vaughan Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 A tale of woe and despair. I have a 2007 Ducato based motorhome bought just over a year ago with 15000miles on the clock. An engine fault developed and it went back to David Fuller's for repair in April 2013. They replaced the Throttle Body Actuator Valve (this has many names but it's the right angled large aluminium tube with an electrical connection just behind the bonnet slam panel.) All's well until November 2013 when the engine management light came on again. Took it to Watts in Cardiff(Fiat Camper Dealer) as that's where I live. The DF warranty was out by then. They diagnosed the Throttle Body again, so I authorised the part to be ordered and fitted. Meanwhile I contacted DF and asked if they could supply me with the invoice for the one that they fitted, which they did by email. Thanks. Watts fitted the new Throttle Body but it threw up another fault in the main engine ECU. Needs a new one (ouch!!) at around £1000 fitted. Ordered and fitted on 30th December. The cause of the ECU fault........wait for it.....water leak from the windscreen scuttle onto the the fusebox on passenger side and then onto ECU underneath. Everyone knows about the leaks from the main scuttle, but this was the little side scuttle which is partially hidden by a piece of the white panelwork between the headlamp and windscreen. Fiat had sealed the top of the scuttle with a piece of foam against this panel to stop a rattle I assume. Foam is not waterproof so when the scuttle fills up and the minute drain hole is blocked then all the water overflows onto the fusebox/headlamp/ECU. I write all this as a warning to others; take care of the main wide scuttle but please be especially vigilant of the side ones as well. There's one on the driver's side where the wiper arm spindle is located but the important one is the passenger side. Sorry for the long tome :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Another X250 horror story, strange we have not heard this one before, or have we? Maximum sympathy for Vaughan and can I ask if this potential problem still exists with current models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 spospe - 2014-01-02 12:37 PM Another X250 horror story, strange we have not heard this one before, or have we? Maximum sympathy for Vaughan and can I ask if this potential problem still exists with current models? I can't find anything on-line that seems to relate directly to Vaughan's problem (Welcome, Vaughan, to the Out&AboutLive forums) but, if Nick Fisher (euroserv) sees this thread he may be able to advise. I did notice the "Common Faults" comment here: http://www.ecutesting.com/catalogue/product/fiat_ducato_ecu_engine_management_eem012491.html I also came across this Caravan Club discussion about an ECU recall for Ducatos with 2.3litre Euro 5 motors. The recall won't be relevant to Vaughan's vehicle, but it might be worth mentioning. http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/community/discussions/technical-and-advice/motorhomes/fiat-ducato-ecu-recall/rt/400447/ It might be useful if Vaughan could say which engine his motorhome has. I would guess that the ECU would be fitted in the same place whatever motor were involved, but in 2007 there were 3 choices (2.2, 2.3 or 3.0 litres) and one never knows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hello all, I don't normally look at this part of the forum; I reside on 'motorhome matters' but Derek sent me a message alerting me to this so here we go..... I think someone has been misleading you somewhat and I don't believe for a moment that the second throttle body was necessary, and i seriously doubt that the ECU was required either. No matter how much water drips from the windscreen scuttle it is never going to upset the headlamp or fuse box or ECU. The ECU is covered with a plastic shield and would be pretty much impervious to water from above as is the fuse box. What there is though is a bundle of cables that go into and out of the fuse box, as well as in and out of the connectors for the ECU and these are an absolute hot bed of faults. I have repaired many broken wires in this area as well as having to make new links for corroded wires either side of the purple connector between the fuse box and the injection loom. The purple connector is stuffed in the space underneath the fuse box and is extracted by tipping up the top part of the fuse box when the cover is removed. If you want to examine the wiring loom in the area you should remove the nearside headlamp and the cover over the ECU. I have heard this story MANY times and it is always a case of mis-diagnosis by someone who knows no better than to rely on what their diagnostic machine tells them when in reality, a little digging around in the wiring will normally solve the problem before it gets expensive. Yes, the throttle bodies do fail but only really the early ones and any that have been replaced since 2009 are of an improved design and are much more reliable. ECU failure is unheard of. Not impossible; nothing is impossible but unheard of. Question everything! If you check your own wiring, I bet you will find a repair that nobody has mentioned or charged you for. I hope I am wrong, but I am certain that I am not. