GP now has a long list of warranty defects, but none which actually stop the car from running (if you excuse the squealing brakes and the misfire) so I ring up the nearest Fiat dealer (20+ miles away) and ask about curtesy cars. They tell me that they want a cover note (for which my insurer wants to charge me £10+) and the car is free.
Ring another dealer (also 20+ miles away) and they also want a cover note and they have a £10.50 fee for the use of their curtesy car.
Result = I'll wait until car packs in and they can trailer it in
Anybody else get "service" like this? Is it peculiar to Fiat?
Why do some people have the dealer collect from them - will I need to have plastic surgery on my chest or summit?

my dealer lets you take their courtesy cars free of charge if you are over 21 years old. if you are under you must have your own insurance

Nothing goes right with fiat dealers. (6months for a new glove box handle and stripe.) HOWEVER, a big one! I got a courtesy car, free of charge just had to sign a piece of paper. I wasn't expecting that at 20. Thought it was 21+. Did they give you a reason to why they want the cover note?

They probably think I'm going to thrash it or trash it! Then again, maybe they think I might just pass away at the wheel and use a tree to slow their car down.
Sadly, the "free" service was available with Caledonia but they are not really with us any longer and certainly not in Warrington. A shame really as they did splendid work on my partner's GP and gave it a valet as well!

No valet I guess they didn't think I was going to thrash a little Picanto around using the handbrake

I have had the same problem time and time again! I kicked up a fuss, to the point that the guy who orginally sold me the car, gave me the dealer codes for Fiat drive away insurance, giving me 7 days cover. Another one near me charges £12, another says I have to insure the car myself, like the first one, but my insurance company swiftcover will not cover courtesy cars, I finally found one that does give one for nothing, but that turned out to be the GP's main rival! A 207, though it was dangerously slow!!

I'm 20 and my dealer has been giving me courtesy cars since I was 18.

I'm 19 and my dealer just hands me over the keys, don't even have to sign anythin, but you normally get it when its running on fumes.

T-Jet 120 said:

I'm 19 and my dealer just hands me over the keys, don't even have to sign anythin, but you normally get it when its running on fumes.

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The last courtesy car I had the exhaust fell off on the A50 and dragged for half a mile or so. I've worked on the mk2 exhausts before and detatched it properly at the side of the road and put it in the boot

It was the mk2b 8v that came with no middle box, so you can imagine the sound with no backbox aswell.

22 and dealer I use makes me pay for my own insurane either via my own company or theres, either way its about a tenner because my insurance company list the 1.2 petrol as a higher insurance group then the 1.3 diesel!

Dealer I was using who was a Fiat Authorised service centre rather than main dealer used to give me either a Alfa 147 or 156 depending which was available, free of charge! They have dropped the Fiat Service side of the business though and concentrating on the Evo's

bear in mind its a courtesy car not a birthright car
AFAIK the dealer pays the costs of running courtesy cars .not fiat.
given that warrenty work isnt exactly a money maker ofr dealers then its no surprise they dont just have a fleet of cars,fully insured to hand out

Never had a courtesy car from fiat, but ive never had a problem getting courtesy cars from any of my previous cars (and believe me i had a few when i owned my smart!) all they've ever wanted was a valid driving license and a signature