General Benfield Motor Group Complaint about Fiat Stilo, 2002
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General Benfield Motor Group Complaint about Fiat Stilo, 2002
Regarding the last two posts. Do you people not realise that we can identify you by checking your unique IP address. Also, when your btinternet email address that you sign up with is your first name and last name it makes you look a bit idiotic, especially when the information is also available on the Benfield website...
Steve said:
LOL
I thought it was rather amusing tooT14086 said:LOL
Caught out :slayer:
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We OWNED him
Ha Ha Ha, ha ha ha . . . ha ha ha! Thats all I have to say on the matter.
Far better to be upfront and honest, say who you are, rather than create false user ID's!!
Far better to be upfront and honest, say who you are, rather than create false user ID's!!
Now........can't imagine anyone who might do something like that :chin:rroope said:
Any ideas
PNL said:
only just seen this thread, what a :tosser: Hitler is
That did his dealership no good at all and if I was his boss I'd give the ***t a right going over.
bozzy said:
Her boss.
Stuart DemonD said:We OWNED him
I blame Stu for giving me a bum steer
I think he was referring to Mussolini not Hitlerbozzy said:
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He he - so astute thereArgonought said:I think he was referring to Mussolini not Hitler
Benfield Motor Group Complaint about Fiat Stilo 2002 Update
Hi everyone,
I thought since you have all been so sympathetic to me about the very long journey of the 2002 Fiat Stilo, I thought I would give you an update.
As you know I bought this vehicle for my son in 2002, it has cost me a considerable amount of money to keep it roadworthy bearing in mind the precious cargo it was carrying.
But as you may recall in my previous postings taking into account the faults were extensive, When I bought this vehicle in good faith along with other customers I did not expect to pay an additional £3,000 to rectify sub standard mechanical parts, simply if those parts were the same quality as my past new Toyota vehicles, I ran for over four years no major problems as this car. It is sad that Fiat had designed a fantasic looking car that could have been a number one seller if made by a reputable major manufacturer, but again Fiat is always branded since the seventies by the quality of its fleet, basicaly using sub standard components. People expect a new car to be trouble free for at least three years don't you think? Otherwise why would you buy the car in the first place? The warrannty means nothing since I always needed to fight with Fiat to put things right.
Yes you may argue that the new Stilos are tip top, but it does not answer the question of why produce a car in 2002 with as many chariteristic faults and expect a customer to pay good money, bearing in mind they could have bought from a major manufacturer, why should anyone have to except this?
Remembering that the reason why I was very disappointed the vehicle had a 48,000 mile service at fiat Benfield , Railway Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, it cost me over £200, they did not do any reported work, in fact they had a staff shortage, I complained to the service manager about the reported problems but he even failed to respond to my email?
The problems at the time was the following:
Brakes - The brakes were brought to the attention when the keys were handed over in the morning, it appears that a staff member did ask if we had any problems to report, one of them was the brakes, he must have failed to write this particular problem down? What do you do in theses cirmcustances?
Normally when a vehicle is road tested after service the driver would be aware that the brakes do make a noise.
Rear wiper split - For the price of the service it is an unbelievable comment for a member of your staff to say you do not even stock wiper blades. You can go to Halfords and buy a wiper blade for a Fiat? I was not contacted all day about anything?
Washer pump defective (as reported by your son) Do you think it is alright for my son to drive on the motorway with defective washers? Again you can buy a washer pump today at Halfords? Not fitted?
Front exhaust deteriorated and blowing, no idea?
both front tyres scrubbing off (still legal) Does the standard not include rotating the tyres.
drivers rear tyre scrubbing off (still legal) No idea?
vehicle battery requires replacement Why could a staff member not ring to replace?
There was a bulb which lit up the hot & cold idle which kept going off then back on. It was obvious that it was a loose bulb and this item was also reported when the keys were handed over in the morning. When I asked a member of staff if this problem has been sorted out he replied saying it is a problem with the battery, they think it needs a new battery? Obviously speculating, since he said they did not check, why?. Then the member of staff commented on it would take more time to take out the dash to fix the bulb etc and if you can understand we had members of staff ill and the car did not go in properly. Are you telling me that if you had full members of staff the car would have been thoroughly looked at and more of these problems would have been solved?
I disagree along with friends and family, that our car had not been looked at thoroughly enough as it would have been if you had a full compliment of staff, as your member of staff clearly stated that we should understand members of your staff are ill.
