Fiat Ducato Judder (1 Viewer)

tigger22

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Sep 14, 2010
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Hi Everyone,

My wife and I have recently ordered an Autotrail Mohawk on a Fiat chassis on a recent visit to the NEC and can't wait to pick it up.

Although we did some research before going due to my disabilitity we were searching for a certain type of layout and the all important rear garage. We found the perfect MH in the Mohawk, or so we thought! Coupled with that we considered an automatic but the extra cost, we decided to have a manual with an autoclutch fitted.

Imagine our horror when we read some blogs etc regarding the problems with the gear box/clutch judder problems when reversing and the RAC/Fiat recovery breakdown service especially abroad not to mention Fiats lack of action & customer support.

Please see:

http://www.seered.co.uk/fiat.htm

and many other sites telling of horror stories.

Can anyone tell me am I over reacting or should I be concerned. Judging by the comments Fiat and the makers of MHs they are not taking this issue seriously. I dont want to buy a MH that I can't reverse and continually breaks down. How long will Fiat give warranty on a design fault as we intend to keep our MH for 10 years +! With hindsight we should have ordered the automatic as this doesnt suffer from the judder.

I would be most grateful for your views or updates.

Many thanks


:shout: Help
 

Welsh girl

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Nov 7, 2009
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Hi Everyone,

My wife and I have recently ordered an Autotrail Mohawk on a Fiat chassis on a recent visit to the NEC and can't wait to pick it up.

Although we did some research before going due to my disabilitity we were searching for a certain type of layout and the all important rear garage. We found the perfect MH in the Mohawk, or so we thought! Coupled with that we considered an automatic but the extra cost, we decided to have a manual with an autoclutch fitted.

Imagine our horror when we read some blogs etc regarding the problems with the gear box/clutch judder problems when reversing and the RAC/Fiat recovery breakdown service especially abroad not to mention Fiats lack of action & customer support.

Please see:

http://www.seered.co.uk/fiat.htm

and many other sites telling of horror stories.

Can anyone tell me am I over reacting or should I be concerned. Judging by the comments Fiat and the makers of MHs they are not taking this issue seriously. I dont want to buy a MH that I can't reverse and continually breaks down. How long will Fiat give warranty on a design fault as we intend to keep our MH for 10 years +! With hindsight we should have ordered the automatic as this doesnt suffer from the judder.

I would be most grateful for your views or updates.

Many thanks


:shout: Help
Dont worry we bought a 2010 swift MH last year at the NEC. made sure it was the 2010 chassis (manufactured in Jan 10)and all is well no judder at all we have the 130 multijet manual and it drives like a dream:thumb:
Should have said the Fiat 130 multijet
 
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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
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This is very old news now. FIAT have sort of admitted the problem and solved it so with LUCK you should get a judder free one.

You don't say which engine you are buying.

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Heyupluv

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Oct 7, 2008
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This is very old news now. FIAT have sort of admitted the problem and solved it so with LUCK you should get a judder free one.

You don't say which engine you are buying.

I think Brian is right about Fiat .... should be sorted by now.......Mine is Fine


I have a 2008 Mc louis 463 steel 130 multi jet 3.8 tons low profile, 6.8m....no problems, one of the best motors to drive I get around 28 to 32 to the gallon.....Drives like a car, pulls like a train and goes like a rocket..Brill..I have just ordered in September 2010 a new motorhome a 2011 Rapido, I pick it up in March / April.....with the same Fiat 130 multi jet.....

Mel
 
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T

tigger22

Free Member
Sep 14, 2010
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Funster No
13,708
Thanks

[FONT=&quot]Hi Brian,

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Thanks for that. We'll be having the Fiat Ducato 40 Heavy - 130 bhp Manual Engine on the Autotrail Mohawk.

We came across a few forum comments on this problem plus one on the http://www.seered.co.uk/fiat.htm but included within that was an article from the Caravan Club dated 2008 with an update in 2009 basically saying there were no permanent resolutions from Fiat.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Spending a large amount of money on something that has a tarnished reputation and a defective design would be foolhardy so we thought we would ask people in the know as we are new to motorhoming.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Many thanks,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Paul[/FONT]


:thumb:
[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 
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tigger22

Free Member
Sep 14, 2010
6
0
Funster No
13,708
Hi Mel,

Thanks for the info. It does sound as if it is old news as Brian says.

Hope your new MH drives as good as the old one.

Thanks for that.

Paul :thumb:

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hilldweller

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[FONT=&quot]Spending a large amount of money on something that has a tarnished reputation and a defective design would be foolhardy so we thought we would ask people in the know as we are new to motorhoming.[/FONT]

You bet.

FIAT got put down due to the efforts one one guy in particular in the UK and others on the continent. FIAT kept saying "No Problem, bad driving". This guy kept saying "BIG problem, not driving" and eventually won.

The solution is a lower reverse gear and different engine mounts. Loads of money that FIAT tried to avoid paying and but for the internet would have got away with it.

