# New Ducato service schedules



## 107925

I'm wading through the paperwork on my newish Adria Twin and trying to fathom when it should be serviced. Looking at the Fiat Ducato manual, I see lengthy intervals of 40,000 kilometres, but I didn't spot whether there's a time limit, depending on which occurs first.

However, the Adria manual mentions at least once a year. I think Adria is on about the habitation side, but given that its standard warranty is only a year, how can it insist upon annual checks?

For those of you who've had your new Ducato-based van for a while now, what is your understanding of the service intervals for both the chassis side and the conversion?

Ta.

Shaun


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## Grizzly

Shark said:


> I
> 
> For those of you who've had your new Ducato-based van for a while now, what is your understanding of the service intervals for both the chassis side and the conversion?


Ours (new Feb 2007) had the habitation service about 3 weeks ago and is booked for the Fiat service next week.

G


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## linal

Hi Shark this has been discussed in earlier threads and as my van was due 1st hab. check Jan/Feb. I contacted various Fiat garages also Fiat in Italy took ages to get answers but the outcome was 40,000 kms. or 1 year. I then asked Fiat etc. why Peugeot with the same engine was 28,000 kms. or every 2 years as you will probably have guessed still waiting for an answer.

Alex.

P.S. You can ask for a low mileage service which is cheaper.


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## rogerandsandra

Ours (April 2007) has just been serviced. We were told to have it serviced once a year for the Warranty, but we are going away in a few weeks so had it done sooner.
We highly recommend Stormonts in Dunstable (commercial garage). We were advised to use a commercial garage and I read about Stormonts on here and found them very helpful and Customer focused. Had 8 (I think) recalls done at the same time. We were also told that the engine cover is only fitted if asked, it is not a recall 8O.

Sandra


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## Spacerunner

Reading my paperwork carefully ( how novel! ) There is a mention of a low mileage annual service. I assume that is the one that applies to us.Whether its a low cost annual service remains to be seen!


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## 107925

Actually, when I picked the Twin a couple of weeks ago, the dealer made sure all was OK by taking it to a local Fiat dealer for a minor service, as the van was only 10 months old with 8,000 miles (thus not warranting a biggy). The cost of this 'bronze' service was £149.99 including VAT. The Fiat place did the various recall work at the same time and included (without being asked) the engine cover, etc, for the water ingress problem. 

Shaun


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## 105062

Hi, I can not way-up why my Tribute has to have its first hab service at 9 months, the manual is very clear on this and also goes on to say that the warranty will be void if a service (any) is done more than a month before or after the due date. All seems to increase their chances that they can get out of any warranty claims me thinks!

As Alex says the Fiat bit is 12 months or 40 000km and a "low mileage" is £125 which sounds good value compared to the hab check cost of £200, my local corgi registered gas engineer will do all the gas safety checks for £40 !!!

Someone is on an earner :roll:


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## gm6vxb

Found from my local dealer that the vehicle was built in January 2007 when it went to the converters even though it was not registered in the UK until November 2007. 
If you have not, then check with FIAT that the warranty start date is the date the vehicle was first registered in the UK. Just phone camper assistance who will clarify this.
Beside the normal service period FIAT also recommend every year if the milage is low. As mine is technically a year old but only done 4000 Miles and I am having it serviced at the end of the week. 
Martin.


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## safariboy

My 2007 Fiat gives 1 year plus or minus 1 month for the base service.
There seems to be variation. This is hardly surprising because it is largely checking etc. and the need for an oil change will depend on type of use, dust etc. that they can only give a rough idea. It is all a matter of keeping wear down and there is not a point when it suddenly becomes essential.
We may have identical engines but Fiat and Peaugeot can quite reasonably give different service intervals.


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## 107925

So, on the basis that few us will be doing 40,000 kilometres per year, are you guys just going to limit yourselves to an annual service? What about the habitation side of things? Once the converter's warranty no longer applies, who will continue to have a habitation check/service every year?

Shaun


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## Grizzly

Shark said:


> ? Once the converter's warranty no longer applies, who will continue to have a habitation check/service every year?
> 
> Shaun


We will. In any motorhome there are so many wires, tubes and pipes squashed through tiny holes and constantly being chafed and rattled that I'd like someone to assure me each year that they are all in place, the van is not leaking or damp and I'm not about to be blown to kingdom come by a loose gas pipe.

G


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## 105062

Grizzly said:


> Shark said:
> 
> 
> 
> ? Once the converter's warranty no longer applies, who will continue to have a habitation check/service every year?
> 
> Shaun
> 
> 
> 
> We will. In any motorhome there are so many wires, tubes and pipes squashed through tiny holes and constantly being chafed and rattled that I'd like someone to assure me each year that they are all in place, the van is not leaking or damp and I'm not about to be blown to kingdom come by a loose gas pipe.
> 
> G
Click to expand...

