As many of you have noticed all Stilos manufactured until year 2003 come with something we can call "manufacturer flaw" when talking about the gearbox mount. It is no accident that there's a sticky thread in the Stilo section, where many described the problem as it is.

I'll use this guide to try to describe the problem in detail, to point where it comes from, and eventually to learn you all how to fix it with your bare hands and some tools.

As far as I know all FIAT Stilo diesel and probably all petrol cars manufactured between year 2001 and 2003 come with the problematic gearbox mount with ePER number 46781889. After 2003 FIAT acknowledges the problem and starts making another replacement gearbox mount with ePER number 51711216. All old gearbox mounts should be pulled out from the market, but you should be very careful when buying yours, it's strongly recommended to use the replacement mount as all design flaws with the old mount have been fixed.

The problem with the original gearbox mount lies in the rubber it is made from, as it has the tendency to harden very quickly during the years. My car was manufactured 29.03.2002 and after 7 years the mount was long long gone. Once hard enough it transfers the vibrations from the engine and gearbox to the whole chassis of the car.

Typical symptoms that your car uses the "defective" gearbox mount and needs replacement:

- strong vibrations on the steering wheel (you can feel them at all times when the car is running)
- vibrations on the front hood (clearly visible)
- vibrations on the gear change stick
- vibrations all over the car's chassis
- even your pedals can vibrate
- last but not least the noise and nasty metalic rattle described by many in the sticky Stilo rattle thread

If you have all the above symptoms, but you still think your gearbox mount does not need changing, here's another symptop I personally found. Try turning on your climatic. Once turned it will transfer the load to the main engine mount and almost all the vibrations in the coupe and on the steering wheel will be gone. Turn off the climatic and all vibrations are back.