Ducato Comeformatic Gearbox

[Rod]

Happy new year all.

Does anyone have any experience of this automatic gearbox?

I have read that it is not very reliable what are people's experiences?

Thanks Rod

 

[Fisherman]

Happy new year all.

Does anyone have any experience of this automatic gearbox?

I have read that it is not very reliable what are people's experiences?

Thanks Rod

My first two motorhomes had the comformatic gear box, I never had any problems.
The gearbox is not as good as the new auto box, I found it was not always in the correct gear, particularly going down hill. But I simply used the manual setting to override the auto box. As much as the comformatic box is not as good as the new auto box, it did function ok as an auto box, allowing driving with no clutch.

 

[Glass man]

I had problems when going uphill, the gears kept changing 4 to 5 to 4 or 5 to 6 to 5. It kept trying to change up a gear and then dropped back down.
When I had some work done for a recall ( extra clip to hold cables in place.) I told the Dutch garage about this problem. They explained that the Fiat chassis has the gearbox fitted and programmed without any knowledge about the fact that it will be used for a motorhome. Usually the vehicle will only be heavily loaded for part of its life but motorhomes are always used fully loaded.
They reprogrammed the gearbox, free of charge under guarantee. This solved the problem.
A much improved drive. I had the van for over 5 years and 50,000 miles.
My new van has the 9 speed auto. A much better gearbox. Now 2 years and 0ver 20,000 miles. I use the Power setting on very hilly sections of road and this stops the gearbox changing up when you ease off the accelerator going round a hairpin bend.

 

[Chasn]

I have the Conformatic gearbox on a 2018 Carthago. I haven't weighed it but with the many extras it must be around 3600kg. No problems with gear selection. Much easier to drive than a manual and being an automated manual there is no torque converter energy wastage. Down hill when braking it automatically selects a lower gear to provide engine braking. I also notice it even blips the revs a bit as it goes through neutral on the down changes to match the revs putting less load on the synchromesh. Occasionally when I see a change in gradient approaching I might anticipate a gear change ahead of the automatic system but apart from that it works pretty well.

 

[Thistle]

My Daily is plated at 6700kg, the box works extremely well, arguably its performance especially when slowing down is a bit better than the similar Sprintshift in my Crafter. They are certainly (relatively) more fuel efficient than the 5 speed full auto I had in my V6 Sprinter.

The proper engine braking is extremely useful, only thing I don’t like is the lack of extremely fine clutch control at very low speed. E,g when being guided almost into the back of a vehicle when loading on ferries!

Replacing a failed clutch or diagnosing an actuator can be a bit more complex and requires a higher degree of competence so the small minority of online horror stories often relate to incorrect diagnosis and subsequent repair cockups.

 

[Okta]

The clutch activation fluid on the Comfortmatic gearbox needs regular changing, I think the current recommendation is every 2 years. It is a job that needs doing properly and involves a Fiat computer programme that not only fully drains the system but realigns the clutch contact point.

 

[Wully]

Nearly 8 years no problems. Only once when I drove through heavy rain and some standing water on the rd it went a bit wonky for a few days maybe water on an electric contact but eventually went back to normal. I’ve always found it a bit of a drag getting out of junctions especially on hills. It’s got a lot of lag between 1st and 2nd gear but overall it’s been alright. Would I buy one knowing what I know now probably not.

 

[Charlie 4]

Unfortunately I had two failure’s with the gearbox on a new 2018 Carthago and had to be recovered twice. It was 3yrs old at the time. 1st time on way to have the vehicle serviced in the UK by Adams Morey. Second time whilst travelling southern Spain where it was decided by the recovery specialist that it needed to be recovered to the UK for repair, again at Adams Morey. The dashboard warning light stated on both occasions that there was a transmission failure and quickly shut the transmission down, preventing any further damage. Not good as both failures were on a motorway. In both instances Adams Morey didn’t find any apparent reason and (re-set??) the transmission. They did say they had to bleed the clutch? Both failures were within 6 months of each other. In my mind a terrible gearbox which Fiat has since replaced. I now drive on a new Fiat base with the 9 speed automatic which is a vast improvement. I do hear that Fiat may change or have changed to an 8 speed automatic which may be due to financial arrangements as opposed to operational problems??

 

[mark61]

If I remember, apparently there were problems with the zf 9 speed.
Sure a little search will bring up something.

