i'm not technically inclined, but here's the situation thus far...
(long back ground story but let me preface it by saying we both love this panda and refuse to get rid of it despite the sheer amount of problems we've had.
when we saw a fiat idea being parted, we decided to take preventive measures by buying up parts off it. i'm located in singapore and used fiat car parts are not commonly available at all. the repair bill can thus be minimized, the garage gets the part far quicker than the item can be shipped in from abroad (usually UK), and so that my wife can keep driving the panda for at least 3 more years - we'll be moving back home to the USA in late 2015. anyhow, here goes
my wife purchased a well used 2005 panda earlier this year (petrol dualogic with eco button and city steering button + air-conditioning). all she knew was that it was a fine point A to B car and the clutch has been replaced.
it has been plagued with electrical problems ever since she got it - she's the 7th owner and i believe many attempts at repairing this pnda has occurred with each new owner. the air-con refrigerant requires topping up every 3 months or it'd be useless.
the mileage on the panda was 109,000'ish KM when she bought it, and it started giving her starting problems very soon after.
since day 1, the clock re-sets regularly, and sometimes gremlins will creep in while she drives - the lights will flicker (within and without) and cd player will re-start along with a weird quick whine (not from the cd/speakers). this is always followed by a longer whine and weird manner in which the dash needles jump back to rest when we reach our destination and turn the ignition off. sometimes, the car wouldn't start after such a situation, and all the interior display/lights won't come on/are weak. we usually wait 15-20 minutes and it would start again... a minor hassle she has learned to live with. otherwise the car drives just fine.
new all-round suspension system, new front brake discs and pads, a new battery and a new alternator later (and a lot a lot a lot of car trouble, tow trucks and hassle interspersed between), the problems described in the prior paragraphs still persists... yet the car still drives (when it would start).
a month ago, shortly after driving off, the car suddenly died and refused to start. the garage replaced the faulty fuel pump and all is well. in fact, she's never really had a problem starting the car ever since the fuel pump was replaced.
last week, the car broke down while i was trying to overtake a box truck. from 3rd gear, it shifted down to 2nd and there was a total loss of power and ENGINE FAILURE popped up.
the garage found a problem with the throttle body and a new one was ordered. unfortunately a botched repair by a previous mechanic meant that this was not a straightforward replacement. apparently the wiring system/harness/loom had been cut and spliced in an extremely unprofessional manner and major work is needed to hook everything back up proper again.
the mechanic also thinks this might be the cause of the car's electrical woes.
now here are my questions:
i chanced upon a 2005 fiat idea that someone is now parting out and was wondering what parts can be used on/salvaged for my wife's little panda.
specifically, which parts should i be requesting he remove for me to store, in case of a future part failure on the panda.
the garage foreman told me to get a steering actuator (the car owner told me there're 2 actuators - which one should i get?) and the steering unit (is this the entire steering system?).
i would also like to swap the air-conditioning system as there's a leak somewhere in the panda but we're not sure where yet (an ultraviolet dye has been injected very recently and the car has since been in the workshop so we've not had enough time to run the car long enough for the car air-con engineer to inspect for leaks) - is the evaporator, condensor and compressor identical?
is the entire a/c unit swappable, even (the internal bits behind the dash, and the bits from the engine bay)?
what other parts should i consider buying off the fiat idea?
everywhere we turn, we've been recommended to scrap it as no one in their right minds would want to own a car like this. despite this, we'd really love to keep this wonderful little car (and i mean it) on the road for as long as possible.
thanks in advance for any helpful input you may give.
(long back ground story but let me preface it by saying we both love this panda and refuse to get rid of it despite the sheer amount of problems we've had.
when we saw a fiat idea being parted, we decided to take preventive measures by buying up parts off it. i'm located in singapore and used fiat car parts are not commonly available at all. the repair bill can thus be minimized, the garage gets the part far quicker than the item can be shipped in from abroad (usually UK), and so that my wife can keep driving the panda for at least 3 more years - we'll be moving back home to the USA in late 2015. anyhow, here goes
my wife purchased a well used 2005 panda earlier this year (petrol dualogic with eco button and city steering button + air-conditioning). all she knew was that it was a fine point A to B car and the clutch has been replaced.
it has been plagued with electrical problems ever since she got it - she's the 7th owner and i believe many attempts at repairing this pnda has occurred with each new owner. the air-con refrigerant requires topping up every 3 months or it'd be useless.
the mileage on the panda was 109,000'ish KM when she bought it, and it started giving her starting problems very soon after.
since day 1, the clock re-sets regularly, and sometimes gremlins will creep in while she drives - the lights will flicker (within and without) and cd player will re-start along with a weird quick whine (not from the cd/speakers). this is always followed by a longer whine and weird manner in which the dash needles jump back to rest when we reach our destination and turn the ignition off. sometimes, the car wouldn't start after such a situation, and all the interior display/lights won't come on/are weak. we usually wait 15-20 minutes and it would start again... a minor hassle she has learned to live with. otherwise the car drives just fine.
new all-round suspension system, new front brake discs and pads, a new battery and a new alternator later (and a lot a lot a lot of car trouble, tow trucks and hassle interspersed between), the problems described in the prior paragraphs still persists... yet the car still drives (when it would start).
a month ago, shortly after driving off, the car suddenly died and refused to start. the garage replaced the faulty fuel pump and all is well. in fact, she's never really had a problem starting the car ever since the fuel pump was replaced.
last week, the car broke down while i was trying to overtake a box truck. from 3rd gear, it shifted down to 2nd and there was a total loss of power and ENGINE FAILURE popped up.
the garage found a problem with the throttle body and a new one was ordered. unfortunately a botched repair by a previous mechanic meant that this was not a straightforward replacement. apparently the wiring system/harness/loom had been cut and spliced in an extremely unprofessional manner and major work is needed to hook everything back up proper again.
the mechanic also thinks this might be the cause of the car's electrical woes.
now here are my questions:
i chanced upon a 2005 fiat idea that someone is now parting out and was wondering what parts can be used on/salvaged for my wife's little panda.
specifically, which parts should i be requesting he remove for me to store, in case of a future part failure on the panda.
the garage foreman told me to get a steering actuator (the car owner told me there're 2 actuators - which one should i get?) and the steering unit (is this the entire steering system?).
i would also like to swap the air-conditioning system as there's a leak somewhere in the panda but we're not sure where yet (an ultraviolet dye has been injected very recently and the car has since been in the workshop so we've not had enough time to run the car long enough for the car air-con engineer to inspect for leaks) - is the evaporator, condensor and compressor identical?
is the entire a/c unit swappable, even (the internal bits behind the dash, and the bits from the engine bay)?
what other parts should i consider buying off the fiat idea?
everywhere we turn, we've been recommended to scrap it as no one in their right minds would want to own a car like this. despite this, we'd really love to keep this wonderful little car (and i mean it) on the road for as long as possible.
thanks in advance for any helpful input you may give.
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