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TECH HELP EDITOR
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Q Do I need to use specific oil for a Fiat Ducato engine?
Just how important is it to source the correct and specified oil and associated fluids for a Fiat Ducato motorhome, or can I rely on equivalent products such as Comma, etc?
Clive Ballinger
A In theory, any oil or other lubricant that meets a specification set by a manufacturer should be OK. It is not.
I had a conversation with my oil supplier many years ago about some very cheap oils being supplied by a car franchise. He had also been speaking with his (admittedly upmarket) suppliers about this and he had been invited to witness some testing of these oils.
The oils tested were within the specification when they began the tests, but after a simulation of around 10,000 miles of use, they were far short of the tolerances allowed. The higher-quality oils were still in acceptable condition.
Oils degrade over time due to the effects of heat and contaminants. Better oils last longer.
I purchased a used (and obviously abused) Iveco truck and noticed that, when the engine was cold, it made a squealing noise just after it was started.
I changed the oil and filters, adding a decent-quality oil. No change. I then changed the oil for the Tutela oil that was specified by Iveco. The noise was gone and never returned. I ran the vehicle for five years and only ever used Tutela oils in Iveco trucks from that day on.
Tutela is the Iveco version of the Selenia oils used by Fiat. All are made by Petronas. These are clearly very good oils, although they are pretty expensive. Th at being said, all oils are expensive now!
Based on my experience, if the price of the manufacturer-specified oil is not, say, 30% more than a quality branded oil from an aftermarket supplier, I would buy it and be confident. I would be no less confident with any other premium branded oil. I would get the price of the ‘proper’ stuff, look at the market prices of the ‘others’ and rule out anything that looks too good to be true. It almost always is.
I have a great deal of experience with Total, Gulf, Petronas (Selenia and Tutela OE brands) and the lesser-known manufacturers, Millers and Fuchs. The latter may not be high street names, but they are up there with the best and probably manufacture for brands that you will have heard of. They are becoming more common and visibly available.
Most fluids used in a vehicle, such as those for steering, braking and cooling, are just as susceptible to premature wear if they are not made to a high standard.
The process I use is to find out what is best and try not to pay too much for it. If it is still too expensive for you, slowly climb down the quality ladder. Slowly!
Nick Fisher
Q How do we keep our battery topped up in storage?
We are buying a 2015 Auto-Trail Delaware and we are concerned about the battery going flat when it’s in storage.
Michael Sweet
A Assuming that your secure storage is outside then fit a solar panel and solar regulator. Choose a panel rated at least 100W, not a cheap dashboard portable unit as these are useless in the winter. Get the panel fitted on the roof and a solar regulator close to the motorhome electrics. A simple single-output solar regulator will suffice.
Your Sargent electrical system may