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 euroserv - 2014-01-02 3:26 PM Question everything! If you check your own wiring, I bet you will find a repair that nobody has mentioned or charged you for. I hope I am wrong, but I am certain that I am not. Nick Or maybe fitting the new ECU 'cleaned up' a corroded connection, of which there will be no trace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 euroserv - 2014-01-02 3:26 PM Hello all, I don't normally look at this part of the forum; I reside on 'motorhome matters' but Derek sent me a message alerting me to this so here we go..... I think someone has been misleading you somewhat and I don't believe for a moment that the second throttle body was necessary, and i seriously doubt that the ECU was required either. No matter how much water drips from the windscreen scuttle it is never going to upset the headlamp or fuse box or ECU. The ECU is covered with a plastic shield and would be pretty much impervious to water from above as is the fuse box. What there is though is a bundle of cables that go into and out of the fuse box, as well as in and out of the connectors for the ECU and these are an absolute hot bed of faults. I have repaired many broken wires in this area as well as having to make new links for corroded wires either side of the purple connector between the fuse box and the injection loom. The purple connector is stuffed in the space underneath the fuse box and is extracted by tipping up the top part of the fuse box when the cover is removed. If you want to examine the wiring loom in the area you should remove the nearside headlamp and the cover over the ECU. I have heard this story MANY times and it is always a case of mis-diagnosis by someone who knows no better than to rely on what their diagnostic machine tells them when in reality, a little digging around in the wiring will normally solve the problem before it gets expensive. Yes, the throttle bodies do fail but only really the early ones and any that have been replaced since 2009 are of an improved design and are much more reliable. ECU failure is unheard of. Not impossible; nothing is impossible but unheard of. Nick welcome vaunge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 welcome vaughan i will try again tried to edit above post but ran out of time *-) what Nick says is spot on, this has happened to me! light on, so took it to garage and corroded connectors but what they did was to put in an extended wiring loom so all connectors are now behind the passenger headlight so i drove off and by the time got home (1 hr) the light was back on!! so back to garage and they could not find owt, so they called in fiat professional and they said that the corroded wires had 'spiked' the ECU so new ecu and all is good all done under warrenty (about £1500) however!! i decided to check where the water comes in, and it comes in where the scuttle meets the screen and pisses everywhere! so i have gaffa taped the screen and put tough plastic sheeting over the fuse box, filter, and new connectors and all is now well, till i get a new scuttle. last point..i was talking to service manager and said this was not good on a 18 month old van and if it happened again in 18 month time i would be out of warrenty..he said that fiat were now replacing ECU what has been water damage on a goodwill gesture for vans up to 6 yr old..so might be worth contacting them to see if you can get some cash back...worth a try i reckon regards Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 silverback - 2014-01-03 8:31 PM i decided to check where the water comes in, and it comes in where the scuttle meets the screen and pisses everywhere! so i have gaffa taped the screen and put tough plastic sheeting over the fuse box, filter, and new connectors and all is now well, till i get a new scuttle I was under the impression that this particular source of water leak had been resolved by about 2010 or 2011, so can anyone let me know if this is still a problem area with current X250's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 spospe - 2014-01-03 10:17 PM silverback - 2014-01-03 8:31 PM i decided to check where the water comes in, and it comes in where the scuttle meets the screen and pisses everywhere! so i have gaffa taped the screen and put tough plastic sheeting over the fuse box, filter, and new connectors and all is now well, till i get a new scuttle I was under the impression that this particular source of water leak had been resolved by about 2010 or 2011, so can anyone let me know if this is still a problem area with current X250's? Silverback has said elsewhere that his motorhome is an Auto-Trail Mohawk built in October 2011 on a Ducato 'maxi' chassis with 2.3litre motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 spospe - 2014-01-03 10:17 PM silverback - 2014-01-03 8:31 PM i decided to check where the water comes in, and it comes in where the scuttle meets the screen and pisses everywhere! so i have gaffa taped the screen and put tough plastic sheeting over the fuse box, filter, and new connectors and all is now well, till i get a new scuttle I was under the impression that this particular source of water leak had been resolved by about 2010 or 2011, so can anyone let me know if this is still a problem area with current X250's? it has been sorted on the x250 they have also put covers over the engine,fuse box, filters ecu, power steering etc...its just that my scuttle has somehow bowed away from the screen, been down the fiat dealer today and they are gonna replace it under warrenty jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cervantes Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 After reading many threads on leaking scuttles I too assumed the problem had been solved - wrong! My 2013 X250 leaked like a sieve. I have now sealed it so it is completely watertight. My attempt at sealing can be seen at http://themotorhomeyears.