Technical Grande Punto 1.2 Active cutting out?

[FiFiKay]

Hi guys I'm new to this forum and new to car altogether!

I officially bought my first ever car on Friday which is a fiat grande punto 1.2 active 8V 56 plate. After getting it home Friday evening the car was absolutely fine, I'm still a leaner so I haven't driven the car on the road but my granddad bought it back, anyway let's cut to the chase.

Basically Saturday and Sunday the car wasn't driven just sat on the drive but I gave a clean and put my matts and that down to keep the car clean and protected and just let the engine tick over for 10 minutes to keep it going whilst it's just sitting there. It's also had over half a tank of petrol put in on Friday from nearly empty. Anyway had no problems everything was fine. It had been "serviced", taxes and MOT done before I bought the car.

Anyway Monday comes and I wanted to start learning to drive me own car ready for when I passed my test so my granddad gets in and starts driving the car only 10 mins down the road and the engine kept cutting out when we came to slow down or stop at junctions, traffic lights etc. but had no problems re starting the engine, so we pulled over let the car cool checked the water levels which were fine and the oil cap and there is a little bit of creamy stuff on the oil cap but the dipstick is normal nothing creamy on there. So takes it back to the garage I bought it from and they said it it's condensation in the oil and nothing to worry about and they said the ECU needed resetting so they did that and the car should be fine and not cut out but to bring it back if it did. So we drives it home it's going fine not cutting out or nothing, so I put my L plates on and swapped over with my granddad to learn around my local estate on the roads and with me being nervous I stalled it a couple times but nothing major. I gets down the road to show my boyfriends mum my new car and turned the engine off. However when I turned it back on the Rev dial went up to one and kept dropping back down and going up so I let my granddad drive it back. How ever the next morning I tried to let the car tick over and the Rev dial did the same only this time just cut out after a few seconds. So I calls up the garage again and takes it straight back down it cut out around 7-8 times driving it to the garage and they booked it in and said they would take a look as it could be a suspected throttle body that might be blocked and causing it too cut out. However they've rang me this morning and said that because they're a Citroen garage there is only so much they can do and have sent it off to a fiat specialist and will ring me when they get more info. Could anyone give me any ideas as to what it may be? The car has also only done 25,994 miles so I wouldn't expect any of this to be happening ive got full service history from 2006-2014 but didn't have a service history for this year when they said it should have been serviced before it left their showroom. My mum suspects a blown head gasket but I don't know. I really love the car and don't know what to do as I am waiting to hear back off the garage about the progress of the car.

 

[cobalt01]

Water in oil or oil in water can be head gasket. Revving could be throttle body (a diagnosis test may help). Personally I'd take it back the garage you got it off and ask for refund (in your rights within first month of purchase). Say rejecting the car on its not fit for purpose. Then go to another garage an get diff gp. They are nice good cars. It could just be a simple fix but personally I'd least get the water on top of oil cap checked as coming from somewhere (may just been the cap not on properly).

 

[FiFiKay]

There wasn't any oil in the water just a small amount of cream on the oil cap but the garage said its fine and condensation. But once the car is out of repair and they tell me what the problem was and if they've fixed it or not then I will ask for my money back and find another one as I don't need an unreliable car considering ive paid £2472 for the car aswell. Thanks for the reply

 

[cobalt01]

Within first month you can reject the car (they looking into it so that's good start). After that first 6 months they are reliable for the car if anything foes wrong (major, but they have proof wasn't like that when you got car). May be better waiting an seeing what comes off it. Could just be a simple fix and be great little car.

Problem is without a diagnosis from ECU hard to figure these things out. Sure someone said about cutting out can be causes by bad earth terminals

 

[The Waugh]

When I got my 1.4 it started cutting out on the day I got it :bang:. Dealer took it back and replaced both of the MAP sensors. They also cleaned the fuel tank and replaced the fuel filter.

All is fine now
It took them almost 4 weeks to fix though...

 

[Avocet]

Well that's quite a coincidence! My daughter has just got her first car and it too, is a '56 plated, 1.2 Grande Punto and she too is just starting to learn to drive! (Don't suppose yours is pale blue too is it)?!