I am sorry they had staffing problems but I was a customer who agreed initially with a staff member to have a 48,000 mile service, I paid £256, I reported the problems as requested by thestaff member, no one contacted me, thus do you agree that one would think the vehicle was being serviced and repaired?
I was really disappointed since none of the reported problems were acted upon. I was worried after talking to friends and family who all agreed that it does not appear that the 48,000 mile service was not conducted as per the Fiat recommendations. Apart from getting the vehicle inspected by the AA at the time, I suppose only Benfield could comment?
Thus, after the service I still needed to get this vehicle roadworthy for my son to use, thus get the car serviced again at Leicester. Please note the amount of faults reported by Stratstone were not picked up in a 48,000 mile service some days earlier by Benfield? Did the vehicle receive the attention it deserved, what do you think?
The two Fiat garages came up with all different excuses why work was not carried out or missed or why the work needed done to make this car safe to drive.
When the vehicle was at Stratstone for two weeks I repeatedly said to them that I could not believe that this vehicle needed so much work done, taking into consideration that the majority of work was never reported to me during or after service or minor repairs. The types of work need done I would have noticed before the car was driven to the garage, for example they needed to replace a new radiator? I had no problems with leakage nothing previously reported? They seemed to add things to the repair bill on a daily basis when I spoke to them. A new gear box, and casing, please note the bill states new gear box they fitted a reconditioned?
Whilst the vehicle was at Stratstone, they even tried to sell my son a new Fiat, take the Fiat Stilo in part exchange?
Even fitting a new alternator belt, surely this should have been replaced in the 48,000 mile service weeks beforehand by Benfield, I think it demonstrates that the vehicle was either not serviced correctly by Benfield.
In fact this particular garage Stratstone suggested that there was so much wrong with the vehicle it must have been involved in a road accident?
It is alarming to think just how many Fiat owners could be driving around in dangerous vehicles, since customers rely upon recommended Fiat dealerships to ensure their car is getting the attention it deserves regarding servicing and repairs.
Expecting the dealerships to do a good job, not to find out after you have paid the bill the vehicle is not roadworthy. As customers you are paying huge amounts to read time after time vehicle problems like mine is not getting the attention that is recommended by Fiat Auto UK Ltd manufacturer, thus not being serviced correctly.
So how do you know your vehicle is safe, or roadworthy?
Simply you don’t, since you are putting your trust in Fiat Auto UK Ltd who appointed those dealers nationwide, they do not check standards since there seems to be no uniformity, considering you have good dealerships to bad?
You find that some dealers seem to charge what they want, they appear to be booking in far too many vehicles in a day why? To maximize profits, therefore how could they possibly spend the recommended time on your vehicle? They don’t, but you are still expected to pay the full service price, Fiat Auto UK Ltd need to regulate these dealerships, that’s why this Fiat Forum is invaluable, since we rely upon Fiat owners to give us the true facts about who is performing good or bad.
I basically wrote on 22nd April, to Fiat Auto UK Ltd, Fiat House, 240, Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire,Sl14 DX, asking for compassion in this situation to reimburse me for this wrong doing. But I received nothing.
As at 9th October, Not even a final reply to my letter?
Way back in 2002 we only had the car a few weeks then it developed a fault with the mechanism of the five panel sunroof, Benfield had a fiddle about, they admitted they had no idea how to rectify, I had to wait 6 weeks for a Fiat trouble shooter to come along and fit a new one but it was continuously problematic, Air conditioning was poor to not working, the dealership did not attempt to fix even during warranty? Why should I pay?
The last straw was when the vehicle broke down in the middle lane of the M1 motorway, the drive belt snapped. The car just stopped running, my son's life was put at risk, the car was off the road again this time the damage was extensive the engine was also damaged. I contacted Fiat Auto UK Ltd explained the history of the vehicle, the circumstances, the mileage, they agreed to pay the bill.
After that my son and I had no confidence in the car, I was worried what else was going to happen? What else was going to happen? How much more do I ned to spend on this car to keep it roadworthy?
Anyway, it caused a lot of trouble to say the least, we no longer have the car, it still looked fantastic when we walked away, blacked out windows alloys etc, my son has bought a brand new Mercedes coupe, he is absolutely delighted with it. I was reassured by Mercedes that gone are the days of expensive out of the blue repair bills due to poor workmanship. I hope he’s right.
With Best Wishes to you all
Respect.
Hi everyone,
I thought since you have all been so sympathetic to me about the very long journey of the 2002 Fiat Stilo, I thought I would give you an update.
