General Is the Stilo a maintenance heavy car?

Currently reading:
General Is the Stilo a maintenance heavy car?

Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
109
Points
32
So Mario just went in for the service at Motor Mech. Several hundred pounds and two visits later he's emerged with a clean solid bill of health following quite a lot of work..

Full service. Usual bits filters, oil plugs etc
The annoying rattle on the passenger side was a broken shock bracket. That's been repaired.
Drop links done.
Key fob now works. Finally!
New clutch kit, slave and clutch pedal assembly cleaned. No more sticking clutch! Although I'm yet to go out for a long drive. It used to get worse when the car was warm or on a long journey.
New radiator. The original one had sprung a leak.
New driver side brake caliper.
New rear discs and pads.

I managed to get the parts myself and had some good deals in the process. I'm glad really, some of those bits were not cheap and Motor Mech probably wouldn't have had time to look as I did. The brake caliper was coming in at £160 ish. I got a new Bosch OE unit for £60. I found good offers on Brmebo pads and discs etc. The only thing I didn't provide was fluids and general service parts.

As ever though, the labour bill was probably the biggest factor. I'm not grumbling but i wish I had a bit more time and confidence to do more. However on the plus side he's a million miles nicer to drive then he was previously. It's really noticeable. The clutch action is seemingly beautiful, he pulls well, goes round corners like he's on rails and will stop when he's supposed to.

He cost me £280 for a full set of decent tyres and tracking in April as well. Last year on the MOT he had new pads (and possibly discs) on the front.

Still on the list..alloy refurb and some minor /smart bodywork repairs. That's another couple of hundred at least and will have to wait.
Both door check straps. On order
Cigarette socket replacement. On order.

This has me thinking. I've had my Stilo just over a year and it only had 36k on the clock. I'm only the second owner (after a lady on motability) and it came with a good history of servicing at a main dealer. He's now upto 46k a year later and it just seems that it's a lot of work so far. Granted it's a 54 plate and the elements don't care about milage. I also appreciate I can't tell how the first owner drove or treated it. She may have been a fiend for riding the clutch etc.

I'm not complaining but thought I'd ask for the views of other Stilo owners. Is all of this normal?

I'm happy and hopeful that this will be it for major works for another 18 months at least. I worked it out earlier and there's not much in it price wise between the cost of Mario and the work done so far and having something on finance over the same period. But I really didn't want that. I hate the milage restrictions, crazy balloon payments, ludicrous damage policies etc. I don't need a car regularly and a new car would be a waste with depreciation. I like my car and the fact that even though it is 12 years old, it is mine and I can do as I wish. I wanted one as a kid and I'm happy with it. It's comfortable, still looks nice when looked afterand is a little bit left field compared to getting a similar Focus Golf, A3 etc

I need to get to bed and I'm rambling on.
 
I dunno what happened to your clutch.. maybe a lot of sitting in traffic with the clutch in.. but other than the drop-links (?) the rest could just be age related/stuff being under used but exposed to the elements.

The radiator sounds like bad luck.. either yours rusted or it got killed in action.

My old beast is on 126,000 and still has original of most parts.

Both front wishbones are new but the dampers, shocks and brake calipers are original. Disks must have been changed since those haven't done 126k.. but they haven't worn much in the 12,000 miles I've done since I had it.

Exhaust back-box looks non-original and is due to be replaced again soon.. but the radiator is original.

I have a new clutch (120,000) but the one that came out was the original. I only changed it since the clutch cylinder died.

My biggest headache at the moment is the clocks set. I'v had the original died.. (lost on the way to the menders). A replacement (second hand equally old) set died after a month and could not be repaired.. Third set at the menders as we speak.. Otherwise the beast looks indestructible.


Ralf S.
 
Yeah I think I've just been unlucky with the amount of work required. That being said, I'm looking forward to it being finished with the cosmetic work. It's probably been as much as the car is worth (or more) getting it into a good condition. But it's the chance you take buying a second hand car. But I'll still be happy.

Parts wise prices are sensible. It's why I didn't go for an Abarth version. I love them but on costs they are a lot more pricey.

You are doing well at 120k ?
 
