Turbodiesel said:

Holy moly.... I can't believe this is still going on!!

I was curious about this particular situation hence my visit, all I can say is I'm glad I didn't buy one of those cursed things... Owning a car is supposed to increase your quality of life, not the opposite.

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Meh.. it gives me something to do in my otherwise dull and colourless life

luvduvs,I had a problem with juddering on my steering column,they plugged it into the computer thingy and it came back with faulty torque sensor on the steering column,it was replaced and the problem disappeared,it appearedv that it was easier to steer to the left than it was to steer right,the juddering was when the wheels were in a straight line and the car was pulling to the left a bit,It could partly be due to the camber of the roads but it will probably be the torque sensor,a new steering column will be needed,I hope this helps,john

Thanks John - I've compiled some additional info and sent it off to the dealer - hopefully they can knock some sense into Fiat AU as it is them who are refusing to do anything.

I'm not optimistic though - can see this turning into a court battle.

For those who are interested in this fiasco, here's the latest:

• Sent a 3rd written complaint to Fiat AU, which they've called and said its "within manufacturer's specifications" and nothing they can do. Received a letter reiterating the same thing a few days ago.
• Contacted service manager from original dealer, explained to him the details of my complaint and the solutions to the problem. He said he will be meeting with the (tech) folks at Fiat AU this week and will bring this up on my behalf - however haven't heard back from him, so will need to follow up next week.
• Office of Fair Trading has responded to my complaint and have arranged a date/time for them to inspect the car to verify that a problem does exist from an independent standpoint, then will action accordingly.
• One radio station has asked me to contact them to discuss my case and how they could help me blow this out - will be in touch next week.

At times I just feel like giving up, but meh, why should I?

This car should be replaced, I can't believe that you have had so many problems with the car, basically we drive under some very extreme conditions and Thank god the suspension or steering box has not given way yet, something really wrong with that car:worship:

Shanil said:

This car should be replaced

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Not really - should be the f**kwits at Fiat AU that should be replaced

I cant believe that a company such as Fiat who has been around for more than a decade cannot build a fault free car, its a shame as they really are nice cars to drive, I guess the new generation of cars are much better than the previous ones though, why dont you suggest to the dealer in AU to do what was done to my car in order to rectify the judder?

So far the car seems fine, dont know for long though, Its a painful thing to see the gear box being stripped in a brand new car :bang:

Shanil said:

I cant believe that a company such as Fiat who has been around for more than a decade cannot build a fault free car

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Most manufacturers can't - its not just Fiat

Shanil said:

why dont you suggest to the dealer in AU to do what was done to my car in order to rectify the judder?

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Well my grief is not the juddering but the steering, and I've already suggested the solutions to the problem. Problem is not with the dealer, its with Fiat AU who is refusing to listen.

But you need to admire the Japanese cars especially Toyota the damn thing just keeps going, going, going without any issues:slayer:

Shanil said:

But you need to admire the Japanese cars especially Toyota the damn thing just keeps going, going, going without any issues:slayer:

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you reckon!

Shanil said:

Sure, the details are

Mr. Sergio Marchionne – Chief Executive Officer,
Fiat S.p.A, 250, Via Nizza
10126, Turin
Italy

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Thanks to Shanil I'll be giving this a try..

Response from dealer:

*********************************************
I have discussed your car with ATECO.

They informed me that at the the time of test the car was within the manufactures specification.

Therefore as the dealer we can do no more for you.

My recommendation is that you contact the department of fair trade and get someone from there to drive the car.

Regards,
*********************************************

Not surprised at all.

And I don't need to be reminded to get Fair Trading to inspect my car - its already booked.

Hi Today I managed to get you an email addy which is [email protected] I was contacted by a guy called Edwin Merino, try writting to them as well

I posted a complaint on the fiat.com website so this guy responded to that

Shanil said:

But you need to admire the Japanese cars especially Toyota the damn thing just keeps going, going, going without any issues:slayer:

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You need to meet my mate's wife. She ended up Ca"rolling" her car off a cliff top with respect to issues that would make anyone here cry.

I don't want to rub salt in one's wounds, though I have had trouble free motoring with my Punto since I bought it in Feb this year. Thought it would only be fair to say so from another perspective.

Luvduv, man. If I ever meet you, I'll shout you a beer. I know what it's like when you're large expense item is a lemon. Just google "pipsqeek +ibook saga"

If anything, it's an inspiring read on how not to ever give up, keep your cool and things will always go good.... you just have to have the patience to wait around long enough to talk to someone with sense.

Good on you for taking this further. You only deserve a car that runs properly, in a straight line and without shuddering. These things were not mentioned on the feature list after all.

Cheers
pips

When your crap is sorted out, come around for a BBQ and a Beer.

Shanil said:

Hi Today I managed to get you an email addy which is [email protected] I was contacted by a guy called Edwin Merino, try writting to them as well

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That's freaking awesome!

I haven't had time to write to Marchionne yet as its been smashing for the last week running two jobs, but definitely will give this a try

pipsqeek said:

You need to meet my mate's wife. She ended up Ca"rolling" her car off a cliff top with respect to issues that would make anyone here cry.

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Rolling her car off a cliff ay... that just gave me an idea... :chin:


Thanks guys - will of course keep you posted on this award-winning drama

luvduvs said:

So realistically, what are my options if they cannot fix it?

(And I don't believe that the uneven tyre wear is not caused by the pulling)

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I would keep badgering Fiat and your local garage. I wrote to the Managing Director of Fiat in the UK. I found out his name by surfing the Internet. Whether or not this made a difference I don't really know. I had written to both Fiat customer services and the owner of my local garage several times and catalogued the faults and visits to the service departments. Good luck!

Latest:

Test drove with mechanic from Fair Trading, who experienced for himself that it was pulling to the left. Dealer did wheel alignment (again) on the spot, made no difference whatsoever. Fair Trading mechanic pretty much reiterated what the two dealers and Ateco said - that this is within reason and subtly suggested that although I can take it further with the Tribunal, I wouldn't get very far because according to him, [1] even though it pulls to the left its not a safety issue because its not a massive pull, [2] the tyres are wearing evenly, and [3] when I sell it whoever buys it probably wouldn't notice it anyway.

I have a feeling there's not much else I can do

Oh dear!

Seems the fair trading guy confirmed what Fiat AU were saying all along.

Bit of a silly question here, I know, but here it is: Have you tried by replacing the front tyres with brand new ones? I don't know what tyres you have on your car, but the Pirelli P Zero Nero are awesome, I find them much better than the Bridgestone Potenzas I originally had...

This might cure it?:bang:

Good luck...

georgios1976 said:

Bit of a silly question here, I know, but here it is: Have you tried by replacing the front tyres with brand new ones? I don't know what tyres you have on your car

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Tyres are Pirelli Cinturato P4.

Haven't tried new tyres, but I doubt that would help. I know next to nothing about cars, but I do know the problem is not related to wheel alignment - the dealers, Ateco, or the Fair Trading guy just don't seem to understand that - FFS its either the steering column or rack :bang: