Scratching a Fiat Ducato (1 year experiment)

About the project

  1. Buying a Fiat Ducato Transporter

In March 2021, I bought a Fiat Ducato transporter to make a modern, self-sufficient, high-tech camper out of it. This meant investing several months of considerable energy into the van, so it was important to ensure that the energy was being used efficiently.

My idea: Conducting a 1-year rust experiment!

I drove a self-built VW T4 camper before buying this Fiat Ducato. What gave me the most headache was that the VW T4 was prone to rusting. If you have ever dealt with rust, you know that it feels like an endless battle where rust will eventually emerge victorious.

Back to the Fiat Ducato: In order to check the praised rust preventing zinc coating below the white Ducato color, I had to put it to the test!

I explained why I chose this model for the conversion in detail here.

2. Scratching my Fiat Ducato

I had just started converting this transporter into a modern camper when I decided to search for a good spot on the bodywork that I could scratch intensely. The test area needed to be at least 15 x 15 cm. After walking around the car for a bit, I finally found the perfect spot:

Right next to the left rear brake light, the previous owner had a rear-end collision which caused damage that I eventually would have to fix anyway. Since there was already damage in that area, I decided that adding a bit more wouldn't make much of a difference, and I had no reason to rush fixing it.

Since some small scratches wouldn't be enough to test the rust prevention capabilities of the zinc coating, I attached a wire brush to my cordless screwdriver and proceeded to vigorously scratch the spot for several minutes!

Now we have to wait an entire year to see the results of the scratch test and determine how well the zinc coating is preventing rust on the Fiat Ducato's bodywork.

3. My Thoughts Before the Result

Ever since I had the idea to build a self-sufficient high-tech camper, I've been keeping an eye out for vans that could serve as a suitable base. One thing that reassured me about my choice of a Fiat Ducato was that alternative models like the VW Crafter, Mercedes Sprinter, and Ford Transit appeared to be more prone to oxidation and rust. This observation is based purely on my personal experience of seeing various vans in parking lots.

The day I recorded the results of the 1 year scratch experiment, I happened to see a Mercedes Sprinter parked in a nearby parking lot (see attached video).

However, there is a big BUT, as this Mercedes Sprinter 311 CDI was built between 2000-2006 (according to my online research), making it an invalid comparison to my Fiat Ducato, which was built in 2015. We do not know exactly where this car has spent its years, and maybe there are reasons for its advanced state of rusting. Nevertheless, nobody wants their van to rust like this. This is surely an extreme comparison, but the bodywork of various vans that I saw over the years gave me the impression that the Ducato is a better choice.

Given the significant amount of money invested in such a camper conversion, it is essential to choose the base model wisely to avoid expensive future bills.

Mercedes Sprinter 311 CDI

4. 1 Year Experiment Results

The results blew me away!

There is barely any oxidation, only a few spots that showed signs of rusting.

It's incredible! Given the extensive damage and depth of the scratches I caused to the paintwork, I expected to find at least 50% of the test area covered in rust. It is fair to say that the preventive oxidation treatment done by Fiat to the Ducato bodywork proved to be of great quality.

Also, remember that the Ducato had a rear-end collision some months prior to my scratching at this spot, meaning some deep scratches are far older than 1 year, showing an even more impressive end-result.

For an in-depth video about this experiment, please click the button below:

5. The Ducato Is The Right Decision!

There are several factors that make the Ducato a great base for a camper!

There are several factors that make the Ducato a great base for a camper. Not only does its unbelievable width make sleeping sideways possible, which excludes many competitors, but it also has high-quality paint on its bodywork. On top, it is one of the most fuel-efficient base models for a camper in its size category.

If you want to see how I converted my Ducato, click here or on the picture.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, using a Ducato for a camper build is a no-brainer. You can't go wrong with it!

I wish you a lot of unforgettable memories with your camper

Best regards,

Lukas Kiemer

(El Veterinario)