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Last year I purchased a camper and  being new to mobilhomes I went to see the real things at the Paris show last fall, ordered a Dethleffs Globebus and got it delivered in France a month later. I purchased a camper last year, being new to camping to see the real things I went to Paris last fall, ordered a Dethleffs Globebus and got it deliver in France a month later.

My camper lives in the Algarve, Portugal, the full year while I only spend 6 months of the year there. As it turned out there is “no Dethleffs dealer” in Portugal. So far I must say I am been totally unimpressed by Dethleffs lack of helping somebody in my situation, in other words my camper is an orphan! It is strange, but I have corresponded with Dethleffs, always got a trainee to respond with a sense of arrogance.

You Brits are a bit out of my preferred way but since you are a nice lot I lay out to you what I need more urgently and information or advice would be appreciated.

I am shortly getting ready for my fall outing and I need to have :

the user manual in English,

the electrical wiring of the camper,

how to add a spare tire underneath,

how to mount a bicycle rack in the back,

advice on chipping the ducato engine,

were I should seek/find a good dealer possibly in Spain or France.

Thanks,

L. Gallo

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Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Luigi.

 

Taking your requirements in order:

 

1. You should be able to obtain an English-language user-manual for your motorhome from Dethleffs. It's the obvious source and (if you explain your situation) I can see no reason why they should not send you one. Otherwise - assuming that you obtained the vehicle through a French Dethleffs dealership - ask that dealership to ask Dethleffs to send you a manual.

 

2. Some user-manuals include a wiring diagram of the motorhome's electrical system; others do not. If the Dethleffs manual does not, it's unlikely that you will get one from Dethleffs. It's reasonable to assume that a Dethleffs dealership will have wiring diagrams (maybe!) so, once again, try the dealership from whom you obtained your motorhome.

 

3. It may not be practicable to mount a spare wheel/tyre beneath your motorhome. It will depend on which model of Globebus you have (I note from the Dethleffs website that there are currently 6 "Globebus" profile models and 6 integrated models) and what use Dethleffs has made of the under-floor space regarding fitting water-tanks, etc. If Dethleffs does not offer an under-floor-mounted spare wheel/tyre as a factory option, there's a good chance that there's no space underneath to carry one.

 

4. How best to fit a bike-rack will (again) depend on the Globebus model you have and the make/model of rack.

 

5. Advice on 'chipping' the Ducato motor will depend on which powerplant your Globebus has. The standard motor is apparently the 2.3litre 130bhp version, with the 2.3litre 150bhp and 3.0litre 177bhp engines as options. 'Tuning' any of these motors without Fiat's approval should be expected to impact on the vehicle's warranty and (possibly) on your insurance policy.

 

6. Logically, you should be looking for a Dethleffs dealer that's close to where you keep your motorhome. This dealer-search facility

 

http://www.dethleffs.co.uk/dealers/

 

suggests the following might be suitable

 

http://www.acmontano.com/

 

However, I note that the search facility does show one Dethleffs dealership in Portugal

 

http://www.parrachoautomoveis.pt/

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Thank Derek you for your prompt response,

 

My motor home is a Dethleffs type GBT 002 - Profile T2 with the 150 HP engine.

I have an uncomfortable feeling with the French dealer that sold me the unit but on your advice I will ask them to request the owner's manual for me. By the way the camper was wired and how the options have been installed (solar panel, satellite, TV & camera), in my opinion that was not good work.

 

About the need for a schematic, I happen to be an electrical engineer, and imagine that I have an electrical problem in Greece, what will I do? I experienced an electrical problem with a rented camper in the US, none of the service places along the road could deal with it requiring daylight drive only!

 

I asked Dethleffs on how to mount a bicycle rack and all they sent me was a one page .pdf that was unreadable (and in German lingo) as information.

Same scenario as for the schematic, I am lost somewhere and I have a damaged tire then what? As they engineered the motor home, a spare does not conveniently fit anywhere. I had somebody look under the camper toward the back and they felt that a tire could be installed there. Again, no help from Dethleffs.