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teething-troubles.html where I have listed the process, method and materials used (all suggestions for improved solutions gratefully received!) :D You would think Fiat would have sorted this after all this time wouldn't you? Hope this is of some use to someone. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hihosilver Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Do not ignore any scuttle water leaks as you do so at your peril.. We got our Ducato 3l RV back on the road four months and $AU000's later, after it refused to start last June 2013 when we found the air filter housing had filled with water and sucked through the turbo into the motor. We then had a sorry saga of trying to source parts and gaskets for an upper engine rebuild, timing gear and valves. I put in a second drain on the passenger side of the scuttle and lots of windscreen sealant but need to put in more drains for the small wiper pockets which continue to fill up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Odd how these Fiat faults only effect some vans ours is 2008 and we have never had a problem. A couple of days ago we had some horrendous rain storms and I opened the bonnet a short wile after the rain had stopped everything was bone dry apart from any water dripping off the raised bonnet. I do wonder if it depends on how the van is parked our van is of the vintage where there is only a single drain on the offside. My van is parked on the drive facing the prevailing weather, the drive has a very slight incline and the van is facing down it, also the van has a pronounced high tail stance I wonder if these combined make the scuttle drain well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughan Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Just read all the replies/comments and just wanted to clarify something. The technician showed me the 'damaged' ecu and it was clear that the seals holding it together had distorted and allowed damp/water ingress which then caused the signal spike which supposedly screwed up the throttle body. I could also see the corrosion on the electrical connectors of the ecu. The first throttle body was replaced last April because of a broken off section of what looked like a butterfly valve become lodged in the throttle body 'throat' . This was unrelated to the later problem with the ecu etc. Not sure if that helps or just adds confusion! Vaughan p.s. I wish I'd kept my 2000 Bessacar with the 2.8tdi engine. It worked, did 28mpg and the clutch didn't slip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Yes they do still leak.Our throttle body actuator valve failed on our 2013 X250 and was replaced under warranty this time being fitted upside down to afford more protection.Scuttle still leaked at the join and overflowed into the engine compartment when the small drain hole filled up.It also allowed water in from between scuttle and window.Whole scuttle was replaced last week and centre join sealed with mastic although still not 100% waterproof and dealer said none of them are especially when gallons of water are channelled onto it from the large roof area.Very poor design Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I leave the silver windscreen cover on when parked, it covers the front window seal and is well over the vents and directs the water away. Looking under the bonnet there are a few streaks, but nothing major. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredL Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Hi all, I've recently come across this thread. I have an Autotrail Mohawk 2.3 Ducato motorhome built in 2011 but not sure exactly when. At just over 6 mths and 3500 miles had to have EGR valve replaced and ECU was re-programmed At 13 mths and just over 7000 miles had to have DPF filter and pressure sensor replaced. At 20 months and 10,500 miles had to have turbo replaced. After replacement of turbo the vehicle developed an intermittent power loss with juddering and vibration through the vehicle and a 'strained' engine sound. In December last year the wiring behind the near side headlight was checked as the garage we took it to said that can sometimes be the cause of the problem. They said they couldn't find anything but it ran the best ever for almost 3wks after that, but then the light came on again! So in January this year the turbo actuator valve was replaced because it had seized up. Got the van back and garage said everything was fine but we knew it wasn't. Took it back to garage for them to test drive it and guess what...light came on again. Service manager plugged in computer and said it was the turbo. So February this year turbo was replaced again. The garage said it had corroded inside. Fiat