Joined the Comfortmatic failure club

[MisterB]

I do it myself at least once a year. Very straightforward, clutch fluid gravity drain in 20 mins and 10 mins on the laptop to reset the clutch

how much space do you have on your drive, can it take half a dozen vans every day .... lol!

seriously, i do admire your ability/skills/knowledge to do your own fluid change and recalibration - i suppose a lot of us save money doing all sorts of work on all our different types of homes, whether motorised or not, so having to pay someone to do a job every now and again doesnt really hurt the bank balance, but for me its a two day trip which is the real bugbear !!

 

[SexyThexy]

Can it be done on a phone or does it need to be a laptop?

If you are confident enough to give it a go i have the multiscule software on a laptop if you want to borrow it, I and a number of Fun Members have used it, whilst i am brave enough to try most things airbag reset for example i was not brave enough to try the clutch reset and took mine to Adams Morey in Portsmouth!

 

[MisterB]

Ive just gone and picked up Yvettes car from the local garage, OMW Tuning at Weeley in North Essex. They also recently did the coil springs on our motorhome, so the workshop is plenty big enough for working on motorhomes. I asked Owen about doing the comformatic oil change. He has checked all his manuals and on line tech info and is confident its something they can do, with the equipment they have in their workshop.
Owen quoted a similar price to Adams Morey of around the £150 price, which assured me he had knowledge of the work involved.

i am going to book mine in there and save myself two days travel from and back to North Essex and a tank of diesel! I will report back on here after the work has been carried out, it wont be a recommendation, it will just be confirmation that I had it done and my thoughts ....

OMW are less than ten minutes away from Grange Farm campsite, where we are having a Funster Rally at the end of May, so it might be worth considering for anyone attending, if my fluid change goes ok.

 

[AG 2602]

I called my local Fiat commercial vehicle dealer in Bristol today. Went around the houses but couldn’t speak to the service manager. I’ve left my details and have been assured that they will call me back. I’m not holding my breath but will report back if I hear anything.

 

[MisterB]

I called my local Fiat commercial vehicle dealer in Bristol today. Went around the houses but couldn’t speak to the service manager. I’ve left my details and have been assured that they will call me back. I’m not holding my breath but will report back if I hear anything.

dunnah01 has shown, without wishing to dismiss his competencies, that the job isnt particularly difficult and doesnt need to be undertaken by a specialist Fiat franchise, which is why i asked someone who has previously undertaken mechanical automotive work for me to a good standard and fair price, if it was something he would be willing to undertake (bearing in mind some Fiat dealers seem to have said they cannot do the work for some reason?)

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[PeterCarole29]

OK you are suggesting that AM may have created a nice little earner. I am suggesting that if this is a nice little earner for AM it is created by others failing to do the job properly. AM are taking a business opportunity created by the incompetence of others. Good luck to them.

AM aren’t taking a business opertunity
They are just doing a job asked of them and being paid for it is a more appropriate way of wording it
They aren’t touting for the work

 

[Pausim]

AM aren’t taking a business opertunity
They are just doing a job asked of them and being paid for it is a more appropriate way of wording it
They aren’t touting for the work

I only used the words business opportunity in response to someone else’s suggestion that AM were on a “nice little earner,” which I thought was inappropriate. I have not suggested they are touting for business, I know they are just responding to requests for work. They don’t need to tout for work, their satisfied customers are broadcasting their competence on Motorhomefun.

 

[SexyThexy]

OK, I am also the newest sad joiner to the "Comfortmatic failure club"
the history, I went away in the van at the end of January (2025) and had issues with the van going into gear one morning, i had no issues previously and the day before had done 100 miles or so without issues or any noises.
After a few restarts and leaving it for a while it was fine and I took it down to Simon at Adams Morey in Portsmouth. They very kindly, fitted me in that afternoon for a fluid change, it was very dark and afterwards it drove fine, did a couple of hundred miles without any issue.
Last weekend I drove her a 120 miles to Norfolk for a holiday, got to Fakenham 10 miles short of my camp site and same issue again, this time no amount of restarts / battery removal / waits it was stuck in neutral. Phoned breakdown, they obviously had no idea and sent a recovery truck. They were flabbergasted that I insisted on it going to Portsmouth and not to a local garage or home but eventually agreed. A 6 hour uncomfortable journey on a Saturday down but dropped her off at AM.
Phone call from Simon to say it was the usual issue with the seals, they have replaced the clutch and cylinders etc and it will be ready for me to pick up next week, they have kept me up to date with everything as they have gone along including the bill, excellent service, as always.
And the cost, well, just over £3k!!!! fortunately it did not require the flywheel which saved £700.
My issue was that I was losing confidence in the van, and I really don't want that, so fingers crossed I have a few trouble free months of motoring now.

