A Class engine bay area insulation.....or lack of!!!

Joined
Jan 9, 2022
Posts
254
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606
Location
Colchester, UK
Funster No
86,183
MH
Pilote G732
Exp
Total Newbie
I've noticed that there is NO insulation whatsoever in our Pilote A Class engine bay. So the area below the extended dash and either side behind/around the front suspension turrets is completely exposed and quite chilly.
Are there any prefabricated solutions or something that will stay in place in such a adhesive unfriendly area?
 
When I took the dash off my A class dash to install some extra USBs I could see the road down past the steering column😳😳😳
Disgusting really when they make a big thing out of the sandwich insulated walls and floor!!
 
We initially made a insulated cover which went from the passenger door and tucked into the wheel arch on the drivers side. It was held in place with Velcro rings screwed to the lower side of the dashboard and attached with Velcro stitched onto the back of the cover. We made it long so as to fold at floor level. It worked very well and the cold when it’s removed is extremely noticeable. I later bought a purpose made one in the Hymer outlet for €10. Pilote may have one in their catalog.
 
I place 2 sleeping bags from the passenger door across inside.
 
When I took the dash off my A class dash to install some extra USBs I could see the road down past the steering column😳😳😳
Disgusting really when they make a big thing out of the sandwich insulated walls and floor!!
Not in the Palace I trust Mark as ours has a rubber seal around the steering column and floor.

C3588F9F-85FF-4588-815B-4B3D7EDEA801.jpeg
 
Yet another advantage of owning a PVC.
Taylormade make an extended cover that covers the windscreen and the complete bonnet.

Fantastic when parked. Heater keeps me warm when travelling. :LOL:
 
Imagine what happens in a head on collision !
Roughly the same as a C-class or PVC. As the only additional metal they have is a stumpy bonnet. So I suspect the frame rails will take most of the impact before the engine breaks free and takes some interia with it.

Then, a third of a second later, knives, pots, TVs, cupboard fronts, etc come to meet you in the cab.
 
Roughly the same as a C-class or PVC. As the only additional metal they have is a stumpy bonnet. So I suspect the frame rails will take most of the impact before the engine breaks free and takes some interia with it.

Then, a third of a second later, knives, pots, TVs, cupboard fronts, etc come to meet you in the cab.
That's why we have high back seats I guess ;)
 
This is ours before the body goes on, (actually not ours but the same)

IMG_0768.jpeg


The bulkhead and under the dash is both thermally and acoustically insulated before the body goes on, I think the only cold spots are the glass, the side windows are double glazed and closing the blind even only partially from the bottom help, having the Alde heating running along the dashboard top is a bonus.
 
Roughly the same as a C-class or PVC. As the only additional metal they have is a stumpy bonnet. So I suspect the frame rails will take most of the impact before the engine breaks free and takes some interia with it.

Then, a third of a second later, knives, pots, TVs, cupboard fronts, etc come to meet you in the cab.
A nice thought, the reality is the A class cab disintegrates! But it is made of glass fibre, carpet, cardboard and holes lol

Safest seems to be a PVC which is crash tested and has driver crumple zones

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A nice thought, the reality is the A class cab disintegrates! But it is made of glass fibre, carpet, cardboard and holes lol

Safest seems to be a PVC which is crash tested and has driver crumple zones
Or a crash tested A class ;) but to be fair I thought the question was about cab insulation…… or lack of.
 
Or a crash tested A class ;)

I would imagine that the likes of Mercedes spend more money on safety testing their vehicles than the total value of any motorhome converter

Even the ones that look like up market Hymers :wink:
 

I would imagine that the likes of Mercedes spend more money on safety testing their vehicles than the total value of any motorhome converter

Even the ones that look like up market Hymers :wink:
Interesting. A Fiat Ducato appears to be safer than a Transit or a Sprinter.
 
How can the Nissan interstar be " not recommended" when it's brother the Renault Master is Bronze?

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Same with Citroen Relay & Peugeot Boxer they score Bronze where as the Fiat Ducato gets Platinum.

Could it be that, although the body appear the same, there are subtle changes, such as engines and mounts etc, between the two?
Water ingress into the engine bay, for example, was much worse on the early Ducato's than it was on the Boxer.
 
Could it be that, although the body appear the same, there are subtle changes, such as engines and mounts etc, between the two?
Water ingress into the engine bay, for example, was much worse on the early Ducato's than it was on the Boxer.
More to do with things like ESC & other safety items that are standard on the Fiat.
 
Anyway back to bonnet insulation on an A Class.
My Hymer has thick sound insulating material under the dash and sound insulation both sides (inside & out) of the firewall.
 
I think being an older van, it can't of been a consideration when building it but it's going to require some sort of solution. MHF and Google will be my friends, thanks

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I've noticed that there is NO insulation whatsoever in our Pilote A Class engine bay. So the area below the extended dash and either side behind/around the front suspension turrets is completely exposed and quite chilly.
Are there any prefabricated solutions or something that will stay in place in such a adhesive unfriendly area?
I think my Geist is pretty similar to the Pilote. I'm not sure what's between the firewall and the dash. But if I peek down the sides of the extended dash, there's definitely some large blocks of very squishy adhesive backed foam.

View through a speaker hole, looking down and forwards towards the wheel arch. There's a bunch of ducting to help clear fog from the larger a-class windows:
PXL_20210828_121549435.jpg


What I'm not best pleased about is the free spaghetti wiring... I clean it up whenever I get access...
 

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