I have a 2005 Petrol Idea with Dualogic. It only has 24K miles on it and I am in Spain. When it's cold I get quite a bit of clutch judder on pulling away. If it were manual I could dip the clutch a bit to help - alas this is not possible with two peddles! Often as the car changes down (usually from 4th to 3rd) the gearbox (or something) makes a mechanical clashing sound. It sounds like a crack of the whip. If I were driving a manual I would blame myself for a mis-timed gear change. I took it to my Fiat garage and he did a short test drive but of course it never misbehaved when he drove it. I then paid for a diagnostic and he said he reset the actuators and checked fluid levels. He seemed very knowledgeable and has years of experience with Fiat. He is adamant that there is nothing wrong with it. It made no difference though. Do you think I need a new clutch?
Also, the car 'pinks' under acceleration and the engine to me sounds harsh and tractor-like at low revs. Once it's on the level and doing say 60MPH it's totally smooth. If the car has just had it's diagnostic what could be causing the pinking? I think it might help if I changed the timing belt. I don't want to change the clutch and belt if it's all a waste. Good job labour costs are cheap. The parts are high here but I can get them sent from the UK.
Also, the car 'pinks' under acceleration and the engine to me sounds harsh and tractor-like at low revs. Once it's on the level and doing say 60MPH it's totally smooth. If the car has just had it's diagnostic what could be causing the pinking? I think it might help if I changed the timing belt. I don't want to change the clutch and belt if it's all a waste. Good job labour costs are cheap. The parts are high here but I can get them sent from the UK.