I have been reading reviews and it said there was a recall on the early cromas for rear suspension tweaking, to stop tyre wear on rear. how will i know if a car has had it done or not?
General rear suspension recall
- Thread starter dave
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General rear suspension recall
Dealers should be able to get the recall history of the car from it's registration number or VIN. I think each completed recall was also supposed to be marked in the service book but if that wasn't available at the time, it may not have been.
right hand rear tyre will be bald.
I did phone the dealer that originally sold mine to the previous owner and asked whether any recall work has been done. I was told that none has been done, and that there are no recalls for it. Either...
1. Later cars didn't leave the factory with the issue (mine's a 56-reg)
2. The dealer couldn't be bothered to check, so just said whatever lies came to mind.
I did have four new tyres and full alignment all round as soon as I got it, and the rears did need a lot of adjustment. I did read on here about the adjuster itself needing replacing (not sure though), and I know that mine was only just OK at the limit of the existing adjuster. The rear tyres have been absolutely fine since - in fact they're hardly touched after 20k+ miles.
1. Later cars didn't leave the factory with the issue (mine's a 56-reg)
2. The dealer couldn't be bothered to check, so just said whatever lies came to mind.
I did have four new tyres and full alignment all round as soon as I got it, and the rears did need a lot of adjustment. I did read on here about the adjuster itself needing replacing (not sure though), and I know that mine was only just OK at the limit of the existing adjuster. The rear tyres have been absolutely fine since - in fact they're hardly touched after 20k+ miles.
Last edited:
OP
OP
so rear is adjustable then that's good to know, just alignment or camber too?
Actually it was NOT a recall as such but a "Technical Bulletin" also known as a Campaign.
Details Are:
Product Update 5183 : Fiat Croma Rear Wheel Toe-In
Vehicles Affected: Chassis Numbers 2001122 to 2028895
If the campaign has been carried out then
Identification of Intervention: White paint mark on the rear left brake caliper casing
Also SIGI should have been updated to show the work/checks were done.
The bad news is that according to the bulletin it is perfectly acceptable to have the following wear difference between tyre inside and outside edges.
1000 miles up to 0.3mm
5000 miles up to 1.5mm
10000 miles up to 3.0mm
20000 miles up to 6.0mm
Add normal tyre wear of say 2mm to 4mm per 20K miles for a simple trailing rear suspension then 20K miles is all Fiat are expecting from a set of rear tyres.
Very tempting to fit / weld up a simple beam axle (like the Tipo and Uno had and delivered well over 60K miles for a set of rear tyres) and completely do away with this crappy GM multi-link rear suspension load of trash.
Details Are:
Product Update 5183 : Fiat Croma Rear Wheel Toe-In
Vehicles Affected: Chassis Numbers 2001122 to 2028895
If the campaign has been carried out then
Identification of Intervention: White paint mark on the rear left brake caliper casing
Also SIGI should have been updated to show the work/checks were done.
The bad news is that according to the bulletin it is perfectly acceptable to have the following wear difference between tyre inside and outside edges.
1000 miles up to 0.3mm
5000 miles up to 1.5mm
10000 miles up to 3.0mm
20000 miles up to 6.0mm
Add normal tyre wear of say 2mm to 4mm per 20K miles for a simple trailing rear suspension then 20K miles is all Fiat are expecting from a set of rear tyres.
Very tempting to fit / weld up a simple beam axle (like the Tipo and Uno had and delivered well over 60K miles for a set of rear tyres) and completely do away with this crappy GM multi-link rear suspension load of trash.
From memory (it was over a year ago) I think it's fully adjustable all round. I do remember the mechanic saying how good it was, and that many cars have little or no adjustment on the back.
It was just a standard fast-fit tyre place. The usual "free check", but you end up paying per adjustment needed. Can't remember how much, but I should have easily got it back in saved tyres by now.
And what's the difference between a "recall" and a "campaign"?! It sounds a lot like Thatcher saying it was the Falklands "conflict", so she didn't have to pay war pensions.
Recall is when you get a letter telling you the car needs to go in.
Campaign is something they do if you happen to have the car in for service.
The rear suspension if fully adjustable in both toe-in/out and camber.
HOWEVER
The two are very much interlinked with one adjustment affecting the other. Also rear suspension loading/ride height affects bother toe and camber.
With the Croma compromises have to be made as from my experience 'ideal' settings are not achievable.
HOWEVER
The two are very much interlinked with one adjustment affecting the other. Also rear suspension loading/ride height affects bother toe and camber.
With the Croma compromises have to be made as from my experience 'ideal' settings are not achievable.
Nick (s130) posted here the very detailed description of the rear alignment.
It seems that toe-in varies according to the weight on the wheel, so that the body roll induces an element of rear wheel steering. If intentional very sophisticated, and difficult to set up correctly.
Mine (2.4) had been done some time before I got it, in the service book, and the rear wheels have never shown any scrubbing or excessive wear, in fact almost no wear at all, although my mileage is only about 12000 since I got it over 2 years ago.
It seems that toe-in varies according to the weight on the wheel, so that the body roll induces an element of rear wheel steering. If intentional very sophisticated, and difficult to set up correctly.
Mine (2.4) had been done some time before I got it, in the service book, and the rear wheels have never shown any scrubbing or excessive wear, in fact almost no wear at all, although my mileage is only about 12000 since I got it over 2 years ago.
OP
OP
anyone ever fitted lower/uprated suspension?
Dead right - that's exactly what the mechanic was fighting with. Both of them affect the other, so he got the best possible compromise. One of the four measurements was only just into the "green zone" on the computer screen.
Mine was just aligned according to whatever data was provided by their computer. I guess this data is standard across the industry. It's been fine ever since, although ours normally carries 1 or 2 people but sometimes carries hefty loads in the back.
I don't know whether it's psychological, but it did seem more sure-footed when driving afterwards (and ever since). I guess it improves handling and fuel economy when the wheels are pointing in the direction you're going.
Tom Cobbly
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Time will tell for me, just had a laser alignment after my 2007 edition (with chassis number beyond the range s130 quotes as affected) nearly ate through a pair of super Conti Sport Contact 3s in only 13,500 miles of light and careful driving. Well, sometimes light and careful Am hoping the replacement Goodyear NCT5s will be a bit harder. They were certainly a bit cheaper. My local Fiat dealer couldnt even find the technical service bulletin.
Am hoping the replacement Goodyear NCT5s will be a bit harder. They were certainly a bit cheaper. My local Fiat dealer couldnt even find the technical service bulletin.Tom Cobbly
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My chassis is 206XXXXX and I just ate a pair of Conti Sports in 13,500 miles. So I've since followed your earlier posts about using Bilstein B4 shocks and have switched, the OSR was weak anyway, and the NSR wheel was out on the laser alignment I also had done. Am hoping for slower wear on the new tyres, naturally, (Goodyear NCT5). Thanks very much for all your posts on this page which have helped me in recent weeks as my car seemed in peril. It still is in peril -- the alternator went last week after the shenanigans with tyres (a Marelli). I might invite Jeremy Clarkson to come crush my Croma if it keeps behaving like this. The good news is I bought it for peanuts as a 2 year old ...
Tom Cobbly
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n.b. the car was 2 not me, I'm 36 and three quarters and have been drinking moderately this evening. My 'Roma is a 2007 Eleganza 1.9 JTD 150, and it has lovely grey leather seats. As my neighbour's daughter recently advised, "even if your car doesnt work anymore, you can still keep it and play in it". I told her that was why I wanted a leather one, just in case it became a static playroom, so I could still feel like a pig in plop.