As you know I bought this vehicle for my son in 2002, it has cost me a considerable amount of money to keep it roadworthy bearing in mind the precious cargo it was carrying.
But as you may recall in my previous postings taking into account the faults were extensive, When I bought this vehicle in good faith along with other customers I did not expect to pay an additional £3,000 to rectify sub standard mechanical parts, simply if those parts were the same quality as my past new Toyota vehicles, I ran for over four years no major problems as this car. It is sad that Fiat had designed a fantasic looking car that could have been a number one seller if made by a reputable major manufacturer, but again Fiat is always branded since the seventies by the quality of its fleet, basicaly using sub standard components. People expect a new car to be trouble free for at least three years don't you think? Otherwise why would you buy the car in the first place? The warrannty means nothing since I always needed to fight with Fiat to put things right.
Yes you may argue that the new Stilos are tip top, but it does not answer the question of why produce a car in 2002 with as many chariteristic faults and expect a customer to pay good money, bearing in mind they could have bought from a major manufacturer, why should anyone have to except this?
Remembering that the reason why I was very disappointed the vehicle had a 48,000 mile service at fiat Benfield , Railway Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, it cost me over £200, they did not do any reported work, in fact they had a staff shortage, I complained to the service manager about the reported problems but he even failed to respond to my email?
The problems at the time was the following:
Brakes - The brakes were brought to the attention when the keys were handed over in the morning, it appears that a staff member did ask if we had any problems to report, one of them was the brakes, he must have failed to write this particular problem down? What do you do in theses cirmcustances?
Normally when a vehicle is road tested after service the driver would be aware that the brakes do make a noise.
Rear wiper split - For the price of the service it is an unbelievable comment for a member of your staff to say you do not even stock wiper blades. You can go to Halfords and buy a wiper blade for a Fiat? I was not contacted all day about anything?
Washer pump defective (as reported by your son) Do you think it is alright for my son to drive on the motorway with defective washers? Again you can buy a washer pump today at Halfords? Not fitted?
Front exhaust deteriorated and blowing, no idea?
both front tyres scrubbing off (still legal) Does the standard not include rotating the tyres.
drivers rear tyre scrubbing off (still legal) No idea?
vehicle battery requires replacement Why could a staff member not ring to replace?
There was a bulb which lit up the hot & cold idle which kept going off then back on. It was obvious that it was a loose bulb and this item was also reported when the keys were handed over in the morning. When I asked a member of staff if this problem has been sorted out he replied saying it is a problem with the battery, they think it needs a new battery? Obviously speculating, since he said they did not check, why?. Then the member of staff commented on it would take more time to take out the dash to fix the bulb etc and if you can understand we had members of staff ill and the car did not go in properly. Are you telling me that if you had full members of staff the car would have been thoroughly looked at and more of these problems would have been solved?
I disagree along with friends and family, that our car had not been looked at thoroughly enough as it would have been if you had a full compliment of staff, as your member of staff clearly stated that we should understand members of your staff are ill.
I am sorry they had staffing problems but I was a customer who agreed initially with a staff member to have a 48,000 mile service, I paid £256, I reported the problems as requested by thestaff member, no one contacted me, thus do you agree that one would think the vehicle was being serviced and repaired?
I was really disappointed since none of the reported problems were acted upon. I was worried after talking to friends and family who all agreed that it does not appear that the 48,000 mile service was not conducted as per the Fiat recommendations. Apart from getting the vehicle inspected by the AA at the time, I suppose only Benfield could comment?
Thus, after the service I still needed to get this vehicle roadworthy for my son to use, thus get the car serviced again at Leicester. Please note the amount of faults reported by Stratstone were not picked up in a 48,000 mile service some days earlier by Benfield? Did the vehicle receive the attention it deserved, what do you think?
The two Fiat garages came up with all different excuses why work was not carried out or missed or why the work needed done to make this car safe to drive.
When the vehicle was at Stratstone for two weeks I repeatedly said to them that I could not believe that this vehicle needed so much work done, taking into consideration that the majority of work was never reported to me during or after service or minor repairs. The types of work need done I would have noticed before the car was driven to the garage, for example they needed to replace a new radiator? I had no problems with leakage nothing previously reported? They seemed to add things to the repair bill on a daily basis when I spoke to them. A new gear box, and casing, please note the bill states new gear box they fitted a reconditioned?
Whilst the vehicle was at Stratstone, they even tried to sell my son a new Fiat, take the Fiat Stilo in part exchange?
