Now we HAVE to downsize...

[Pausim]

How many times in your life have you ever been stopped and put on a weybridge especially in Spain forget it go and enjoy your holiday.

Is it about being weighed or is it about being unlicensed and uninsured? No C1 means not allowed to drive a vehicle registered at over 3500kg. Very different from driving a vehicle which is a little overweight.

 

[cyberyacht]

Any Malibuers got switches like this? These are above the fridge. Starting from the left, the first one is the retractable step. The next one along doesn’t appear to do anything. Should it? The remaining three are lights, and all work as expected.

View attachment 1002225

On my Compactline, one of them operates the cab lights which are themselves individually switched for each side. It therefore acts as a master switch.

 

[Billylid]

You can apply to DVLA under the freedom of information act, they have 30days to respond.
I applied when they refused my C1 renewal. I was refused on the results of echocardiogram tests and I was 5% below the required standard. It took me 12months to get my C1 back, too late at my age to wait so bought one under 3500kg with adequate payload.

 

[G-RMPS]

Possibly the awning light?

Be nice if it was. I haven't rolled out the awning yet, to see. As it's a dealer add-on, I somehow doubt it. But if there's wiring in the vicinity wired to that switch, that would be very useful.

 

[stevec]

I had a treadmill stress test which I thought had gone ok. Certainly the consultant then didn't seem too concerned. I was then asked to do a Dubutamine Stress Echocardiogram . No reason given but the consultant for that one had a copy of the form sent by the first consultant which said I had not met the DVLA criteria. I can only think that my heart rate had not gone high enough. My Fitbit registered 10bpm below max at the hardest part. The second guy passed me OK and I got my C1 a few weeks later. Took 8 months overall.

Edit. Due to other potential health issues (possible loss of an eye due to cancer), we have been looking to downsize also and looking at PVC conversions. Finding the actual weight of the vehicle can be a problem. Certainly a lot of compromises.

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[G-RMPS]

Here’s some first impressions of riding the cab of a 2024 Ducato, 8-speed auto with 180hp. Apologies if most/all of this is common to previous years models. I wouldn’t know. I’m mostly happy, but there are some negative things. See below.

1. Plastic panel fell off the passenger footwell. Installed with velcro and not very sticky tape. After three abortive attempts I threw it in the back of the van to be sorted later.
2. There’s a rattle from the offside windscreen pillar. To be fair this might be down to Malibu customisation with the screen blinds.
3. There’s a big box at top centre of the windscreen. It’s supposed to manage lane control (unless you switch it off), when you should stop for a coffee (red warning!), road sign recognition, and maybe others. It only worked less than 50% of the time. Kept saying “clean windscreen”. Windscreen was clean and dry at times when it still didn’t work, so crap implementation. Maybe needs its own windscreen wiper, or heater, or something…
4. Mirrors are fine, though the lower ones are almost too low to be useful.
5. There’s no footwell heat on the drivers side. There’s a cover plate where the clutch pedal would be. Looking behind you can see the rectangular heat duct stops several inches away from the plate and just lets heat exhaust into the general area behind the panel without being directed anywhere. Apparently Fiat don’t accept this is a warranty issue. You can find a Youtube video showing how someone connected ducting to the open end, cut a hole in the footwell, to direct heat to where it should go. Unbelievable!
6. The infotainment module, Uconnect, has a 10inch (very) touch sensitive control. I’m not impressed with the Satnav. Fortunately the module supports Appleplay etc. There’s a handy slot underneath for an iPhone (other brands are available) with a USB socket nearby. I plugged my phone in and used Google Maps - much better in my opinion. I also use BBC Sounds app to listen to BBC radio channels, and Spotify to listen to whatever you want.
7. The display of speed limits on the Google Maps display seems much more accurate than that displayed on the instrument panel which presumably comes from the Uconnect satnav. Why isn’t the data consistent? Maybe different software updates?
8. As Lenny has mentioned elsewhere, when stationary, the Uconnect audio switches off after 20? minutes. I can understand this off-grid as it canes the engine battery. However on hookup it still switches off. This is really irritating. It may be a Malibu implementation as you need to switch on the audio at the Malibu control panel to enable use of the built-in speakers. Grrrr.
9. The instrument panel itself is not to my taste. The rev counter and fuel gauge are big displays with detailed markings which are displayed or extinguished four marks at a time. An analogue needle would be much nicer to view and easier to interpret. The central speedo is an option (you could display big digits instead or, indeed, the Uconnect satnav). The speedo is pseudo-analogue insofar as it has a needle. It’s a bit disconcerting that it jumps from speed to speed rather than smoothly. The display is rock sold (needle never moves a fraction) at constant(ish) speed. Just feels odd as if the needle got stuck.
10. The dashboard include a virtual box which displays “messages”, which overwrite part of the speedo, very annoying as its just above the 75mph limit just were I want to be
11. The above-mentioned shortfall in the module on the screen means that three yellow warning are repeatedly displayed in sequence on the display, sometimes for hours at a time.
12. The “stop for a coffee” advice tells you to acknowledge this message by pressing the OK button on the steering wheel (presumably when the co-pilot has put the kettle on). However the OK switch foes nothing. It certainly doesn’t make the coffee. I don’t know if the switch is bust or just a software bug.
13. Cruise control defaults to “adaptive”. It’s very conservative. The van slows down way behind the vehicle ahead. If you intend to overtake you have to change lane really early to avoid the brakes being applied. It encourages you to drive down the middle lane to avoid this behaviour, which cannot be good.
    

