not yet Ratty, didnt have time yesterday just down to mileage, but going to ring him in a minute to see if its still for sale and possibly go down tomorrow, or Saturday. I'm pushing it a bit time-wise but looking on AutoTrader quite a few more have sprung up for the same or less money, less miles, all good apart form no skyroof, so that gives me some bargaining i think....
General difficult finding a stilo
- Thread starter Clivvy
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General difficult finding a stilo
theres one in the classifieds!?
you mean the blue one? faulty dash,faulty skyroof, faulty aircon, higher miles.
if it had leather id be swapping him tomorrow! thats all im saying gotta be worth a punt at that price... as you know the engines are bomb proof its one of the better colours and it has a skyroof that could just be a knackered fuse or dicky sensor its the spec you want at the right price even if you have to spend £200 quid sorting it its still less than what i paid for my 1.6 a year and half ago and its higher spec... apart from the leather
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ok chaps, I done it, I bought the Blue Stilo on Autotrader!
Went to see it today, I didnt think I would do as I hadnt been able to get in touch with the garage to see if they were open. Anyway, we had a plan to go out, so I just gave them a quick call and they were open. LONG way for us to go, but went anyway and had a good look.
ok, its not perfect, or mint, but it does seem very good, certainly for the money. Its got:
Skyroof - works-maybe recently repaired as headlining bead is in the boot.
Air-Con - does work, can feel colder air, can hear unit kick in etc, just needs a regas.
Cruise Control
Decent Seats
Claw (?) Alloys
rear spoiler
3 owners
MOT till Feb 2013.
I had to get him down £100 on price as no remote fob, so thats my first job. It will come with two new front tyres as those on there were pretty much slick.
Everything seemed ok at first (wait for it). Checked the interior-pretty clean, no leaks down the pillars. FIRST thing I checked was SkyRoof-perfect. Then Air COn-after starting engine, perfect. Engine very cold, looking at brakes hasnt been driven for at least a few days, but started fine and idled fine. left it running whilst I checked all the electrics, everything works and seems to work pretty well.
Engine bay seems good, engine seems to idle ok, no dodgy rattles that I could hear-all service areas were clean and topped up, oil was good also - no detectable leaks and looks like a new fuel filter. RAD seemed fine, but couldnt remove any covers to check battery or engine (more on that in a minute).
rear boot has minor bubbling around the lock-presumably the last owner didnt have a fob either. A tiny paint chip just up from the lock also, but nothing bad. Around the car, its generally good. almost invisble scratches/marks that SHOULD TCut out we will see, worst part is the rear window-curve scratch to the glass form the wiper-must have had something caught, so will try some glass scratch remover on that but i wont hold my breath-its low down, and not really a problem for me since i plan to tint the windows anyway.
very VERY minor dents on the passenger front wing near the headlights, ill see how I feel about that later so may get fixed. Need to adjust the bonnet stops too-its just a smidge too low. I noted the rubber around the skyroof was worn and poor, but i have no point of comparison, all i know is I couldnt see any evidence of water leak, so finegrs crossed its a tight seal.
Exhaust looked good front to back, brakes ok, slight sticking on one of the rear calipers as I pulled away but ill forgive it as its been stood (evident through surface rust on the discs).
ok, so, took for a test drive. Clutch felt pretty good, brakes very good and it drove, i thought, superb. The tray under the car was hanging a bit slow, and i could hear that knocking slightly - couldnt hear/feel any knocks from either corner and the road was plenty bumpy to give away anything worth noting. I felt the drive was tight, and the engine appeared powerful with no hesitation or smoke etc etc, just felt good. Took it for a pretty long drive, fast roads, town, slow roads, streets etc, felt good, was very happy with it. Got back to the garage....
parked it up, and I just wanted to have a bit more of a play, just to be sure. I had stopped the engine, gone round the car to check for a smell (rear brakes, but clearly working as the disc was now clean). got my other half to start it and rev it-no smoke. played with the electrics (engien running) all good still. stopped the engine, i hopped in, and wanted to try just one more time, and surprise surprise, wouldnt start. In fact, couldnt turn the key.
so...couldnt turn key, when i did, it couldnt start-was trying, but it was no doubt the battery, because after a couple of tries the dash died, then reset itself (the clock) and that was that!