Last October I bought a Stilo 1.2 5d in medium condition and 250.000km, so I decided to make some improvements.

So far I fixed the following:

Front bumper from 3 door
Fuel Flap
16" Rims 205/55/R16
Battery 62 Ah (new)
OCS Sensor mod
Red painted Calipers
Front wishbone R+L from Bravo II
Front brake discs
Rear brake disks
Front headlight Clusters R+L
Battery cover
Dual zone Flap Actuators
Drivers door lock mechanism
Drivers window mechanism
Cruise control retrofitted
Indicators stalk (new)
Radio-CD
Aerial
Timing belt kit
Clutch kit
Water pump
Spark plugs/Oil filter/Air Filter
Footrest plastic
Body throttle (new)
Left drop link
Front/rear ashtray
KW shock absorbers
Eibach Pro kit 30mm springs
New roof fabric
Outlet manifold with Catalytic Converter
Driver/passenger sun protectors with mirror and light

So far, 10 months of use, it's on 272.000km and it is in perfect condition, very satisfied from this car.
 
Last edited:
My old beast is on 126,000 and still has original of most parts.

I wrote one JTD off after putting 120,000m on it, immediately bought another and have done 140,000m in that one so far. Driven enthusiastically over a ten year period, they've been reliable, quick and economical. I think the Stilo (especially the JTD) is hugely under-rated. Now you've spent the money to put your car in good order, use and enjoy it.
 
I wouldn't call them a high maintenance car at all.


I've had my Abarth since January and all I've done is replaced the coil pack on it but I knew they were tired at point of purchase and we negotiated on that matter. Otherwise she's just had maintenance bits like brake pads. No dramas at all.


If you want to talk about an expensive car to run... my other car is an Audi A8. It's a 4.0 V8 twin turbo diesel, Quattro. Now that... that costs a pretty penny to run.


My latest bill is for a fibre optic strip that sits in the door card to illuminate the suede insert in the door with a soft white light at night. For a second hand breakers yard part is £40 for what is essentially an 8" fibre optic light strip. I could give all sorts of examples of bills I've got for that for just little bits that cost the earth.


My personal favourite is that each service it requires a little bit under 11 litres of oil!


In the grand scheme of things the Abarth is a blood bargain to run.
 
Hmm. Interesting. Everyone has their own views.

For myself the Abarth was significantly more expensive in terms of insurance and running costs. They are a stunning car but they take a lot of money for the performance on offer. I'd of had one in a heart beat if they were a bit easier on the pocket.

I am enjoying my car. I know I've spent a fair bit but I'm happy. I wasn't complaining in my first post.

Your Audi sounds like it's potentially ludicrous to run. I have a mate with an S class AMG and his service every year is at least £1300. I think he only paid 9k for the car lol!
 
Oh yeh the Audi is bonkers for sure but you have to think brand new it was a £70k + car probably; not that I paid anything near that. But you have to expect big bills with a car like that. Typically they're loaded with all the latest tech and gizmos at time of build so you have to expect there is more to go wrong.


If I'm 29, have 11 years no claims, no points, no convictions, nothing, the Audi insurance is £600 a year. My wife, who is 26, has been driving 2 years and has 2 years no claims pays about £550 for her insurance (with me on it) for the Abarth.


But it's a small price to pay for a little slick of luxury and it's a V8 to play with. You pays your money.... I don't smoke, drink, gamble, holiday abroad all the time or anything else expensive, so I have to have one guilty pleasure!


I've had plenty of Alfas, a couple of Mazdas and a few bits inbetween. You have to expect servicing costs to be a little bit increased with the abarth being a 5 cylinder. It seems the electrics are a bit fragile on these things even compared to my Alfas otherwise it seems just wear and tear stuff like the rest and no big deal. Parts seem easy and cheap enough.


If you think about it the only other car really for the age and price range you're looking at is either a Focus ST170 or a Clio 172. You check them out the majority of them you see for sale look like they'd had a bloody hard life, they don't age well, particularly the ford. The clios seem to suffer from boy races and they all end up with bump marks and silly alloys. So the Stilo being a little bit left of field tend to fair pretty well for their time.
 