Even fitting a new alternator belt, surely this should have been replaced in the 48,000 mile service weeks beforehand by Benfield, I think it demonstrates that the vehicle was either not serviced correctly by Benfield.
In fact this particular garage Stratstone suggested that there was so much wrong with the vehicle it must have been involved in a road accident?
It is alarming to think just how many Fiat owners could be driving around in dangerous vehicles, since customers rely upon recommended Fiat dealerships to ensure their car is getting the attention it deserves regarding servicing and repairs.
Expecting the dealerships to do a good job, not to find out after you have paid the bill the vehicle is not roadworthy. As customers you are paying huge amounts to read time after time vehicle problems like mine is not getting the attention that is recommended by Fiat Auto UK Ltd manufacturer, thus not being serviced correctly.
So how do you know your vehicle is safe, or roadworthy?
Simply you don’t, since you are putting your trust in Fiat Auto UK Ltd who appointed those dealers nationwide, they do not check standards since there seems to be no uniformity, considering you have good dealerships to bad?
You find that some dealers seem to charge what they want, they appear to be booking in far too many vehicles in a day why? To maximize profits, therefore how could they possibly spend the recommended time on your vehicle? They don’t, but you are still expected to pay the full service price, Fiat Auto UK Ltd need to regulate these dealerships, that’s why this Fiat Forum is invaluable, since we rely upon Fiat owners to give us the true facts about who is performing good or bad.
I basically wrote on 22nd April, to Fiat Auto UK Ltd, Fiat House, 240, Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire,Sl14 DX, asking for compassion in this situation to reimburse me for this wrong doing. But I received nothing.
As at 9th October, Not even a final reply to my letter?
Way back in 2002 we only had the car a few weeks then it developed a fault with the mechanism of the five panel sunroof, Benfield had a fiddle about, they admitted they had no idea how to rectify, I had to wait 6 weeks for a Fiat trouble shooter to come along and fit a new one but it was continuously problematic, Air conditioning was poor to not working, the dealership did not attempt to fix even during warranty? Why should I pay?
The last straw was when the vehicle broke down in the middle lane of the M1 motorway, the drive belt snapped. The car just stopped running, my son's life was put at risk, the car was off the road again this time the damage was extensive the engine was also damaged. I contacted Fiat Auto UK Ltd explained the history of the vehicle, the circumstances, the mileage, they agreed to pay the bill.
After that my son and I had no confidence in the car, I was worried what else was going to happen? What else was going to happen? How much more do I ned to spend on this car to keep it roadworthy?
Anyway, it caused a lot of trouble to say the least, we no longer have the car, it still looked fantastic when we walked away, blacked out windows alloys etc, my son has bought a brand new Mercedes coupe, he is absolutely delighted with it. I was reassured by Mercedes that gone are the days of expensive out of the blue repair bills due to poor workmanship. I hope he’s right.
With Best Wishes to you all
Respect.
Last edited:
So how do you know your vehicle is safe, or roadworthy?
Simply you don’t, since you are putting your trust in Fiat Auto UK Ltd who appointed those dealers nationwide, they do not check standards since there seems to be no uniformity, considering you have good dealerships to bad?
You find that some dealers seem to charge what they want, they appear to be booking in far too many vehicles in a day why? To maximize profits, therefore how could they possibly spend the recommended time on your vehicle? They don’t, but you are still expected to pay the full service price, Fiat Auto UK Ltd need to regulate these dealerships, that’s why this Fiat Forum is invaluable, since we rely upon Fiat owners to give us the true facts about who is performing good or bad.
Sorry to hear of your troubles There are some good dealers out there,honest
Just a quick point,dealers are checked upon regulary through fiats own 'mystery shop' & through a points system which covers the dealership as a whole.
Simply you don’t, since you are putting your trust in Fiat Auto UK Ltd who appointed those dealers nationwide, they do not check standards since there seems to be no uniformity, considering you have good dealerships to bad?
You find that some dealers seem to charge what they want, they appear to be booking in far too many vehicles in a day why? To maximize profits, therefore how could they possibly spend the recommended time on your vehicle? They don’t, but you are still expected to pay the full service price, Fiat Auto UK Ltd need to regulate these dealerships, that’s why this Fiat Forum is invaluable, since we rely upon Fiat owners to give us the true facts about who is performing good or bad.
Sorry to hear of your troubles
There are some good dealers out there,honest Just a quick point,dealers are checked upon regulary through fiats own 'mystery shop' & through a points system which covers the dealership as a whole.
