Ducato Cab Heating (1 Viewer)

makems

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Sep 23, 2011
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We dont normally go anywhere cold enough to require the cab heating on when we are driving, but on our return to the UK recently we needed to warm ourselves up.
Me, on the passenger side had nice, toasty feet.
Gwen, on the drivers side still had feet like blocks of ice.
On feeling with my hand in the footwels, I could feel a nice blast of hot air on the passenger side but nothing on the drivers side.
The dealer says this is a Fiat Ducato issue and due to the "normal" drivers side being on the left (the passenger side in the UK). This implies Fiat designed the cab without expecting passengers to require warm feet!
Anybody else had this problem?
Is this answer correct?
 

Tootles

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How about making a 'diverter', or 'spreader' out of a piece of alloy sheet? You could even hinge pin it at the top, so it will move left/right. The simple way would to locate the alloy plate mid way between the outlet, and angle it to the passenger direction.
 

Spottycatz

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Still making mistakes! But they're not as costly.
I take it then that your van is left hand drive?

So is mine, a Fiat Ducato also and the foot heating on both sides is brilliant.::bigsmile:

Can't see that having heating on one side of the van is the norm, whatever country the van is set up for.

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maz

Jan 26, 2011
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The dealer says this is a Fiat Ducato issue and due to the "normal" drivers side being on the left (the passenger side in the UK). This implies Fiat designed the cab without expecting passengers to require warm feet!
Anybody else had this problem?
Is this answer correct?

It certainly doesn't sound correct (or even likely :RollEyes:) - and I've never noticed any lack of heat to my tootsies when driving. When you say 'dealer' are we talking motorhome dealer rather than Fiat dealer?

As your van is an A-class while both mine and Spottycatz are coachbuilts, I'm just wondering if this is something to do with Burstner fiddling around with the Ducato dash rather than an actual Fiat problem?
 
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makems

makems

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our van is a RHD A Class so its possible I suppose that Burstner may have messed about with the cab, but I wuld have thought it unlikely. Everything about the dashboard appears standard Fiat.
Yes it was the motorhome dealer who gave me the explanation which I find hard to believe hence the question here.
Anybody got an A class on a Fiat who can confirm whether the heating works properly in the drivers footwell (RHD)?
 
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makems

makems

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How about making a 'diverter', or 'spreader' out of a piece of alloy sheet? You could even hinge pin it at the top, so it will move left/right. The simple way would to locate the alloy plate mid way between the outlet, and angle it to the passenger direction.

The vans almost new so I dont want to start messing about with it if it should be sorted under warranty.
To be honest we hardly ever need to use the heating so if I cant get it sorted under warranty Gwen will have to occasionally put up with cold feet!

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Aug 30, 2012
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The vans almost new so I dont want to start messing about with it if it should be sorted under warranty.
To be honest we hardly ever need to use the heating so if I cant get it sorted under warranty Gwen will have to occasionally put up with cold feet!

Possibly one of the flap cables is not set up correct I had this on a Astra van for demisters but I bet its pig to get into to find out
 
Jan 28, 2008
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if there is an outlet in both foot wells its not ureasonable to expect both to get hot, if its a distribution problem if all else fails partly block the one that works

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jhorsf

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I think its the dealer that is talking out of the wrong flap:ROFLMAO:

of course it should heat both sides that was an excuse as they could not be bothered to look
 

keith

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Another dickhead of a dealer, never heard such a load of codswallop in my life, where do they find them from? :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

Steve and Denise

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Heater

We have an A class Fiat and we are off for a few days in the morning even though the weather is nice here at the moment I will put the heater on to feet and check if both sides are the same. Personallly I think the dealer Bollocks! I will post our answer on Monday :thumb:

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Ed Excel

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I wouldn't put it past Fiat to only provide heating on the drivers side, my previous PVC didn't have a passenger airbag!! Also, you have to remember, the heater up front is primarily designed for 'white vans' and is going to be severely stretched if asked to do more.
 
