Hello Everyone,
Just thought i would share my experiences of my New Panda 4x4 Ta.
Whilst being quiet at work one day I thought i would go and have a look at an ex demo MJ 4x4, drove it an was not that impressed, seemed very noisy, and quite dull to drive, I Have always had Diesel Cars, I spotted this one which was covered in huge 4x4 stickers, unregistered and asked for a drive, I could not help laughing out loud it was so much fun, Even my 68 year old Dad thought it was great, (he bought one too month later). Having gone there with no intention of actually buying a car, and Hour later I was the new owner of the above beast, It was the last day of the month so i made an offer £2800 of list price, went to walk away, and collection was to be a week later the day before our holiday in Cornwall, My current car a 61 reg Mini Countryman All4 1.6D had to be sold rather quickly, luckily it did, Great car do not knock it until you have tried it. I had to source a roof box an bars as Fiat couldn't, Everything happened the day before we went away, Picked up car at 6.30pm fitted bars and box and left for Cornwall 8.00am the next day, 3 Adults, one Dog, loads of stuff one tank of fuel and enjoyed every minute of our 6 hour drive. Great way of running a car in, not good for the relationship though!
We did not start the car until we left a week later, It would not start the starter had packed up, luckily we where on a hill and rolled and started it that way, had to turn SS off, over the next few weeks fiat had the car twice, the first time failed to fix it, the second i insisted on the new part and it got fixed, Fiat service really need to up there game is my only complaint about the car, you would never have any trouble with Mini, but you do pay for it though.
After 1500 miles and two and a half months, I have forgiven the car its initial hiccup as it still has the ability to make me smile every time i drive it, I live in an unmade road with large potholes and it copes with everything i throw at it, I am 6ft and find it very comfortable, love the styling, The quality is nearly up the with the Mini for half the price, the only thing i would like to see as an option is a false flat load floor, as storage in the boot is not great and when you have a dog you cannot put a cage in flat with the seats down.
I am now getting about 45MPG which i think is reasonable considering i only do mainly short trips to and from work
I just love this little car.

KRC1972 said:

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The quality is nearly up the with the Mini for half the price, the only thing i would like to see as an option is a false flat load floor, as storage in the boot is not great and when you have a dog you cannot put a cage in flat with the seats down.

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You need to order cargo box to get flat load floor


https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/299421-new-panda-has-arrived.html

I understand your weird buying decision because I did the same. I don't really like green cars, I think the new Panda is a retrograde step visually from the previous one, I was in no hurry to part with my Panda 100HP...

But...I think Tuscan Green is the best colour for the new Panda 4x4, I really like the way it drove when I tested it, and the next week I'd traded the 100HP in for the ex-demo 4x4 TA. The engine's odd but appealing, the mpg looks as though it's not going to be great, but the whole car is just a nice balance of attributes.

Your only mistake is to drive through Devon to get to Cornwall.

Devon is my favorite holiday destination, would have stopped there but decided to go that little bit further this time.
My mpg is getting better, especially on a run, from what i can gather it should improve more after about 2500miles.
I also think once you get past the need to make it sound like a racing lawnmower and use the gears and turbo more you will be guaranteed better mpg, trouble is the sound is superb and i cant help it!!

Hi - great little car. Are these kind of discounts generally available on new / stock TA 4x4's?

stu0710 said:

Hi - great little car. Are these kind of discounts generally available on new / stock TA 4x4's?

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I just took a quick look on Auto Trader and there are some nearly new or delivery mileage TA Trekking models available for around £10,500. Possibly not in locations near to you, but certainly very competitive prices.

Also spotted a white TA 4x4 for sale on there for £10,995 (some dealership near Croydon I think).

If you search for Pandas with National for the distance filter, and pop in £10,000 as the minimum price, you'll see quite a few models up for sale.

The great thing about my car is that i am the first owner on the log book, My tip is to go to the dealer towards the end of the month, preferably last day, make sure you have enough to pay a deposit and they will be desperate for another sale.
They will always tell you how little money they will be making, or how much they are losing, take that with a pinch of salt, you only have to look at the showrooms etc to see what they are making, provided you are realistic about the price you want to pay you should be able to get a deal.
Also it is great fun.

