General Fiat Panda Mylife 2011 - Engine problem

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General Fiat Panda Mylife 2011 - Engine problem

My Dynamic is coming up to a year old and has 5,300 miles on the clock. It does seem to be a lot more responsive and smoother. I still get the occasional "judder" but it seems to be when just starting off, ie, when revs are low and the clutch is just catching. Maybe I need to have higher revs (above 2000) before engaging the clutch? I`ll be trying that over the next month or so and see if it makes a difference.


I love the car though, it`s better than the Seicento - holds the road just as well ut more comfortably ;)

You should not need any throttle when engaging the clutch, if you do it slowly enough. You should be able to put it in 1st gear, and just ease the clutch up, no drama. If you are needing >2000RPM to move off, your car has a fault IMO. (of course, this could just be you still getting use to the biting point, and the clutch bedding in, thus, it may go away in time)
 
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I'm sure I read somewhere that the engine management software effectively does the running in for you by restricting output / revs etc - I don't know how true that is but it makes sense.[/QUOTE]

That sounds about right. It's not bad now (apart from being grumpy at low revs) Can't wait to get a few miles under the wheels. Will see how I get on.
 
Well it's been about 20 weeks now since I first reported the issue to my garage and about 18 since Fiat UK has known about - and still no fix! I have now written to my garage and Fiat UK saying this is unacceptable and I am now wishing I told my garage about the issue when it first happened rather than thinking it was just me. I would have had the car for a year next month and I really don't see them fixing it before the. They say the engine before this mode, was fine and the new models is fine but they can't work out what's wrong with this one - are they not mechanics?? I have now almost had 2 accidents of almost hitting something because the car just leached forwards. I am meeting with the owner of the garage this week to speak with the owner (who apparently, till I wrote to him, did not really know there was that much of an issue with my car) as I have only been dealing with the service/after care department. So hopefully this will do more - my only worry is that they won't find a fix and I'll be left with rubbish car and seriously out of pocket - I have lost all faith in my garage and Fiat!! Please if you are having problems report it and don't hang about!!
 
HI All, I bought a Panda Active Eco 5Dr in July 2009 (delivered October) under the scrapage scheme. Very good value and economy since. It is great, I am a low mileage (7700 so far, serviced under warranty). Nippy too, although I never push it cold. If you have a problem (someone mentioned it) and it is in warranty (as is mine) then see the dealer ASAP!! Radio 4 just had a programme on you and yours about call-backs, very interesting. VOSA has never banned a car in 9 years. At 7300 miles mine developed a juddering, especially over the locally (Lewisham) profuse speed humps (which the car clears well but still a jolt as narrow). However things got serious when the warm engine cut out completely sometimes on doing U turns, stopping at junctions and other potentially dangerous situations. It is so quiet you do not realise the cut out (except for power steering goes when in motion) so honks from behind are embarrassing and quick reactions to restart coming out of U-turn are required!! I sent i in. The onboard computer recorded that the RPM sensor was at fault and was duly replaced free of charge with a smile. On running since I had the impression the same problem was occurring so returned it again to Ancaster, Catford, found no fault recorded so I reluctantly took it back. I have driven it since with no problems except for the rare cut out. I shall keep an eye on it. Kangaroo petrol may be caused by water in the low/emptyish petrol tank, especially in the winter condensation so maybe it is best to keep the tank topped up but that is heavy and less economical (and thieves like the extra miles possible). BTW Top Gear had great fun in the new Zero Congestion Charge Fiat Panda recently, best value for money re fun, although I prefer to drive relatively sane and green! Happy motoring all.
 
It should be possible to move off (albeit slowly) without using the accelerator at all. About 10ish years ago there was a problem with catalysts going u/s with the ceramics breaking up. I was told by BSMs then Fleet Manager that the reason for this was overfuelling at small throttle openings and when the car stalled. An obvious disadvantage when teaching people to drive.

The solution to this problem appeared to be to ally fuel injection with electronic throttle and idle control. For this reason, if you bring the clutch pedal up with your foot off the gas on a car less than 10/11/12 years old you will notice engine revs drop slightly when the clutch reaches biting point just like on an older car. The difference is that on the newer car the engine revs will pick up without any help from the driver. This should help avoid any juddering.

Personally, I think that these problems stem from taking the software a stage too far. Remember, there are still plenty of engines out there that date from well over a decade ago, the 1.2 8v FIRE engine being one, the 1.25 16v Fiesta engine is another, the only real differene is the electronics.
 
Personally, I think that these problems stem from taking the software a stage too far. Remember, there are still plenty of engines out there that date from well over a decade ago, the 1.2 8v FIRE engine being one, the 1.25 16v Fiesta engine is another, the only real differene is the electronics.

This may be true. Given that there are no similar reported problems with the 1.2 Euro5 FIRE engine in the 500, I'm thinking they gave it one remap too many when they put it in the Panda.
 
ok, to add to the list, my 2012, myLife is can be very jerky - especially when cold. I mentionedto the dealer who told be to put some miles on it. Its got 4K on the clock - improved a bit, but not enough for my wife to drive it - she tried once and now refuses. You can drive round it if you practise - but you shouldn't need to.

