General Anything nice to say about the croma?

Currently reading:
General Anything nice to say about the croma?

Well after almost a year's Croma ownership after a troublesome 6 months with a Stilo MW (EGR valve & skyroof probs) I am a much happier mutlijet owner. Only had to replace Front ARB Anti Roll Bar Sway bar Bushes & Links & driver's door handle and still running sweet after more than 12k miles (service token expired!). Milometer showing 82k on a 56 plate. Now used primarily for a weekly commute to/from the Midlands/South Wales and is just the job for a comfortable motorway cruise. Initially bought to tow a caravan after researching diesel engines I now tow the van with a 2.0 HDI Picasso 90BHP leaving the Croma free for my business use. Slight squeak/whine on start up from a belt but no sign of EGR failure although I am just waiting for the alternator to go. Seen a few more Cromas in the Midlands since starting work in Stafford including a brown/bronze Eleganza and a 2.2 in silver that parks near my office on Eastgate Street by the William Salt Library. About to service and MOT for another year. I have FSH stamps but unsure if cambelt already done so should I be thinking about this now or can I get away with waiting until next year? I am aware of the cons of a failed cambelt but as running so well don't want to waste money unnecessarily. Mry sister's 95 estate (04) Aero running well also as was my mother's Vectra (52) before she traded it for an Insignia (11) so familiar with this secret gem of a GM hybrid!
Sounds like you have found a good un! However if you read back in the threads you will see loads of close shaves with cambelts and aux drive belts changes. the best advice you will get is to get the lot changed-- Both belts, all the idlers and tensioners, and most of all the water pump.-- Then you can toddle up and down the M5 to your hearts content;) The squeak on start up could well be the aux belt being a bit slack or its tensioner being on its way out
Just got back from towing my 1300Kg caravan and 3 adults from Sheffield to Whitby and what a delight it was, never in bottom gear once coming out of Sleights and up the "wall" of a hill. Probably the 1st time I have had it over 3000 revs:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Hi Folks, I've got the same problem that some of you have had with the filler flap. The pop in / pop out mechanism doesn't work. I have to get a key or something else in behind the flap to pull it open.

I have seen that several people have had the problem, but I can't seem to find a fix. Would appreciate any guidance. Many thanks.
 
Hi Dave,

Many thanks. That'll be why I couldn't find a fix. Think I will leave it as it is then..
 
This is exactly what I do after several replacement (and silicone injected) push button assemblies.

Eventually gave up and have a suction sucker on a cord residing in the central
"gizmo" tray.

In Italy one can easily get pounced on at service stations so you have to be ready with your sucker otherwise they bring the JCB in to open your fuel filler flap :)
 
Overly zealous customer service. We're just not used to it :)
 
Yep. Value for money. Exclusive. No more problematic than cars many times the price. Great engine. Great ratio of passenger vs load space. I think it looks good. Great Forum with willing and knowledgeable members. For starters...
 
The concept, mechanics and design are brilliant. Both the 16v & 24v diesels are first rate.The final execution was sh*t*. Fiat took a silk purse and turned it into a sow's ear.

The dealers are less knowledgeable about the car than most contributors on this forum; everyone I tried was about as much use as a cat flap on a submarine (I include some specialists in there too. The exception being Team Valley Transmissions who sorted my auto box. They were brilliant). And when things did invariably go wrong, it cost a King's ransom to put it right. A mate of mine has just got rid of his 3.0 V6 S-Type after 5 years, so I thought it might be a jolly wheeze to compare the whole life cost his car against the Croma. Guess which came off worst?

Please submit your answers by phoning 0800 ifeelrippedoff

However, I still miss it :cry:
 
Last edited:
My first ever experience of Fiat ownership (or any Italian car) was a Croma. So why on earth would I buy anything else from either Fiat group or Vauxhall??!!

I've kind-of enjoyed the ride, but I'm glad to get off. It's certainly been an education. I now know how to change an alternator and all the inner workings of driveshafts and braking systems. But I won't miss the monthly expensive fault that needs fixing and/or re-fixing after the previous fix didn't work.

In fact, it's put us off used cars altogether - we're buying brand new this time, for the first time ever. I'll update my other thread with some piccies when I get the new one.

