Fiat Ducato (1 Viewer)

Oct 12, 2008
6,243
21,327
Balma (next to Toulouse) France
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4,394
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HymerCamp 51Capucine
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Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
Hi!

As quite a few of you know I have bought a small motorhome . It is a Hymer Camp 51 on a Fiat Ducato TD 2,5 l 1991

I know it is quite old but indeed I would have thought that I would not have any trouble with the parts being a Fiat Ducato which is very popular.
How can I find specific engine parts? I found out that I had a prob with Diesel heating. So I took Max to the garage and ask to have it checked to see if it was the heating plug or some other problem .

I just went to pay the garage this morning as they fixed it BUT I had been told on the phone that it was not really the plug itself but a bigger part (with some electronic stuff on) which was the prob. Electricity wasn't reaching the heating plug because of that part( I say it as I understood it) So they asked ::bigsmile:o you want the part to be changed , it might cost a bit! Ok , said I .... how much do you think?
Around 300 euros he answered including the job.
Ok do it then , I don't want prob in winter!
They phone yesterday to say it's all fixed!
So this morning off I go to pay with the babies so they can park it outside the garage and I can pick it up late after work.

Bill is what they said BUT the part hasn't been changed!!:Eeek:
They have changed the heating plug.
They said it took a hell of time to find it as they don't make it anymore, and don't know if the bigger part still exists, but Max starts very well.
I go out and look at the bill...... heating plug costs .......... 133 euros !
I thought it would have cost something like 15 euros? Is it normal even for a very difficult one to find?
Now what if I need to change the bigger part at some point ? Any idea on how to find it? Am I going to lose an arm again?
Any chance that one of the funsters traders here could find it for me?
I get worried now.....:crying:

All advices and tips very welcome!

Amicalement

Frankie:(
 
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yodeli
Oct 12, 2008
6,243
21,327
Balma (next to Toulouse) France
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HymerCamp 51Capucine
Exp
Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
Looks good Bill !I see they do Fiat Ducato from 1981 ! I have to find out if they have a contact form, so I can ask!
I must know what is the name of that part... if it has a name!

Thanks you very much!

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
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Now what if I need to change the bigger part at some point ? Any idea on how to find it?
Frankie:(

Not a lot of help but if "the bigger part" is a box sat on top of the battery there are pictures in here somewhere and with those some clues.

Cherchez Frankie.
 

jollyrodger

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Oct 1, 2012
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Replaced the H/P full set from eBay £16.00 inc postage .
On old hymer I used to own I had no power to the h/p .relay was expensive so went for olds school set up wired sprung push bottom direct from + side of battery to h/p hold in for 10 seconds and worked a treat thereafter (y) total cost around a tenner

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yodeli
Oct 12, 2008
6,243
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Balma (next to Toulouse) France
Funster No
4,394
MH
HymerCamp 51Capucine
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Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
Replaced the H/P full set from eBay £16.00 inc postage .
On old hymer I used to own I had no power to the h/p .relay was expensive so went for olds school set up wired sprung push bottom direct from + side of battery to h/p hold in for 10 seconds and worked a treat thereafter (y) total cost around a tenner

I bet it would cost me less to travel to the UK than to change the b****y part here! Have you got a lane to park my little Max on? :D Let's see .... we could make an exchange of services (Not ALL kind of services:rolleyes:!) I can bring bottles of wine ....;)
 

jollyrodger

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 1, 2012
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I bet it would cost me less to travel to the UK than to change the b****y part here! Have you got a lane to park my little Max on? :D Let's see .... we could make an exchange of services (Not ALL kind of services:rolleyes:!) I can bring bottles of wine ....;)[/QUOTE]
Now theres a plan ;)
 

TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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The heater plug is still available under £20, but I have heard others say the heater plug relay is not so easy to find or cheap.

what the relay does is supplies power to the heater plug for a few seconds at startup then switches off. plenty of people have had problems with the relay, and an easy cheap fix is to bypass it with a wire and push switch

no way should it have cost 300

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Heyupluv

Free Member
Oct 7, 2008
3,862
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Hi Frankie, I know where you are coming from over here in France...as I have just had a problem on our new Rapido...the fridge freezer stopped working on all three (and it was out of its 2 year warranty), Gas,12v,and 230v...while I was in the uk on Holiday..
The Uk dealers could fix my problem by replacing the part required...these are two Dometic agents prices....one in Clitheroe...and one in the Durum area ( was a mobile agent)....now the cost of the repair complete would have been £450.00 total....
But as we was booked in at the channel tunnel and had to get back to France for the builder coming the next day to do work on our house and as the two Dometic dealers in the Uk could not get the part for anther 2 to 3 weeks it was no good.....thinking the prices would be similar in France we called at two DOMETIC agents in France one was a Rapido/Dometic agent...and the other was Calais caravans Dometic agent....HOW WRONG WE WAS..??
Now two Dometic agents in France wanted 1268.00 euros complete to change the same part..WOW and also could not get the part for around 3 to 4 weeks......GULP....
We did agree and had it done at Calais Caravans at the cost of 1268.00 euros......as if we went back to the Uk to have it done with the Diesel and tunnel prices and the vets for our dog ...it would have cost about 200 euros less but if anything went wrong in that 12 month warranty it would have been the same cost of travel again...
How can the 2 Dometic agents cost in the UK be such a vast difference to the 2 Dometic Agents in France using the same parts from Dometic ??????