 

[Fisherman]

Unfortunately I had two failure’s with the gearbox on a new 2018 Carthago and had to be recovered twice. It was 3yrs old at the time. 1st time on way to have the vehicle serviced in the UK by Adams Morey. Second time whilst travelling southern Spain where it was decided by the recovery specialist that it needed to be recovered to the UK for repair, again at Adams Morey. The dashboard warning light stated on both occasions that there was a transmission failure and quickly shut the transmission down, preventing any further damage. Not good as both failures were on a motorway. In both instances Adams Morey didn’t find any apparent reason and (re-set??) the transmission. They did say they had to bleed the clutch? Both failures were within 6 months of each other. In my mind a terrible gearbox which Fiat has since replaced. I now drive on a new Fiat base with the 9 speed automatic which is a vast improvement. I do hear that Fiat may change or have changed to an 8 speed automatic which may be due to financial arrangements as opposed to operational problems??

They have recently replaced the comformatic box with the 9 speed box.
Like you I am very impressed with the 9 speed auto box, far better than the comfomatic box.
But I rarely find the box in 9th gear, possibly Fiat decided it was a white elephant and went for the new 8 speed auto box.
But they did have an issue on the earlier 9 speed boxes, with 160 and 180 BHP engines. This required a software update, done on recall.
But the later models have been fine.

 

[colinm]

The 9 speed box had a known issue predating the introduction on the Ducato, this meant on the more powerful versions of 2.2 engine it could fail and needed a software update to get around this.

 

[mark61]

9 speed box info

 

[Okta]

9 speed box info

This part of the article is wrong.
“There is only a small consolation : the new Ducato 9 uses a new automatic transmission with eight gears.”
The Ducato 9 has a 9 speed box, the Ducato 10 is the first to have the 8 speed. I have a 9 with a 9 speed box.

 

[Okta]

I would also add that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the 9 speed box. It has worked fine with the higher output 2.3l engines in models from 2020 onwards, they just got something wrong with the programming of the 160hp and 180hp 2.2 litre engines, which they are now putting right. The 140hp engine is not affected.

 

[Fisherman]

9 speed box info

Thanks Mark, I will contact Fiat next week as I have a 180 engine which apparently is affected.

 

[colinm]

Thanks Mark, I will contact Fiat next week as I have a 180 engine which apparently is affected.

The info in the article has been superseded, you should have received a recall notice from Fiat in November.

 

[Fisherman]

The info in the article has been superseded, you should have received a recall notice from Fiat in November.

Nothing received, my van was registered December 2023.

 

[colinm]

Curtesy of OAL

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION NOTIFICATION
Dear Customer
We hereby inform you of the following related to your Fiat Professional Ducato vehicle: (VIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).
What is the problem? On a some vehicles, including yours, emergency mode (reduced speed, deactivation of non-essential functions) may be activated as a result of a torque converter malfunction.
What should I do?
We would therefore be grateful if you could take your vehicle to the Dealership you bought it from, or to any authorised Fiat Professional Service Centre as soon as possible, bringing this letter with you. For greater convenience, we recommend making an appointment, referring to the authorised Fiat Professional Authorised Workshops on thewww.fiatprofessional.com website.
What does the operation The operation will consist in updating the Engine Control consist of? Module (ECM) and Transmission Control Module (TCM) software.
Will I have to pay You will not be charged for this service operation. The anything? Dealerships, all authorised Fiat Professional Service Centres and our Customer Service (toll-free number
0080034280000), are at your complete disposal for any information about the operation.
Further information You can connect to thewww.fiatprofessional.comwebsite for the latest news about your vehicle.
We thank you for your kind cooperation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and wish you our kindest regards.
If you have already sold or transferred your vehicle, we ask you to tell us the name and address of the new owner or user, using the enclosed stamped and pre-printed card, along with any information which could make it easier for us to find the current owner or user.

 

[Fisherman]

Curtesy of OAL

I will contact Fiat direct for advice cheers.

 

[Caz]

Happy new year all.

Does anyone have any experience of this automatic gearbox?

I have read that it is not very reliable what are people's experiences?

Thanks Rod

We have a 16 plate Ducato in our community transport fleet and it's been my usual weekly drive for the last 4 years, not had any bother with it, I just keep it in auto all the time. It has only done 30 odd thousand though.

I am reliably informed I can drive it again next week - it's been off the road for 5 or 6 weeks but that was due to a failure of the control panel so I couldn't open the door from inside so couldn't get out. Nothing to do with the confortmatic gearbox.