Technical This heap of S**T is also called a Stilo, by some people. Apparently...

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Technical This heap of S**T is also called a Stilo, by some people. Apparently...

Stilo_ste

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Dec 3, 2004
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My piece of C**P car has failed ANOTHER coil. That's 3 out of the 4. I have Never failed a coil EVER before in any other car.
So, with coils, brakes, ECU, passenger door card, airbag failures, trims rattling / breaking, exhaust all happening to a car less than 3 1/2 years old with 32,000 miles covered, I have finally decided it is going.

Stilo is truly a S**T car. especially the electrics.
What persuaded me to buy a Fiat, I do not know. When I mentioned at work I was buying one, a collegues said I must be mad. NOW I KNOW WHY.....


It will never buy another FIAT again.
 
I can understand your displeasure, but how many times on here have we said that the SAGEM coils are crap, especially on an 02 plate!

So what make were the 3 that have packed up?

Granted, I feel Fiat should have replaced them, either under a recall or during routine services under warranty.
 
Stu,

It is not just the coils. This is the straw, really, that broke the camels back. The whole car is just not up to the quality standard I expect in a car that I have paid thousands of pounds for.

I have had enough of it pinging at me..
 
The point essentially is to vent considerable anger and frustration. And also in the vain hope that someone from Fiat (or elsewhere) listens to the voice of the customer for a change. This MAY drive a better developed / quality car in the future.

It also acts as a balance for anyone considering buying one, as this forum can be one sided 'I love my Stilo' etc which can be misleading. Also, it adds weight to the list of unhappy (EX) Fiat owners.


CAR MANUFACTURERS - - - - WAKE UP AND LISTEN
 
Stilo_ste said:
The point essentially is to vent considerable anger and frustration. And also in the vain hope that someone from Fiat (or elsewhere) listens to the voice of the customer for a change. This MAY drive a better developed / quality car in the future.

It also acts as a balance for anyone considering buying one, as this forum can be one sided 'I love my Stilo' etc which can be misleading. Also, it adds weight to the list of unhappy (EX) Fiat owners.


CAR MANUFACTURERS - - - - WAKE UP AND LISTEN

It's very hit or miss when buying a FIAT, it's a shame you got a lemon.

so far i have been happy with my Stilo but it's only been a couple of months.

If FIAT sorted out their customer services department then they wouldn't have such a bad name as they do in the press, it seems to be improving but very slowly.

Let us know Stilo_ste your next purchace of car and hope it all goes well this time(y)
 
dave said:
but you have a stag, you should be used to unreliable cars :confused:

Yes, but look closely. Someone wisely swapped the Triumph 3.0 litre V8 for the much better Rover 3.5 litre V8 (y)

Stilo_ste said:
I will never buy another FIAT again.

Sorry to hear that, but that is the problem with Fiats. Some are good, some are excellent, some are abysmal. It really seems to be the luck of the draw.

And to be fair to Fiat, all other manufacturers have their fair share of lemon cars as well.

Can't we get you tempted with the new Grande Punto? :p :eek:
 
Sorry to hear of your troubles Stilo_ste. My mum has the same car as you, and I used to drive it all the time; still on all 4 original Sagem coils (tocuh wood), and never had any airbag faults, brake problems, exhaust issues (well mine did!), and as for the trim, luckily I've been able to sort that myself (expenses covered by FIAT's warranty) so all in all I suppose I've been lucky - or you've been unlucky!

Good luck with your new car (if you get one?) and sorry to see you go :)
 
rroope said:
Sorry to hear of your troubles Stilo_ste. My mum has the same car as you, and I used to drive it all the time; still on all 4 original Sagem coils (tocuh wood), and never had any airbag faults, brake problems, exhaust issues (well mine did!), and as for the trim, luckily I've been able to sort that myself (expenses covered by FIAT's warranty) so all in all I suppose I've been lucky - or you've been unlucky!

Good luck with your new car (if you get one?) and sorry to see you go :)

Yes rroope looks as though there are still those Friday Night and Monday Morning cars being made even computer controlled robots seem to get bad days :(
 
It isn't nice when these things happen to oneself. And I can feel for you when you are angry. But in all fairness the highly regarded Daimler Chrysler cars manily on the German side have to many more problems at a much higher price tag. The Mitsubishi managing director was charged with murder last year in Japan for knowingly producing death traps. Volkswagen builds some models with an excellent quality and others are rather appalling. Bentley had in one model electric problems, which were rather uncomfortable for the drivers and passengers (the seat heating couldn't be switched off anymore :) ). The list goes on, but I don't want to bore anyone with it.

