Technical Panda Twinair Cross - short service intervals

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Technical Panda Twinair Cross - short service intervals

I agree it's probably overkill worrying about oil brand. Like has been said, so long as the grade matches the requirements stated there should be no problem. I would just prefer to go exactly with what's stated, given the cost increase is negligible. I think when you've spent £10,000 plus on a new car, to try and save a tenner on cheaper oil is just daft. Fair enough if the difference was £100+, but not for the price differences I've been quoted for Selenia vs A-another oil.

My main point though, is that if a dealership is Fiat/Alfa approved they should use products that Fiat/Alfa recommend and/or if they don't, let the customer know - I think it's reasonable to assume that to meet the manufacturer accreditation the dealer used products recommended by that manufacturer.

It should be really simple - 'we generally use Shell lubricants, Sir. Would this be OK or would you prefer to pay £X,Y,Z for Fiat recommended Selenia?'. Job done. It's the assumption that we'll pay approved dealer prices to get any brand of oil/lubricant that irks me a bit, even if the other brand will do no harm :)
 
I agree it's probably overkill worrying about oil brand. Like has been said, so long as the grade matches the requirements stated there should be no problem. I would just prefer to go exactly with what's stated, given the cost increase is negligible. I think when you've spent £10,000 plus on a new car, to try and save a tenner on cheaper oil is just daft. Fair enough if the difference was £100+, but not for the price differences I've been quoted for Selenia vs A-another oil.

My main point though, is that if a dealership is Fiat/Alfa approved they should use products that Fiat/Alfa recommend and/or if they don't, let the customer know - I think it's reasonable to assume that to meet the manufacturer accreditation the dealer used products recommended by that manufacturer.

It should be really simple - 'we generally use Shell lubricants, Sir. Would this be OK or would you prefer to pay £X,Y,Z for Fiat recommended Selenia?'. Job done. It's the assumption that we'll pay approved dealer prices to get any brand of oil/lubricant that irks me a bit, even if the other brand will do no harm :)

I quite agree with you Liam.

I know for a fact that dealers can do it properly, it's whether or not they choose to. There is a cracking little service dealership called W Sanders and Sons near Holsworthy in North Devon; my Panda had its 36k service there not long before I got shot of it, and they gave me a plastic wallet with a sheet stating all of the individual bits and pieces they did (including full part numbers etc). Fantastic service, never mind the fact that they were a good £250 cheaper than my less than favourite dealer, Vospers!

Anyway, that's just my opinion, and I'm glad Squadrone Rosso is happy with the dealer. Better to be happy with them than hate them with a passion lol!:):D
 
There may be a good reason for the short service interval on the Panda Cross twin air.
My brand new 2015 Panda Cross is just over 6 months old and has only 6000 miles on the clock. It broke down on the way to work. I slowed down for a roundabout and the engine just cut out and refused to restart. After 3/4 hour , it restarted and the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. I was about a mile from home so got it home and got the Fiat breakdown out. The man that attended put his computer on it and said it needed a new ignition coil and advised me to take it straight to my dealers service garage. I was provided with a hire car and three days later was told to collect it. The engineer explained that the breakdown van had a generic computer and that the Fiat computer had advised cleaning out the fuel lines and the spark plugs. He said it had been test driven and was good to go. Less than half a mile from the dealer slowing down for traffic lights, it cut out and refused to restart. The service garage came and got it. The computer said to change the spark plugs. They were changed. The next day it cut out again. I am on third time lucky. Fiats diagnosis is the oil was dirty after 6000 miles and had caused the breakdown.They have serviced it and changed the oil. Somehow I suspect it's going to happen again.! Make sure you get it serviced when they say. I think there's a problem on this model. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
I can understand why you're a Cross Lady! I may be sticking my neck out, but there's no way a problem like that could be caused by dirty oil, especially after only 6k miles! Unfortunately, the "service engineers" tend to act like automatons and rely on what the computer diagnostics tell them, without the intervention of any common sense.
 
Ta's are generally reliable, there have been reports of dodgy coils on early cars and the odd dodgy crank sensor IIRC, sounds like a fair dose of BS from your dealer - dirty oil!!? I'd reckon there's still a fault there waiting to be diagnosed correctly.
 
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33,000 miles in 4x4 TA with no hiccups. The problem has to be electronic, surely. Sparking plugs, dirty oil - nonsense.
 
Hate to hear of people getting the run around like that. Sadly, 'mechanics' these days know only how to plug in the computer and then do what the stupid machine tells them. Genuine mechanical investigation and repair is an art only retained by those who work on old cars. Feel free to vent all you like, you'll get lots of support from old retro-grouchs like me.
 
The 'dirty oil' answer is wrong, but not so if its a diesel (which I know this wasn't). In modern diesel cars with particulate traps, it is common for the oil to become contaminated by diesel fuel as part of the regeneration process. There is actually a sensor to detect this. On my MJ Panda, there is no 'prescribed' oil change interval, only 'when the degraded oil' warning shows (display shows 'oil change due'). But to use this as an excuse to a TA owner is not right.
 
There is actually a sensor to detect this

I believed it was a mathematical algorithm that calculates the oil condition based upon various parameters such as time/distance/temperature/rpm... rather than an actual sensor. Unless this is reset after an oil change it will not detect new oil.
 
16,000 miles in probably one of the very first TA Crosses in the country and it hasn't missed a beat. Dirty oil is pure bovine scatology. I am afraid it probably will let you down again as the problem has not been correctly diagnosed? I would try another dealer, presumably it's still under Fiat UK warranty.
 
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