Im not too worried-the chap says he has to fix it otherwise he cant sell it, so thats the agreement-alternator, battery whatever it is he has to fix it. BUT, even so, am I on the right track here...battery? Just seemed strange that I could go for a drive and do all that playing only for it to die UNLESS< he had already charged the battery prior to me arriving (noted battery charger on the car next to us), so this indicates either a faulty alternator or battery.
what do y'all think?!
I am regardless, very excited, and look forward to fixing the various niggles
Went to see it today, I didnt think I would do as I hadnt been able to get in touch with the garage to see if they were open. Anyway, we had a plan to go out, so I just gave them a quick call and they were open. LONG way for us to go, but went anyway and had a good look.
ok, its not perfect, or mint, but it does seem very good, certainly for the money. Its got:
Skyroof - works-maybe recently repaired as headlining bead is in the boot.
Air-Con - does work, can feel colder air, can hear unit kick in etc, just needs a regas.
Cruise Control
Decent Seats
Claw (?) Alloys
rear spoiler
3 owners
MOT till Feb 2013.
I had to get him down £100 on price as no remote fob, so thats my first job. It will come with two new front tyres as those on there were pretty much slick.
Everything seemed ok at first (wait for it). Checked the interior-pretty clean, no leaks down the pillars. FIRST thing I checked was SkyRoof-perfect. Then Air COn-after starting engine, perfect. Engine very cold, looking at brakes hasnt been driven for at least a few days, but started fine and idled fine. left it running whilst I checked all the electrics, everything works and seems to work pretty well.
Engine bay seems good, engine seems to idle ok, no dodgy rattles that I could hear-all service areas were clean and topped up, oil was good also - no detectable leaks and looks like a new fuel filter. RAD seemed fine, but couldnt remove any covers to check battery or engine (more on that in a minute).
rear boot has minor bubbling around the lock-presumably the last owner didnt have a fob either. A tiny paint chip just up from the lock also, but nothing bad. Around the car, its generally good. almost invisble scratches/marks that SHOULD TCut out we will see, worst part is the rear window-curve scratch to the glass form the wiper-must have had something caught, so will try some glass scratch remover on that but i wont hold my breath-its low down, and not really a problem for me since i plan to tint the windows anyway.
very VERY minor dents on the passenger front wing near the headlights, ill see how I feel about that later so may get fixed. Need to adjust the bonnet stops too-its just a smidge too low. I noted the rubber around the skyroof was worn and poor, but i have no point of comparison, all i know is I couldnt see any evidence of water leak, so finegrs crossed its a tight seal.
Exhaust looked good front to back, brakes ok, slight sticking on one of the rear calipers as I pulled away but ill forgive it as its been stood (evident through surface rust on the discs).
ok, so, took for a test drive. Clutch felt pretty good, brakes very good and it drove, i thought, superb. The tray under the car was hanging a bit slow, and i could hear that knocking slightly - couldnt hear/feel any knocks from either corner and the road was plenty bumpy to give away anything worth noting. I felt the drive was tight, and the engine appeared powerful with no hesitation or smoke etc etc, just felt good. Took it for a pretty long drive, fast roads, town, slow roads, streets etc, felt good, was very happy with it. Got back to the garage....
parked it up, and I just wanted to have a bit more of a play, just to be sure. I had stopped the engine, gone round the car to check for a smell (rear brakes, but clearly working as the disc was now clean). got my other half to start it and rev it-no smoke. played with the electrics (engien running) all good still. stopped the engine, i hopped in, and wanted to try just one more time, and surprise surprise, wouldnt start. In fact, couldnt turn the key.
so...couldnt turn key, when i did, it couldnt start-was trying, but it was no doubt the battery, because after a couple of tries the dash died, then reset itself (the clock) and that was that!
Im not too worried-the chap says he has to fix it otherwise he cant sell it, so thats the agreement-alternator, battery whatever it is he has to fix it. BUT, even so, am I on the right track here...battery? Just seemed strange that I could go for a drive and do all that playing only for it to die UNLESS< he had already charged the battery prior to me arriving (noted battery charger on the car next to us), so this indicates either a faulty alternator or battery.
what do y'all think?!
