"hill start assist" on all transits?

[geg]

i could be wrong , but i have hill assist on my van , but never noticed i had it because when i stop i usually put the handbrake on , and as soon as you use the handbrake it cancels out hill assist ...

- have you noticed whether, on your van, the 'van on a hill', at the bottom of the rev counter, lights up for a second when you switch on your ignition? (on mine it never does)

[geg]

We are RImor Main dealers, transport mode is easy to switch off, stamp the brake pedal 5 times and then press the hazard warning light switch, it is to preserve battery life and prevents remote locking and radio working etc...

thanks, yeh, thats what the ford garage in Albi did i think. I was impressed with how quickly they did it, after a different ford garage in Castres said they'd never heard of transport mode!

Your XGO was built in Poggibonsi, Sienna Italy , it is a Euro 4 chassis, and will need HLA activating, it is more than likely the 115ps model, I would reccomend blanking off the EGR Valve, and having the EML switched off and having it remapped to 140ps. Will drive ten times better and give you better MPG.

that's interesting - i've had to google a bit to find out a bit more about EGR and EML... it's good to learn stuff!

I'm pretty sure, though, since i did the etis search with my vin, that it's euro5 (don't all new vans have to be euro5, since the start of 2012?) and it's 140ps/hp/pk/cv(Pferdestärke/horsepower/paardenkracht/cheval vapeur - come on, google!!). It was advertised as being euro5. Did the euro4s have to have the hla activated - you've got me worried now..?

Also make sure you check the tracking, thats what the Italian sticker on the rop right hand side of your screen says - you should do it after 1st 1000 km

i haven't found any sticker - probs taken off by the camper garage. will ford pay for a tracking check??

[geg]

To double check your van spec email Stefania at service@rimor.it

thanks for the contact details, northernlad - i'll do that.
(btw, how far north is 'northern'? i was born in middlesbrough... i admit that's not northern if you're from aberdeen, but nearly arctic if you're from watford!)

[northernlad]

In our experience a good Ford dealer like Lawtons of Castleford or Geoff Cox will do it for nothing, but really depends who you know or whos on the reception desk, Polar or Ringways will charge you.

Easy way to tell if it is a Euro 5 is to see if it has the newer grill on it it has like a painted silver effect between the slats, all the Euro 5 chassis we have had have hade Hill Start Activated as standard. Rimor went bust about 18 months ago, and was bought back from the conglomerate of German/Italian Owners by the original founder Luano Niccoli (can't miss him - he must weigh 30 stones!! ), in that period Chassis and models were all over the place as they were that cash strapped they were swapping unbuilt vehicles and trading them just to keep up. Overall they are a good brand and better built than a Rollerteam , Elnagh or CI. There is less build noise and we haven't had any damp or body issues in a Rimor over the past 5 years. The Poggibonsi manufacturing factory is still limping along, and they have closed their caravan manufacturing operation. They have been working a 4 day week for the past two years, so always closed on a Monday. In conclusion a good entry level motorhome , a manufacturer that has been about since 1974, an uncertain future. There has been a lot of rumours about Hobby buying them out. Rimor manufacture motorhomes under Rimor, XGO and BLUCAMP brands, and also dealer specific brands like Palmowski in Germany.

If you are ever in Pisa, or Sienna the factory is very welcoming and you can pop in and have a look - ask for Eleonora or Prisco, the motorhomes are built in around 8 hours, 10 stages that take 40 mins each and then some testing.

Just email the chassis number to Rimor and they will tell you. From what you are saying I am pretty sure you have a Euro 5 but sounds like it has been a Friday afternoon PDI job hence some bits like HLA not working.

North for us is North of the M25 ! We are based in Leeds.

[geg]

Easy way to tell if it is a Euro 5 is to see if it has the newer grill on it it has like a painted silver effect between the slats, all the Euro 5 chassis we have had have hade Hill Start Activated as standard.

i've just been outside to check it and, phew, relieved to see this silver effect.

If you are ever in Pisa, or Sienna the factory is very welcoming and you can pop in and have a look - ask for Eleonora or Prisco, the motorhomes are built in around 8 hours, 10 stages that take 40 mins each and then some testing.

thanks for the info - that's really interesting. i hope they keep going, if only for selfish reasons in case things go wrong later on. Wife is really keen on visiting italy - now i'm a bit keener if i think i can visit the place where our camper was built!

Just email the chassis number to Rimor and they will tell you. From what you are saying I am pretty sure you have a Euro 5 but sounds like it has been a Friday afternoon PDI job hence some bits like HLA not working.

i've emailed rimor this morning - i'll post later if/when i get a reply. Delivery of the van was about six weeks later than we'd been told it would be - it all makes sense now... there was, scrawled in white, 'pronto' written in big letters on the windscreen when it arrived in albi where we picked it up. Your idea of a friday afternoon rushjob sounds likely - there's an over-the-door light which has no led and no cable to it as another suggestion of pressure to get the build done... I hope your contact Stefania comes back to tell me how to sort this and the HLA problem out.