told them to change the pipes to prevent water pouring onto the actuator and turbo., and the vital part of the windscreen seal was resealed. This had been done previously in Sept 2012 as it had come away from the windscreen. The service manager said the drain holes from the scuttle were blocked and could have been since before it was converted as the bases tend to sit around for quite a while. Got the van back again and it still wasn't right? We were so cheesed off we drove straight down to the NEC for the show, to meet up with our dealer, Dave Thomas from Autotrail, and Andy Parker from Fiat. We thought we had made a breakthrough as far as getting something sorted out but that proved not to be the case. Got back home and sure enough the light came back on again a week or so later. This time the garage got one of the Fiat Technicians up to do the work. The DPF sensor had to be replaced this time. Sadly this did not cure the intermittent fault with the motorhome so we drove down to the Autotrail factory in Grimsby. Dave Thomas test drove the motorhome and agreed there appeared to be a fault. Andy Parker came and tested it and agreed there were problems and he was going to replace the injectors and the wiring loom, but then two Fiat Technicians came up at the weekend and said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and it did not require any work. Autotrail did some interior jobs for us then washed the van before we set off back home. Intermittent problem back again! It was then that we realised it was connected to water. (It had been dry for the week leading up to the Fiat Technicians test). When we got home I checked under the bonnet the following morning and water was dripping in over the fuse box and ECU cover whilst a gentle frost was thawing. I then discovered the fuel filter was leaking underneath. Back to the garage for that to be replaced! Just before Easter it went back into another garage in France because we had taken a video of water heavily dripping into the engine bay after rain. This was authorised by Fiat. We asked them to give the garage the details of the intermittent fault but do not think this info was passed on. When we went to collect the motorhome the service manager told us he had resealed the seal at the bottom of the windscreen yet again and put mastic around the joint in the middle of the scuttle. They had possibly done other remedial work for the water ingress problem as he gave us the 20 page booklet from Fiat which tells garages how to deal with clients who have this problem, and what work to do to correct the fault. The motorhome was still not running well, and last week after an hour of light rain I went down to check the engine bay. The scuttle was full of water and water was dripping everywhere inside. I took a video of this and sent it to Fiat. I was told Fiat Technical would be advised and they would get back to me. A week later and I am still waiting. Our dealer is hiding behind his solicitor, and Fiat are trying to offer us a paltry sum of compensation in full and final settlement. They have still not paid us for expenses we incurred when our van broke down in Feb 2013 and are proposing to include this, plus other expenses we have incurred, in the compensation. Sorry for this long tale of woe, but we now really think as many people as possible should know about this. We have really reached our wits end with this problem and don't know where to go. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 blimey, sorry to hear about this, ive had same problem but not as bad, ive sealed all windscreen scuttle extended the drain to drain away, made a cover of thick plastic sheeting covered all electrics on nearside with it and from underneath as well, put electric compliant silicon on all conections to seal em, cover the air filter cos water gets into it then gets into the turbo, cover fuse box as well, make sure all is away from hot stuff!! and thats about all that can be done really jon *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Hi, Really sorry to hear such tales of woe I really feel for you all. It was inevitable that electrical problems were going to be an issue as the vehicles aged and enhanced by the fact that many are not used for long periods and are subject to our inclement weather with water dripping over vulnerable electrical components and equipment. In 2007 when I purchased my Swift x250 2.2, the water ingress saga started and I stated my concerns over the future problems that this would cause if not fixed. It would seem that my concerns were unfortunately correct. I carried out a fix at the time and have not had any issues with water ingress, but still have had numerous irritating electrical problems that seem to be normal with Fiat electrics, despite my efforts in making sure all plugs are kept clean and a regular dose of duck oil sprayed around connectors to keep any dampness out. I am still realing over the catastrophic engine failure that occured when returning from france last year the turbo blew recking the engine, after having to be returned on a breakdown truck huge inconvenience and a bill of £4,600 enough is enough it is going. I am trading it in next month for a conversion with a Renault engine under the bonnet. Fiat have been no help whatsoever and did not want to know. I would