Hi there, basically I was test driving a Fiat Stilo yesterday and I really liked the car and for the price it was an absolute steal. I did however notice that there is a yellow light in the rev gauge that was on, it looks like an engine basically and the guy selling it claimed thats just to show the car needs a service.

I left it for that day with the aim of finding out more before buying the car. Basically is what he is saying true? Is this just a light to show the car needs servicing? Or is it an engine problem light? I should note that the car drove beautifully and the engine sounded fine, nothing my uncle (who is a mechanic) could spot was wrong with the car but he wait till I find out what that light meant first.

Also, the airbag warning light was on and the guy selling the car assured me this is an easy fix and that its a common problem with Fiat Stilos. Again, I have to ask if this is true?

Lastly, the front felt a bit soft but I dont know if this is just the way Fiat Stilos drive...? (Im used to a much firmer suspension in my parents sporty saloon)

Any help is really greatly appreciated and I have to say for a 10 year old car, Fiat Stilos have really aged well both inside and out
Cheers

Welcome to the forum.

If it was just in need of a service it would say so on the small LCD every time you start the car.

Have a read of this:
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo-faqs/273562-buyers-guide-fiat-stilo.html

The airbag warning is a common problem with Stilos, but several things can cause it. Most commonly it's the wiring plug underneath the passenger seat needs to be secured, but this hasn't solved mine

And exactly as shadeyman says, the service indicator is displayed as "service due" in the lcd display on the dash (haven't reset mine yet), not as the engine warning light, if it didn't have that on the lcd then the guy's talking ****e basicly. You should go back and find out what work has been done to the car, it could just be an old fault code needs cleared if it's driving fine

Yeah, the engine light is a general engine fault warning - you'd need to plug it in to a diagnostic computer to find out what was causing the error - could be a multitude of things.
You can buy a basic cable for under a tenner and use free software to find out the fault, but I wouldn't want to buy a car with the fault light on without either knowing what it is or getting a commitment from the seller to fix it.

Not a great sign if he's already lying about what the light means

Fixing airbag faults can be annoying and expensive... Is it a 3 door? Could be a connection under a seat from it being moved.

oh and yes, Stilo's are very soft as standard IMO

Wow! Not been in here for a while...

Anyway, is the car for sale private or trade - i.e. is the guy a dealer? If he is, then he should be aware of what the warning light represents. If this is the case, I would strongly suggest walking away. I cannot imagine any dealer trying to sell a car that was displaying the warning light in question, particularly if it was an easy fix.

If the guy is not a dealer, then it may be that he just genuinely hasn't got a clue. The light could be something quite serious, but more often than not it turns out to be minor. Quite often it's just a coil on its way out (how many miles has it done - original coils are rubbish and can fail at around 30K miles).

The airbag light is probably the one issue that gives the Stilo its reputation for being unreliable. As others have said, it could be the connector under the seat, or the one above the glovebox. Often it's the OCS in the passenger seat, which costs around £100 to buy and a couple of hours work to replace - if the seat base feels at all bumpy or uneven, this is likely to be the culprit (there is actually a really good guide on here for OCS replacement).

Whether the car is for sale private or trade, if you decide you like it enough to take a chance, at least you can use these issues to drive a hard bargain.

One more thing, if you do still fancy the car, beware of head gasket failure. I know of several early 1.6 examples (including my own ) that suffered from a faulty thermostat (not a big job to replace), which renders the cooling fan inoperative, causing overheating, and ultimately, head gasket failure. To check this, take the car for another test drive, leave it running as long as possible to get it up to temperature, and check the cooling fan comes on when the temp gauge is halfway or has been at the half way point for a few minutes.
Don't be too alarmed by this, it's just better to be safe than sorry

I'm actually quite jealous. I loved my 1.6, and if I could I'd have another one tomorrow

Let us know what you decide to do

Thanks for all the help folks. I have decided to walk away from the car though. It is a private seller, and the guy wasn't the brightest so it really might just be that he hasn't a clue but he just seemed untrustworthy. (It was a 3 door by the way.)

For example he lied about how much tax was on the car (i was told 4 months on the phone, turns out it had 2 weeks tax).

I will continue to look for a Fiat Stilo 3 door within my budget, they have aged so well i can barely believe some are 10 years old now!

Also, the wires were lying out underneath the drivers seat. Looked like a bodge job with gaffer tape. My uncle is a mechanic by trade though and he was convinced the car was mechanically sound but the warning light just put him off being able to give it the thumbs up and put me off buying it second hand. That and the fact the guy wasn't exactly trustworthy and the bonnet had some rust on it (easily replaced on ebay though).

Thanks again and that buyers guide has given me alot to think about for the future.