KRC1972 said:

The great thing about my car is that i am the first owner on the log book, My tip is to go to the dealer towards the end of the month, preferably last day, make sure you have enough to pay a deposit and they will be desperate for another sale.
They will always tell you how little money they will be making, or how much they are losing, take that with a pinch of salt, you only have to look at the showrooms etc to see what they are making, provided you are realistic about the price you want to pay you should be able to get a deal.
Also it is great fun.

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Agree with all that. My 4x4 has just passed 1000 miles and it's definitely freeing up - the reduced friction losses are most noticeable in the low-mid range, of course - mpg now up to nearly 38 on a couple of trips to Sidmouth Folk Week to see friends and family performing.

babbo_umbro said:

Agree with all that. My 4x4 has just passed 1000 miles and it's definitely freeing up - the reduced friction losses are most noticeable in the low-mid range, of course - mpg now up to nearly 38 on a couple of trips to Sidmouth Folk Week to see friends and family performing.

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A friend of mine (rides a new triumph bike + has merc 220c) strongly recommended an oil + filter change at 1000-1500 miles. I must admit to thinking it odd that fiat don't do a 1000 mile free 1st service as there must be all sorts of rubbish to flush out of a new engine..... Any thoughts?

triumph7 said:

A friend of mine (rides a new triumph bike + has merc 220c) strongly recommended an oil + filter change at 1000-1500 miles. I must admit to thinking it odd that fiat don't do a 1000 mile free 1st service as there must be all sorts of rubbish to flush out of a new engine..... Any thoughts?

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Health permitting we should be off to Italy in about a month and I'm inclined to have an oil and filter change done before we set off.

triumph7 said:

A friend of mine (rides a new triumph bike + has merc 220c) strongly recommended an oil + filter change at 1000-1500 miles. I must admit to thinking it odd that fiat don't do a 1000 mile free 1st service as there must be all sorts of rubbish to flush out of a new engine..... Any thoughts?

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My diesels used to contaminate their oil rapidly, but the oil in my Trekking's
Twinair engine still looks very clean after 2600 miles. As I do mainly long
trips, I'm inclined to leave it for now.

Beware of the sharp moulding around the plastic engine cover's oil filler
aperture- I've just cut a finger when checking the oil

A couple of minutes with a file will prevent any recurrence next time!



Chris

babbo_umbro said:

Agree with all that. My 4x4 has just passed 1000 miles and it's definitely freeing up - the reduced friction losses are most noticeable in the low-mid range, of course - mpg now up to nearly 38 on a couple of trips to Sidmouth Folk Week to see friends and family performing.

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After 5000 mls in 5 months driving steady the best mpg ive had is 50 ,Driving in eco mode dosen't seem to improve mpg .

triumph7 said:

A friend of mine (rides a new triumph bike + has merc 220c) strongly recommended an oil + filter change at 1000-1500 miles. I must admit to thinking it odd that fiat don't do a 1000 mile free 1st service as there must be all sorts of rubbish to flush out of a new engine..... Any thoughts?

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For sure there will be some additional oil contamination during the running in period - the engines loosen up & the material that wears away mostly ends up in the oil & filter.

If you are planning on keeping the car beyond three years, I'd say it's worth doing an initial oil change once the bulk of the running in is over. Whether that should be at 1k, 2k, 3k or some other mileage is debatable. If you know you're going to chop it in before 3yrs are up, then unless you are altruistic, you'll be spending money needlessly since the warranty will protect you should the worst happen.

Fiat (and most every other car maker) don't do it for free anymore because their accountants have determined that the cost of changing everyone's oil for free at 1500 miles would be greater than the likely cost of in-warranty engine replacement due to early oil contamination.

The real benefits of diligent early maintenance will come many years later in the car's life - which is one reason why it's worth buying a new car (and looking after it properly) if you plan on running it into the ground.

jrkitching said:

For sure there will be some additional oil contamination during the running in period - the engines loosen up & the material that wears away mostly ends up in the oil & filter.

If you are planning on keeping the car beyond three years, I'd say it's worth doing an initial oil change once the bulk of the running in is over. Whether that should be at 1k, 2k, 3k or some other mileage is debatable. If you know you're going to chop it in before 3yrs are up, then unless you are altruistic, you'll be spending money needlessly since the warranty will protect you should the worst happen.