Anyway, I've done a fair bit of work on hers. It also has "creamy stuff" in the breather hoses around the top of the engine. The technical term is not far off what you're calling it actually. They call it "mayonnaise" (for obvious reasons). Although it COULD be a head gasket, I think it's much more likely to be condensation. It's formed when water vapour and oil mix. It's very common in small engines that do short runs (especially as we are, just coming out of winter). If yours is a '56 plate with so few mils on it (my daughter's has just turned 100,000!) it's not likely to have been used much. A few decent long hard motorway runs are what's needed. Keep an eye on your coolant level and your oil level. If the coolant level isn't dropping and the oil level isn't rising, I wouldn't be too worried about head gasket.

With regard to the erratic idle and cutting out, as others have said, it's difficult without the correct diagnostic equipment but it's probably worth having a look at the breather hose between the top of the cam cover and the underside of the air filter housing. On my daughter's car it had split and was leaking air. that could give an unstable idle (although her's wasn't stalling). It only takes a few minutes to check. Starts at the top left corner of the engine (as you look under the bonnet). A black rubber hose a couple of centimetres across.

 

[FiFiKay]

Thanks for the reply guys a good few advice tips on there which I really appreciate but to the reply where your daughter has bought a 56 with similar problems mine isn't a pale blue colour mines black so isn't me! But yeah I've rang the garage again and they said they've still not heard nothing back the their fiat specialist, ive been stressing and attempting to get my money back with no success as the people at
Citroen ignore my messages and never call me back been trying for a few days, ive heard the GP are good little cars when you find a good one I'm just put off now with all the problems ive had, not what I expect for a first car especially get one from a well known dealership. What can people advise me to do? As when I call there is no answer to my calls and messages, and when I called on Thursday they said they'd still not heard nothing about my car and would just ring me when they do. I don't want them to rip me off and leave my car with the specialist until after my warranty has run out because after that there is nothing I can do and I will be stuck with the car whether it's fixed or not!

 

[cobalt01]

The problem happened within the first month so should be able claim on that. How did you pay finance, credit card, debit card or cash? (It will help you if one first two). If garage isn't playing ball then fill in the form from the link below. Send it recorded delivery to the dealership. They then are aware of you want your money back an can't say they are not. Also go to citizens advice as they can put you through to trading standards who can help you (got be trading standards from where garage is located). I went through this with a old car so know what to do than waiting ages and getting stressed. More info https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/your-rights-if-something-is-wrong-with-your-car and letter http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rig...ecting-a-second-hand-car-bought-from-a-dealer

This shouldn't put you off another gp (your choice) but if like the car then go to somewhere else that you know people been too etc. Going to main dealer for fiat may help in finding a good one. I can recommend two good dealers in north west England (both fiat)

 

[Avocet]

Find out if the garage is a member of the "Motorcodes" initiative. Their trade body is the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). They run the Motorcodes scheme. They have a good website with plenty of advice on it:

http://www.motorcodes.co.uk/motorist/the-codes/used-car-code.html

You might have to go into the dealership in person if they're not answering your calls, but mention Trading Standards to them (and SMMT). That should get their attention!

 

[FiFiKay]

Hey guys little update on now it went with my car, didn't know how to get my post up for weeks but managed to do it now. But I went up to the garage and I told them I didn't want the car and wanted my money back due to having problems and no feedback what so ever on how my
car was and funny enough they told me my car was fixed and was being taken for a road test before the car was taken back to the dealership, reason being for my ignored calls was that the person who sold me my car was on holiday and the repairs manager assumed I was being update from one of his team members although I wasn't. Anyway they told me a plug that connected to me ECU was bent so when I came to slow down/stop the car the connection was getting lost and therefore would cut out. So they put me a whole new plug and wire in and since then all has been well and I've no further problems what so ever and the car drives and sounds so much better than before I had the problems! So really pleased that I gave the car a shot!

 

[cobalt01]

Glad to hear you got it fixed and happy. They are nice cars when they are looked after properly