Alan Keel Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I have a 2023 Ford Transit based Benimar T481. There is no central locking on the hab door. I know some other manufacturers do fit central locking on the hab door (e.g. Bailey). Is it possible to retrofit central locking to the hab door? It is a special motorhome transit chassis (e.g. wider rear wheel spacing etc.) and Ford have been useless in supplying any information about it. I have built a few campervans from scratch and so I am quiet proficient in electrics etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Can't answer directly, but as the base has central locking (I assume armed remotely?) the answer will lie largely with Benimar, and whose locks they have fitted, and whether there is a suitable, interchangeable, substitute electrically operated door lock you could fit. I assume, if the answer to that question is yes, then all you'd need is the replacement electric lock, plus a suitable lock/unlock feed from the base cab door locks to the new lock. Sounds fairly easy - but is it? 🙂 However, if there isn't a straight-swap electric lock, you'd almost inevitably need to modify the cut-outs and fixing points for the existing lock and its attendant keep, under which circumstances I don't think I'd pursue the idea. The doors, door frames, and side walls of coachbuilt motorhomes are, as an ex work colleague of mine used to say, "made of chicken poop and lard", so any radical re-modelling in those areas seems destined, IMO, to create more trouble than having to manually lock/unlock the door could ever warrant! 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labby Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I do not know if Fords are the same , but , later Fiat Ducato based campers have a Door management control system which uses a different module depending on which doors are required to be operated with the central locking . (it is also linked into the BCM) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 And don't forget you will also need a 'door open switch' to tell the alarm unit that a door has been opened and to cancel the auto re-lock feature, otherwise you will find yourself locked out if you only open the hab door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 (edited) Hi I would contact Benimar for their advice thus preventing maybe voiding any warranty on your new motorhome Regards Edited February 25 by onecal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave R1664232361 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 My 2023 Ford based Benimar Tessoro T431 does have central locking on the cab door as standard. I thought it was standard on 2023 models but I was obviously wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave R1664232361 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Have attached the 2023 spec that was advertised for the Marquis Benimar Tessoros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 1 hour ago, Dave R1664232361 said: My 2023 Ford based Benimar Tessoro T431 does have central locking on the cab door as standard. I thought it was standard on 2023 models but I was obviously wrong. Yes on the CAB doors but not on the HABITATION door that Alan is asking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave R1664232361 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Keith, Sorry I meant HAB door as well as the CAB doors. (finger trouble). I have remote locking on the Hab door controlled by the Ford key Fob in accordance with the first point in the "Body Construction" section of the Specification/Features list that I posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 (edited) Hi, This is why I would contact Benimar dealer for their advice thus preventing maybe voiding any warranty on your new motorhome Regards Edited February 25 by onecal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 1 hour ago, Dave R1664232361 said: Keith, Sorry I meant HAB door as well as the CAB doors. (finger trouble). I have remote locking on the Hab door controlled by the Ford key Fob in accordance with the first point in the "Body Construction" section of the Specification/Features list that I posted. In which case Alan's Tessoro may be a 2022 model as that did not have the central locking on the hab door https://www.marquisleisure.co.uk/storage/214888/NEW_Tessoro_2022_Features_Sheet_updated_7th_Mar.pdf 2022 But the 2023 Features sheet currently on the Marquis website differs from the one you show above https://www.marquisleisure.co.uk/storage/949438/Tessoro-2023-Features-Sheet-April-23.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Hi All Clearly the body construction differs within those years . Well spotted Keithl . I think it would be prudent of Alan not to do any work to his locking system of his new motorhome until he contacts his dealer first. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 (edited) This strongly suggests that Alan's van is, in fact, a 2022 model or that, if a 2023 model, the hab door central locking function was omitted during production. It is not entirely clear from Alan's posts whether he was expecting the hab. door to lock with the cab doors, which suggests he may have been unaware at the time of buying of this difference between the 2022 and 2023 model year vans. If the van was clearly sold to Alan as a 2023 model (as opposed to merely having first been registered/bought in 2023) then it seems Brendan's advice to refer the omission to Marquis, smile sweetly, point to the Features sheet, and ask them if they can demonstrate how to engage it, as he can't! 🙂 Then, having had the defect demonstrated to them, if Marquis can't activate the hab door locking either, and assuming they sold Alan the van as a 2023 when it was, in fact a 2022, they should either bring the locking up to 2023 spec at their expense, or reimburse Alan the difference in cost (if any) between the 2023 model which includes central locking to the hab door, and the 2022 model which omits it. Of course, it may just be that the door is equipped with the appropriate lock, but a critical connection has come adrift or was never made, or a critical fuse somewhere has blown, or it's omission is a production error and the locking isn't to 2023 spec, in all of which cases Marquis should remedy FoC. OTOH, if the van is a 2022 which was "sold as seen" from Marquis' forecourt, and Alan's expectations re. hab door locking are misplaced, as Brendan says, better to see what Marquis can offer to bring it to 2023 locking spec, at what cost, in preference to intervening while the van is under warranty. Edited February 26 by Brian Kirby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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