I've just bought a 98 R Bravo 1.6 SX for £4175. Its in excellent condition and in metallic black/blue. Its got 38000 on the clock and has full service history. I bought it from my employer.
Is this a good buy ?
I've got a few questions though ,if anyone can help I'd appreciate it.

1. The cassette cover doesnt work properly. I have to push it up with my hand. Is this a common fault and how much will it cost to get it fixed ?

2. The sunroof cover seems to have come off its runners. Is this easy to fix ?

3. When should I change the cam belt ? I know the handbook says 72000 miles, but I think thats a bit long before changing

Any advice would be great

Nathan

Sounds fair

Sounds reasonable to me. Did you get the red (burgundy) master key with it? This is important and costs a lot to replace.

Untitled

Thanks for the reply
I have got 2 keys but they are both a blue/purple colour.
Why should I have a different coloured key ?

Master Key

The other key is a master key which can be used to make copies in case the blue ones are lost.

It's a bit different, since it's shape is like the ones with the alarm remote, in different colour.

It's very important that you get it in case something happens to the other ones.

See my previous post

See my previous post about missing keys - its further up the list. The short answer is get the red key and lock it in a safe. Replacing the master key costs big bucks, and makes the car more difficult to sell on.

Thanks

I am trying to locate the Red Key. I dont think I'm going to have much luck though. Its been a company pool car so a few people have had it over the past couple of years.

Can I not just get duplicates from the blue keys cut. I can get them for about £30 from Timpsons.

Nathan

No t Really

You can get the keys cut but only to open the door, as ( i'm assumming you have) if you have got an alarm, it won't turn it off as you won't have the button on top to turn it off/on. Also the immobilisor is diactivated via the internals of the key fob (blue ones) so you don't have to fiddle with pushing another button to diactivate it before you put the key in the ingnition. Unfortunatly the only time the codes can be coppied (for the alarm and immob) is from the RED key. It's big money to replace it as Nick as said.

Yes, but.....

Not sure about the alarm (as I havn't got one) but the blue keys can be cloned (including the immobiliser access) from either Fiat, who aren't very good at doing it, or Timpsons, who are very good at it. Timpsons did me a key that opens the doors and starts the car just by copying my blue key. It took them about 2 minutes, and relieved me of £20. Obviously the price has gone up as it was such good value for money. Fiat quoted me £60 a key and then couldn't do the job.

There may be other issues with not having a red key but no-one can tell me what they are. One potential problem is that if the ECU forgets the code from the remaining blue key, then you are completely stuffed as you will need the red key to restart the system, although Fiat did hint that there was equipment available to get around this problem as well, but its all rather vague. The Haynes manual says that the system can forget codes if the battery is disconnected and reconnected, and recommend the use of 'code savers'. These are basically 12v batteries that plug into the cigarette lighter and keep 12v on the system while the battery is disconnected. (Don't leave you lights on!). Although I have disconected my battery several times and have had no problems. Has anybody had any problems?

If you cannot get the red key from your employer, get quotes from Fiat for sorting the problem out and either get the money back from your employer or get him to pay for the replacement. Last time I asked it was about £800. Your employer may be able to claim on his insurance.

sunroof cover

Nathan,

I had a similar problem with the sunroof cover on my HLX but, not only did it come off its runners, it got jammed as well because someone fiddled with the switch!It's quite a job to sort it out.Apparently they have to strip down the interior to access it.I had to have a replacement cover because because some locking pin had bent when it got stuck.It cost about £70 for parts and labour.

About the cam belt : I've heard some horror stories about them going and knackering up your engine.I was advised to get it changed at about 35-40000 miles and since it doesn't cost very much it seems worth getting it done earlier and saving yourself £1800 in repair bills!

Nicky