Seems to be related to the idle strategy in the ECU and detection of entery/exit from Idle.

I thin k I will return to the dealer. From what's been said here, it seems to be a generic problem on this model. Perhaps we should create a survey of mylife users and get on to Fiat for some action
 
I've noticed that it's like the electronics are taking a while to sort themselves out. Pulling away with a steady foot I can feel the revs are not always constant.

Plus, I am still getting the brief loss of power when flooring it in first.

Could any MyLife owners who've not tried it & are willing, find a quiet bit of road and try some foot-to-the-floor acceleration in first gear? It doesn't seem to matter whether the engine is hot or cold, and it doesn't happen in 2nd that I can see.

I like the idea of a petition - mainly to bypass the dealers who IME are not very good at listening to problem descriptions no matter how detailed and accurate.:cry: However if there are only 3 people with a problem it probably won't get far :rolleyes:
 
Happy to give support - but it's my wife's car, not mine, so it'll be up to her if it goes into the dealer. We really don't want to go down the well-trodden route of leaving the car with the dealer for days until they either deny the fault (for that is what it is) exists or telling us 'they all do that'!

To reiterate my earlier posts:

  • Dangerous sudden loss of power when accelerating hard in first gear
  • Accelerator position and engine revs don't correlate if significantly below full operating temperature (i.e. cold, or parked for say 15 minutes)
I think the second point is one we can live with given that we're aware of it, but the first is a DANGEROUS fault.
 
My dealer called me today after speaking with Fiat this morning. They told him that they felt they were close to finding a fix and it should only be another few weeks. Not sure how long is a few!! Anyway he has decided that that is enough, there is myself and another customer who is complaining (as well as three demos that they have) and as he sold us the car he feels he should be doing something. I am going to the garage tomorrow and he is going to have a proposal ready for me, he mentioned about the new Panda has no problems so I'm thinking he will most prob give me money for mine to use on the new model - I know what I want so will be interesting to see what he comes up with. I think he has had enough of our complaining and Fiat not providing a fix so we will see what happens tomorrow.
 
My dealer called me today after speaking with Fiat this morning. They told him that they felt they were close to finding a fix and it should only be another few weeks. Not sure how long is a few!! Anyway he has decided that that is enough, there is myself and another customer who is complaining (as well as three demos that they have) and as he sold us the car he feels he should be doing something. I am going to the garage tomorrow and he is going to have a proposal ready for me, he mentioned about the new Panda has no problems so I'm thinking he will most prob give me money for mine to use on the new model - I know what I want so will be interesting to see what he comes up with. I think he has had enough of our complaining and Fiat not providing a fix so we will see what happens tomorrow.

I'd be thinking a full credit of what you paid for this car + £1000 discount off the new one would be about fair. Alternatively, just ask for a full refund & go buy something else. The VW UP! is one reasonable contender.
 
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They offered me £5,000.00 for my car (I paid £5,995 in June last year - special offer) but only if I brought a new Fiat Panda which they are currently selling at £6,995 - a deal they are doing. But it does not have alloy wheels, remote central locking or air con which mine currently has. Fiat has said, as they are trying were sorting a fix that they would not give a refund, and the garage would only offer me the above - seens as how I've already had a year out of the car - yeh right it's not been a good year from it!! But then a fix came through yesterday pm for which they downloaded to my car - the fix did not work, but the guys at the garage fiddled around and they think they may have sorted it - so I've got it back for the weekend to see how it goes. We don't have any laws in Guernsey for things like this so there is not much else I can do which is a bummer, the garage doesn't have to do anything so they are thinking they are being generous.
 
They offered me £5,000.00 for my car (I paid £5,995 in June last year - special offer) but only if I brought a new Fiat Panda which they are currently selling at £6,995 - a deal they are doing. But it does not have alloy wheels, remote central locking or air con which mine currently has. Fiat has said, as they are trying were sorting a fix that they would not give a refund, and the garage would only offer me the above - seens as how I've already had a year out of the car - yeh right it's not been a good year from it!! But then a fix came through yesterday pm for which they downloaded to my car - the fix did not work, but the guys at the garage fiddled around and they think they may have sorted it - so I've got it back for the weekend to see how it goes. We don't have any laws in Guernsey for things like this so there is not much else I can do which is a bummer, the garage doesn't have to do anything so they are thinking they are being generous.

I think given that a new model Panda is officially £8900 for the most basic 1.2 Pop, offering you one for £6995 plus offering you only £995 less on your current Panda than you paid a year ago is pretty good of the dealer. The £6995 offer might be open to everyone rather than just you, but that part exchange price sounds more reasonable than you'd ordinarily get. However as you have the Panda MyLife it'd be good to see what the dealer can do on a new model Panda 1.2 Easy, as this adds the aircon & remote locking that you're used to, and alloys can be added as an option. The list price for a 1.2 Easy is £9550, so if they could do one of them for £8000 or less and still honour the £5000 p/x on your MyLife, i'd take it.

