General Issue getting service under warranty

[justintune]

Hello,

I have a Knaus camper van with the following base: 2021 fiat ducato 2.3L 160ps maxi. I had an issue with a headlight wire that shorted and needed replacing. I took it to a fiat dealer, and they charged me to fix it, saying that my vehicle could only be serviced under warranty by a commercial fiat dealer. I plan on calling fiat about this but I'm wondering if someone in the forum has also run into this?

Thank you

 

[the green vanper]

You should definitely call Fiat. It seems strange.

I understand that it is possible that the Fiat dealer you took the campervan to is not a Fiat Professionnal dealer at the same time. But if so, they should have explained in the very beginning that it's the case and you will be charged for this repair.

 

[theoneandonly]

Unfortunately you have fallen foul of the fiat system. Your warranty is with Fiat professional not Fiat, the dealer networks are separate and there is often a reluctance to do warrenty work unless you general use them for servicing or bought from them, the ugly reality in UK. Your best bet is to contact Fiat camper in Italy, they actualy appear to care and get things done. They have a multilingual capability, English absolutely no problem but if you are a locarno local, Italian not a problem?

 

[Reg 65]

Hello,

I have a Knaus camper van with the following base: 2021 fiat ducato 2.3L 160ps maxi. I had an issue with a headlight wire that shorted and needed replacing. I took it to a fiat dealer, and they charged me to fix it, saying that my vehicle could only be serviced under warranty by a commercial fiat dealer. I plan on calling fiat about this but I'm wondering if someone in the forum has also run into this?

Thank you

Yes I have had a very similar situation here in the UK
2 1/2 year old 2021 Ducato 2.3 140 - bought as a commercial van from a Fiat Professional Dealer 80km away
Faulty soot sensor needing replacement under warranty
Local Fiat motorhome dealers wouldn't touch it as its over 2 years old
Only a Fiat Professional Dealer would touch it - reading the warranty the additional years warranty is described as a Fiat Professional 'Dealer Warranty'
So if you bought it as a motorhome and/or did not buy it from a 'Fiat Professional' dealer, I think you will find the warranty on your 2021 motorhome only lasted 2 years (although its longer now with more recent models)
That said, they didn't want to touch it either. Fiat Warranty work is not popular with dealers because the hourly rate Fiat pay dealers is less than they charge retail customers - and they have the time and trouble of getting it from Fiat.
Fiat Professional Dealer I bought it from said 'isn't there a Fiat dealer nearer to you?'
I replied 'you didn't ask that when I wanted to buy a new van!'
So they reluctantly took it - but I had to wait 2 weeks for an appointment for a half hour job (although to be fair they probably spent longer in unpaid time spent claiming the money from Fiat than doing the job)
So heaven help you if you break down a long way from the dealer you bought it from and need a warranty repair!

 

[justintune]

Thank you so much for the replies. Yes I did buy it from an RV dealer. After calling Fiat, I just learned that the warranty has already expired, after just two years. So I guess it's a moot point as to whether or not a specific fiat dealer will respect my expired warranty.

I'm not sure what I'm more appalled by: That a warranty on a new vehicle like this, by default, would only be two years, or the fact that I didn't get clarify on this when I bought it

Let's hope the next two years don't have as many problems as I've experienced in the first two years