It's disgraceful in this day and age that a car that is fairly recently designed should have rust this bad at such a young age,it is obviously poorly designed in this area and as a result Fiat should rectify the situation whether under warranty or out of warranty.I'm now glad I don't have mine anymore after reading this thread

Well I don't know what stickies are but I do know I'm one very pi55ed off GP owner! Checked mine yesterday (08 DUB) and found rust which I was reluctant to push too hard with my finger as the paint has all flaked off. Looks like a design problem to me as putting the plate on the outside of the bulkhead would heve removed the water trap!!
I don't know how to go about a group action to Fiat but this is obviously a VERY common fault if not universal to GPs. I feel we should find a way to approach Fiat with this, any ideas? Remember the Lancia Beta rusted engine mount from the late '70s/early '80s? That effectively finished Lancia as a viable UK brand and Fiat maybe need this pointed out to them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dave said:

you didnt ask that, you asked to stick this thread

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Okay, clearly you and Andy have made your point clear. Let's not get into an argument, it was just a suggestion to help others out which we are all here to do.

Onto the more serious matter of how to sort this out, this is clearly not wear and tear its a design fault which fiat should consider a recall.

I intend to take some printouts with me to the dealer to show them how common it is and we'll go from there hopefully they will recognise this.

Are those who have taken/are considering taking theirs to FIAT owners from new?

I'm the 2nd owner so not sure how they'd treat me, also the FIAT Arnold Clark branch in Dundee is notorious for being the biggest waste of time ever. Utterly hopeless.

Magic Johnson said:

Are those who have taken/are considering taking theirs to FIAT owners from new?

I'm the 2nd owner so not sure how they'd treat me, also the FIAT Arnold Clark branch in Dundee is notorious for being the biggest waste of time ever. Utterly hopeless.

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Nope second owner

Let me know how you get on Frazer. Not sure who I would be best to speak to (i.e what department)

I'm going to attempt the fix to prevent more damage to it myself this weekend.

Magic Johnson said:

Let me know how you get on Frazer. Not sure who I would be best to speak to (i.e what department)

I'm going to attempt the fix to prevent more damage to it myself this weekend.

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So far i spoke to service they just told me to bring it in and they will send a warranty request of to Fiat UK after checking it.

I intend to take evidence to show that its happening to everyone and we as owners shouldn't be needing to repair something that is clearly Fiats responsibility.

Fair enough if its a serviceable part but that plate certainly isnt.. I will keep you posted going tomorrow

Okay mate. I've got a feeling if someone can get it repaired under warranty, just one person, then we'll all have a fantastic shot of getting this sorted.

I've had mine from new and had it serviced and checked as Fiat schedule. Seems to me that a failed seal above the plate is not the main fault but just road spray with salt in sitting there unseen as it's behind an acoustic cover.
Yeah this really is a problem as it seems a DIY plate replacement would be quite a job now I've looked into the pedal box arrangement.

Munchkin said:

I've had mine from new and had it serviced and checked as Fiat schedule. Seems to me that a failed seal above the plate is not the main fault but just road spray with salt in sitting there unseen as it's behind an acoustic cover.
Yeah this really is a problem as it seems a DIY plate replacement would be quite a job now I've looked into the pedal box arrangement.

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Make a fuss at Fiat and insist they send it of for warranty check. Once i get mine done under warranty or out of my own pocket i will be filling in the gap and the seal as per Grahams guide

As Frazer says we need to make a fuss. Can we encourage everybody using the forum to check their cars for a start? Personally I wouldn't be shy of going to the press if we get no joy from Fiat as this kind of problem should have died out 30+ years ago.

Maybe some sort of petition? Obviously if photographic evidence is needed for each name put down then that wouldn't be a problem I don't imagine.

I have a 59 plate 1.3 multijet, should I be sticking my nose in behind the bulkhead or is it only petrols that are affected?

NachtDerUntoten said:

I have a 59 plate 1.3 multijet, should I be sticking my nose in behind the bulkhead or is it only petrols that are affected?

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check it, guys if you can get photos of yours for me by tonight i'll get them printed of and show them to the dealer

does anyone above have a 1.9mjet that could tell me how to check this? i went out to have a look and cant even get close to the area theres too much stuff in the way:bang: you can probably tell by the use of 'stuff' that i'm not mechanically minded

A valid point! The crummy 1.2/1.4 won't be a problem but what about the ones with much bigger engines?

Just looked through a couple of pics of mjet/tjet engines, not a chance in hell of getting a good look!

On the t-jet i dont think its that massive a problem, i too checked some pictures i reckon you could get a look at it.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/Austin1212/Grande Punto/GrandePunto13.jpg

Front left near the pipes should be able to get a peak at it. The m-jet a little harder but i swear i can see the brake master cylinder enough to get a peak at it

https://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=69678

yeh its really tight with 1.9. cant even get my hand in to move the cover to have a look. a'll keep trying

correct me if im wrong but no one has yet discovered the rust on a 1.9/tjet ? is this because its just so impossible to get to it without removing loads of things or because the problem doesnt effect them?

No Gym, just no one with a Mjet or T-jet apart from the 1 guy above who can access it has bothered to look