2004 punto dynamic 8v 1.2
I’m using way too much fuel, I’ve checked for leaks and there’s nothing.
Only issue I’m having is a strong smell from the exhaust? More like a strong fuel smell.
No other issues, had new spark plugs/service.
I’m getting about 25mpg which isn’t normal from what I had before.
Drives fine otherwise.

Any help would be great.

Your thermostat could be stuck open making the car run cool and never reaching operating temperature and running on a rich starting mixture.
What is your temperature gauge doing, if you have one.

Hi mate temp gauge is at normal operating and doesn’t rise too quick,
No issues with heating either.

I’m stumped

About how long to get up there ? Should be a mile or two at most.
Does it move down, even a needle width, when travelling at sustained speed.

Is it throwing any check engine codes? It seems it's running rich so it may be a random sensor

Look back at my thread from a few years ago with the identical problem. I had previously had faults with both O2 sensors and replaced them both, within about 12 months of each other. Then about 6 weeks after changing the second one I had the identical fuel consumption problems. No error codes with the sensors. I did the thermostat change thing and resets, which would be ok for about 15 miles before 25 mpg and a very black exhaust pipe.

Then somebody on this forum suggested that there were some rubbish aftermarket O2 sensors around and so after about 3 months of dreadful fuel consumption and getting nowhere with various things I ordered two new O2 sensors. I fitted them and hey presto - consumption was back up at 50 mpg.


(I had purchsed the two original ones on ebay but got nowhere with the vendor trying to get a refund and yet his original add stated that they had a two year warranty and his updated add was vague about the warranty so my betting is that I was not the first person knocking on his door to say the batch of O2 sensors he was offloading were rubbish. Sort of smacked of Del's video cameras. So my wife and I had a laugh and moved on. Its her car, she has had it since 2009 and currently it is on 186k and still going strong.)