I do not think that a service will be that thorough plus how often do we all have our houses checked in that sort of detail? A part from a gas service what else is there? saying that the service only indicates everything was ok when checked so a decent CO and gas alarm would be better as that is permanently checking the gas pipes etc ! The rest it either works or it does'nt I guess so I do not realy want to pay £200 each year for someone to tell me what I already know, they only check to see if something works, they do not look behind it unless its broke.


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## GerryD

rogerandsandra said:


> Ours (April 2007) has just been serviced. We were told to have it serviced once a year for the Warranty, but we are going away in a few weeks so had it done sooner.
> We highly recommend Stormonts in Dunstable (commercial garage). We were advised to use a commercial garage and I read about Stormonts on here and found them very helpful and Customer focused. Had 8 (I think) recalls done at the same time. We were also told that the engine cover is only fitted if asked, it is not a recall 8O.
> 
> Sandra


Sandra,
Just had my engine cover fitted by Stormonts at Dunstable. I requested the engine cover but by the time I had got it booked in Fiats had issued a new service bulletin for the fitting of a new scuttle. New scuttle is deeper and has a level trough to prevent water pooling on one side.
Regards,
Gerry


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## Grizzly

Tribute_650 said:


> [
> I do not think that a service will be that thorough. The rest it either works or it does'nt I guess so I do not realy want to pay £200 each year for someone to tell me what I already know, they only check to see if something works, they do not look behind it unless its broke.


We paid £160 last month. I guess we could have done some of it but we'd have had to have bought a damp meter, a manometer and means of pressurising the gas system, to have known which joints to check underneath ( and been able to crawl safely underneath the raised van), to check and clean the water system and check the electrics and water heater and other things on the list which, I'm sure we could have done, but would have more confidence in it being done by someone who has done it umpteen times before.

£160 is a lot of money but it does buy a measure of peace of mind that I'm not so sure I'd have still had if we'd done a diy job on it. There is also the fact that to have a record of regular professional checks done makes it , perhaps, more re-sellable and might be useful for insurance purposes if anything major does occur.

What do others do ?

G


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## safariboy

My feeling is that in a motorhome you have got rather a lot of flamable materials, gas fuel close together. I do not think that you can compare it to a house where the construction is very different.

I agree about CO alarms and smoke detectors and certainly have these.
I agree that it does seem expensive for what you get and would like to know how many hours they actually do take. IF it stops a problem when we are in a remote Slovenian campsite it is well worth while.
Anyway at the moment we need to to maintain the Guarantee so I shall continue.


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## 107925

I can't help feeling it's a nice little earner for those who do the services. The crucial areas of gas and electricity aside, many of us would know from sights and smells, that something was amiss, without someone having to poke around on our behalf. 

If I were buying an older van, I think the habitation check could be crucial, but for many people with newer vans which they know pretty well, it just doesn't seem to carry the same level of urgency - not for the best part of £200 each time, anyway. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like the supposed six-monthly dental checks. Yeah, right - I go there strictly on a need-to-know basis.

I need more convincing (warranty requirements and gas/electricty checks aside).

Shaun


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## 105062

re: Habitation services.
I will also have the services done for the warranty and it will help with the resale upto a certain age but not if trading in or over about 6 years or so (I still have 2 service books full stamped which dealers never asked for on part exing !)
I can understand the reassuring feeling of having a service done especially if one is not practical but the service schedules I have seen in the past will not prevent a brake down of any appliance no matter where one is. They only check to see if they work on the day of the service and that nothing obvious is hanging off inside or underneath. 

The only check I perceive as been of value is the gas which a registered corgi gas engineer will do for around £40, I am an electrical engineer by trade and have not seen any preventative electrical checks done other than the condition of the batteries and does everything work. I am not sure I have ever had an earth test or insulation test done on the vans as part of the service just "we changed a bulb and it still does not work so you may have a problem" when in actual fact they had not turned on the light switch!!!!

If you can afford it have it done I only question its value for money and would like to campaign for less ripoff !