not touch another FIat product with a barge pole, In my opinion it would appear that we have been used to test a product that should never have been brought to market with so many faults, from doggy gearboxes & electrics to engines that are not up to the job. Now that we have tested and found the faults at our expense, Fiat have now launched the New Duccato but not with the Ford 2.2 dynatorque engine as an option and a totally redesigned front end! we shall no doubt hear of any problems that Fiat have not addessed. Geoff Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Geoff Cole - 2014-05-23 9:40 AM ...Fiat have now launched the New Duccato but not with the Ford 2.2 dynatorque engine as an option and a totally redesigned front end! we shall no doubt hear of any problems that Fiat have not addessed. The "Duratorq" (not "dynatorque") ranges of Ford diesel-fuelled motors are described in this Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Duratorq_engine The 2.2litre motors fitted to SEVEL-built vehicles from 2006-2011 were variants of the Duratorq powerplant and called "Multijet" (when used in the Ducato) or "HDI" when used in the Peugeot Boxer and the Citroen Jumper/Relay. However, comparisons of stated power/torque data make it apparent that the Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen installations involving these motors differed from Ford's usage in the Transit. In 2011 Fiat moved from Euro 4-compliant motors in Ducato to Euro 5, dropping the 2.2litre Ford-supplied motor and replacing it with a Fiat-made 2.0litre engine called "115 Multijet II". Ducatos with the latter powerplant were not marketed in the UK, with a downrated 2.3litre motor being offered instead. This situation continues with the latest 'facelifted' Ducato, with 2.3 litre and 3.0litre motors being available in the UK, and 2.0litre, 2.3litre and 3.0litre motors offered in Continental Europe. The powerplants in 'facelifted' Ducatos are said to be slightly more powerful and more economical than before, but any significant motorisation changes won't happen until Euro 6 comes in next year. Peugeot Boxer and Citroen Jumper vehicles (including the latest 'facelifted' models) continue to use versions of the 2.2litre Ford powerplant that was fitted in 2006, plus the 3.0litre motor shared with Ducato. To summarise - Fiat ceased to use Ford-provided motors in Ducato in 2011, while Peugot and Citroen continue to use them today in (respectively) Boxer and Jumper/Relay vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks Derek for your post, It makes interesting reading, I realised after I had posted that I had made an error in the engine name, however it does not alter the fact that this engine does not seem to be up to the job when doing long distances. From the comments made by the Fiat garage in France where we were towed, this failure is not unusual on this particular engine. The Engineer shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in typicle french fashion mumbling new engine quoting 8000euros. At home the garage that stripped my engine down said that there were piston problems with this engine and indeed when the new set arrived they were a modified set with more meat around the inside of the pistons. Two of mine had fractured around the gudgeon pin and one had a hole blown through the top breaking out by the top ring. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I don't know how unusual (statistically) the type of failure you suffered with your Ford motor has been, but there are a couple of threads on the Ford Transit forum http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=92854 http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=97075 that may be relevant. Both threads are 2011, so the problems described may not afflict later motors. In another thread on this forum, in November 2013, I said that a French motorhome dealer had "...told me that the 2.2litre engine in the Citroen Jumper came from Ford and there had been lots of injector-related problems with that motor". There was also a recent piece in one of the French motorhome magazines referring to injection-related problems with the Ford 2.2litre powerplant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Interesting link to transit forum, The picture of the piston is exactly the same as mine, also No 3 cylinder. The comments make me wonder if the turbo blew or the piston failed, my engine also did not stop when turned off and huge volumes of smoke came out of the exhaust. The turbo was full of oil when when we took it off and was suspect so was replaced, the injectors have been serviced and a new balanced set of pistons fitted.The engine runs very sweetly and the exhaust is clean, I have lost faith in it but I hope it finds a good home with no further problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Interesting link to transit forum, The picture of the piston is exactly the same as mine, also No 3 cylinder. The comments make me wonder if the turbo blew or the piston failed, my engine also did not stop when turned off and huge volumes of smoke came out of the exhaust. The turbo was full of oil when when we took it off and was suspect so was replaced, the injectors have been serviced and a new balanced set of pistons fitted.The engine runs very sweetly and the exhaust