 

[Terry]

OK, I am also the newest sad joiner to the "Comfortmatic failure club"
the history, I went away in the van at the end of January (2025) and had issues with the van going into gear one morning, i had no issues previously and the day before had done 100 miles or so without issues or any noises.
After a few restarts and leaving it for a while it was fine and I took it down to Simon at Adams Morey in Portsmouth. They very kindly, fitted me in that afternoon for a fluid change, it was very dark and afterwards it drove fine, did a couple of hundred miles without any issue.
Last weekend I drove her a 120 miles to Norfolk for a holiday, got to Fakenham 10 miles short of my camp site and same issue again, this time no amount of restarts / battery removal / waits it was stuck in neutral. Phoned breakdown, they obviously had no idea and sent a recovery truck. They were flabbergasted that I insisted on it going to Portsmouth and not to a local garage or home but eventually agreed. A 6 hour uncomfortable journey on a Saturday down but dropped her off at AM.
Phone call from Simon to say it was the usual issue with the seals, they have replaced the clutch and cylinders etc and it will be ready for me to pick up next week, they have kept me up to date with everything as they have gone along including the bill, excellent service, as always.
And the cost, well, just over £3k!!!! fortunately it did not require the flywheel which saved £700.
My issue was that I was losing confidence in the van, and I really don't want that, so fingers crossed I have a few trouble free months of motoring now.

It should have a Two year gtee Ask for a written gtee

 

[CazPaul]

Need more than a few trouble free months good grief, did you mean decades?

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[WESTY66]

OK, I am also the newest sad joiner to the "Comfortmatic failure club"
the history, I went away in the van at the end of January (2025) and had issues with the van going into gear one morning, i had no issues previously and the day before had done 100 miles or so without issues or any noises.
After a few restarts and leaving it for a while it was fine and I took it down to Simon at Adams Morey in Portsmouth. They very kindly, fitted me in that afternoon for a fluid change, it was very dark and afterwards it drove fine, did a couple of hundred miles without any issue.
Last weekend I drove her a 120 miles to Norfolk for a holiday, got to Fakenham 10 miles short of my camp site and same issue again, this time no amount of restarts / battery removal / waits it was stuck in neutral. Phoned breakdown, they obviously had no idea and sent a recovery truck. They were flabbergasted that I insisted on it going to Portsmouth and not to a local garage or home but eventually agreed. A 6 hour uncomfortable journey on a Saturday down but dropped her off at AM.
Phone call from Simon to say it was the usual issue with the seals, they have replaced the clutch and cylinders etc and it will be ready for me to pick up next week, they have kept me up to date with everything as they have gone along including the bill, excellent service, as always.
And the cost, well, just over £3k!!!! fortunately it did not require the flywheel which saved £700.
My issue was that I was losing confidence in the van, and I really don't want that, so fingers crossed I have a few trouble free months of motoring now.

How many miles has it done?

 

[Ditcha]

How many miles has it done?

1 to many by the looks

 

[SexyThexy]

It’s a 2018 van with 21,000 miles on it!

 

[ChrisL]

OK, I am also the newest sad joiner to the "Comfortmatic failure club"
the history, I went away in the van at the end of January (2025) and had issues with the van going into gear one morning, i had no issues previously and the day before had done 100 miles or so without issues or any noises.
After a few restarts and leaving it for a while it was fine and I took it down to Simon at Adams Morey in Portsmouth. They very kindly, fitted me in that afternoon for a fluid change, it was very dark and afterwards it drove fine, did a couple of hundred miles without any issue.
Last weekend I drove her a 120 miles to Norfolk for a holiday, got to Fakenham 10 miles short of my camp site and same issue again, this time no amount of restarts / battery removal / waits it was stuck in neutral. Phoned breakdown, they obviously had no idea and sent a recovery truck. They were flabbergasted that I insisted on it going to Portsmouth and not to a local garage or home but eventually agreed. A 6 hour uncomfortable journey on a Saturday down but dropped her off at AM.
Phone call from Simon to say it was the usual issue with the seals, they have replaced the clutch and cylinders etc and it will be ready for me to pick up next week, they have kept me up to date with everything as they have gone along including the bill, excellent service, as always.
And the cost, well, just over £3k!!!! fortunately it did not require the flywheel which saved £700.
My issue was that I was losing confidence in the van, and I really don't want that, so fingers crossed I have a few trouble free months of motoring now.

In my opinion the Comformatic gearbox has a fundamental flaw in the design of its slave cylinder arrangement which can allow the Dot 4 fluid to contaminate the hydraulic fluid or vice versa, if the seals wear for any reason or manufacturing tolerances are not precise enough. If you look at the illustration the piston marked 4 has a seal at each end with different fluids at either end of it. Water/condensation in the Dot 4 may also lead to corrosion inside the cylinder which may cause fluid to bypass the seal.

 

[WESTY66]

It’s a 2018 van with 21,000 miles on it!

Makes you wonder what happens in there, I’m at 55k and last time I had fluid change (2023) it was as good as new and that fluid had been in there since 2016 (7 years) and my box is as smooth as silk

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[ChrisL]

Makes you wonder what happens in there, I’m at 55k and last time I had fluid change (2023) it was as good as new and that fluid had been in there since 2016 (7 years) and my box is as smooth as silk

It is interesting that some people, like yourself have no issues and others even at low mileages end up with expensive repairs, one wonders about manufacturing tolerances and whether the bores of the cylinders are hard chrome plated or just steel, also if lack of use does something to the seals?

