Technical Yet more Panda problems

Currently reading:
Technical Yet more Panda problems

sailtastic

New member
Joined
May 31, 2008
Messages
5
Points
1
Location
Bristol
My wife bought her Panda 1.2 Eleganza in 2004 and I'm on the verge of selling it because of the lack of helpfulness of my local dealer in sorting out the problems with the car.

So far we are on the 2nd set of brakes (pads and discs) and the current ones are squeaking badly when first used, the car has now done about 16,000miles.

The outer layer of the exhaust back box has corroded and is hanging off. The underside of the spare wheel pressing is starting to rust. The dealer took photos of this and are awaiting confirmation from FIAT UK to see if they can repair and replace as a gesture of goodwill but 2weeks on I still havnt heard a thing.

When braking with large amounts of right steering the brakes and steering have juddered alarmingly on two occasions, but I cant consistently replicate the problem.

It took me well over two years to get a paint touch-up stick, and whenever I call the dealer they always claim they will phone back later but never do.

The servicing is costing approx. £375 per year which is staggering given that my 04 plate Mondeo costs only £140 per service at a full Ford dealer.

I love the Panda and drive it regularly but the dealers and the servicing costs are just ridiculous.

Sort it out Fiat or you'll loose all your repeat business, I might even be tempted to get a Ford Fiesta !!!
 
So far we are on the 2nd set of brakes (pads and discs) and the current ones are squeaking badly when first used, the car has now done about 16,000miles.

The outer layer of the exhaust back box has corroded and is hanging off. The underside of the spare wheel pressing is starting to rust. The dealer took photos of this and are awaiting confirmation from FIAT UK to see if they can repair and replace as a gesture of goodwill but 2weeks on I still havnt heard a thing.

What do you mean abou the brakes squeaking when first used? Do you mean at the start of each journey? If you don't drive often, drive through puddles, or wash the car then it is normal for the brake discs to rust. If they are rusty then they may squeak for while until the rust has rubbed off. My car (Seicento) does this, and I noticed that the Panda I took for a test drive was like that.

I'm supprised about the exhaust rusting from the outside, I think they usually rust from the inside? I don't think four years from from an exhaust is bad with that mileage though. My first Seicento exhaust probably lasted that long. Short trips will kill exhausts much quicker.
 
The car is driven every day so I dont expect the brakes to rust much squeaking on first application each day shouldnt occur unless not driven for a week or so.

Dual layer exhausts are generally good for 6years minimum according to the exhaust manufacturers so I'm not happy with 3 years. The corrosion is between the two layers.

Other problems with the car, for about 1 months, two years ago the radio kept turning itself on by itself in the middle of the night.

Also when the fuel tank is filled, fuel leaks out giving a nasty odour for a day or two. I've established that this is due to the fuel filler pipe entering the side of the tank and not into the top, so when filled you actually have fuel in the filler line. The filler line is flexible pipe and is only held on with a jubilee clip so fuel seeps out. Solution is to never put more than 28 litres in !!
 
Sounds like my local dealer SGM in Southampton. I spent 4months getting a touch up stick when there was a chip on my car on delivery. Are you near sea water? That does seem a bit weird that the exhaust and the wheel housing are rusting...
 
When braking with large amounts of right steering the brakes and steering have juddered alarmingly on two occasions, but I cant consistently replicate the problem.

Are you sure the "judder" you describe isn't just the ABS kicking in?

Braking and steering at the same time is a sure fire way of losing grip. May explain why you can't consistently replicate it too.
 
Last edited:
My wife bought her Panda 1.2 Eleganza in 2004 and I'm on the verge of selling it because of the lack of helpfulness of my local dealer in sorting out the problems with the car.

I notice you're in Bristol too. You're local dealer isn't Simonstone is it?

If so you may want to try somewhere else, nobody has told them that the telephone works both ways. I bought my car there very recently, to say their customer service is disappointing would be an understatement of the largest order.
 
My local (ish) dealer is indeed Simonstone. It has to be said that its no wonder they lost the Alfa franchise !! Mind you be-warned all prospective Hyundai buyers as it'll be you next !

Any suggestions on alternative dealers ? There is a new dealer in Gloucester which is just as close as the Bristol dealer, anyone got any experience with them ?

The rust on the spare wheel pressing is on the underside of the car. If you look under the back of the car you will see the area with the fairly standard pressing witness marks (a raised circle in the middle of the pressing) its this raised section thats corroding. At the moment I dont doubt that its just surface rust, but its clear that the galvanising and ant-rust protection is too thin in this area and will not protect the car for the duration of the anti-perforation guarentee.

Also I got the mileage wrong its now on 21,000miles.
 
The servicing is costing approx. £375 per year which is staggering given that my 04 plate Mondeo costs only £140 per service at a full Ford dealer.
Definitely try another dealer, even if it's out of your way. The Panda should be about the same service cost as the Mondeo.
 
Definitely try another dealer, even if it's out of your way. The Panda should be about the same service cost as the Mondeo.

Coming from a Mondeo, that was the impression I was under too - might be even cheaper if you supply your own oil (not the expensive Selenia stuff).

Chris
 
Ok, so response from Fiat UK is that they will fund 50% of the cost of a new exhaust box.

Quote received from Simonstone is £112.19 Inc Parts, Labour & VAT, for the 50% that I need to pay, so big question, is £224.38 an ok price for a Panda exhaust box ?

Also my local dealers (apart from Simonstone) seem to be Wessex Gloucester, and Motor Services Chepstow, anyone have any experience with these guys ?
 
I paid £60 all in at a local tyre/exhaust place for a replacement back box on the Mondeo - don't think it was a genuine Ford part, but suspect it was as good as and of similar quality....

Chris
 
The silencer box on my saughter's 2 year old 1.1. Active is looking a bit corroded after 27,000miles but not blowing, so we'll see how it goes.
Can't cost much to replace even if it does fail, found one on the web for £50 including VAT and delivery (though not fitting).
 
This is the exhaust on my (05) Panda. Other side is the same too. It was pretty much like this after a year - hasn't got much worse mind. Had thought that it was just my problem...
 

Attachments

  • exhaust-rust.jpg
    exhaust-rust.jpg
    14.7 KB · Views: 11
Last edited:
The exhaust on mine is corroding as well. Less acceptable is that there are several rust areas under the floorpan (you have to crawl underneath or have it on ramps to see). Paint under the car is poor. Mine has no top coat under the bonnet either - its just white primer under there!
Lets face it, its a Fiat and its cheap and cheerful. Buy it, run it 3-4 years and sell it for whatever you can get for it. If you want durability then pay a bit more in the first place and buy Jap or German.
 
My local (ish) dealer is indeed Simonstone. It has to be said that its no wonder they lost the Alfa franchise !! Mind you be-warned all prospective Hyundai buyers as it'll be you next !

Any suggestions on alternative dealers ? There is a new dealer in Gloucester which is just as close as the Bristol dealer, anyone got any experience with them ? .

Ive only had my Panda a year but have covered 24000 miles in that time. My local dealer "Pewsham Garage" in chippenham have been excellent
My weekly mileage is now 800 miles per week.
Its a fabulous car.



The only problem outstanding is the RDS on the radio wont work.
 
Panda4Four, my 4x4 of similar age and 28,000 miles has an exhaust box which looks just like yours. Surface corrosion only and I wouldn't worry about it.
Exhaust system is all one piece but I've found it delivered and VAT, not fitted, pattern part, on the web for about £93 so not the end of the world if it fails in a year or two.
 
Back
Top