Sep 23, 2007
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our van is a RHD A Class so its possible I suppose that Burstner may have messed about with the cab, but I wuld have thought it unlikely. Everything about the dashboard appears standard Fiat.
Yes it was the motorhome dealer who gave me the explanation which I find hard to believe hence the question here.
Anybody got an A class on a Fiat who can confirm whether the heating works properly in the drivers footwell (RHD)?

I have a Burstner A Class, and there is no noticeable difference between the left and the right. I would play around with the dial that selects feet, windscreen facia vents and see if you have a even heat from these.
 
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makems

makems

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We have an A class Fiat and we are off for a few days in the morning even though the weather is nice here at the moment I will put the heater on to feet and check if both sides are the same. Personallly I think the dealer Bollocks! I will post our answer on Monday :thumb:

Thanks Steve

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makems

makems

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I have a Burstner A Class, and there is no noticeable difference between the left and the right. I would play around with the dial that selects feet, windscreen facia vents and see if you have a even heat from these.

Thanks for that. I have played with the controls and as I posted earlier when heat routed to foot wells hot air only comes out of one side.
 
Feb 19, 2020
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I know this is an old thread but this will be useful for anyone searching for answers.
 

Apache

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I wouldn't put it past Fiat to only provide heating on the drivers side, my previous PVC didn't have a passenger airbag!! Also, you have to remember, the heater up front is primarily designed for 'white vans' and is going to be severely stretched if asked to do more.
Even when it’s only a van it should still pump hot air out of the vent , I get your point about the increased volume of a motorhome

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TerryL

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Is your van automatic by any chance? Sure I read a post recently where the footrest provided for the driver's left foot interfered with the airflow resulting in cold feet.
 

Happy1

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If it’s auto, Truma air outlet in the plastic panel where the clutch would have been with a short piece of ducting up under dash to heater outlet works a treat but is a bu@@er to fit!!
 
Feb 9, 2024
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fiat fleurette
We have a RHD 2022 Auto Fiat Fleurette motorhome. Last year we noticed that the driver's side footwell had no heat. The Fiat agent in Hull has a look and declared that all Fiat RHD vans were like that, (They had looked at a panel van.) That it was "normal" and wouldn't / couldn't do anything to put it right or it could invalidate the warranty.
On investigation, we found that there was a warm air outlet at the drivers side but it was about a foot of the floor and near the central console.
We watched the 'how to do it' video but our outlet is in a slightly different place but the idea is right.
We have, at last, had a go. (February) It is very awkward to get at. It helps if you're double jointed!! The panel below the steering wheel had to come off. There are only 2 screws in the RH side then you have to pull the panel off from the top and it has 3 hooks holding it in at the bottom. The footrest where the clutch would be, had to be eased off after removing the peg in the floor and 2 screws - hoping it would go back OK.
We bought a 2" aluminium flexible pipe which pushed nicely into the truncated pipe. It was tied to a 1cm wide metal pipe near where we placed it through the gap to the left of the footrest - which did go back OK. The pipe is too long at the moment and we're thinking of a way to split the heating so both the driver's left and right feet are warmed.
Good luck if you follow in our footsteps.
Sue

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Feb 9, 2024
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Oct 28, 2023
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Chausson 728eb
We dont normally go anywhere cold enough to require the cab heating on when we are driving, but on our return to the UK recently we needed to warm ourselves up.
Me, on the passenger side had nice, toasty feet.
Gwen, on the drivers side still had feet like blocks of ice.
On feeling with my hand in the footwels, I could feel a nice blast of hot air on the passenger side but nothing on the drivers side.
The dealer says this is a Fiat Ducato issue and due to the "normal" drivers side being on the left (the passenger side in the UK). This implies Fiat designed the cab without expecting passengers to require warm feet!
Anybody else had this problem?
Is this answer correct?
I have this same issue and after a bit of research found that on the conformatic gearbox models there is no grille on the drivers side for the hot air to pass through (it may be the same for the full automatic versions too). Because the driver dent use their left foot its allegedly to stop the drivers ankle getting burnt by the hot air!!!

Apparently its a matter of removing the plastic panel, the position for the vent is marked on the inside of the panel and cutting a hole....perhaps fitting a grille for aesthetics.

Next time I'm at our storage, its on my list of jobs.
 

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