I could go on with something else but I have come to think that at Dethleffs they think one buys a motor home to travel on German autobahns and possibly around Frankfurt.

 

About chipping the engine, I spoke to a couple of Dutch campers, both with their ducato 2.3 chipped on the advice of their club and very satisfied. In Holland, their modification was done by a service man that came from 150 Km away. I will have to install the “chip” myself but would appreciate some advice of which brand to buy. Incidentally, I am aware that Fiat will void the warranty while still valid, by chipping the motor.

http://www.parrachoautomoveis.pt/ appears real, they are over 300 Km away from my base. I spoke to them on the phone and it turned out that they are not real Dethleffs dealers. Your suggestion of a dealer in Seville appears good, the distance for me is also about 300 Km and I will have to try them.

 

To end, last January I purchased an Acura automobile for less money than the camper, from a dealer 7 Km away from my home and the way Acura (not the dealer) has been considerate with me is in no way comparable to Dethleffs. I have been very clear with Dethleffs that I needed some help and all that I got back are answers from some young clueless trainee, does that not make you wonder?

 

Thank you again Derek,

Luigi

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Luigi

 

It's commonplace for (perfectly justifiable) complaints to be made about add-ons dealer-fitted to new motorhomes. You could complain about the poor workmanship to Dethleffs but, as your purchase contract is with the French Dethleffs agency and they installed the options, if you want repairs or compensation you'll need to seek this from the French dealership.

 

I'm doubtful that many (if any!) motorhome owners have a wiring diagram for the 'conversion' part of the vehicle that would be sufficiently detailed and accurate to use if a really tricky electrical problem arose. In any case, few motorcaravanners will have the technical ability to trouble-shoot complex electrical faults, though it has to be said that it would be nice if all motorhome converters could be bothered to say where fuses are located.

 

I'm rather surprised Dethleffs sent you any instructions regarding fitting a bike-rack. I suspect most motorhome manufacturers would merely advise you to consult a dealership.

 

When you bought your Globebus, surely you knew it would come with no spare-wheel? It's pretty much the norm nowadays for coachbuilt motorhomes to be sold with a 'fix-and-go' inflator and canister of sealant rather than a spare-wheel. Most buyers are aware of this policy (there are enough complaints about it on motorhome forums and in magazines) and either live with it or - if the vehicle has sufficient internal storage space (eg. a rear garage) - purchase a spare-wheel/tyre themselves. The Globebus T2 is quite compact and I'm doubtful that a spare-wheel would fit beneath the rear bed. Despite the guesstimate you were given I'm also doubtful that a spare-wheel coulf be fitted under the floor. This subject has been regularly discussed here since spare-wheels generally stopped being fitted. An example is here:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Tyre-sealant-repair-kits-/33891/

 

I'm not sure what your "...Again, no help from Dethleffs..." statement means. Did Dethleffs tell you that a spare-wheel cannot be fitted beneath the floor, or what? Even if there's no space at present, it MIGHT be possible to carry an underfloor spare-wheel if various bits were relocated, but I can't see Dethleffs (or anyone on a generalised motorhome forum) advising you how best to do this.

 

You could either 'chip' or remap your motor for extra performance, and it sounds like the "Dutch campers" tuning process involved remapping. I might understand why you might want more oomph if your Globebus had the 130 Multijet motor, but I find it hard to understand why you'd want to risk your warranty when the motorhome is small, light and already has a pretty powerful engine. If you wanted to carry out the 'tuning' yourself, you could try this product

 

http://www.chipexpress.com/products/3661/

 

I don't think any forum-member will be able to give you 'this-chip-is-better-than-that-chip' advice, particularly when the Multijet 150 motor is involved, but one never knows. This earlier forum thread may be helpful

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/-Chipping-/20010/

 

"...I have been very clear with Dethleffs that I needed some help and all that I got back are answers from some young clueless trainee, does that not make you wonder?"