Mel
 

ukbill

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Nov 3, 2011
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it would have been cheaper mel to buy a new bloody fridge freezer
also recently in france my battery packed up the battery here would have cost around £100 for a bosch
the same battery i got in france was 250e and i had to fit it bloody robbery

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Frentchy

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Oct 2, 2013
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Hi Yodeli, You definitely got ripped off there! was it a Fiat garage or a local Auto Electrician? Our local A E would have done what other posters have suggested, (you don't need the relay box)and charged you about 50€
to change the heater plug and by- pass the relay with a push button, next time you have a problem with Max let me know, at the least I can advise you.(y)
 

DP+JAY

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Badknee

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Living the dream.
That's pure robbery! As said its power you need for a short time only. The colder it is the longer you need to hold the button in that's all.

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Gorse Hill

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Feb 2, 2013
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My mates serpentine belt went on his ford transit and a tensioner seized while in France couple of weeks ago
Got charged €480.00 took them an hour to sort, thought it was expensive here not now
 

Heyupluv

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Oct 7, 2008
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it would have been cheaper mel to buy a new bloody fridge freezer
also recently in france my battery packed up the battery here would have cost around £100 for a bosch
the same battery i got in france was 250e and i had to fit it bloody robbery

Yes Bill you could well be correct in the UK.....but not in France 1600 upwards.....+ the labour and extra parts and sealant.?????
 
Aug 18, 2014
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I use this company operating out of Barcelona for many of my spares. They deliver to France & I think you can change the language to French up top somewhere.

Link Removed

I also use ,
Link Removed

for most "unobtainable" bits as they re-manufacture a lot of stuff.
P.S.
Breaking down & requiring repair/parts/recovery in France is the stuff of nightmares.
horrendously expensive for the same items.

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Aug 6, 2013
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This will do the job. First one I found but almost any heater plug control for a same-era (ie pre-ECU) diesel will do the job. They are a simple timer & some have an optional connection for the temperature sender (which reduces heater plug use as the engine warms up but is not essential).

Broken Link Removed
 
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yodeli
Oct 12, 2008
6,243
21,327
Balma (next to Toulouse) France
Funster No
4,394
MH
HymerCamp 51Capucine
Exp
Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
Thank you all! I've been so busy with the rats problem that I forgot all about this thread, so my apologies to all the funsters who took some time to answer, sorry I never came back to them! Not really my style, I'm the first to get a bit upset when I try to help and no one comes back, but I admit I've been really shocked and down. Max is at the mechanic at the moment to have that job done. We have chosen the direct connection to the battery option. Simple , less hassle to find the part and less expensive. I must say my purse is having a bad purse flu..... rats' virus I guess! Yukkkk! The whole fight has cost me an arm.

Anyway , I have to find how to bookmark this thread so I can come back to it now and then !

Frankie:)(y)

Again thanks all!
 
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yodeli
Oct 12, 2008
6,243
21,327
Balma (next to Toulouse) France
Funster No
4,394
MH
HymerCamp 51Capucine
Exp
Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
I use this company operating out of Barcelona for many of my spares. They deliver to France & I think you can change the language to French up top somewhere.

Link Removed

I also use ,
Link Removed

for most "unobtainable" bits as they re-manufacture a lot of stuff.
P.S.
Breaking down & requiring repair/parts/recovery in France is the stuff of nightmares.
horrendously expensive for the same items.

Thanks Gus ! The Second link doesn't seem to work , can you check please , I would like to put in my favourite's folder

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Last edited:

eric 83

Free Member
Jan 6, 2009
87
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leeds
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30+yrs
Nice relays but the heater plug on an older Ducato is a "flame thrower"" type that burns an amount of fuel and heats the inlet! I believe !,and they are more expensive than a normal heater plug

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OP
yodeli
Oct 12, 2008
6,243
21,327
Balma (next to Toulouse) France
Funster No
4,394
MH
HymerCamp 51Capucine
Exp
Since 2011/owner since 6/03/2014
Nice relays but the heater plug on an older Ducato is a "flame thrower"" type that burns an amount of fuel and heats the inlet! I believe !,and they are more expensive than a normal heater plug

That's what's the mechanic told me . He showed me the invoice of his parts' dealer, and it was the said price . The mechanic never took a penny for it from me!
 
Aug 18, 2011
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derbys
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Hi Frankie, I know where you are coming from over here in France...as I have just had a problem on our new Rapido...the fridge freezer stopped working on all three (and it was out of its 2 year warranty), Gas,12v,and 230v...while I was in the uk on Holiday..
The Uk dealers could fix my problem by replacing the part required...these are two Dometic agents prices....one in Clitheroe...and one in the Durum area ( was a mobile agent)....now the cost of the repair complete would have been £450.00 total....
But as we was booked in at the channel tunnel and had to get back to France for the builder coming the next day to do work on our house and as the two Dometic dealers in the Uk could not get the part for anther 2 to 3 weeks it was no good.....thinking the prices would be similar in France we called at two DOMETIC agents in France one was a Rapido/Dometic agent...and the other was Calais caravans Dometic agent....HOW WRONG WE WAS..??
Now two Dometic agents in France wanted 1268.00 euros complete to change the same part..WOW and also could not get the part for around 3 to 4 weeks......GULP....
We did agree and had it done at Calais Caravans at the cost of 1268.00 euros......as if we went back to the Uk to have it done with the Diesel and tunnel prices and the vets for our dog ...it would have cost about 200 euros less but if anything went wrong in that 12 month warranty it would have been the same cost of travel again...
How can the 2 Dometic agents cost in the UK be such a vast difference to the 2 Dometic Agents in France using the same parts from Dometic ??????

Mel

Mobile certified caravan engineer is in France all summer. Carries loads of spairs. He is on holiday in Spain until march,,, His name is Clive and you can contact him on 00447895183836. BUSBY...

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