Technical my many grande problems

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Technical my many grande problems

i am a woman, i didnt mean to upset anyone, i didnt realise there was a whole thing of introducing myself i do apologise to anyone who may have been offendied i was'nt trying to make the forum look bad, just detailing the mnay probs i have had to see if nayone had the same issues or if anyone had any advise.

Ahhhhh the elusive 'Fraggle' so you do really exist;)

Shall we start again?


Hi Fraggle :wave: welcome to the fiat forum:D

sorry to hear of your problems however your not alone as you will see from the other threads in the GP section.All new cars suffer from the good old 'teething' troubles which despite thousends of hours testing still occur.
You will of probably noticed that most of your problems are (were?) easily solved however from a personal point of view i'm very interested in the rocker cover replacements & would appreciate any further info you can supply.
You haven't said if your problems have been resolved or not yet,are they still ongoing? If you want to reject the car then perhaps 'Sledge' can help in this matter.You will find most folk here are very helpful so dont be afraid to ask about any problems you have with your car or just general chat.Post up a picture of your car if your deciding to keep it and again welcome to the forum(y)
 
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Fraggle?
I would be mare than happy to help you, but I strongly suggest the use of tact, negotiation and diplomacy first. My method should be viewed upon as the final resort.

If your not happy with the answers you get from the service department ask to speak to someone higher up the ladder and keep going up till you get what you want, or write a polite letter to the Dealer Principle, dont complain as such, just express to him your concerns about the business and the fact you are not getting what you consider to be satisfactory service. Ask for a personal reply from him otherwise he may pass it over to someone else. He will probably be totaly unaware of your issues as he pays people below him to make such things go away while he runs the business.

Be assertive and confident during all dealings, take someone along for support if you think it might help preferably someone who understands cars and is able to talk to the service staff at their level. Get second opinions from other garages, but DONT say why, or involve them or mention the fact to your dealer. The motor-trade is very close-knit and word gets around. The smaller backstreet garages will do almost anything to help out a girl in distress! Remember its your affair, dont tell friends neighbours etc about the situation who you cant trust, as I said earlier word gets around and the Dealer wont like to hear about the matter from other sources.

Above all else dont let it become personal, remember this is a business thing, being offensive or even violent to the garage staff is a sure sign of weakness and will probably result in you getting a visit from the Police. Make notes of what was said in conversations and phonecalls, names times dates etc, it can be very useful if it does turn legal.

When the matter is resolved thank them for the help and let them know you appreciate it, as well as proving you are not being personal its polite, Human....... and the right thing to do :)

Be positive and dont let the matter get you down. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there.

.....and dont be put off by the Guys in here, they are in fact a very helpful and tolerant bunch!

Good Luck.
 
I can't better 35 mpg around town, but i do get 40mpg+ on normal driving :) .

You do have to drive it like a gran to get really good mileage out of it. I have had 50.4mpg, but that was on the motorway doing a steady 70mph the whole way. Was the longest journey of my life!! :bang:

The more miles it has on the clock, the better it does become though, so if yours is new there is hope for you yet ;)

Thanks for that Chris. It is interesting to know that you get over 50 mpg on the motorway as I have not been getting anything like that, even when travelling at a horrible 70mph :bang: . I have only just done 1500 miles so I am going to wait until 2000 and if it has not improved Im gonna start cracking some fiat dealership skulls. I don't think Im gonna buy anything other than diesel cars from now on - or I may just avoid petrol cars with engines that date back to roman times.
 
I don't think Im gonna buy anything other than diesel cars from now on - or I may just avoid petrol cars with engines that date back to roman times.

:yeahthat: I get 30mpg around town in my 2.0L Twinspark 170bhp Alfa 156 :p. Saying that the GP is a heavy car my Alfa only weighs 1250kg's if my memory serves me right the petrol GP's are around 1100kg's.

The 1.4 8v is a just a more modern (revised for emissions) 1.2 8v which has been used for donkey's years.
 
moderator, thankyou for your reply, the rocker (cam) cover gasket- well when i picked up the car there was a burning smell from the engine which was found to be burning oil that was leaking from the gasket, it was taken in to be replaced but after closer inspection it appeared that it was merely cleaned but the bolts were never touched since it came out of the factory. it then went back in to have it replaced which i think they have done this time. also they did a software update to stop my mileage flashing but i dont think they did it properly coz it's still flashing at me intermitently.
thankyou for your help.
 