I am regardless, very excited, and look forward to fixing the various niggles
Well i would say the battery as you will know when the alternator packs up, All hell lets loose with the dash and you lose power steering.
Sounds like you might have a bargain there. Just make sure the battery is powerfull enough for the car, He might try a cheap nasty one!!
Sounds like you might have a bargain there. Just make sure the battery is powerfull enough for the car, He might try a cheap nasty one!!
It's common for cars that are in car lots to have flat batteries. My battery goes flat if I leave the car parked for a week. It looks a nice car and it's better to put bits on now as opposed to when you sell a car.
cheers chaps.
wouldnt the test drive though, have charged the battery enough? I was out a good 20 mins or so i think, mixed driving, no electrics being used other than windows....although now I think about it, when I was testing the electrics, the engine was running, so power came from alternator, could easily be either knackered battery, or battery just needs a charge...fingers crossed!!
wouldnt the test drive though, have charged the battery enough? I was out a good 20 mins or so i think, mixed driving, no electrics being used other than windows....although now I think about it, when I was testing the electrics, the engine was running, so power came from alternator, could easily be either knackered battery, or battery just needs a charge...fingers crossed!!
Not enough for a decent deep charge though IMO.
im hoping so, I think im just worrying myself too much thinking theres something more wreong when its probably the most obvious-poorly charged battery, had it so many times with my previous Mazda MX3....
Clivvy,
my Stilo has a battery that is only 18 months old. The car is driven 15 miles twice a day yet the car wouldn't jump start my van last week. Connected my mates car up to it and it started the van straight away so the fact that your one didn't get enough power after the test drive points to a duff battery.
my Stilo has a battery that is only 18 months old. The car is driven 15 miles twice a day yet the car wouldn't jump start my van last week. Connected my mates car up to it and it started the van straight away so the fact that your one didn't get enough power after the test drive points to a duff battery.
cheers Ratty, certainly seems the case. from what I have read, the standard battery isnt really up to much, so ill see what the garage finds and either ask them to fit an uprated battery if possible...
My battery, which is only 21 months old, goes flat if the car's stood for more than a fortnight, or less if i've only done short runs & the weather's cold - the JTD lump & all the Stilos electronics/checks take quite abit of battery to get going i think, so it doesn't take too kindly to a knackered battery.
I'd imagine given the age of the car, it's still on the original battery. It's a good sign that the battery cover is still in place (make sure the trader re-fits it) as many of the more troublesome Stilos/Stili (lol) have them missing as the owners get sick of unscrewing the cover to access the battery/fuses/relays when electrical faults appear. If it's still fitted then i suspect yours hasn't been troublesome - backed-up by only 3 owners (first one being Fiat Auto Fleet i'd imagine).
I'd imagine given the age of the car, it's still on the original battery. It's a good sign that the battery cover is still in place (make sure the trader re-fits it) as many of the more troublesome Stilos/Stili (lol) have them missing as the owners get sick of unscrewing the cover to access the battery/fuses/relays when electrical faults appear. If it's still fitted then i suspect yours hasn't been troublesome - backed-up by only 3 owners (first one being Fiat Auto Fleet i'd imagine).
thanks Liam, youre probably right. The engine bay did seem well looked after. Im not talking cleanliness, but everything was clipped into place properly and so on, the battery cover was indeed present and the little bolts holding it in werent worn or anything. If the garage fits a new battery, ill probably change it again later this year for the highest/biggest I can find.
now then, that thing you just said, "fleet", someone else has said that, what makes you think its an ex fleet car, also, what does that actually mean?!
i have only ever owned old, lots of owners sports cars/4x4's, ive never owned a "normal" car, (actually thats a lie but ill cover that in a different post!!) so the "new" car world is...er...new to me!!:worship:
now then, that thing you just said, "fleet", someone else has said that, what makes you think its an ex fleet car, also, what does that actually mean?!
i have only ever owned old, lots of owners sports cars/4x4's, ive never owned a "normal" car, (actually thats a lie but ill cover that in a different post!!) so the "new" car world is...er...new to me!!:worship:
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the first two letters on your number show the area your car was first registered in. The area on yours is where fiat auto fleet cars are so it is possible yours was one.