I’m sure there are other “features” I’ve still to encounter but some of this detracts from the otherwise good driving experience.

 

[Lenny HB]

Not too keen on the Taco but I like the rest of the dash, my speedo moves really smoothly, love the way it changes colours depending if you exceed the cruise setting on overrun or by accelerating.
My speedo is very accurate withing 1mph never had one in a vehicle so accurate.

Don't understand the problem with messages as they only come up for a few seconds.

The heat in the footwell, Fiat do a kit for that, I find I get a cold right leg.

I don't like the peddles being so close together on RHD and the footrest for left foot you can't reach unless you are 10 ft tall.

How is the 8 speed you must be one of the first on Fun with one?

 

[G-RMPS]

Not had a 9-speed so nothing to compare against, except comfortmatic! Gear changes are really smooth. I do get an engine “rattle” under load. For example going uphill with cruise control on, when it’s trying to maintain speed.

Agreed on the message box. But I still get three continuous rotating yellow warning messages below it. And the red coffee warning stays on until I switch the engine off.

Agree on the pedals (but not the peddles!). Sometime hit both with my right foot - not good.

Agree on speedo too. I was amazed there’s only 1-2mph difference between the speedo and the satnav generated speed. Better keep the tyres correctly inflated.

 

[Lenny HB]

But I still get three continuous rotating yellow warning messages below it. And the red coffee warning stays on until I switch the engine off.

Never seen any of that.

 

[Lenny HB]

Did you take out the 5 year warranty?

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[Langtoftlad]

Surely the "driver aids" and nags can be turned off?

 

[G-RMPS]

Did you take out the 5 year warranty?

No

 

[G-RMPS]

Surely the "driver aids" and nags can be turned off?

Probably. Been too busy driving to RTFM yet.

 

[Lenny HB]

No

I did a friend of mine had to have a new gearbox, torque converter and gearbox ECU at just over 2 years old. £13k in parts and £2k labour. He was lucky Fiat coughed up for the parts.
I thought it was cheap as it includes breakdown cover which would cost about £400 over the extra 3 years.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Probably. Been too busy driving to RTFM yet.

...and aren't most of your criticisms made against the base vehicle [Fiat?] so you'd probably have the same issue whatever motorhome you bought of the same year?

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[MichaelT]

I did a friend of mine had to have a new gearbox, torque converter and gearbox ECU at just over 2 years old. £13k in parts and £2k labour. He was lucky Fiat coughed up for the parts.
I thought it was cheap as it includes breakdown cover which would cost about £400 over the extra 3 years.

I would certainly taken the 5 year warranty being the guinea pig for a new gearbox

 

[G-RMPS]

Yes, I said that. I have other observations on the Malibu customisation!