But it comes down to one thing. You can't blame an entire city, when you had a some poor meals in a few restaurants. One of our shortfalls is that we always rant but leave it there. If we want to sort the problem we should go to Fiat (physically) at one day as a big group of complainers in an organised manner and invite the media at the same time.

They can't even call this a demonstration as we are legally entitled to go there for a complaint. Anyone up for it?
 
Been to my local stealer this morning to be told, 'it can be here on Tuesday'. Which was a little surprising as it is a known problem of epidemic proportions, and Fiat have them in stock in Uk somewhere. I have started a complaint with the alleged 'Customer Services' to get it official and also to see what comedic results follow.

Also, in answer about the reliability of my Stag - it has NEVER broken down on me, ever.

My comparisons to other makes are free and abundant - my Fiat is not as reliable as ANY other car I have owned - EVER. I have simply had enough, and yes I may be tarring all Fiats with the same brush, but if the cap fits.....

I await Fiats excuses with slight apathy.
 
I am truly sorry to hear about your experience and can truly sympathise/empathise with you! As a general observation, I write this to avoid being lambasted after, from my experience with a 52 plater bought last May as a 2 owner 15K car with FFSH for a shade under £5K and 21 K in a shade over 10 months later... the deterioration in the quality of the vehicle is tangible - you can feel it!

Creaks, groans, rattles & windnoise have appeared in that time and it is a new experience for me, despite having owned/maintained Yugo's (2), Skoda's (3 Favorits 1 Felecia & 1 Estelle) & a couple of early Seats - One brand the butt of many jokes and the other two producing rehashed FIAT designs.

The creaking of the Yugo dashboard in cold weather and the rattling of the rear ashtrays in warm weather made me smile (gave it character) but at £300 when I bought it and 8 years RELIABLE service, you think hey what the heck!

The point is that this is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a MODERN MAINSTREAM car... my Stilo feels fragile and disposeable to the point where I would say that galvanising the body is a waste of space as most owners patience will run out a long time before rust appears!

Having recently driven the 94M Favorit Estate I bought in '99 as a two owner with 19K on the clock, which my ex. wife still has (90K on the clock) still feels relatively solid and still refuses to die or breakdown 12 years on... yeah the STILO by comparison is S*@TE (n)
 
I can understand your frustration at all the problems you have had, as with all marques you get Good and bad story’s of peoples experience. I like many others have had many cars over the years.
From ford Vauxhall skoda rover ect ect .And the only cars ive never had problems is my last two cars both fiats one a 1.2 16v punto elx and my current car the stilo 1.6 dynamic (with extras).my vectra was a catalogue of disasters ranging from air con problems to new brake discs, new steering rack and electrical problems and a broken handbrake all on a car less than a year old and 10.000 miles
 
1.6 DYNAMIC said:
I can understand your frustration at all the problems you have had, as with all marques you get Good and bad story’s of peoples experience. I like many others have had many cars over the years.
From ford Vauxhall skoda rover ect ect .And the only cars ive never had problems is my last two cars both fiats one a 1.2 16v punto elx and my current car the stilo 1.6 dynamic (with extras).my vectra was a catalogue of disasters ranging from air con problems to new brake discs, new steering rack and electrical problems and a broken handbrake all on a car less than a year old and 10.000 miles

I agree, you can get good and bad 'uns whatever the brand. Think the problem is that if you buy a middle of the road model of a mainstream brand you expect a reasonable quality... which early Stilo's seem to lack. I was hoping to hang onto this Stilo for 4 or 5 years but think that once the extended warranty goes end Sept '07 so will my confidence :(
 
The coil issue is well covered on this site if you do a search, if i remember the 1.6 is particularly prone to them going pop! Not sure why!

Personally when i got my Stilo is was pissed in the extreme when one of the doors wouldn't unlock, and i had a broken dash vent! Those both fixed i've had sod all problem with my car! 27,000 miles later and i've finally fitted my alloys, so i'm even pleased with how long the old tyres lasted!
 
It's amazing how one car can cause trouble yet another- i have the same car- could be it's sister car- which is remarkably trouble free.

Sagem coil packs aren't made by Fiat and niether is the airbag system, those companies just didn't do the necessary trials on their products. Having said that- I haven't had any coil packs go (but i have two spare in the boot):)

I haven't had a single air bag warning or any other wrong warning ever.

My Fiat Bravo is the most astounding trouble free car i have ever owned. It's spent a total of 3 hours in a garage for a clutch change and that's all in its entire life and is still running like a bird now at 108k miles

My Stilo hasn't seen a garage either since i bought it, now at 42k miles

Luck of the draw - so your time is overdue for a good one. Good luck with your next car(y)
 
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