I'm tentively looking around for possibilities for our next van.

Pudsey Bear said:
Post#46 ???

I'm tentively looking around for possibilities for our next van.

That is Brid we have called in a few times looking. It is around the back of Morrisons. They usually have a fair selection of vans in.
wildcamping.co.uk wildcamping.co.uk
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Either I forgot to paste the link, or it got censored.
www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Which Brands have Poor Payload

I know that there are a few brands that generally don’t fare well when it comes to payload, particularly if plated at 3500Kg. Any views on how Rapido fare on this front (I have a relative considering one)? Ian
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
 
Back to the original subject of getting a proper automatic with not a lot of money: That is what I wanted when I started looking. Another 'want' was NOT to have a new or newish one because there is in my considerable experience there is no dealer in the country who is competent to resolve the computerised faults that you will get. So, looking for a 'cheap' automatic also means an 'old' automatic. With a Proper Borg Warner or ZF box. he hydraulic type, not the electronic type. So far as my knowledge extends I think this would restrict the base vehicles to Ford Transit or Mercedes Benz. So I ended up with a 1999 Ford Transit with 65,000 miles on the clock and quite a few (or at least one) very incompetent owner who didnt realise that the gas water heater (Carver Cascade) was so defunct that it was sending flames outiside from the flue. Amongst other things. Anyway I got this Transit AutoSleeper with my and her ideal layout: what is called a Pullman lounge. One permanent full length Chaise Longue opposite the dinette which consists of two facing double seat sofas with a table in between. The two double seat sofas make up into a very wide single bed, the Chaise longue makes, or is indeed a permanent single bed so when the two single beds are made up there is a gap between them to use in the wee hours. Altenatively this lounge area can be made into a double (or triple if you are good friends) bed. It is soo soo quick to change from sofa seats to a bed it is very easy. All the bedding just gets shoved up over the cab so we don't have to lift heavy bed bases to shove it underneath.
As for it being 'old' and not-to-current-emission-standards: tough. Even if I were to inadvertently misadventure into a killing zone, it is cheaper to pay their emissions fines than it is to continually feed money into the "let's see if this £500 item fixes the fault" garages who always do what the OBD computer says is the fault. It never is. In my £2,000 worth of trying four different garages for various computer related faults, the OBD computer is ALWAYS wrong. Or at best, inaccurate - it is probably something attached to the alleged broken part, not the actual part the OBD says it is.
I've just been up to the Arctic Circle in my 1999 non compliant cheap automatic . . . .which doesn't have an OBD connector .
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:giggle:
 
Nothing there to argue with, but we all have an idea of what we want and a coachbuilt isn't in my future, and I don't know what an electric auto is.
 
I see, and no, I would want one of those either, it needs to be a slush box, not an automated Manual which no one can fix.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Nothing there to argue with, but we all have an idea of what we want and a coachbuilt isn't in my future, and I don't know what an electric auto is.
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An electric auto is either a 'comfortmatic' or a modern automatic which is a DSG (Dual Selector Gearbox) . Comfortmatics are so bad they do not deserve to have electrons wasted explaining how they work. Or don't, which is more often. The DSG gearbox is one where an electronic computer decides which gear you will want next, it selects it but only operates that gear's clutch to engage it when the balance between the engine revs and the accelerator position are in harmony. In other words, at any time two gears are meshed together, but only one is attached to the driving wheels. Each of the ~7 or ~9 gears has its own clutch and they are engaged or disengaged according to the computer which decides on the appropriate one. I had a VW Golf with this system. It worked wonderfully but the more I looked at Youtubes on how they work and the cost / intricacy of servicing them at regular intervals made me sell it while the going was good. They are one of those "If it lasts a long time it is wonderful but if it doesn't, bang goes your bank account as well as the gearbox" things. It uses very specific oil or it won't work. It would appear that the oil and filter to do a DSG gearbox service cost about £150 for the parts. Plus labour if you don't do it yourself, and if you think you can make sure before you start by looking at a Youtube. Best get a quote for the job.
Whereas on an old type Borg Warner or ZF all you have to do is drain the old oil, undo ten or twelve sump bolts, remove the sump, then three bolts removes the flat pancake filter, fit a new filter, refit the sump, refill with oil and drive away having spent £30 on oil and £25 for the filter . . . . .