Now there were no doubt thousands of gearboxes on the shelves and the converters just kept using them knowing they were sub-standard, do all you can to make sure yours is the one with new reverse gear ( lower speed, higher gear reduction ). In writing would be good and you might as well find a steep hill to reverse on, fully loaded, as well.
 
Dec 24, 2009
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Don't worry!!

All Fiat Ducato 130 multijets supplied from the beginning of 2010 should be fitted with the lower reverse gear.

It is actually only one tooth lower so still a bit high but it does do the trick.

I asked at the Fiat stand at the NEC last year if they were getting many complaints about judder and the chap I spoke to said they were not. I told him mine juddered under certain circumstances, so he simply took my name and address and telephone number and said he would report it when the show closed and that I should receive a phone call from Fiat customer care in due course.

In short I did! the gent I spoke to was very helpful when I explained the siutuation to him and simply put arranged for a complete upgrade without any quibble at all. The work was carried out at the local Fiat dealers in two days and we are very pleased with the results.

Originally Fiat had two options A & B A was new heavy duty engine and gearbox mounts B was the lower reverse gear plus the mounts.

We were given the complete upgrade including a heavy duty clutch.


Very happy ::bigsmile:::bigsmile:::bigsmile:
 

hilldweller

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We were given the complete upgrade including a heavy duty clutch.

I'd argue with that, and why not. You weren't given anything. You paid loads of money for sub standard goods and thanks to YOU intervening you got what you paid for.

There are hundreds, probably thousands, out there not so lucky.

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Welsh girl

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I'd argue with that, and why not. You weren't given anything. You paid loads of money for sub standard goods and thanks to YOU intervening you got what you paid for.

There are hundreds, probably thousands, out there not so lucky.

Yes we were one of them on the last sundance we owned which was on the fiat 120,couldnt wait to get rid of that one and we did mention it to the same guys at the NEC but heard nothing more about it.
We made sure this one we have now didnt have the problem:thumb:


Sorry 100 multijet!!!
 
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Dec 24, 2009
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Well Brian, what can I say? only related what happened in our case.

Perhaps the blame really lies with the Motorhome builders for not telling Fiat what the vehicle base was to be used for, and also what weight it was going to pull or push when in reverse. As a plain white van or a flat bed the base vehicle did not experience these sort of problems!!

And as everybody know your average whit van man can reverse as quick as most of us mere motorhomers can go forward regardless of incline or road conditions.
 

W18BLA

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Oct 24, 2009
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Is this problem with forward or reverse mine judders in first and reverse and sometimes is annoying might have to tell Fiat Dealer....

Craig

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Oct 5, 2009
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hi we ordered a autotrail cherokee in october its due to be delivered in mid march because we wanted rear seat belts and different interior
followed the reversing sagga since it started several years ago and hopefully its all been sorted
we are going to find out soon because we live on a 30% gradient single track road with passing places:Doh: we will keep you posted

dave & carol
 

jhorsf

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I have a 3litre auto IH oregon rl as you can imagine in 2009 when I ordered I was really worried when I read some reports, up to now I have only done 6000miles then van has been all I expected and more.It reverses slowly up a steep drive in perfect control parking inches away from a brick wall down one side. I am glad I had the 3 litre auto (about 28 to gallon) the people I have spoken to with the 2.3 of mid 2009 onwards all seem pleased with their vans I do not know when the lower ratio reverse was fitted in the 2.3 but make sure your van has not sat at the builders a long time I think you will love driving it if worried insist on a good reverse testing before you pay in full:thumb:
 

sedge

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FWIW ours never did it on tarmac 'that much' really but it was very noticeably not good at all on wet grass - now why would you ever design a white 'delivery van' to work well in reverse on wet grass? You wouldn't think about that scenario really, would you? - but for a camping vehicle specifically? - well yes; rather important!

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sedge

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Craig I'm not sure at all but don't think yours is the same engine, is it???

But anyway, if you have a prob then you do need to let Fiat know ... years and years ago my sis had a judder problem at times with a Renault car they had - garage had had a look and couldn't find or replicate it. Eventually coming home one day in the usual traffic jam coming into Bewdley she could not engage any gear at all and had to be towed into the dealers, coincidentally approx 500 yds away from where it died. All 4 engine-mounting bolts had sheared off !!!!
 

david price

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The fiat is a great drive.Mine had the judder and the clutch went in spain.Fiat were not good to deal with and it ended up costing me nearly £800 with fiat paying the rest as a good will gesture even though the van was still in warranty at the time so personelly i will never buy another fiat.It is the 160 multijet and no more judder since work was done.
The commercial vans also had judder,i had a 120 multijet for the business (purchased before my dealings with fiat ) This seems heavier on juice than the motorhome but it is a works van and does get driven as such.I have given this van to my son when i shut the business and he also thinks it drives really well but moans about the fuel :winky::winky:
Shame fiat dealt with me the way they did because it is the best van to drive in my opion and i have driven all makes and i would buy another if they had covererd thier warranty instead of trying to do as little as they could.Vans are great but thier warranty isent worth the paper its written on.Again my opinion.
Dave
 

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