[northernlad]

Even if they do go bust they will get bailed out as they are a major brand and build more motorhomes than Crappy English makes like Elddis and Swift put together.

[ake]

Easy way to tell if it is a Euro 5 is to see if it has the newer grill on it it has like a painted silver effect between the slats, all the Euro 5 chassis we have had have hade Hill Start Activated as standard.

i've just been outside to check it and, phew, relieved to see this silver effect.

Etis will also confirm if its Euro 5 or not, but if it was built in 2012 and has the silver grill it will be

[geg]

ok, i'm convinced, it's got the 'silver' grill sections, and an extract from the etis gives:

Build Date: 25.06.2012
Vehicle Line: Transit 2006-
Cab Style: Cab Van Floor LCF
Series: 350L Series
Engine: 2.2L CR TC I4 DSL 140PS
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual Transaxle - VMT6
Drive: LHD FWD
Axle Ratio: 4.93/3.450
Emission: Stage V LDT3 Emissions

... and we're agreed it definitely should have hill launch assist?

... so i'm going to go to a local (belgian) ford garage and hope that they'll 'activate' it.
I might also ask if they can check the tracking if they sound especially helpful ...

I hope i get a 'result' to report back very soon. Thanks to everyone for the exshellent advice given !

[darkbluevanman]

i've done 2000km, including some pretty steep hill starts, and the hla light and mechanism hasn't come on yet! There's the little icon of 'a van on a hill' at the bottom of the rev counter but it never lights - not even as the ignition is switched on.

Incidently, - and maybe this is a problem for a separate question? - , i don't see an ESP light (car skidding down the road) come on anywhere at switch-on, and i know it has esp. Nor is there an esp switch anywhere...

if theres no esp there wont be hill assist either then.

Which is a bonus, I swear to god that Ferkin ESP rubbish will kill me one day!

[ake]

Remember that standard spec varies from country to country, just because its on the UK standard spec list, doesn't mean it's on the Italian standard spec list

[Mike]

I'm not sure if this works or not but worth a try to see if it turns HLA on AND off.

turn off ignition , hold all pedals down ,turn on ignition hold untill the light comes on and flashes. keep holding till light goes out . sorted. assist also goes off when you accelerate

[darkbluevanman]

Remember that standard spec varies from country to country, just because its on the UK standard spec list, doesn't mean it's on the Italian standard spec list

Thank god they'll all be standardised from now on... Turkish Hahahahaha

[ake]

Remember that standard spec varies from country to country, just because its on the UK standard spec list, doesn't mean it's on the Italian standard spec list

Thank god they'll all be standardised from now on... Turkish Hahahahaha

No, they will still be different, remember Europe has the steering wheel in the wrong place

[geg]

here's the 'result' I promised in an earlier post - not much of a result though.

I went to my local Ford garage yesterday and told them my story, showed them the etis printout saying: june 2012 from factory, euro V, ESP, etc. They had a quick look in the cab, observed that there is no ESP on/off switch, said it therefore doesn't have ESP or HLA, can't help you matey, goodbye.

So now i'm more than a bit psst off.

I've got three and a half tons of motorhome/truck to throw around, plenty of power fortunately, but apparently with lower safety spec than any other new transit on the road. How come anyone can 'downspec' the standard transit and get away with it - don't Ford care about that?
The handbrake's buried in the door entrance footwell - i'm a bit of a shortarse so that doesn't help... I really could do with HLA and chose the transit amongst other things cos it was supposed to have it.
The etis listing says ESP, but no-one seems to think that means a thing. (how can it be on the listing but not be on the vehicle?)
I've emailed rimor in italy twice without any response. (any ideas how to raise them, northernlad?)
I've tried pressing all three pedals together and thus have reset the oil change mileage successfully (oops!!) but nothing to do with HLA changes. aaaaagghh.....

I want my ESP and HLA - pleeeeeeze someone help me. (voice inside my head says stfu, grow up, calm down, etc so i'll try to).
Here's my vin in case it gives anyone any bright ideas - maybe it's the number of that winning unclaimed lottery ticket i heard about in the UK...? WF07XXTTF7CK83837

[Mike]

If I had to guess I'd suggest that the programming of the ESP isn't able to cope with the dynamics and weight transfer of the motorhome conversion.

But the quote below suggest that it's an option?

"The new Ford Transit Motorhome Chassis is available with the well-proven 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi turbo diesel engine, offering 115PS (300Nm) and 140PS (350Nm) power and torque levels, and a standard six-speed manual transmission. An electronic anti-lock braking system (ABS) is standard, and Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is also available."