Regarding the battery cover the only time my JTD let me down was after i washed the car without the battery cover on and the D4 connector got wet. Keep the cover on and you will be ok. The RAC guy couldn't understand how i knew what the fault was and how to repair it but hadn't fixed it until i pointed out the my car was blocking my garage where my tools were!
Regarding the battery cover the only time my JTD let me down was after i washed the car without the battery cover on and the D4 connector got wet. Keep the cover on and you will be ok. The RAC guy couldn't understand how i knew what the fault was and how to repair it but hadn't fixed it until i pointed out the my car was blocking my garage where my tools were!
rattystilo is spot-on - Fiat Group cars enter the UK via the docks at Portbury nr Bristol, an area covered by the W registration letter (on the new number plate system from 2001), W being for Westcountry/West of England. This is then split again with WA-WJ being for Exeter DVLA Office, WK & WL being for Truro DVLA Office and WM-WZ being for the Bristol Office, which is the one nearest to the docks at Portbury.
Obviously some vehicles displaying the WM-WZ prefix could be registered by dealers in the local area for private customers, but many Fiat Group vehicles with this prefix were registered when they arrived at the port & then made their way onto various fleets such as rental cars, learner driver cars (many 500s were on a contract with BSM) and Fiat press/company cars. Some Fiat Group vehicles used in press shoots also have number plates starting with R for Reading, as this is the DVLA Office nearest to Fiat UKs HQ in Slough. Many Renault UK cars have number plates with H (Hampshire) or N (North East) as they get registered at the docks in Southampton or Teeside. VW Group often have K plates as K is the Northampton DVLA letter, the nearest to VW UK HQ in Milton Keynes. Not always the case that a car with these plates will be ex company/lease/hire cars, but it increases likelyhood.
If your Stilo was a 5dr model i'd be inclined to say it could've been a hire car, as the low sales figures meant a fair few Stilo 5dr's (mostly petrol Active models) ended up with hire companies. However, Fiat didn't do this (at least not on a noticeable scale) with the 3dr Stilo & most were bought privately. Therefore i'd imagine your Stilo was probably a Fiat employee car or possibly a Press Car (used for car mag photoshoots etc). It's hard to tell for sure but because it's a decent spec (JTD Sporting) & then has upgraded wheels, bodykit & sky window it would've made a good car to use for press photos. Similarly they might choose to give good spec cars to their employees, especially if the employee did demo's to potential customers etc. Either way i wouldn't be concerned - it's unlikely to be a thrashed ex-hire car with a spec like that
I'd also echo the comments from ratty about keeping the battery cover on - there's all manner of fuses & relays under there & water/moisture would reap havoc!
cheers Liam, very interesting points there thanks very much. im megga excited now, I pick it up tomorrow. Spoke to Garage/trader and they say it was simply just a flat battery-which all points considered makes absolute sense.
im loving the idea the car may have been some sort of press-shoot car! or a employees car etc, makes me feel more comfrtable that its history, certainly prior the last owner, has been a good one.
im loving the idea the car may have been some sort of press-shoot car! or a employees car etc, makes me feel more comfrtable that its history, certainly prior the last owner, has been a good one.
if the dealer says it was a flat battery then don't be surprised if you have to buy a battery for it in a couple of months. I had exactly the same on mine. My thought is better to buy stuff when you get the car rather than when you are selling it. At least you get to appreciate the parts you buy. Expect to find that it is the original battery.
yes, I fully expect that too, which tbh I am ok with. I THINK i got a good deal considering its just a £2k car, so spending another £60-£80 on a top notch battery is a no brainer, so ill check it this weekend and go down the motor factors for a decent Varta.
im proper excited now.
im proper excited now.
Hope it all goes to plan today. I used to subscribe to Auto Express but can't remember seeing a test/article on a 3dr Stilo. However, if you're really curious it might be worth looking at old late 2005/2006 car mags for any that have a Stilo JTD test/article, as that might be where your one was pictured. Failing that it could've just been an employee car, but still abit more reassuring than finding out it was a hire car - somehow those sorts of things don't sit too easily with me even tho it's unlikely to cause any great harm!