 

Choosing to buy a Dethleffs motorhome via a French dealership, knowing it will be kept in Portugal (where you say Dethleffs have no official presence) is almost certainly a uniquea thing to do. Obviously I don't know what you've said to Dethleffs (or how you have established the replies have come from a young clueless trainee) but - other than your request for an English-language user manual - I would not expect the other things you've asked about here to be dealt with by Dethleffs to your satisfaction.

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Hmm... a M. Gallo buys a German motorhome in France, keeps it in Portugal and complains to an English forum that he can't get information from the factory in Germany.

This is a new one.

All the required information should have come from the dealer.

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Hi Derek,

Owning a motorhome is something I thought for some time but last year, at 75 years of age, I decided to do it there or never and off I went to the Paris - Le Bourget show and bought one.

At 76, I never cease to be surprised by people and here is the case again!

In my life I have learned this rule: if I have a problem, somebody else already had the same problem. Hence, when I described my situation to “Sales” at Dethleffs I was pretty certain that I was not the first to be in that situation and therefore they would be able or willing to give me some support rather than simply sending me to “the dealer”.

Thank you for the link to the tire problem discussion, not casually I wrote that Dethleffs expects you to travel on a authobahn around Frankfurt; because motorhomes are in an likely to be in exploratory mode than cars, from there the risks.

I have now come to fully understand my situation - no more wining!

Regarding the chipping, as I understood, the best reason for it was that it makes climbing most hills in 6th gear possible. I have seen 3 different products advertised and one in particular, shown in YouTube, appears like connected with 2-3 wires to the engine, therefore easily installed and de-installed. I was searching for a word of wisdom on that subject.

Lastly, I purchased the motorhome with a rear camera and I would gladly have purchased a proximity sensors but that was not in their offering. As it turned out, the rear lights of my Profile T2 are low power back up LED that together with the camera mounted at about 2.2 m above ground do not make an optimum arrangement for backing up in the dark. But again, I now know where I stand and how to fix the problem, the same goes for the electrical wiring.

I addressed this forum because, although I speak several languages, English is my preference.

It is uplifting to find some people in this world like you Derek.

Cherio,

Luigi

 

PS: I am an idealist

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My experience of chipping is that it probably is not worth the cost if all you want is less gear changing on gradients, and in the real world of motorhome every day driving I doubt it's presence will be of much benefit to you other than maybe the torque coming onstream at lower revs and possibly, but not always, a smoother more free reving engine?

 

If your van is new there are also warranty considerations as any modifications will probably give the base vehicle maker a good excuse to void the warranty regarding any engine issues?

 

You can easily get more torque and/or bhp from most of the plug in modules that are simple to fix and remove - as long as you can get it off before the dealer sees it?

 

You don't get anything for nothing so any increase in power that you use will have a corresponding effect on fuel consumed

 

There are also insurance considerations and your insurer might - or might not - load the premium and/or impose a higher excess?

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Luigi

 

I doubt your maxim will work in this case! I suspect you will be the only Italian (or other nationality) with (presumably) a house in France, who bought a motorhome in France, and spends six months of the year in Portugal, leaving his motorhome there all year.

 

What Derek says makes sense to me. I'm afraid you have somewhat leapt into motorhome ownership, and haven't adequately researched the practicalities of your intentions beforehand. As you have discovered, Parracho are the only Dethleffs "dealership" in Portugal. Had you discovered that before buying, you would doubtless have chosen a different make of motorhome. However, there are 19 Dethleffs dealers in Spain: the nearest, at a guess, will be Autocaravanas Montaño in Seville.

 

Any Dethleffs dealer should be able to mount a bike rack for you. It is essential this is done properly by someone who knows the way the van is constructed, or damage to the van may result, or the rack come loose. If unhappy with your dealer in France, and all you want is a bike rack fitted, why not try a different dealer? There quite a number spread reasonably well across France - with the exception of the area east of Paris around Troyes.

