Hi, just wondering if anybody here can help me out.

My Multipla's DMF is due for a replacement for the SECOND time in its 8-year history.

The first time (in 2005, i think), I simply followed the advice of my mechanic and had it replaced even though it cost something like 800 quid the last time (I'm in Malaysia, so parts have to be flown in from Italy).

This time, due to some structural changes with the Malaysian Fiat distributor (parts now come in via Singapore, apparently), I'm expected to fork out 1,600 pounds for a new DMF!!!

Soooo... I've went online and found this Valeo DMF on ebay (sorry, i can't post URLs yet):

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330334170824&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

Although the image is "for illustration purposes only", it looks a lot like my old DMF (see attached image).



It turns out that my original DMF was made by Valeo too (Surprise!), so is it advisable to buy this flywheel? Anybody else here bought Valeo DMFs not provided by Fiat?

I've read elsewhere that some DMFs are indexed to the crankshaft and are balanced to match - don't want a flywheel shooting out through my dashboard while I'm driving.

ALSO, what's the acceptable amount of free movement on a DMF? I could rotate my old one by about 1 cm at the edges.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Chris

The old flywheel pictured here has been sitting in a cardboard box outside my house for about three or four years, so it's started to rust - it's very humid here, in Malaysia.

I swear, it didn't look this bad when I last saw it. (I just dug it out and snapped a photo of it this morning )

My mileage when I last changed the DMF was roughly 50,000km - i think. And back then, I drove with a much heavier right foot. The car's doing about 110,000km now.

I've just gotten off the phone with the service manager and he's said that a couple of other Multipla owners have opted to keep their existing DMFs and their cars have been running fine since.

So right now, I'm on the fence about even changing my DMF. The reason why they've opened up my gearbox and clutch to begin with was that I've had difficulty shifting into reverse and 2nd gear after driving for about 20 minutes (i recall someone else in this forum had a similar experience).

The mechanics found a worn clutch and engine oil leaking into the flywheel assembly, which they think is causing the difficulty in shifting. Other than that, the engine's been running smoothly and shifting in other gears is still nice and smooth. The gearbox itself is fine - no problems with the synchro meshes.

Also, they cannot guarantee that my problems will be fixed even if I replace the DMF.


----


And yes, the cost of shipping this Valeo DMF all the way from the UK would be about 100 pounds (ouch), though the total would still be cheaper than getting a new DMF through official channels.

I guess the next question is, does anybody know of any Fiat/Valeo spare parts warehouses / stockists based somewhere in Southeast Asia?

I might not change the DMF now, but may need to in a couple of years time

Also, I've owned my car for nearly 8 years now and have never signed up /visited any Fiat forum until now.

REALLY nice to know that there are so many people who've gone through the same/similar problems as me (leaking sunroofs, worn stabiliser bars, worn bushes, melting soft-touch plastics on dashboard, broken gear linkage, dead glow-plug, snapped camshaft pulley + four bent valves, annoying squeak from ceiling, replaced lower suspension arms after hitting a hole, replaced engine sump after hitting a manhole cover jutting out, etc..)

At least i know I'm not alone / totally insane.