Glass man
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The problems with the gearbox is because it is programmed in the Fiat factory which assumes the vehicle will be used at a variety of payloads and often be driven almost empty as a van.
A motorhome is usually driven close to its maximum payload.
The box can be reprogrammed by a competent Fiat Professional garage to overcome this. I had it done free as a warranty issue and it was very much better. Unfortunately many Fiat Professional garages don't seem to know about this! ( Mine was done in The Netherlands, the service was much cheaper than in UK, )
A motorhome is usually driven close to its maximum payload.
The box can be reprogrammed by a competent Fiat Professional garage to overcome this. I had it done free as a warranty issue and it was very much better. Unfortunately many Fiat Professional garages don't seem to know about this! ( Mine was done in The Netherlands, the service was much cheaper than in UK, )
Picket
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Last van came with it. Within half a mile didn't give it a second thought. Bought a new van insisted it had to have it. Would never consider going back to manual. Had a Bessicarr with manual that did 22mpg. On our second Chausson, 2.3 now with 160bhp upgrade. Responds like a golf GTi, giving 33mpg. Go for it, you won't look back.
cheyenne
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that what i have heard you only have to put the wrong oil in & doesn't like it /cheyenneHad one, lots of problems, lots of breakdowns and big costs. Would not get another one. Would get the new fiat proper automatic. Maybe I was just unlucky
Okta
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The clutch fluid in Comfortmatic set ups needs regular changing. Earlier handbooks listed clutch fluid changing at very long intervals but more recent handbooks show checking the fluid as part of the 2 year service and a complete drain down and replacement at 4 years. Some people advocate replacement every 2 years. I think the replacement procedure includes a software process that re-primes the system, it may also involve re-calibration of the clutch operation. Not something I could undertake and I suspect a lot of local garages would not have the software needed either.
If the fluid gets tired it can damage the slave cylinder and other bits of the clutch so getting it changed regularly in accordance with the latest service schedule seems like a good idea.
If the fluid gets tired it can damage the slave cylinder and other bits of the clutch so getting it changed regularly in accordance with the latest service schedule seems like a good idea.
Pudsey Bear
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I wonder if that very important info gets passed on to successive owners, I know I wouldn't touch one without a very well filled in service book and a good reliable warranty from a main dealer.
cheyenne
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seems a hole lot of headache's to me just so you don't have to change gear . cheyenne
nabsim
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Hmmmm, I would say that the majority of commercial vans travel round overloaded, probably more than motorhomes. No facts to back it up just from what I have seen and heard over the years. Sounds to me like Fiat hadn’t got the bugs out of it at the time. Yanks have been using auto boxes longer than most of us have been alive and less trouble than manuals.
Pudsey Bear
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In over twenty years of courier work in all sizes of vans I was no more than half of the payload and maybe a only few times anywhere near it, and more often than not I was empty coming back anyway so quite varying loading.
Overloading does happen of course but usually by cowboys, dunno about the Indians.
Overloading does happen of course but usually by cowboys, dunno about the Indians.
nabsim
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As I have never actually met you I don’t think Kev I can still say that 100% of those I know driving commercial vans are frequently overloaded.
Did you see that foreign Sprinter on the net a couple of weeks back, overloaded so they completely emptied it, empty van was so overloaded it had to be trailered back to where it came from
Can’t remember which site, was a police post lol
Pudsey Bear
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I know not who you know, so can't argue with that, but most couriers I knew would refuse a load that took them overweight, and most couriers I knew worked for bigger outfits as a subbies and they too wanted written loading sheets so if they did take the piss we at least had some sort of proof that we had done our due diligence short of weighing the van on each job, the penalties for overloading can put you out of work, I did get done once but it was a double whammy as I thought I was driving a 3.5t van that I had just bought ( a Ducato) but was actually a 3.3t (Why Fiat do that I don't know) and the load was miss weighed at the factory, Luckily the freight forwarding company I was carrying for backed me up in court as did the dealer who sold me the van as he too assumed it was a 3.5t van, they actually took it back from me and provided a newer Sprinter for the same price, I just had to pay costs of £80 which the freight forwarders refunded me.As I have never actually met you I don’t think Kev I can still say that 100% of those I know driving commercial vans are frequently overloaded.