Fiat (and most every other car maker) don't do it for free anymore because their accountants have determined that the cost of changing everyone's oil for free at 1500 miles would be greater than the likely cost of in-warranty engine replacement due to early oil contamination.

The real benefits of diligent early maintenance will come many years later in the car's life - which is one reason why it's worth buying a new car (and looking after it properly) if you plan on running it into the ground.

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That's great advice. Thanks. I plan to keep the car well beyond the warranty period, so I think I'll do an oil change at 1500 or so miles...... Hopefully it will have started to loosen up a by then too so can start to have some fun.....

I seem to remember Honest John (the Daily Telegraph motoring guy) recommend a regular oil change throughout the life of the car but only after an extended (or regular) wait for the first change. If I remember right, he suggested that this helped the engine components to bed in and so it may be beneficial to wait 9/10k for the first change.

I don't know which is best for sure but I spent several years in the motor trade and took a lot of high mileage, older cars in part exchange that were running well based on nothing more than an annual oil change. Maybe they would have been better still given an early first oil change, it certainly sounds like good sense to flush it out early.

Shrub said:

I seem to remember Honest John (the Daily Telegraph motoring guy) recommend a regular oil change throughout the life of the car but only after an extended (or regular) wait for the first change. If I remember right, he suggested that this helped the engine components to bed in and so it may be beneficial to wait 9/10k for the first change.

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There are sound engineering arguments for using a different oil during the running in period - modern synthetics actually work too well to allow the wear necessary for effective ring/bore sealing to take place. If your car is filled with a special running in oil (usually a straight mineral oil) at the factory (most, including Fiat, aren't), then changing it early will do more harm than good.

Some pedantic folk have been known to drive their new cars home & then drain and replace the oil with something better suited to running in.

Be particularly careful if experimenting in this way with the TA engine, since the viscosity performance is critical to correct operation of the valve gear.

jrkitching said:

There are sound engineering arguments for using a different oil during the running in period - modern synthetics actually work too well to allow the wear necessary for effective ring/bore sealing to take place. If your car is filled with a special running in oil (usually a straight mineral oil) at the factory (most, including Fiat, aren't), then changing it early will do more harm than good.

Some pedantic folk have been known to drive their new cars home & then drain and replace the oil with something better suited to running in.

Be particularly careful if experimenting in this way with the TA engine, since the viscosity performance is critical to correct operation of the valve gear.

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Thanks. I always leave my first oil until the annual first service. I don't agree with variable services though where oil changes can be left for up to two years. These were designed to appease fleet managers with an eye on service costs.

stu0710 said:

Hi - great little car. Are these kind of discounts generally available on new / stock TA 4x4's?

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fiat have some very very good prices on Panda and Punto at the mo.
the op did the perfect deal by going in on the last day of the month and buying a car that was in stock.
You may be very lucky and find your dealer is just a registration or so away from reaching a target which could mean £0000's in bonus for them.

Has anyone else noticed when receiving there new car that when you check the Trip A and Trip B figures there is a discrepancy of about 100 miles on top of the mileage that the car has actually done, this is not only the case on my brand new car but on my fathers also, The only logical solution i can come up with is that they are initially run in at the factory or on a rolling road, I asked my dealer but got nowhere.

KRC1972 said:

Has anyone else noticed when receiving there new car that when you check the Trip A and Trip B figures there is a discrepancy of about 100 miles on top of the mileage that the car has actually done, this is not only the case on my brand new car but on my fathers also, The only logical solution i can come up with is that they are initially run in at the factory or on a rolling road, I asked my dealer but got nowhere.

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I believe the dealer can reset the odometer mileage up to a certain amount like 200 miles or so. It can only be done once and if its not done before the 200 mile (or whatever it is) then it's too late.

I'd hazard a guess that your new car was used to do a few test drives with trade plates on or was transferred by road from another dealer.
Most probably the 1st scenario as you car was sitting in stock and not a factory order.
They forgot to reset the trips and dropped a clanger there I'd say.

Personally, I wouldn't really worry about it.