General Availability of Multipla Spares

[simonprior]

Hello from a new forum member in a bit of a quandry.

We have a 2004 pre-facelift model MP. Six weeks ago we collided with a large deer and although the damage was not excessive our insurance company classed it as 'uneconomical to repair' and wanted to write it off. We reached the usual deal in these circumstances whereby we are paying the extra to get our MP repaired. Our vehicle had been recovered to a specialist accident repair company where it has been marooned for the last six weeks 'awaiting replacement parts'. Whenever we query this we are told that there are no parts available in the UK and everything has to come from Italy - we are talking radiator, climate control system parts, front headlamp etc.

Is it true that there is no stock of such parts in the UK or are we being led a bit of a dance?

Any and all advice most welcome.

 

[hastingsmum]

Having worked for years for Ford I know that parts can be on back order for weeks, sometimes longer if they have to come from factory, so I guess Fiat isn't any different.

 

[simonprior]

Hi and thanks for the swift reply,

It just seems odd. In the three years that we have had our MP we have had a lot of parts replaced - clutch, flywheel, drums and discs, wiper motor and others but never had to wait more than a few days to get the car back.

I'm going to contact our main Fiat dealership in the morning and see what their take on it is.

Thanks Again

 

[widemouthfrog]

OEM parts ordered from Fiat may start to become harder to get hold of now. The last of the round noses were built nearly 10 years ago. Could you not strike a deal with the insurers so that you buy the parts (second hand) and they contribute towards the labour? Even in good condition, your Multipla won't be worth much more than about £2500 tops. At full-whack insurer rates, it doesn't take much damage to write off a car of that value.

Coming back to your original question, aftermarket radiators and aircon condensors are readily available new. I think front bumpers are harder to get hold of, but the (bolt on) front wings and cross brace that runs in front of the rad top can still be obtained.

Have a look on the eper (follow the link at the top of the page on this forum), enter your VIN when prompted and make a note of the part numbers for the panels etc you need. Then google for those numbers. You might get lucky.

 

[simonprior]

Thanks for your very useful suggestions. Problem is that we bought our MP for a specific purpose and need it back as soon as possible. I think that if we now went back to square one and tried to renegotiate the whole deal then it might take until next Easter to get her back!

Our insurers offered us £2100 as the write of value and to be honest we could have taken that and afforded to buy a 10 plate MP replacement.

However we love the original model so much that we may well have let our hearts rule our heads?

Thanks Again

 

[lancia8888]

Hi, I would take the money. As you will be repairing an older vehicle. Structural rust will be playing it's part now.. This will have high wear and it is not easy to say what will break or fall off next. If you have a gearbox or engine failure you could be easily be in a similar situation having to source parts. It's your choice and my opinion. I work in the motor trade and see owners trying to keep up with on going maintenance with old cars. There comes a point where enough is enough….Now would be a fantastic time to say thanks to your Bug eye…..

 

[simonprior]

Thanks - I'm begining to think now that we should have done as you have suggested. Too late this time though as all the body repairs have been done and we are just waiting on parts for re-assembly.

I had thought that as we only do about 4,000 miles a year we would be able to keep our MP going for some considerable time to come. Hey Ho.

 

[simonprior]

I spoke to our main Fiat dealership and they told me that it is not uncommon for them now to have to wait three to five days for delivery of some service parts. Seems to me that any time you take your Multipla in for a service or MOT there is a chance of it being off the road for a week or more.

 

[hastingsmum]

I spoke to our main Fiat dealership and they told me that it is not uncommon for them now to have to wait three to five days for delivery of some service parts. Seems to me that any time you take your Multipla in for a service or MOT there is a chance of it being off the road for a week or more.

Totally fits with my perception of main dealers, but realistically they couldn't stock everything

 

[portland_bill]

Ask for a list of exactly what is awaited, and from where it has been ordered, and when. Then either post the list on here, or search the online suppliers from the links on this site. Contact the suppliers that the bodyshop say they've ordered stuff from and ask for confirmation of order date, and estimated delivery date. It is not uncommon for bodyshops to repair bodywork, then order mechanical bits as they need them on the rebuild, whereas they should have listed and ordered them during the strip down. Any delays due to this bodyshop should be reported to the insurance company, they may consider dropping them. Hopefully they are supplying you with a loan car meanwhile? If not, and they are responsible for the delays, demand one. That will get their focus.

 

[simonprior]

Very astute advice and you have listed things I should have done from the begining - so hope that anyone in our situation takes note of what you have said. The repair company did provide a courtesy car - a 6 month old Toyota Ago and I don't quite know what to make of it (that's a different story that doesn't belong on the Multipla forum).

However - the repair company phoned this afternoon to say that our MP should be ready on Monday/Tuesday next week. Our (retired) Greyhounds can't wait to get their transport back!

Thanks to all who responded to this question - Great Forum.

 

[portland_bill]

Which is faster, the retired greyhounds, or the Aygo?

 

[simonprior]

The Aygo - but only if you rev it to the limit!

 

[simonprior]

Well we finally got our MP back last Friday - they seemed to have done a decent enough repair job in the end, the new paintwork looks as though it is a perfect match and she drives just as well as she ever did and looks smarter than before. However after carrying out some routine maintenance today I find that I cannot get the bonnet to lock so am taking it back to the repairers in the morning.