 

I cannot see any mention of a spare wheel being available as an option on Globebus models, so assume Derek is right and that Dethleffs make no provision for this. Do take into account that a spare wheel and tyre is around 25kg in weight, so is heavy, and will be difficult to remove from under your van. I also suspect you will find the jack difficult to use if the van is laden, especially if the ground is soft. Perhaps membership of a breakdown service that includes changing wheels would be a better idea? I assume a spare wheel and tyre could be fitted in the locker under the bed?

 

Your van is based upon a Fiat Ducato, and mechanical problems will be dealt with by Fiat dealers - although you will have to find Fiat commercial vehicle dealers in preference to car dealers.

 

Having bought your van from a French dealer, I assume you have a Dethleffs handbook in French? You may be able to get an English version, though you may have to pay for it, though possibly on DVD or as .pdf. However, since your mother-tongue is Italian, why not try to get the Italian version? There are seven Dethleffs dealers in Italy, so the manual must be available in Italian.

 

This is only a relatively small engine of 2.3 litres capacity. It will take some 20,000 km before it gives its full potential performance. You have a relatively small and light van with the 150PS version of the engine. It may take a little time, but you should find that it is quite adequately powerful in normal use. No engine, even a chipped 150PS engine, is going to propel a motorhome over the Alps in 6th gear! Personally, I would not chip it until it is fully run-in, if ever. The vehicle electronics may record that chipping has been carried out, and increasing stress on the engine seems to me a way of provoking mechanical failure. If it does fail within the warranty, and Fiat became aware thet it had been chipped, they would, indeed, refuse to pay for repairs. That would leave you with a potentially very large bill for the sake of changing gear on hills. To me, that looks a poor bargain!

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Tracker & Brian,

 

Let me give you the mind-set that led me to consider chipping the ducato. Since 15 years I have driven a Mercedes E300 Diesel – automatic while in Europe since 10 years I drive an Audi quattro TDI – stick shift, so I have a sense of what a 3000 and 2000 cc diesel (by the way, two excellent cars) can do. Also, I do not like to be in a queue and I am even more uncomfortable causing the queue, hence the question in my mind of boosting the ducato's power. Your information has been very effective in putting the chipping question to rest, than you.

 

For me, a home in Portugal represents a stepping stone to Europe. As it turned out, Le Bourget exhibition was a major European show that fitted in my calendar. Unfortunately, I was not aware that a national show is manned only by the national dealers and for practical considerations I ended up purchasing and taking delivery of the vehicle in France and … the French did not have a problem in taking my money.

 

Brian, the idea of placing the tire in the locker under the bed also occurred to me but I did not follow through with that after having measured the width of the tire, I will see, it may be OK.

Now, when I posed the spare tire question to Dethleffs and they ignored me, I was not asking them to add a spare tire in a Hymer; if I discover that I can put the tire under the bed, why, why did they not think of that?

 

Last, a word about the manual from Dethleffs: is the owner's manual some kind of industrial secret, or something that a Winnebago owner will enjoy reading? To tell the truth, two plastic ring binded with 100 pages, copied one side only and in English, were given to me at delivery time. For someone shelling out 45,000 € + IVA for a vehicle, I strongly feel that he may deserve something a bit better. Why not making life easier for the customer and first time owners ? There are many things to learn from the owner's book.

 

Again, thanks for the useful comments,

Luigi

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If it's not practicable to carry the spare-wheel inside your Globebus, this forum thread

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Rapido-746F-Ducato-X250-Spare-Wheel-Carrier/35213/#M427936

 

mentions carrying it beneath the chassis. As will be realised from that discussion, if the manufacturer of the motorhome has made no provision for carrying a spare-wheel under-floor and/or has exploited the space where a spare-wheel might logically be housed, suitably modifying the motorhome may prove extremely difficult.

 

Regarding fitting a rear bike-rack, there are quite a few on-line images of T2's with racks and the majority use a 'high/low' attachment arrangement.

2128_mQHI1tYYo.jpg.7fbcc8f1c351188ea5b58a4e5eba845f.jpg

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