the best option would be to buy a new set for your new MH and leave the old ones on the old MH as a 'selling' feature? Even if you get them off you then have to clean up the mirror casings to remove the old sticky pads. You're spending how many tens of thousands of pounds on a brand new MH and are begrudging it a one hundred pound set of Mirror Guards? Just my opinion! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 Keith, I would probably agree with you, but it's me being stubborn. We bought our new vehicle at the recent NEC, where, as you must be aware, far superior deals can be made compared with dealers away from the show. However, when discussing our present vehicle and its added attractions, the Mirror Guards were not gaining any further trade in allowance. So I said I would remove them, to which I received a shrug of the shoulders. So, off they come if possible. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 Derek, Thanks for the tip about warming up the pads in trying to remove the 'Guards. I have asked MirrorGuards about replacement stickies, but received no reply. Will try again. I agree that a storage bin instead of a cup holder is desirable, and will talk with my dealer about the option. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arao99 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 armstrongpiper - 2014-11-14 10:11 AM Derek, Thanks for the tip about warming up the pads in trying to remove the 'Guards. I have asked MirrorGuards about replacement stickies, but received no reply. Will try again. I agree that a storage bin instead of a cup holder is desirable, and will talk with my dealer about the option. Neil B[/quote I also sent an email to MirrorGuard asking the same question NO Reply . I have bought some pads off ebay and have fitted guards to my new Fiat based X290 . :-D David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Emails can easily be overlooked and - if it’s important to obtain information - it’s as well to use the phone (07971 654936 for Mirror Guard) and speak to a human being. Just to redress the balance regarding the company’s customer-care, I ordered Mirror Guards for my X290 Ducato via the company’s website and, shortly after, received a phone call from the company’s owner. He told me that (following February’s NEC Show) there had been an unusually high demand for the protectors and apologised as this meant delivery of my order would be delayed for about a week. Not a problem for me and the Guards arrived a week later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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