 

[Landy Andy]

It is interesting that some people, like yourself have no issues and others even at low mileages end up with expensive repairs, one wonders about manufacturing tolerances and whether the bores of the cylinders are hard chrome plated or just steel, also if lack of use does something to the seals?

Maybe it’s low mileage causing the issue, and higher use preventing it?????.???

 

[CazPaul]

Maybe it’s low mileage causing the issue, and higher use preventing it?????.???

If that’s the case it’s not a good option for a Motorhome then there will be more with low use than high

 

[lorger]

It’s a 2018 van with 21,000 miles on it!

Had the oil been changed previous to the breakdown?

 

[Nanniemate]

I was in a dealership today just browsing
Asked was Gearbox
Comfortmatic ? No we don't take those part ex.

That was interesting , even though unfortunately I would not consider one.as it's pot luck good or bad if its a good or bad one.

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[SexyThexy]

Had the oil been changed previous to the breakdown?

Yes at two yearly intervals, will move to annually from now on as recommended by Simon at AM.

 

[lorger]

Yes at two yearly intervals, will move to annually from now on as recommended by Simon at AM.

Just shows it’s probably more to do with pot luck then, hopefully you’ll be trouble free from now on.

 

[L' Hobo]

Maybe it’s low mileage causing the issue, and higher use preventing it?????.???

I thought it was probably lack of use until Kannon Fodda had problems, I thought Rob used his regularly?

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Limited use may be a contributory factor, but then again, who knows? Mine was only 17,000 miles 3 3/4 years old.

Yes my van is now used a lot from spring through autumn but then a lot less over winter months where I might not touch it for a month or two. But for the first couple of years that I has it from new I was still working so there were many periods of a few weeks not being taken anywhere before I'd suddenly jump in and go to the other end of the country. There were the unfortunate covid lock downs too. If the master cylinder seals are the weak link perhaps they might dry out without regular operation thus enough contaminating fluid bypasses. But notably I know now the Comfortmatic fluids weren't checked / changed as regular maintenance (the dealer's service plan was little more than an annual oil change), which might have limited any contaminates spreading.

But manor of use of the gearbox, and stresses on it could also be a factor. Couple of weeks earlier I'd been stuck in mud, so perhaps, as alluded to in one of the first posts, engine-clutch-wheel revs were out of sequence? And when it failed it had just been on/off ramps, again a possibility of mismatched revs, and possibly confused forward / reverse gear change selections (don't know as wasn't present to see any manoeuvres).

Regrettably all I know is the Comfortmatic system has vulnerabilities, so ensuring it is adequately serviced, and driving with a level of consideration is the reasonable hope of preservation.

 

[Lenny HB]

Makes you wonder what happens in there, I’m at 55k and last time I had fluid change (2023) it was as good as new and that fluid had been in there since 2016 (7 years) and my box is as smooth as silk

Can't really tell without a complete breakdown of figures but it does seem to be more of a problem with low mileage vans. Only guesses but vans that aren't used a lot sitting unused for months maybe the seals are sticking so they possibly tear when used after a long lay up.
Vehicles not used for months often have lots of mechanical problems.

Our previous two vans were both Comformatic, did a total of 75,000 miles in them without any Comformatic problems.

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[MichaelT]

Can't really tell without a complete breakdown of figures but it does seem to be more of a problem with low mileage vans. Only guesses but vans that aren't used a lot sitting unused for months maybe the seals are sticking so they possibly tear when used after a long lay up.
Vehicles not used for months often have lots of mechanical problems.

Our previous two vans were both Comformatic, did a total of 75,000 miles in them without any Comformatic problems.

Yeah I agree and have always said the same. Sure the seals dry out and maybe stick a bit then weep. We too had 2 and did many miles at all times of year with no issues, we also never used manual and always left it in R or A when parked not in neutral.

 

[ChrisL]

It would be good if someone who has had the cylinder replaced could disassemble the old one to examine the seals and bore, Fiat should be looking at the suppliers of these units (i'm assuming Fiat don't make these themselves) and their quality control standards perhaps.

 

[dunnah01]

The issues may relate to the number of clutch activation requests and the relatively long time between these requests for a typically used moho. We often drive long distances with relatively few gear changes and then switch the whole thing off for days on end. Hydraulic seals don't work that well under low pressure so the slow release of the residual hydraulic pressure against the seal at relatively low pressure has a long time to do it's evil weeping into the clutch position sensor chamber. This in turn weeps into the DOT 4 side of the Master/Salve system and causes contamination.

 

[Minxy]

It would be good if someone who has had the cylinder replaced could disassemble the old one to examine the seals and bore, Fiat should be looking at the suppliers of these units (i'm assuming Fiat don't make these themselves) and their quality control standards perhaps.

I've got our old one if anyone wants to have a play.

 

[ChrisL]

I've got our old one if anyone wants to have a play.

Are you at Stratford or the Bash? If so I wouldn't mind having a look at it, or perhaps another member maybe a retired tool maker could take a look?

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