Your wife gets a better deal on the Abarth then I do with my 1600. 6 years of having my license, 3 years no claims, no accidents or convictions. They still want to quote me £600 plus. That's without putting my gf on. She only passed in March and so far the cheapest quote with her on was over £1k. She has a Peugeot 108 just add fuel thing for herself so I may have to take her off. Makes no financial sense keeping her on. Don't even start me on the 108. Sore subject..

It'd nice to know that I've just been slightly unfortunate in the number of issues. The old fleet manager at work absolutely slated the Stilo, recalling a horror story with one that broke down outside with a sky roof that wouldn't shut. It rained and wad absolutely ruined. But i think it seems like a nice car. It's no less well built then the Ford, Vauxhall, Nissan and Punto I've had before.
 
i wouldn't say they are maintenance heavy cars myself, but it does sound like maybe you have been just a little unlucky or you have a thorough mechanic!

I've had my JTD Sporting for about 4 years now, and its been the most reliable car I've owned and I've owned some stunners. Now, I always fully expect to have to do something on a used car. Some jobs I do myself, some jobs I give to the garage. in my ownership of my 55 plate 114k miler ive had done, or done:

all the brakes all round (approx. £600)
all the tyres
EGR blanked off
new Thermostat (I will tell you now, that's a pain in the arse)
near side wing repaired (my bad)
service
new front wishbones (easy a DIY job, very expensive at a garage)
I think a front shock absorber

that's about it. I'm sure ive forgotten some bit n bobs in there, but I don't think that's too bad over that period of time for a car like this. What I got in return is a beautiful drive (though its rock hard due to it being a sporting), excellent fuel economy (50+ on a good run to and around Norfolk, dropping to 40+ around my town), a real good looking motor and comfy.

Stuff I did that I didn't need to do are simply the stereo and fascia, fixed a leaking sunroof drain (passenger side, I have the sky roof) and fitted leather seats.

I reckon with all the work you have had done, youll be good to go for a number of years fairly trouble free. You just have to be wary of stuff like the EGR and Turbo/INtercooler, exhaust etc, all the stuff that generally needs some form of attention over time regardless, but if you keep up to it, drive it and enjoy it I am sure you will be smiling.

That being said, looks like I'm probably going to sell mine now, as I have several cars and the Stilo tends to sit more than the other cars :(
 
I've had my 2004 Stilo Abarth for about 18 months. In the past I've usually had a cheaper/older - but interesting - car like this as a 'rolling project': improving things gradually during my period of ownership, perhaps spending about £2k spread over a couple of years. But I've taken a different approach this time - a bit like what nikiforos83 has done....

I waited for the model I wanted (3 door hatch, manual gearbox, skywindow, Cosmopolitan blue) then spent £2k in the first eight weeks of ownership to transform it into a virtually 'new' Stilo: suspension arms, top mounts, drop links, dampers, track rod ends, brake discs, pads, hoses, calipers (x2), spark plugs, Redline lubricants, instrument cluster repair, wiper link rods, plugs, coil pack (x1), thermostat, Alloy wheel refurb, Dunlop SP Sport tyres (grippy and quiet), auxilliary belts, Powerflow custom exhaust (modelled on the Fiat original, so really quiet and refined), chasing down and fixing every little squeak and rattle, etc, etc.

Doing these improvements all in one go means I get to enjoy a near-perfect and very reliable Stilo Abarth almost from the start, and I've now got real confidence in the old girl. From here on, it's just routine maintenance and mending anything that breaks - which has been nothing so far. I feel like I'm driving a £20k car for £3.5k!

I appreciate that this is a bit of a hobby (or is it an obsession?) for me, and that for others here it might be more about running your Stilo as cheaply as possible, but I think mine has actually been really good value so far, considering how perfectly it drives and how much I'm enjoying it.

Perhaps what I'm saying is that you can make your Stilo as reliable and low-maintenance as you want...
 
You sound like you have a great example of it. I really liked the electric ish blue as well, but the darker one is a tad more tasteful.