Did you see that foreign Sprinter on the net a couple of weeks back, overloaded so they completely emptied it, empty van was so overloaded it had to be trailered back to where it came from
Can’t remember which site, was a police post lol
QFour
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- 289
Yes they are far better than the Comfortmatic robotised gearbox. I have had both and the new ZF box is brilliant. The small button let's you select Normal Mode, Power Mode or Eco. The change is so slick you hardly notice it unlike the robotised version. The delay while it operated the clutch and changed gear was always slow and would always happen at inconvenient times.Just go for the real deal.View attachment 68631
Scotia
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Our Burstner 747 was a manual so this is a god send and as you state so smooth, have not got around to trying the tiptronic yet but have sampled eco, normal and power mode. Being used to manual boxes all my driving experience i was fair tickled driving an auto with cruise control.
CriftinsCampers
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I had the full auto 5 speed in my dually V6 5000kg Sprinter.
It was extremely sluggish to respond at low speeds especially when using the cruise control to maintain 30mph so I often found I was using in semi manual mode.
It offered a reasonable amount of engine braking but I was glad the van also had a Retarder.
My Crafter has the VW version of the sprint shift, it’s got six gears in manual mode it has very useful full engine braking and other than the initial slight jerk from a standstill and when in reverse it can be a bit erratic, is relatively seamless in operation.
One really annoying feature between the two types of boxes is to change up or down required push/pulling the lever in the opposite directions.
That made swapping between the two vans regularly a bit befuddling for a few miles!
It was extremely sluggish to respond at low speeds especially when using the cruise control to maintain 30mph so I often found I was using in semi manual mode.
It offered a reasonable amount of engine braking but I was glad the van also had a Retarder.
My Crafter has the VW version of the sprint shift, it’s got six gears in manual mode it has very useful full engine braking and other than the initial slight jerk from a standstill and when in reverse it can be a bit erratic, is relatively seamless in operation.
One really annoying feature between the two types of boxes is to change up or down required push/pulling the lever in the opposite directions.
That made swapping between the two vans regularly a bit befuddling for a few miles!
nabsim
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Weird, mine is the ambulance box, 6 speed sprint shift and its seamless. Accelerates like a boy racer and engine braking seems ok to me. I say seem ok as I always have autos in everything except motorcycles so it may be you are comparing to a manual?
Edit: One or two on here can vouch for how well it goes, eh Del
mark61
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The comparison is between a conventional auto with torque convertor and the Sprint shift system as used in the Crafter.Weird, mine is the ambulance box, 6 speed sprint shift and its seamless. Accelerates like a boy racer and engine braking seems ok to me. I say seem ok as I always have autos in everything except motorcycles so it may be you are comparing to a manual?
Edit: One or two on here can vouch for how well it goes, eh Del
nabsim
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Well this is the only Sprinter I have had and almost never feel it change gear up or down. When I first got it I was always wondering what gear it was in or how many speeds it had, only way to tell was to click through the manual option. I found it similar to my first 1970's Honda Civic that had torque converter but only Park, Drive, Neutral and Reverse, no indication of gear. Soon got used to not knowing as it doesn't matter, its just does what you need at the time.
All that said if I boot it I can get a kick down which you would notice but I got that with torque converters, same if I keep revs up on steep hills. May be that its a good match for power/weight on mine I don't know, as I said its the only one so nothing to compare it with. 2.7 turbo diesel with I think 156bhp and six speed box.
I did have a Citroen C4 with paddle shirt 6 speed (I think) box and that was atrocious according to the wife. Wasn't as bad for driver as you had steering wheel bracing you but she reckoned it jerked badly up and down gears lol
Rodders1234
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We have had our MH with comfortmatic 4 years and we love this gear box. Touch wood no problems and we have assisted hill start to help on hills. Recommended.