Carthago C-Compactline I-138 - issues etc

[Pappy]

Yep

 

[Emmit]

How about the BIG dealer in the wider South West who told us that they couldn't check the spare tyre as it wasn't fitted BUT gave us a glowing damp check. (Including under the bed, WHERE WE HAD PUT THE SPARE WHEEL???)
Minxy Girl You have a PM

 

[Pappy]

Is that the one which says 'deposit taken'? If so, is that you?

<Broken link removed>

Just to confirm, I have put down a fully refundable deposit. If in any way whatsoever I do not want it it will be refunded.

It is supposed to be our "forever van". I am 62 and Julie somewhat younger. So it will have to last a while. Therefore I am quite keen to get it right. For instance if the new engine, with ad blue, is cleaner will that be an advantage in the future?

 

[mikebeaches]

How about the BIG dealer in the wider South West who told us that they couldn't check the spare tyre as it wasn't fitted BUT gave us a glowing damp check. (Including under the bed, WHERE WE HAD PUT THE SPARE WHEEL???)
Minxy Girl You have a PM

Highbridge Caravans presumably?

 

[Ditcha]

Just to confirm, I have put down a fully refundable deposit. If in any way whatsoever I do not want it it will be refunded.

It is supposed to be our "forever van". I am 62 and Julie somewhat younger. So it will have to last a while. Therefore I am quite keen to get it right. For instance if the new engine, with ad blue, is cleaner will that be an advantage in the future?

You can't get a new ducato without adblue now for the emissions, one thing I would add if you do a lot of sites ie plug in I would recommend the Truma 6E, with the functionality of electric heating.

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[Lenny HB]

Just to confirm, I have put down a fully refundable deposit. If in any way whatsoever I do not want it it will be refunded.

It is supposed to be our "forever van". I am 62 and Julie somewhat younger. So it will have to last a while. Therefore I am quite keen to get it right. For instance if the new engine, with ad blue, is cleaner will that be an advantage in the future?

With the 150 engine & Comfomatic fairly certain it won't be ad blue, the latest engines are with ad blue are 140, 160 &180hp with the 9 speed box.

 

[Ditcha]

With the 150 engine & Comfomatic fairly certain it won't be ad blue, the latest engines are with ad blue are 140, 160 &180hp with the 9 speed box.

Your right Lenny it will be a euro 6, we're the AdBlue is euro 6 d temp.

 

[Pappy]

With the 150 engine & Comfomatic fairly certain it won't be ad blue, the latest engines are with ad blue are 140, 160 &180hp with the 9 speed box.

Yes, the one I'm looking at doesn't have the ad blue, just not sure if that matters.

 

[Emmit]

Highbridge Caravans presumably?

You may say that.
I couldn't possibly comment.

 

[Ditcha]

Also if I had the choice I would have non adblue

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[Pappy]

You may say that.
I couldn't possibly comment.

Travelworld

 

[Emmit]

Travelworld

Travelworld

You never watched the British "House of Cards" did you?

 

[mikebeaches]

You may say that.
I couldn't possibly comment.

Highbridge is the only official Hymer dealer in the south-west, so there we are...

 

[Minxy]

Travelworld

There's a thread on the forum about funsters' experiences of Travel World ... might be worth hunting it out and having a read so you are forearmed.

 

[Emmit]

Highbridge is the only official Hymer dealer in the south-west, so there we are...

I don't have (and never had) a Hymer? So therefore your comment is without logic.
And, before you come back and say that Burstner is owned by Erwin Hymer Industries,
when I say that I am referring to the Brand, not the owner.

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[Pappy]

You never watched the British "House of Cards" did you?

I did. Watching the US version now.

 

[Emmit]

I did. Watching the US version now.

Does that actor who is now 'Persona non Gratia' use that phrase as well?

 

[Pappy]

Does that actor who is now 'Persona non Gratia' use that phrase as well?

If I remember correctly just once.

 

[Pausim]

I have 2 reservations. It is a long way from where I live and it has the comformatic gearbox, I keep being told that the new auto gearbox is much better.

We have an August 2019 Carthago i143 and are absolutely delighted with it. One of the last without AdBlue. It has a Comformatic gearbox and it is good to drive. Previous motorhome was a Hymer with a Mercedes torque converter auto and I was a little concerned I might miss it, I don’t. The Comformatic is a little different to drive but I soon got used to it and things like downhill engine braking are a distinct improvement. People say the new auto is better but that does not mean the Comformatic was bad.

the comformattic is not problematic BUT if you do get problems it can be a nightmare (especially out of warranty) , I speak through experience

I have no doubt this is true but having had a torque converter auto fail on one of my cars it is fair to say that is also a nightmare and an exceedingly expensive one.

 

[Scotch mist]

I have no doubt this is true but having had a torque converter auto fail on one of my cars it is fair to say that is also a nightmare and an exceedingly expensive one.