is clean, I have lost faith in it but I hope it finds a good home with no further problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawki Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 FredL - 2014-05-19 5:48 PM Hi all, I've recently come across this thread. I have an Autotrail Mohawk 2.3 Ducato motorhome built in 2011 but not sure exactly when. At just over 6 mths and 3500 miles had to have EGR valve replaced and ECU was re-programmed At 13 mths and just over 7000 miles had to have DPF filter and pressure sensor replaced. At 20 months and 10,500 miles had to have turbo replaced. After replacement of turbo the vehicle developed an intermittent power loss with juddering and vibration through the vehicle and a 'strained' engine sound. In December last year the wiring behind the near side headlight was checked as the garage we took it to said that can sometimes be the cause of the problem. They said they couldn't find anything but it ran the best ever for almost 3wks after that, but then the light came on again! So in January this year the turbo actuator valve was replaced because it had seized up. Got the van back and garage said everything was fine but we knew it wasn't. Took it back to garage for them to test drive it and guess what...light came on again. Service manager plugged in computer and said it was the turbo. So February this year turbo was replaced again. The garage said it had corroded inside. Fiat told them to change the pipes to prevent water pouring onto the actuator and turbo., and the vital part of the windscreen seal was resealed. This had been done previously in Sept 2012 as it had come away from the windscreen. The service manager said the drain holes from the scuttle were blocked and could have been since before it was converted as the bases tend to sit around for quite a while. Got the van back again and it still wasn't right? We were so cheesed off we drove straight down to the NEC for the show, to meet up with our dealer, Dave Thomas from Autotrail, and Andy Parker from Fiat. We thought we had made a breakthrough as far as getting something sorted out but that proved not to be the case. Got back home and sure enough the light came back on again a week or so later. This time the garage got one of the Fiat Technicians up to do the work. The DPF sensor had to be replaced this time. Sadly this did not cure the intermittent fault with the motorhome so we drove down to the Autotrail factory in Grimsby. Dave Thomas test drove the motorhome and agreed there appeared to be a fault. Andy Parker came and tested it and agreed there were problems and he was going to replace the injectors and the wiring loom, but then two Fiat Technicians came up at the weekend and said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and it did not require any work. Autotrail did some interior jobs for us then washed the van before we set off back home. Intermittent problem back again! It was then that we realised it was connected to water. (It had been dry for the week leading up to the Fiat Technicians test). When we got home I checked under the bonnet the following morning and water was dripping in over the fuse box and ECU cover whilst a gentle frost was thawing. I then discovered the fuel filter was leaking underneath. Back to the garage for that to be replaced! Just before Easter it went back into another garage in France because we had taken a video of water heavily dripping into the engine bay after rain. This was authorised by Fiat. We asked them to give the garage the details of the intermittent fault but do not think this info was passed on. When we went to collect the motorhome the service manager told us he had resealed the seal at the bottom of the windscreen yet again and put mastic around the joint in the middle of the scuttle. They had possibly done other remedial work for the water ingress problem as he gave us the 20 page booklet from Fiat which tells garages how to deal with clients who have this problem, and what work to do to correct the fault. The motorhome was still not running well, and last week after an hour of light rain I went down to check the engine bay. The scuttle was full of water and water was dripping everywhere inside. I took a video of this and sent it to Fiat. I was told Fiat Technical would be advised and they would get back to me. A week later and I am still waiting. Our dealer is hiding behind his solicitor, and Fiat are trying to offer us a paltry sum of compensation in full and final settlement. They have still not paid us for expenses we incurred when our van broke down in Feb 2013 and are proposing to include this, plus other expenses we have incurred, in the compensation. Sorry for this long tale of woe, but we now really think as many people as possible should know about this. We have really reached our wits end with this problem and don't know where to go. :'( Really sorry to hear what you have been through with your van Fred, we all hope to get a lot of pleasur from our motorhomes but it sounds like your Fiat base vehicle has turned it into a nightmare for you May I suggest you start a new thread on the motorhome matters section as I am sure you will get more help With this from the members there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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