I would add that I am a great fan of automatic gearboxes (proper ones, that is). My son in law had a manual box Mondeo which needed a new clutch. Ten years ago it cost £1600, I don't know what it would cost now. The only time I have known a Borg Warner or ZF box to need replacing was when I was in Madeira and I asked a 1983 taxi driver with an auto box how many km it had done. 1,500,000 approx. "And have you had a new engine or gearbox?" Yes, I had a replacement gearbox once, at about 700,000 km.
Nuff said.
 
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Sorry, missed your post somehow.

So what type of box does the Ducato auto have now, the 8 or 9 speed one?
 
Fiat dropped the 9-speed automatic gearbox for the Ducato and switched to an 8-speed AT8 transmission to improve performance, comfort, and fuel efficiency, resulting in a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions. The 9-speed gearbox was reportedly prone to issues, including potential torque converter malfunctions and performance problems, especially in heavier applications like motorhomes, which the newer, more efficient 8-speed is designed to address.

Reasons for the switch
  • Improved efficiency: The 8-speed automatic transmission (AT8) is designed to be more efficient, which helps lower CO2 emissions by around 10% compared to the previous automatic version.
  • Enhanced performance: The new transmission is engineered to provide a more comfortable and refined driving experience with improved shift times and control.
  • Addressing 9-speed issues: The 9-speed automatic transmission faced issues, including malfunctions with the torque converter and other performance problems, particularly on models with 160- and 180hp engines and in heavier vehicles like motorhomes. The 8-speed aims to resolve these problems.
  • Designed for the application: The 8-speed gearbox is a more suitable and robust design for the needs of the Ducato, including its camper variant
 
So, go for the 8 speed it looks like, although I've not read of any reports of problems with the 9, there must have been plenty to change the box as they never did with the Juddergate box.
 
The change from the 9-speed to the 8-speed automatic gearbox was introduced with the 2024 model year (Series 9 or Series 10 depending on the specific vehicle type).
Fiat Professional officially announced the new 8-speed automatic transmission for the New Ducato range on May 24, 2024.
The new gearboxes began to appear in vans shortly after this announcement, while motorhomes based on the updated Ducato chassis were expected to arrive as 2025-season models from around September 2024 onwards.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Fiat dropped the 9-speed automatic gearbox for the Ducato and switched to an 8-speed AT8 transmission to improve performance, comfort, and fuel efficiency, resulting in a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions. The 9-speed gearbox was reportedly prone to issues, including potential torque converter malfunctions and performance problems, especially in heavier applications like motorhomes, which the newer, more efficient 8-speed is designed to address.

Reasons for the switch
  • Improved efficiency: The 8-speed automatic transmission (AT8) is designed to be more efficient, which helps lower CO2 emissions by around 10% compared to the previous automatic version.
  • Enhanced performance: The new transmission is engineered to provide a more comfortable and refined driving experience with improved shift times and control.
  • Addressing 9-speed issues: The 9-speed automatic transmission faced issues, including malfunctions with the torque converter and other performance problems, particularly on models with 160- and 180hp engines and in heavier vehicles like motorhomes. The 8-speed aims to resolve these problems.
  • Designed for the application: The 8-speed gearbox is a more suitable and robust design for the needs of the Ducato, including its camper variant
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Artificial Ignorance only giving part of the answer.
The 9 speed box is generally seen as ok with the 2.3 engines, when the 2.2 engines came along the problems started due too the different torque curve, this has been addressed by Fiat with an engine remap of the 160 and 180bhp engines.
 
Could not give a auto box away here, no one wants them or nobody understands or could fix one, secont is cannot be started with a t rope.
Automatic cars go for buttons here, my old work partner bought a saab with 50 th on the clock auto box model for £500.
 
We want two single beds for proper nights' sleep Mark, and not to have to assemble them, been there done that, and it is a pain, we both have arthritis and want simplicity.
 
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