Overall i'd say that's decent service from the dealer. However, the service from Fiat and the car itself is thoroughly disappointing & if the dealer can't lower the price of the Panda 1.2 Easy for you i'd be talking to Fiat about adding a contribution of their own, given that the faulty Panda MyLife is more Fiat's fault than it is the dealers.
 
Well basically I still have the car, I didn't take them up on the offer as they supposedly had a fix, so said I wanted my car fixed, as I am definitely not giving the garage or fiat any more of my money!! So the fix fiat sent did nothing so the garage fiddled around with something and they fixed it. What they didn't tell me was that it caused another fault so now every time I change gear it revs really loudly, like I still have my foot on the excelerator. Last week the garage hooked my car up to the computer at fiat Italy's request as they wanted some readings. When I picked the car up the garage said - we didn't know what fault you preferred so we left it with the high revs rather than the kangarooing. Thats a first - almost choosing which fault I would prefer. So I still don't know when a fix will be come available but I hope it's soon. I shall not be buying the new fiat panda, it sounds like a tuc tuc and is horrible to drive, it is also now longer than the model I have - we have small car spaces in guernsey for cars no longer than 3.6 metres - The new panda is too long. I am now looking into buying another new car but certainly not from the same garage or Fiat as I have lost all trust in them.
 
Hi Guys and Girls,

Well you can add another one to the list .... flat spot when getting on the throttle in first gear only, intermittently .... had my 2012 Panda My life since March 2012, has now covered nearly seven thousand miles, had the fault since day one , never gone away or got any worse.

Been back the supplying dealer once , just to make sure no fault codes had been logged in the ecu , nothing.

"Fiat will probably release an update bulletin about it" ..... quality service eh ?

The thing is , sometimes, the flat spot can be a 'hic-cup' sometimes it can be massive and you are left 'floundering' with cars bearing down on you.

I have learned to drive around it, by changing into second gear quite quickly after getting moving.

It doesn't , do it in any other gear or have any other running fault.

I had a Panda Multijet three or four years ago, and it was brilliant (only had a EGR valve changed ) , 70 to the gallon .

This thing runs ok other than the 'fault' but it is gutless in comparison to the multijet.

I should have taken the car back really and refused it.

It seems that Fiat either, A) don't know how many Panda's there are with this fault, B) know how severe sometimes it can be, (and in the wrong circumstances, damn right dangerous) and C) know what the remedy is.

If you have the same problem , maybe we need to start collating details and make a formal complaint to Fiat Uk in the first instance.


Cartmin.

Southampton area.
 
I posted earlier on this thread but didn't say why we'd bought a Panda; my wife was training and has now qualified as a driving instructor. We thought the Panda would be ideal but I'm really worried - mostly about its kangaroo behaviour on a warm start. The plan is to wait and see if it's a problem for learners, and if it is we'll go in all guns blazing with a much stronger case - I'll update in a couple of weeks.
 
And here's another one, had the car since the end of september 2011. The fault is totally repeatable and only happens when pulling away quickly in first gear from a dead stop. If I start rolling forward before nailing it or pull away gently for acouple of yards then nail it it's fine.
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I suspect it is the fuel map, probably an unexpected consequence of the low emissions settings.
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Car is going in for it's first 12K service on Monday, I don't expect it to be fixed from what i read here. It'll be interesting to see what the dealers (Vospers in plymouth) have to say.
I miss my Multijet, no problems at all in nearly 90K over 3 and a half years....
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Slowboy (even slower now
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I have really been pushing Fiat and the dealership to get this car fixed and finally I may be getting somewhere. 2 weeks ago they took my car in as Fiat Italy had asked for several different readings when the car was plugged into the system. They have now instructed the dealership to order 2 parts to replace that they hope will fix the problem. I have been dealing with a gentleman called Giseppe (rubbish at spelling names!) and he has pushed this through alot more that the previous person dealing with my case. All I can say is I hope these parts sort the problem as I have just ordered a new car, different make and from a completely different dealership, I'm lucky the garage will part exchange my car fault or no fault as they know fiat have to fix it as its in warranty. So I would say speak with your garage and get them to speak with Fiat UK and even see if you can speak with Giseppe as he knows what's going on with this fault. But if they are now replacing parts I would think well I hope they would do a recall for all cars affected for the parts to be replaced.
 
we had 1.1 active for 4 years totally trouble free. traded it in for 1.2 actve jan 2012 engine and clutch faulty from day 1 had new clutch fitted and half a dozen trips back to dealer one technichian said car wiring harness needed replacing as he had seen this problem once before not a happy chicken ; dealer offered a poor deal for a trade to the new panda. back in for repair only to be told master technician had upgraded the ECU. picked the car up its even worse #
result went to a different dealer told him the story he gave me a fair deal on 1.2 pop happy days hope this helps in some way.
 
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