tonybvi Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Following a slight contretemps with a wide lorry in a narrow road I am now minus an offside wing mirror on my Fiat Ducato based 2005 Burstner Elegance A class! Being new to the enjoyable world of motorhoming I am unsure of the process to get this fixed - is the mirror likely to be a special Burstner part or is it a Fiat commercial part? Once the part is obtained is it a relatively easy matter to replace it or does it need a specialist? If a specialist is this a motorhome dealer or a Fiat commercial dealer? I know the easiest would simply be to go back to the dealer who sold me the van but I am reluctant to do this as he is more than 200 miles away! Any help anybody can give to a newbie like me would be much appreciated. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Have a look at Fiat vans of similar age. I would strongly suspect the mirror is not a Fiat unit, but doubt if it is of Burstner manufacture. It will almost certainly by a (German) manufactured component bought in by Burstner.How it fixes can only be determined by asking (your dealer's workshop) or looking/investigating yourself! You'll almost certainly have to loosen/remove some trim inside to get at the fixings.Supply? You should be able to get a replacement via your supplying dealer, who should be able to get the right one from the details of your van they should have on file. If in doubt, quote the Burstner build number from the loading plate on the side of the van. See handbook if unsure. Probably a number beginning WBU.... Supply may take a while, it seem the process is a bit laborious, but it is generally thorough. Plan on several weeks, but emphasise it is an urgent requirement and see if they can use an accellerated supply channel (probably at extra cost).If you and the dealer are both confident the right part has been identified, they will probably get it for you, and will post it off to you, in exchange for a telephoned credit card number. Otherwise, get them to obtain the mirror and ring you when it is in, and then go (mirrorless!) to collect and check type/fit, or get them to fit.If you have trouble with the dealer, try talking to Burstner UK (phone No in MMM or other mag Burstner adverts). They are usually quite helpful and are generally more effective in speaking to Kehl than the dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Tony Sorry to hear you have come unstuck with your wing mirror. We have a 681 and have been dreading doing the same, simply because the mirrors fold forward instead of back and therefore cannot give on contact. Burstner boast a time of three weeks for replacements but we have been waiting a year for a faulty door. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybvi Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Gents - thanks for the replies. I'll get on the phone tomorrow to see what I can sort out. Incidentally I was unaware that the mirrors folded at all, even forwards. Is there a trick to doing this as the mirror seems completely rigid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Tony - I'm not suprised that you think that they are rigid as ours are extremely difficult to fold, so much so that the Boss cannot do it! I imagine that your mirrors are the same as ours but do check with your dealer first. Then brace yourself and give a mighty tug FORWARD. Have fun Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybvi Posted January 28, 2007 Author Share Posted January 28, 2007 Ron Sounds a bit risky to me!!! I think I'll leave it until I get the offside mirror replaced otherwise I'll be without 2 mirrors! Incidentally ours is a 681 as well - don't seem to be many of them about but I'm really pleased with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerangie Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Camper UK in Lincoln are the best people I know for Burstner bits & pieces. Fast, effecient and unlike some other "main dealers" reply to phone calls and do what they say they will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 RonB - 2007-01-28 3:51 PM Tony Sorry to hear you have come unstuck with your wing mirror. We have a 681 and have been dreading doing the same, simply because the mirrors fold forward instead of back and therefore cannot give on contact. Burstner boast a time of three weeks for replacements but we have been waiting a year for a faulty door. Good luck. I'm not so sure they only fold forward. I have similar mirrors on an A Class and was told the same by the dealer when taking delivery three years ago. More recently my "uninformed" wife took hold of one and folded itbackwards to avoid a narrow entrance - she's 4ft 11" and weighs just 8 stone. They're certainly very stiff but I think they will fold if "push comes to shove" By the way a friend of mine lost his (also on a 2005/6 Burstner Elegance) last year in France his UK dealer (don't know name) had no problem in getting a replacement. Vernon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Vernon - I think that the mirror arm might well fold back on the Burstner 681 if it had nothing attached to it. However, with the mirror attached there is only an inch available backwards before the mirror comes in contact with the body and so a backward fold is not possible. This would also explain why they fold forward. I'm really suprised that Tony didn't suffer some body damage due to this about-face recoil situation. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybvi Posted January 29, 2007 Author Share Posted January 29, 2007 I was indeed lucky that there was no body damage - a very small scratch on the body side as the mirror hit it when falling off! Luckily it was literally a glancing blow with both mirrors just touching each other as we met on a bend, but unfortunately sufficient to break the glass and the plastic moulding. For information I am making progress in obtaining a mirror - it is NOT a Fiat part and is only available through Burstner dealers. I am in touch with several dealers to get the shortest delivery time. All have been fairly helpful, including CamperUK. The price is a bit of a shocker though - not far short of £300 for just the part (complete mirror plus white casing). Thanks again to you all for your help and comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 I hate to say this, but that's not too bad. The standard Fiat one is around £170! I was afraid it might be even worse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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