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## Grizzly

This is quite a useful document. It includes the (2007) checklist for the NCC annual habitation check and makes the point that competent people can do it themselves.

http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/annualcheck.shtml

G


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## linal

Hi I shall have another hab. check done next Feb. which will keep my guarantee valid for the 3years as far as the Hymer 6year damp guarantee the damp check goes along with the hab. check and as it has to be Hymer approved dealer you are talking in excess of £200+ I shall test myself at end of 3rd. year & if no damp will not bother with Hymer but take it to a local chap who is qualified for caravan servicing as I know he checks all the gas side ie. burners pressures etc. very thorough service at less than half Hymer prices. This I may have done every 2yrs. as I believe I would notice any gas leaks either thro smell or detector even excess gas usage . As far as the Fiat side goes have the services done up to guarantee period after that I shall do an oil/filter change every year & the major service schedules at garage.
Grizzly you have more faith in the HAB. checks than me as all they seem to do is make sure windows/doors/cupboards all open/close and lights/fridge/heating etc. work at that specific time. Alex.


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## 105062

Thanks Grizzly that is useful and can be seen that nearly all service functions consist of "check operation" in otherwords does it work !

As I said previously I resent paying £200, which is the cheapest I can find from a Trigano authorised service dealer, for some one to tell me what I already know !

eg Under Electrical : _check Outlets and permanent connections - carry out visual and functional check_ --Sounds really technical but is fancy speak for Do the sockets work !!

I have found that if you dared to have wanted an appliance to be serviced ie fridge, oven, hob it was extra as the habitation service is actually a series of checks not a service .......... thats what I see as a rip off!


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## Grizzly

linal said:


> Grizzly you have more faith in the HAB. checks than me as all they seem to do is make sure windows/doors/cupboards all open/close and lights/fridge/heating etc. work at that specific time. Alex.


Hi Alex...if, as they advertise, our dealer does the NCC check then they do a little more than that - see the list.

I guess most of the visual and many of the technical checks we could do ourselves but I'm not sure about the lubrication bits and we have no damp meter. Currently we have a screechy door on our car and to buy the necessary lubricant for that cost more than to have it done at the garage - who did it free last time.

I notice there is a tick for Drain down ( winter only) when the water system has been checked. That wasn't done on our service a few weeks ago and could have been a disaster if we'd not thought to check. I will be on to the dealer about that !

G


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## Glengyle

Just phoned Arnold Clark as my van's first service is due around start of May - £240!!! but on phoning back they told me they could do a low mileage service (van has done 2200 miles) for £180.


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## Wizzo

Glengyle said:


> Just phoned Arnold Clark as my van's first service is due around start of May - £240!!! but on phoning back they told me they could do a low mileage service (van has done 2200 miles) for £180.


Seems like a lot of money to me. Does anyone know what a "low mileage service" actually entails? I would bet it is little or nothing more than an oil and filter change. There is little in the way of maintenance on a diesel engine so what on earth do they do to justify £180 or even worse £240? After only 2,200 miles the brakes and all the running gear should be virtually as new. An MOT only costs about £60 and that checks brakes, wheel bearings, rubber gaiters, steering rack etc etc - probably everything on a normal service schedule other than the filters and oil.

JohnW


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## 107925

As mentioned earlier, my dealer arranged a 'bronze' service as the van was only 10 months old, with 8,000 or so on the clock. This was a fixed price of £150 and it incorporated checks to tyres, lights, battery level, exhaust system, brakes, coolant level, brake/clutch fluid levels, screenwasher level, power steering oil level, gearbox oil level, steering joints checked for wear/damage, front and rear suspension checked for wear/damage.

In addition, the engine oil and filter were changed.

I reckon the above is a fair amount of work and £150 (inc VAT) doesn't seem unreasonable. Many of us know from personal experience that someone grovelling around on the floor checking the grotty areas of brakes, steering and suspension, has drawn the short straw compared to the guy who's inside a van checking whether lights come on and cupboard doors open and shut properly.

I've heard nothing yet which leads be to conclude that £200 or thereabouts for a habitation check, is anything but easy money. Halve that and we might be nearer the mark. Didn't I read that John's Cross charge £99? 

Shaun


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## putties

My fiat ducato brought in 2005 had a first service at two years. In our newer model (april 2007) some of us have only done under 4000miles even though using it on a regular basis. Is th only 1 year intervals for a service is model .?????


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## OutlandsArthur

As a newcomer to all this I am very interested in all the instructions about servicing from the dealer. Our Knaus Sun Ti 650MF has a 2 year warranty and a 5 year seals warranty. Having checked our warranty very carefully the only work needed to maintain the validity of the warranties is to have an annual seals inspection by the dealer. I reckon I can do the rest myself. As an earlier post says, you become aware when something is not right. I have not been impressed by anyones's experiences of dealers service.

As an aside we have just had a Strikeback alarm fitted by RVTEX in Newstead. When I collected the motorhome there was no evidence of anyone touching our pride and joy. Very impressed. They do all sorts of MH servicing. Check out http://www.rvtex.co.uk/3.html

John


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