Need a couple of pointers as to whats happening with my Fiat stilo...

1. When I go for a long 10+ mile journey, there's a squeel sound coming from the car, I think it's the rear left. The squeel is almost constant after 20 minutes of driving and stops when I press the brake. I've taken off the wheel and looked at caliper, while there's a bit of corrosion it looks ok, (brake pads are new). Any ideas? caliper carrier warming up and metal expanding rubbing on the disc? stuck piston? sliders?

2. Last week the heater blower, cuts out when it goes from 3-4. On 4 it switches off. 1-3 are fine, but this week its working ok again?

3. Bonet release is iffy. It takes 5 or 6 attempts to get the little T-catch to pop out. I keep pulling and pushing the handle in the drivers footwell until it pops. Stretched cable?

For your squeak - it could well be brakes. There is an off chance it might be a bearing.


Does it go away if you apply a couple of clicks of handbrake too?


If you're handy enough and have an appropriate caliper wind back tool it sounds like it would be worth giving it a strip down and a clean up. It'll only take an hour and won't cost you anything.


Rear calipers are good at seizing up so scrub all the dust, muck and any loose surface material out of it you can. Just be careful not to damage the little rubber gaitor on the piston. If you take cap off brake fluid reservoir you should be able to wind the piston back fairly easily with the right too. It should wind back nice and smoothly and the resistance should be similar to the point when a cola bottle lid goes tight - if that makes sense.


Wind it back, give the back of the brake pads a really good coating of copper grease and reassemble.


Don't forget to pump the brake peddle till it goes firm to push the piston back out to where it needs to be before driving anywhere and don't forget to put the lid back on the reservoir.

heater blower could either be the resistor or the actual control dial - its a slight pain taking the dials apart to check, but it could be some gunk in there causing a bit of a blockage, but ill wager its the resistor that is on its way out.

bonnet release could be stretched cable but I would give the whole mechanism in the engine bay a very thorough degreasing as it could be sticking there, causing the cable to kink.

As above, i have had to change a atleast one rear wheel bearing on all 3 of my stilos.

Paul