# Fiat ducato winter woes!



## Malantina (Jun 30, 2011)

Hi all thought i'd share i experience with our 3 year old dethleffs on a ducato chassis. We have just had a cold winter and as such i started any vehicles i have on a weekly basis to keep them turned over battery etc. One morning started the ducato it fired up but no revs Ah I thought diesel problem! left it tried again nothing so followed the fuel system back and no problems there. I called into the local fiat dealer and saw one of the mechanics who said we have had 3 like this recently and straight away diagnosed water ingress frozen on the cam belt made it jump the teeth and snapped the cams on top of the engine!!! Time to talk to service reception who gave me fiat contact details for a case number with the view of getting a concession/admission of liability for the problem as the fiat was 2 wks out of warranty! This was Feb, after months of being messed about fiat eventually phoned a month ago saying because warranty was out and because i had not had it serviced within the fiat network they would not accept any liability!!!! Ok this was my reply according to european law 2003 its not a requirement to have any vehicle serviced within the dealer network as long as its done by a garage using genuine fiat parts, which it has been using genuine fiat parts and to my mind has full service history and checks done. Anyway am droning on here 3 wks ago i decided to get it fixed, All 16 cams had gone, the timing gear belt etc needed replacing!! At a total cost of just under £1500!!!! While it was in they did 2 recalls ecu flash regarding fuel injection and wait for it injectors replaced due to rusting (water ingress!) To cap it all off the reciept and tech report states the faults repaired were caused by water frozen on the cambelt!! Now all this damage was done to a 5000mile vehicle whilst starting it on the drive no strain at all on the engine which i find a worry! This is our second Fiat based MH and our second Dethleffs. Dont get me wrong i like the fiat looks/economy/ and how it pulls but will never have another MH based on  FIAT CHASSIS! Needless to say i am persuing fiat for the invoice total given the evidence i have, but think its disgusting the way they dismiss customers with genuine problems especially when they have provided a vehicle thats not fit for purpose. Until this problem we'd never had any problems with fiat but we got to thinking what if this had happened in europe or at speed? Well Rant over thought i'd share this with fellow fiat owners because as the tech said they had repaired 3 this winter same problem and he knew of other dealerships who had! And remember fiat dont recognise this problem so caution def needed during the winter months because summer will soon be gone! ............god i'm miserable!  Mal.


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## Pollik (Jun 30, 2011)

I should go for Fiat's jugular.  Try and get Dethleff's to support you.  

If your problem is common, and it sounds like it is, Fiat have a real reputation issue here if they don't recompense you.  Imagine if all MH manufacturers stopped using Fiat because it was damaging their own reputations!


Polly


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## Dezi (Jun 30, 2011)

Hi, Having been with Fiats for over 12 years now I can sympathise. Very little trouble in the 12 years & 130,000 miles covered with two vehicles, buut when I did find a fault the first reaction from Fiat was "nowt to with us",. I did manage to get things sorted in the end, but apparently Fiat in particular,are noted for this offhand attitude within the trade. 

Dezi


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## AndyC (Jun 30, 2011)

This is the second time I've heard of this problem with water freezing in the cambelt area in these Fiats. 

Exceptionally poor design and definitely a case to be made for a claim, I would say. 

AndyC


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## Trippytinker (Jun 30, 2011)

This is the fourth instance of this problem with nearly new Fiats, I would search any owners forums and see how big the problem is, there was a similar thing with the gearbox a few years ago.


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## Deleted member 775 (Jun 30, 2011)

looks like another problem with the attitude of companies that want our custom, but when things dont go there way they dont want to know ,FULL STOP  ,and WHEN we as consumers complain about the service we recive from them they  make excuses or  say it is our fault ,or dont even ENTER INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH US  .i do think that it is about time WE as  consumers reveiled the unfair and unacceptable service and treatment and threats if we complain.its disgusting at the way we get at the hands of large companies


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## Ste (Jun 30, 2011)

Its been happening for a few years now. My company had it happen on a 55 plate Iveco daily with 2.3 Fiat Engine. Also had a problem with rear diff's shredding gears, Also caused by cold weather apparently


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## Nosha (Jun 30, 2011)

Perhaps I was lucky... just when it dropped to -9c the engine battery gave up and the engine turned over VERY slowly; although it's parked under a carport the bonnet sticks out a bit. Now this could be good news as the air blows through and prevents condensation forming... or this could be bad news as rain may enter!?! How does the water get on to the timing belt in the first place???

The only claim I had was for a reverese light switch (£9) the dealer said according to Fiat it's out of warranty, luckily I had the V5 AND service/warranty booklet which states warranty starts at date of first registration, NOT as Fiat had said when it sold the chassis to Chausson!!!!!

The dealer rang Fiat who agrred to alter the date on their computer to the V5 date, but took TWO MONTHS to confirm this in writting!!!!!!! And this was for a nine quid switch, what if I had suffered a major claim like a seized engine!?!


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## davjac (Jun 30, 2011)

This is standard Fiat practice, remember the fifth gear problems, the judder in reverse and now this.
However I also have an XJ jaguar that the paint keeps falling off, very common on these aluminium body cars but Jaguar do not want to know.
So it not just Fiat they are all b******s


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## Nosha (Jun 30, 2011)

All motorhome builders cleverly write into their agreement that they can pass the buck, hence you have to have a 'chassis' service for the mechanical side, and a habitation service for the body parts and water ingress g/tee.

But yes you're right, if you buy a Bosch drill from B&Q and it goes bang... you go back to B&Q.

If you buy a motorhome from Chausson and the Dometic fridge packs up, you go back to Chausson??? But if it doesn't start you go to Fiat!!

Now if you buy a Bailey caravan and the wheel comes off (recall underway) do you go to Al-Ko? No you go to Bailey!!

Perhaps someone can explain this anomaly - PLEASE!!


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## Malantina (Jun 30, 2011)

The other thing the local Fiat dealer told me was that all recall letters/advisories are sent to the motorhome manufacturers in my case dethleffs and seems to me thats where they stop! As in, they are not forwarded to the dealers or transferred to the new owner once the vehicle is registered on the road, the end customer only finds out about these when the chassis number is inputted by the garage doing servicing or any repairs. I have written to Dethleffs as well as Fiat but have the feeling as stated here before the responsibility for the chassis side of things and habitation side will be treated as seperate issues by the motorhome builders. In a perfect world the coach builders should take full responsibility for the package they supplied and should there be issues with the chassis then they not the customer should Take it up with Fiat etc..........but then thats in a perfect world. Mal


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