Hi, I might be getting a Panda. I was wondering if anyone could answer a few qusetions about them? (I've driven one but only for a day!)
I own a Punto at the moment, and I've had a few problems with the wipers juddering, does this happen on the Panda?
Also I've noticed that the clutch can go a bit "light" on the Punto, does this also happen on the Panda? Many Thanks.

havent seen any sign of the wipers juddering on our panda, as for the clutch i find i quite light, almost "japanese" if you know what i mean, then again mrs turboned only lets me drive occasionally as she has seen my driving in the uno tub, which has a juddery wiper (coz it's old) and a hard clutch (coz i like it that way!)

I'm just worried about the quality of the Panda. After buying a Punto in 2004, the car has been into various delearships about 8 times, all for "minor" bits and bobs. (Such as trim problems, juddering wipers etc.) Which I feel take the "shine" off of a car. I'm scared that if I plough more money into a Fiat, it will be a stupid risk to take. I have however driven the Panda at two different times, and been very suprised by it.......

I understand the Panda is a reliable little beast, but my local dealer did tell me they had seen a few with the 'juddering wipers' syndrome that many Punto owners are familiar with. I also know of someone who had a new clutch in his mums Panda as it was suffering from the same 'juddering' seen on the 1.2 8v Punto

Otherwise pretty good!

I take it the Punto youve got is one of the early mk2 1.2s? As far as i know the part of the clutch which caused the judder has been replaced with an upgraded part on the Panda, which hopefully has sorted out that problem. Alternatively, get the Diesel as the clutch is totally different.

chrisunoman said:

I take it the Punto youve got is one of the early mk2 1.2s? As far as i know the part of the clutch which caused the judder has been replaced with an upgraded part on the Panda, which hopefully has sorted out that problem. Alternatively, get the Diesel as the clutch is totally different.

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My Punto is a 54 Reg Active Sport, Chris. I'm a bit put off now by all this

I'd like to know what dealer told Chris that. The juddering wipers on the Punto were caused by lubricant solidifying. Fiat no longer use that particular lubricant. I've heard of no new Panda with a clutch problem. I've only heard good things about them.

as you are no doubt aware from other posts our panda does mainly toen work, in traffic, hence a lot of clutch work, it's still as smooth as day one

The last Panda I've driven DID have a problem with the wipers juddering, but I think that was caused by a very mucky screen. I've never noticed a problem with the clutch on the two that I've driven either. I'll bet I get the one Panda that's got ever single fault going......

chrisunoman said:

I take it the Punto youve got is one of the early mk2 1.2s? As far as i know the part of the clutch which caused the judder has been replaced with an upgraded part on the Panda, which hopefully has sorted out that problem. Alternatively, get the Diesel as the clutch is totally different.

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The clue is in my name; I have a JTD

Only passing on the info from my dealer. They mentioned the wipers problem had been seen a few times (this was about 4 months after the Panda had been launched). As for the clutch, I know a guy who'se mum has an Eleganza and they needed a new clutch at 3,000 miles because the dreaded 'jerky' pull-away had started. Could be a one-off, but having a similar fault appear to so many Punto drivers is a touch fishy to me

I've just got back from the test drive at the dealership. I'm not as impressed as I have been with the last two Panda's I have driven.
I took out a 1.2 Dynamic, and the brakes, and handbrake were as noisy as my Punto's!
The lovely "grating" from the front brakes was there. And the handbrake has the same "squeaking" problem when you pull it up. Is this normal for the higher spec Pandas, or is it just a one off? Also, does anyone find the seats a bit hard? I don't want it to be uncomfortable as I drive a lot of miles (And I'm 6 foot 1!)
It was odd, like driving a different car. On the plus side, my missus loved it! I've never seen her with a smile on her face when driving before!

specs78 said:

Also, does anyone find the seats a bit hard? I don't want it to be uncomfortable as I drive a lot of miles (And I'm 6 foot 1!)
It was odd, like driving a different car. On the plus side, my missus loved it! I've never seen her with a smile on her face when driving before!

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i'm 6ft2, and i fit in fine, though my mrs complains coz i change the seat and mirror settings....seat are a little firm, but i find them comfy, the only other car seats i really like are from the hoda jazz, lovely material, very supportive.

Do you find that the front brakes are noisy in your Panda Mr. Turboned? I was hoping to get anyway from grating and squeaking brakes.....

specs78 said:

Do you find that the front brakes are noisy in your Panda Mr. Turboned? I was hoping to get anyway from grating and squeaking brakes.....

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so far, no noises, squeaking, grating, etc

turboned said:

so far, no noises, squeaking, grating, etc

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Perhaps it was because it was a test drive car? I like the Panda, I wish my missus hadn't laughed when I got in it though! have you got any pics of you in your Panda?

Steve C said:

I'd like to know what dealer told Chris that.

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Priory Fiat Manchester. My mums got one of the Puntos with the juddery clutch (shes on her 4th clutch and only done 17k ) and originally it was my Mum that wanted the Panda so i asked them, as the 1.2 in the Panda is the same engine thats in the Punto, if they had rectified the problem and they said they had.

They said the problem had been solved on the Punto by an upgraded part and that the Panda would therefore be unaffected by the juddering.

But i like the Panda so much now that im getting one!... in a few months when i can afford one.

I'm glad you're as impressed as I am Chris. I just hope the one I drove today was a one off. I don't want to be backwards and forwards to the dealership like I have been with my Punto.

My Panda doesn't make any strange noises either. Brakes and handbrake are fine and the windscreen wiper movement is smooth. I have to negotiate some steep hills and bad road surfaces on my way to work. Other cars that I have taken on the same route sometimes start to rattle within a week. The Panda is fine so far. All the trim feels solid and nothing has fallen off! Brakes are good too. They need a bit of pressure but do the job. When I took a Doblo JTD down the same route a few monts ago I almost crashed into a stone wall because the brakes overheated.

I like the Panda seats. They are a bit firm but that is not a bad thing when you spend a lot of time in your car. In my opinion it is not good for your back to have soft seats. The panda seats are quite supportive and you don't slide around in corners. I am over 6ft and don't have any problems finding a good driving position. I like the Panda Eleganza cloth material better than the cloth that is used in the cheaper versions but that is a personal thing.

Ditto those comments, Im 6'2" and before I had to sell her yesterday found it very comfy.

nuovapanda said:

Ditto those comments, Im 6'2" and before I had to sell her yesterday found it very comfy.

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You had to sell your Panda! Why, oh why? And thanks for the help Recycled Ferrari, sir