2 year old Ducato service due, any experiences of SMC?

[Ian_H]

Hi
Our Ducato Globecar is coming up to 2 years old. We have the 5 year extended warranty. SMC in Newark are booked to do some habitation warranty work for us.
I was hoping to find and use a local to us (North Yorkshire) FIAT professional garage but am struggling. Also hearing abysmal reviews of many. So I'm looking for some feedback from anyone who has had their newish Ducatos in for servicing at SMC? The Fiat side of things, not habitation service. Alternatively, does anyone recommend any Fiat Professional garages in our area?
Thanks

 

[GoldenVision]

As you probably know we bought our van there and have always found them to be very helpful. We weren't keen on the swinging wall in the bathroom (Summit Shine 5.4m, so not a lot of room in there) and we asked them to take it out. They did a really good job. Hab service last year was fine. Booked in for hab & van service this year. Their Fiat mechanic does seem knowledgeable.

 

[Ian_H]

As you probably know we bought our van there and have always found them to be very helpful. We weren't keen on the swinging wall in the bathroom (Summit Shine 5.4m, so not a lot of room in there) and we asked them to take it out. They did a really good job. Hab service last year was fine. Booked in for hab & van service this year. Their Fiat mechanic does seem knowledgeable.

Thanks for that. We are not fans of the swinging wall either, but didn't realise it could be taken out! Any chance of a few pics of the result?

 

[Hagstrom]

A lot depends on where you are in North Yorkshire, but I've used Auto Tec, Brewery Street, Keighley, for van engine/chassis servicing over the last 10 years and am very satisfied with their service levels and prices. They do artics, rigids and light vans plus MoTs for over 3.5tons. Its only 10 miles from Skipton, North Yorkshire.

 

[Ian_H]

A lot depends on where you are in North Yorkshire, but I've used Auto Tec, Brewery Street, Keighley, for van engine/chassis servicing over the last 10 years and am very satisfied with their service levels and prices. They do artics, rigids and light vans plus MoTs for over 3.5tons. Its only 10 miles from Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Thanks for that. Are they a Fiat Professional outfit? I don't want to complicate things if a warranty issue crops up.

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[GoldenVision]

Thanks for that. We are not fans of the swinging wall either, but didn't realise it could be taken out! Any chance of a few pics of the result?

I'll do some at the weekend. They removed the swinging wall in such a way that it could be reinstated, but we think it's better without and have made modifications to the sink so that it can't now be replaced.

 

[TerryL]

Not a particular recommendation, but after using a few different places, I now prefer to keep the habitation and vehicle servicing separate. A commercial garage does my vehicle servicing and repairs as they are used to working on vans and trucks, whilst a dedicated caravan maintenance place looks after the habitation side. I'm no fan of using motorhome dealers as, apart from one or two, they rarely have the right staff to do both properly.

 

[Ian_H]

Not a particular recommendation, but after using a few different places, I now prefer to keep the habitation and vehicle servicing separate. A commercial garage does my vehicle servicing and repairs as they are used to working on vans and trucks, whilst a dedicated caravan maintenance place looks after the habitation side. I'm no fan of using motorhome dealers as, apart from one or two, they rarely have the right staff to do both properly.

Hi Terry
I would prefer to have them separate too! After this hab service I'll go back to my local mobile guy, only using SMC for warranty. I'd use a local garage if I could find one with good reviews......

 

[hja]

We bought our Summit Prime from SMC in 2021 and they have done hab checks, and services ever since. No problems. Always find them helpful.

 

[Hagstrom]

Sorry, Ian H, AutoTec is not a FIAT Professional dealer. I understand your concern about sticking to an FP dealer while your van is in warranty. I've used Stoneacre at Cleckheaton, a FIAT main dealer, for van warranty work and they were ok.

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[GoldenVision]

I'll do some at the weekend. They removed the swinging wall in such a way that it could be reinstated, but we think it's better without and have made modifications to the sink so that it can't now be replaced.

Still tight, but a lot better.

Just have to swap in the shower head.

 

[Ian_H]

Still tight, but a lot better.


View attachment 1067063


View attachment 1067064View attachment 1067064
Just have to swap in the shower head.

Thanks, very interesting. Some questions about it:
Do you use the shower much?
Did they do extra sealing around the back of the toilet base? Ours has large gaps. I did get them to seal better round the bottom of the base cos shower water ran under the swing door and appeared in the cassette cupboard underneath.
Where is the light switch (assume no mirror light now)?
Is the sink u bend deliberate to avoid smells? Otherwise I would have thought it could be hidden a bit better.
What is the square thing to the left of the flush button? (Guessing light switches)
What is the black piece in the end of the shower pipe?

 

[GoldenVision]

Thanks, very interesting. Some questions about it:
Do you use the shower much?
Did they do extra sealing around the back of the toilet base? Ours has large gaps. I did get them to seal better round the bottom of the base cos shower water ran under the swing door and appeared in the cassette cupboard underneath.
Where is the light switch (assume no mirror light now)?
Is the sink u bend deliberate to avoid smells? Otherwise I would have thought it could be hidden a bit better.
What is the square thing to the left of the flush button? (Guessing light switches)
What is the black piece in the end of the shower pipe?

We do use the shower now - found it almost impossible before.

We haven't had a problem with sealing around the toilet.

Yes u bend is to avoid smells. We could still hide it a bit better but probably won't bother.

Light switch is still there to the left of the flush. Same lights as before.

The black piece replaces the shower head when using the sink - both screw on and off.

The main reason for removing the wall was to increase the space in there - and it's definitely better for both using the shower and the toilet. Admittedly we've gone for functionality over aesthetics.

The swinging wall was a very nice design, but, I think, would work only in longer vans.

 

[Ian_H]

For anyone wondering what Goldenvision and I are talking about, here are a couple pics of our bathroom (as standard) in the Globecar Summit Shine 540 (5.4m long ducato).
It is extremely 'compact', and at 6ft 2", if I drop the soap when showering I have no chance of picking it up without opening the door!

The only purpose of the swing door I can see is stopping the loo getting splashed on when showering, hardly a big issue!
We love the rest of the van design.
Ref my comment about sealing round the back of the loo, here are a couple of pics showing the large gaps. If the wall behind the toilet was getting splashed while showering, water could run down and out through these gaps, not good. They should be sealable with sealant, although awkward to get at.

We will seriously consider something similar to Goldenvision, probably starting with a price from SMC. I might be brave enough to have a go myself after the warranty runs out in August......