The PX is postponed to later in the week, not today. I've just removed all our personal possessions from it, so it's now just "a" car rather than "ours".

Tears will not be shed!
 
I think what draws a lot of users to this forum is issues with their fiat, making it not the best place to ask that question. I love my m200, but it has its little issues that i will be living with for another year at least ;-)
 
You learn a lot about mechanics, electrics and automotive electronics. A bit like a training course really. But in a bad way.
 
The 194 Croma is excellent – comfortable, spacious, safe and stylish:cool:. In over 4 years of ownership my 1.9 16V diesel has been expensive:eek: to maintain but now at 75,000 miles and 9 years old, the inlet manifold, with its coked up swirl valves/flaps, has been replaced(y) and the car is always a pleasure:D and easy to drive, performing well, in all driving conditions – stop / start, slow traffic and during fast long motorway journeys, averaging nearly 40 mpg:).
 
Well I had to do a little work on my Croma last Friday.

New Thermostat. I'd been meaning to do this job for a couple of years but put it off / miss timed the colder weather. The old stat was getting lazy at fully closing so when the air temperature got to 10 degrees or less with light engine loads or in overrun the temperature would drop from normal to possibly as low as half.

Anyway it is not too bad of a job to change the thermostat. I managed to remove and replace all the original hose clips with proper hose pliers. Only the large hose clip had to be broken open and replace with a jubilee clip.

I only made one user error. As the battery and battery box have to be removed, when lunch time arrived I put my boiler suit and some tools in the boot and closed the boot because of the sporadic rain showers. Lunch over, all fired up to finish the job off only to find I couldn't open the boot!!!! Grrrrrrrrr! Numpty here forgot that the boot is electric release only.
 
Our Croma Just flew through the MOT :) we have 104,000 on the clock and done 66,000 miles in five years I have spent some time down the shed sorting it out but as I never use a gararge for repairs this car has been very cheap to own!.
Still lovely to sit in leather seats and enjoy all that power from jtd 150.
 
Yes the Croma has its problems, but no more than any other modern diesel. It has everything I want in a car, including the exclusivity.
I own my Croma 1.9Mjet 16V built 2008 now more than 4 years. In my opinion a very good car in terms of reliability and costwise. Spacious and powerful. In the last 30 years I drove Fiats, my first one (much longer ago) was a Fiat 850. If you see it now, you can't belief you ones drove such a small car.

Back to the Croma, after driving it for a week, the car was 2,5 years old then, it went in limp mode several times, but only in low gear and low speed, so the car was driveable. Since I imported it from Germany it was to far a drive to visit the dealer. Than I started to read the Fiat Forum and internet where I found how to clean the EGR valve mechanical and may be more important the driving solenoid. For a good guide see address underneath.

http://www.astraownersclub.com/vb/showthread.php/584028-How-to-Clean-EGR-including-solenoid

Since than I've got several typical Croma problems as a howling gear box, replaced by a reconditioned one from Fiat Italy (partly under warranty). Grease spitting, front drive shaft, rubber boot, replaced original clip by a jubilee clamp, much easier to tighten. Intermittent PAS problems, reason: loose connection electrical feed plug. Slightly sticking rear brake, reason: faulty caliper. Flashing odometer, reason: bad corner light connection. Ticking heater fan, not solved yet. God thanks the dreaded 40-60 MPH wobble has not struck so far, alternator still the original one. Don't know if the car has swirl flaps. All in all not bad at all.

Till now I did all the maintenance myself, using original Fiat parts and FiatEcuscan for fault finding and resetting oil change and maintenance warnings. The gear box exchange and timing belt replacement (when car was 5 years old) was done by a German Fiat dealer.

I keep accurate bookkeeping of all the cost, maintenance, derv consumption, tax etc.
The car runs 17000 km per year whereof 10000 on summer tires, current total number is 110.000 km
The price for maintenance is € 0,044 or 4,4 cent per km, a set of winter tires and some tools included.
Diesel consumption 1 liter on 15,44 km or one gallon on 43,54 mile's, measured over 70000 km.
The original Bridgestone Turanza ER300 summer tires are still in use and will do at least another year. The winter tires are Semperit Speed Grip 205/55 R16 91T

I belief, based on Fiat Forum readings, the car is improved after the face lift of 2007.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top