I’ve had 2 comformattic & now the new auto , All new & under warranty, My second comformattic repair took 8 weeks to fix ( still not sure it was fixed properly) , the biggest problems was nobody seemed to be trained to repair them & the rest done everything in their power to avoid getting involved , I’m sure it would be the same with the new box as well

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[Ditcha]

I’ve had 2 comformattic & now the new auto , All new & under warranty, My second comformattic repair took 8 weeks to fix ( still not sure it was fixed properly) , the biggest problems was nobody seemed to be trained to repair them & the rest done everything in their power to avoid getting involved , I’m sure it would be the same with the new box as well

The comfort you can take from the "new" ZF box is its not new but just new to Fiat the ZF auto is used in many other brands and is a well proven gearbox, only thing we need to worry about is how well Fiat have integrated it to their engine

 

[Scotch mist]

The comfort you can take from the "new" ZF box is its not new but just new to Fiat the ZF auto is used in many other brands and is a well proven gearbox, only thing we need to worry about is how well Fiat have integrated it to their engine

I had researched this info before I bought it & had the same thoughts as you

 

[Ditcha]

I had researched this info before I bought it & had the same thoughts as you

So far so good been superb so far, seemless changes even though I have only managed 1800 miles since getting it in July
Mind you we had a comfortmatic previously with no problems in the 7 years 30000 miles of ownership and loved that to.

 

[Pappy]

Well, looks like I might be buying the 141. Couple of questions.
The plate inside the engine bay clearly shows 3650 kg max weight. Am told the correct max weight is 3.5t as that is what is on the documentation.
May not be too important as I am looking to uprate to 3850 kg. Have been quoted £350 plus VAT and 8 hours labour totaling over £1200 for rear semi air. Does this seem reasonable?

 

[Pausim]

Well, looks like I might be buying the 141. Couple of questions.
The plate inside the engine bay clearly shows 3650 kg max weight. Am told the correct max weight is 3.5t as that is what is on the documentation.
May not be too important as I am looking to uprate to 3850 kg. Have been quoted £350 plus VAT and 8 hours labour totaling over £1200 for rear semi air. Does this seem reasonable?

The plate in the engine bay is possibly the Fiat one before Carthago made their modifications. The final Carthago plate on my i143LE is by the passenger door, half hidden by some flooring. When I bought my i143 I understood the i141 and i143 could be upgraded from 3500KG to 3850KG without further modification and the i138 from 3500KG to 3700KG. It might be worth checking with a Carthago dealer whether the rear air suspension is needed on the Alko (not Fiat) chassis for the upgrade to 3850KG. When you find the Carthago plate I think you will find the front axle rated at 1850KG and the rear at 2000KG, adding up to 3850KG. I believe the 3500KG is in effect a down plating from the maximum achievable.

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[Minxy]

Well, looks like I might be buying the 141. Couple of questions.
The plate inside the engine bay clearly shows 3650 kg max weight. Am told the correct max weight is 3.5t as that is what is on the documentation.
May not be too important as I am looking to uprate to 3850 kg. Have been quoted £350 plus VAT and 8 hours labour totaling over £1200 for rear semi air. Does this seem reasonable?

That plate with be the Fiat one, you need to check the Carthago one which is just inside the passenger door on the left near the floor, that's likely to be 3500kg in which case that's what it is likely to be.

Not sure who you've got doing the semi-air but check what system is being fitted as they are not all the same, you can't fit the normal system for a Fiat chassis, it has to be specifically for an Alko one, also check reviews of the installer too.

 

[Minxy]

The plate in the engine bay is possibly the Fiat one before Carthago made their modifications. The final Carthago plate on my i143LE is by the passenger door, half hidden by some flooring. When I bought my i143 I understood the i141 and i143 could be upgraded from 3500KG to 3850KG without further modification and the i138 from 3500KG to 3700KG. It might be worth checking with a Carthago dealer whether the rear air suspension is needed on the Alko (not Fiat) chassis for the upgrade to 3850KG. When you find the Carthago plate I think you will find the front axle rated at 1850KG and the rear at 2000KG, adding up to 3850KG. I believe the 3500KG is in effect a down plating from the maximum achievable.

Yes they can be uprated to 3850kg without any mods BUT if won't be much help as it will still mean the rear axle is at 2000kg which is where the issue will be as I don't think it would be possible to keep to that with the longer version - we were very tight with our 138 even without the extra length and weight for the 141. It will be necessary to get the semi-air and then uprate to get the rear axle up to 2240kg to make it usable.

Oh, and tyres, the tyres need to be checked to make sure they are of a rating high enough for the extra capacity on the rear axle.

 

[Pausim]

Yes they can be uprated to 3850kg without any mods BUT if won't be much help as it will still mean the rear axle is at 2000kg which is where the issue will be as I don't think it would be possible to keep to that with the longer version - we were very tight with our 138 even without the extra length and weight for the 141. It will be necessary to get the semi-air and then uprate to get the rear axle up to 2240kg to make it usable.

Oh, and tyres, the tyres need to be checked to make sure they are of a rating high enough for the extra capacity on the rear axle.

Good point about the rear axle loading. Do you have any recommendations about semi-air systems, not something I have previously thought about but having just got a 3 year extension on my C1 it is time to investigate.

 

[Minxy]

Good point about the rear axle loading. Do you have any recommendations about semi-air systems, not something I have previously thought about but having just got a 3 year extension on my C1 it is time to investigate.

There are a few threads about semi-air and full-air systems on the forum so have a search for 'semi-air' and you should see quite a few.

We got the one from SAP as they were highly recommended and their system is well made (you need to check the quality and what you get as they are not all the same), we also got a discount for being funsters! It still cost us £2,000 but they are all pricey due to the Alko chassis.

 

[Pappy]

There are a few threads about semi-air and full-air systems on the forum so have a search for 'semi-air' and you should see quite a few.

We got the one from SAP as they were highly recommended and their system is well made (you need to check the quality and what you get as they are not all the same), we also got a discount for being funsters! It still cost us £2,000 but they are all pricey due to the Alko chassis.

I'm talking to SAP later. Is the one you have basic or can you adjust height of the rear (we have a steep drive and this could be handy.

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