I've not been about running it cheaply. The parts I've put in have been OE grade or the more expensive 3rd party option from ecp.. Ie Bosch and Brembo for brakes, Valeo rather then transmech for the clutch, j dues radiator. Motor Mech are not a cheap garage but I'm happy with their work and the cost wasnt really much more then my old terrible mechanic. With the work done the car now feels amazing.

I have the door check straps and cigarette lighter to replace, then the wheels a refurbished and the bodywork tidying. After these are done I'll have it in as perfect a shape as it will ever be again.

The Stilo was genuinely a nice car new, but for whatever reasons wasn't so popular. On the plus side I feel it's lack of popularity means they still look quite fresh (especially the 3 door) if it's a decent trim and in good condition.

Enjoy your Abarth. I wanted one but the pockets zipped themselves shut when I started looking at insurance quotes. My 1600 is bad enough already...
 
...The Stilo was genuinely a nice car new, but for whatever reasons wasn't so popular. On the plus side I feel it's lack of popularity means they still look quite fresh (especially the 3 door) if it's a decent trim and in good condition.

I love the fact that people look twice at my Stilo, because it's unusual and has cool styling. Like most cars of a 'certain age', the Stilo is getting to that point where some of the reasons for keeping it and looking after it have to be non-economic and arguably irrational: it's all about the experience...

Enjoy your Abarth. I wanted one but the pockets zipped themselves shut when I started looking at insurance quotes. My 1600 is bad enough already...

Two great tips for insuring a fast car: (1) be 56 years old and (2) have 38 years no-claims. That said, the Stilo is still bloomin' expensive at £139 fully comp including business use....
 
Lol you think £139 a year is a lot. I would snap their arm off for that price!

The cheapest quote I have so far is £600. I was with a company called Hey Guevara that promised upto 75 percent off my renewal depending on how well my group does. They cant offer a renewal at the moment but I will get £300 back from them instead. I've just gotta work on that £600 initial cost to get it down to a reasonable amount.

Have you put any pics of your car up?
 
Lol you think £139 a year is a lot. I would snap their arm off for that price!

I don't really think £139 is expensive for insurance, but it is the most expensive-to-insure car that we've had for a while. My Alfetta saloon is £59 a year...!

Pictures of my Stilo here

For pictures of all my current cars, click on the blue link in my signature file here...
 
Here some photos of my Stilo 5d 1.2 16v (June 2002)
Bought October 2015 with 250.000km


Bumper from a 3D Stilo + 16" Rims

t698oWC.jpg


xLlAC17.jpg


Repainted Bonnet and wings

N7iNENZ.jpg


Cruise Control

p3KJrVc.jpg


MiUHEsS.jpg



New Clutch Kit + differential seals

cJbbf1Y.jpg


NKQ3ika.jpg


Brake discs + Pads replace

aTF05JE.jpg


OCS sensor Mod + Proof it works!

vh8SzPd.jpg


X6QmDbd.jpg


KW Shock Absorbers
Eibach Pro kit 30mm Springs


h1kZDTu.jpg


esWtmxY.jpg


frdzett.jpg


Timing belt kit + Water pump replace

ROFJFiA.jpg


Rocker cover gasket replace

5GKRIvc.jpg


eT2S9jL.jpg


Battery 60Ah

pb9oWiF.jpg


Bv5MX4X.jpg


Coolant

XGKhLFx.jpg


RjTY0OM.jpg


Interior

jhYw6Sl.jpg


Wg5RfCD.jpg


Roof repair

opBpTsB.jpg


BBqvAH1.jpg


ELvSkzT.jpg


Exhaust Inox

k2itkeu.jpg


2rzcj0L.jpg



Gearbox cleaned

xF71U8w.jpg


kqMcZlC.jpg


Radiator Fan + Resistor

R8fYJK5.jpg


qbZGKla.jpg


Exhaust Manifold + Catalytic Converter replace

VGIVZjA.jpg


MqmSAJx.jpg


T7WliGf.jpg


At 270.000km before a week

wygixB5.jpg


k7Y4GFY.jpg


Z421hwG.jpg


sOZywZl.jpg


O0Xlix8.jpg


BFSBRNV.jpg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top