Technical Check your £30 breather hose

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Technical Check your £30 breather hose

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Aug 5, 2007
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I had the smaller hose replaced last year under warrenty and it now appears the longer, thinner and more flexible hose has gone. Rang the dealers and its a non warrenty item (I am in the 3rd year) and costs £30 opposed to the £7 for the other. Really is poor from fiat and I might contatc Fiat UK. It's not the dealers fault but this part really needs updating.
Thought its worth people checking before the end of the second year so you can get it changed.
I'll try get a photo up.
 
So what exactly does the delaer warranty cover, because all I keep seeing is a whole lot of things not being covered in the later years of the 3 year period.
 
I had the smaller hose replaced last year under warrenty and it now appears the longer, thinner and more flexible hose has gone. Rang the dealers and its a non warrenty item (I am in the 3rd year) and costs £30 opposed to the £7 for the other. Really is poor from fiat and I might contatc Fiat UK. It's not the dealers fault but this part really needs updating.
Thought its worth people checking before the end of the second year so you can get it changed.
I'll try get a photo up.

It may be worthwhile for some of you to club together and get these people to produce a batch of something a bit tougher: http://www.samcosport.com/uk/index.asp
 
So what exactly does the delaer warranty cover, because all I keep seeing is a whole lot of things not being covered in the later years of the 3 year period.


Not a great deal. Think it says in the warrenty book. I think the interior is only one year anyway. Most electrical things are 2yrs. Really is a poor warrenty and the recent rusty foglights and now the Rusty exhaust (mines ok at the moment) which Mark brought to light are really poor on Fiats behalf. I am going to try for goodwill,I know its only £30 but its the principle. The car is only 7weeks out of the 2year warrenty and I feel it should of been picked up on the service (8weeks ago)

Had an aftermarket breather pipe fitted to my golf, It split after 8yrs and 90k.Cost £27 but nothing similar available for the 500
 
I've just had exactly the same experience. I had the shorter hose replaced back in the winter when the car was 18 months old. It's in for it's 18,000 mile (i.e. 2nd) service today and they have rung to say I need a new hose for the longer length. Unfortunately as I'm 10 days over the 2 years date I've got to pay for it.

I've been driving old and newer cars for 15 years and I've never had this problem before. So I am concluding Fiat must be using particularly poor quality pipes for these hoses? Am I now facing a cost of £37 every 18 months to get these replaced???
 
So I am concluding Fiat must be using particularly poor quality pipes for these hoses?

From what I have seen of my own car, and some of the other comments on this forum, FIAT may be using particularly poor quality components rather more extensively.

IMO, that's one reason the 2nd year service prices are so high. Better quality spark plugs, brake components & fluids would not need replacing so early.

As I plan on keeping my car, I will be looking to the aftermarket to source better quality and longer lasting parts when the time comes to service it.

But I am now starting to wonder if this was such a wise purchase after all. If things like the catalytic converter, lambda sensors, starter motor, alternator, steering rack etc aren't good for at least 100k, might be better to let this go after a couple of years if residuals are still strong.

By then, enough of the early cars will have gone through a couple of MOTs and the longer term picture may be a little clearer...
 
From what I have seen of my own car, and some of the other comments on this forum, FIAT may be using particularly poor quality components rather more extensively.

IMO, that's one reason the 2nd year service prices are so high. Better quality spark plugs, brake components & fluids would not need replacing so early.


As I plan on keeping my car, I will be looking to the aftermarket to source better quality and longer lasting parts when the time comes to service it.

But I am now starting to wonder if this was such a wise purchase after all. If things like the catalytic converter, lambda sensors, starter motor, alternator, steering rack etc aren't good for at least 100k, might be better to let this go after a couple of years if residuals are still strong.

By then, enough of the early cars will have gone through a couple of MOTs and the longer term picture may be a little clearer...

do you really expect plugs to last more than 2 years??
fluids more than 2 years??
 
I've just had exactly the same experience. I had the shorter hose replaced back in the winter when the car was 18 months old. It's in for it's 18,000 mile (i.e. 2nd) service today and they have rung to say I need a new hose for the longer length. Unfortunately as I'm 10 days over the 2 years date I've got to pay for it.

I've been driving old and newer cars for 15 years and I've never had this problem before. So I am concluding Fiat must be using particularly poor quality pipes for these hoses? Am I now facing a cost of £37 every 18 months to get these replaced???


Don't pay it this time, get on the phone to customer services and try for good will. I managed to do this for a hose and vent in the third year. I'll pm you a number I got of the person who authorised my claim.
 
From what I have seen of my own car, and some of the other comments on this forum, FIAT may be using particularly poor quality components rather more extensively.

IMO, that's one reason the 2nd year service prices are so high. Better quality spark plugs, brake components & fluids would not need replacing so early.

Because 2 years is such an untypical schedule for brake fluid (n) Learn why it's replaced.
 
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