General Buying Grande Punto 1.9 sporting

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General Buying Grande Punto 1.9 sporting

Roooss

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Hey guys pretty new to the forum so sorry if there's already a thread about this.
I'm thinking about buying a grande punto 1.9 sporting and was wondering if there's any common problems to look for whilst viewing them, I know there's the problem with the gearbox but I don't really know how to diagnose it or how much it would cost to repair ect.
Any info would be really appreciated, cheers in advance :)
 
Hi There!!

I have the 1.9 MJET.

I have had the car a year, i have already suffered a faulty gearbox, which cost £600 to have repaired but prices differ on the seriousness and the place in which is fixing.

I wish i had got the 1.4 TJet in all honesty. I absolutely love the pull of the Diesel though and it has been reliable except for the gearbox.

The symptoms my gearbox showed were an audible noise while accelerating in first and second. The gear stick jumped an inch when engaging clutch in 1,2,5,6. I cant even think of a way to explain the noise it made, it was like a tone that got higher in pitch with every revolution. I thought i had found a really good example and the car did not exhibit these faults when i purchased. Its the luck of the draw!

I hope this helps :)
 
Hi Roooss,

Listen and feel for suspension knocks on a test drive as drop links and springs can be prone to breaking.

Make sure there is power through the rev range as could point to egr issue, maf issue.

Is a lovely car to drive but out of personal experience has lots of small niggly bits that go wrong (good excuse for me to get the tools out though).

Engine is a bit tractory but pulls well and I get about 50 mpg from it (nearly 5 years ownership).

Dom
 
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Hey guys pretty new to the forum so sorry if there's already a thread about this.
I'm thinking about buying a grande punto 1.9 sporting and was wondering if there's any common problems to look for whilst viewing them, I know there's the problem with the gearbox but I don't really know how to diagnose it or how much it would cost to repair ect.
Any info would be really appreciated, cheers in advance :)

Hi... welcome. Mine is my second GP. Had a 1.4 8v a few years back. Now a 1.9 Multijet. The only real issues I've had are the turbo and the gearbox.

My turbo failed on me around a year and a half ago. I bought my car privately so I had to pay for it. I think it cost me around £600 on an exchange basis with a £400 deposit up front, refunded on receipt of my old turbo. I did the work myself. Actually a fairly straight forward job if you're confident enough. I replaced the EGR valve too while I was at it as they're also prone to getting gunked up. Also flushed the intercooler. Since then its been mechanically sound.

The gearbox on the other hand is the GP's Achilles Heel! I had the main bearings replaced around 10 months ago and it's already on its way out. That cost me £500. I've just had quotes for a completely refurbished gearbox at £1000. Duel mass flywheel, clutch and slave cylinder for £410.

These cars have their faults just like any other. If they are properly maintained they will be fine. AVOID main dealers. Find yourself a decent, reputable local garage that has technicians experienced with fiat/alfa/vauxhall diesels.
 
Cheers for the replies guys! Is there a certain year the gearbox/turbo fail?
Majority of the gps I've been looking at are a lot cheaper around 2006ish even with low mileage. The one I'm going to see is £2000 with around 66k on it and the gps that are around 2008-2009 are about £3-4k with more milage.
 
All of the 6 speed GP's fitted with the m32 gearbox will suffer at some point in their lifetime. Just look at the cars service history and be very thorough on the test drive.

The turbo issues aren't all that common and as long as the service history provides proof its been well looked after, you shouldn't have a problem (obviously don't take the service history as gospel, you must always check things physically and visually). If buying from a dealer, see if you can get an extended warranty to cover any problems and it will give you enough time to have all the niggly faults checked and rectified.
 
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