Your advising him to reject the car on the grounds its not fit for purpose.......fair enough. However I am not convinced you understand how to, and what is involved with rejecting a car, rather you are assuming its just the best option. Time is the main consideration, if its a week old, and has developed a major issue with say the engine/gearbox or a safety issue related to say the braking system and the dealer doesnt dispute the rejection ie: admits its the makers fault then yeah.......you could be onto a winner and stand a chance of a full refund/replacement. If the car is a few months old and has already been back to the dealer a few times for minor repairs you are very unlikely to get a full refund and no chance of a brand new replacement, if anything trade value, in which case rejection may not be seen as viable. Its a fine line and the term "Fit for purpose" is open to much interpretation. Rejecting the car involves returning it to the dealer and handing over the keys, in effect you are giving it up and you will be without the car even though you may still be paying for it, not something everyone finds convenient or is prepared to do. Rejecting a car often ends up as a legal battle and ultimately in court and if you do take a chance and try to reject without a solicitor backing you up remember that Fiat and the Dealers will always act in their own best interests and not yours. Any attempt at rejecting a car still under makers warranty will cost you more in terms of money and inconvenience than trying to get satisfactory repairs done via the dealer and should be seen as a last resort when all other attempts have failed. When you bought the car it came with a warranty. Thats a legal agreement made by Fiat stating that they will... WILL... rectify any faults attributable to themselves within a certain period of time via their UK dealer network, regardless......I found the hard part is, just getting the dealer to do what Fiat say they are obliged to do, thats where it all seemed to fall down. Its also why you need a Solicitor to back you up and help you out. It worked for me, our car was sorted out in 2 days and for the first time in almost 4 months I am starting to enjoy it. Plus I have confidence in knowing that if any further faults do occur they will be sorted out quickly and without any fuss or questions whatsoever because my dealer now knows I mean buisiness and refuse to be fobbed off. Its just a shame though in this day and age that you have to resort to such extremes just to get what you are legaly entitled to, particularly with a well known and respected name like Fiat.

There are plenty of sites on the net that offer advice relating to rejection and back up my comments if you take time to look for them, but I will say it again.......go see a Solicitor.

I had my car replaced 3 months after i bought it, due to the never ending problems i had with it.
I agree, that yes it was a pain, i didnt have a car for a month (but i borrowed one) but it didnt cost a huge amount to get them to replace it.
You do need to know your consumer rights, and you have to speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey (Managing director, not the dealership manger).


If you dont believe me goto the thread "my new grande punto failed an MOT"

Dont believe you wont be fobbed off, because you fought them, i took my new replacement car back 1 month after owning it, it was very juddery and hard to get into gear, the Expert fiat technician at the dealership told me the clutch needed replacing........BUT fiat uk sent down one of their bods, and he said there was nothing wrong with it.

SO, il just wait until the clutch fails.
Ive had numerous problems on this new car, none of which have been rectified for one reason or another, and daily i find additional faults with it. Im listing them all down and then il go to the dealership and tell them that they have 1 oppertunity to fix the lot OR they can replace it again.(y)

I won before and il win again:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
Hi.

I can sympathise with you mate. I too bought a Grande Punto last March (trading in my 2002 MINI Cooper) and had nothing but problems with it. She was a 1.4 8V Dynamic with skydome in Exotica Red.

I experienced the following problems, to name a few and spent 2 days a week taking car back to FIAT. Whilst they were helpful they could not keep up with the repairs !

1 - Knocking noise from front suspension, parts replacd twice.
2 - Dashboard clocks coming away from dash
3 - Passsenger side window would not open or close.
4 - Skydome broke and would not shut. New part ordered but plane carrying replacement part from Italy crashed (I kid you not!)
5 - Dashboard telling me I was listening to a cassette when one not fitted in car.
6 - Paint peeling off underside of bonnet
7 - Drivers door would not open from inside
8 - Rear badge wonky
9 - Car lost power when on motorway with aircon on and struggled to do 90mph.
10 - Car would unlock itself over night.

My advice - sell it ! I sold mine back to FIAT at a loss and bought a Megane which I have had no problems with. During my time owning Grande Punto, I used my 1993 Panda 1.1 Auto which proved more reliable.

The Head Office, trading standards and complaints line were all unwilling to assist as my contract was apparently with the garage, who were worse than usless (Ancaster FIAT Catford)

Good luck with the lemon.
 
4 - Skydome broke and would not shut. New part ordered but plane carrying replacement part from Italy crashed (I kid you not!) I hope no one died..?
5 - Dashboard telling me I was listening to a cassette when one not fitted in car. Haha.. sorry but that's funny..
10 - Car would unlock itself over night. Maybe he/she wants to go home?


My advice - sell it !

Agree - once the three year warranty on mine runs out then its out the door.
 
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