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Technical Coolant tank empty...AGAIN

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Technical Coolant tank empty...AGAIN

Papa P said:
I've got no way of checking where the leak is actually coming from to be honest! Its on the underside of the bay and I've not got a trolley jack to lift it up to have a look myself. And if its managing to fool the mechanics in the garage that its the water pump then I'm not gonna be able to figure it out otherwise! lol

But my guess was exactly what you said...its a flaw with the block...which will mean a new engine!

SusieJay...where is the pink spots? At the front of the engine bay? if so that'll be the turbo coolant pipes that are leaking
Click to expand...

Respect to you PapaP, I think you have great patience, I have kept an eye on you troubles and you conduct yourself in an admirable way, I wish the Dealer would sort your car for you though... whatever the fault is... :(

Cant you ask for a replacement car as its been cra* from the first day really...
 
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Papa P said:
SusieJay...where is the pink spots? At the front of the engine bay? if so that'll be the turbo coolant pipes that are leaking
Click to expand...

Yup right at the front, almost directly in the middle of the bay...:cry: Would this make any difference to the performance of the car, because I have been thinking she is under powered for a while, but then I double guess myself and think its all in my head.....:confused:
 
Papa P, tell Fiat to reassure you that if it goes wrong again they will fix it again and again with no charge.

A good way to tell where the leak is coming from is to wipe some baby shampoo all over everything that it could possibly be, and wherever there is a build up of bubbles... THAT is where the leak is.
 
T14086 said:
sure it wasn't just old coolant left over from the water pump change (i.e. from undertray) dripping down?
Click to expand...

Nah, it only appears once the car has cooled down, and is STILL leaking and thats nearly two weeks since it had the water pump changed.

I've been onto Fiat and its going back into the garage at some point this week once they have a courtesy car they can give me for a few days. Once its in I'll see what they say and take it from there. But rest assured that I will be getting something in writing that this will be repaired free of charge if it ever happens again...including once it is out of warranty! That is if I dont get a new engine out of them... ;)

susiejay, its not really a problem, just makes a mess of the engine bay. Just book it in to get fixed under warranty. Thats a few bravos had problems with the turbo coolant pipes leaking (mine were changed twice).
 
Silly question but you're not constantly over revving it are you? I mean constantly going over 5k rpm and redlining it every gear for the majority of driving?

As regards to warranty, as far as I know each new part should have a manufacturers warranty so each time it goes in.. its a new piece meaning a new warranty so its covered for the year or how ever long they give you? Also the work should be under warranty aswell?

I had a polo and spent 550quid to get the water pump replaced (cam belt too due to contamination) and it went again, took it back to the same place and it was under item warranty, got labour for free too :)

Makes sense that you would get the same warranty on a replacement item going in your car as they're not likely to be putting something in there thats already out of warranty
 
nah, unfortunately my bank balance wont allow me to rev it silly everywhere i go...or to drive at a silly speed! In fact it spends much of its time below 30mph unless i go out at the weekends!

Dont worry, the repairs are all being done under warranty, and I have all recipets to prove what has been done so I can get the repairs done under warranty for the part if need be.

But i'm talking about the repair being done once the car or part is out of warranty. if this same fault appears in 2 years time when its out of warranty I want it fixed for free!
 
Then nah you're stuffed if thats the case bud, unless you can take out some kind of extended warranty..
 
Just got my Bravo back after 4 weeks. Started with a broken bonnet release and ended with a new head gasket, turbo, and exhaust manifold.

The coolant pipes had come adrift but because I was waiting for the bonnet release to get sorted and couldn't check the levels the 1st I knew was when the temp gauge suddenly peaked.

Took it straight to the dealer and thankfully it was still under warranty. Well everything but the bonnet release mechanism.
 
Well after getting the water pump replaced last year the car started leaking coolant again. The dealer replaced the seal at the oil cooler but still the coolant level was dropping. The dealer then diagnosed the water pump again. Apparently there is now a modified gasket so the pump has been replaced for the second time.

There's only a month left of the third year warranty and, funnily enough, I got a letter from Fiat offering me the chance to purchase an additional years warranty. I may take them up on it if this is going to be an ongoing issue. A cynical ploy by Fiat to sell warranties?
 
Well, since my last post the Bravo has been in yet again with the same problem. This time the problem has been traced to a coolant pipe running to the turbo and is, apparantly, really awkward to get to.

The warranty doesn't cover pipes and hoses so the total bill for this job worked out at £420 + vat. I phoned Fiat customer services and complained about the long ongoing issues with this car losing coolant and the best they would do was offer £100 as a good-will gesture. The dealer also discounted their labour rate and all this brought the bill down to a more reasonable but still substantial £300 inc vat.

The chappie at the service desk did say they've had a few T-Jets in with similar issues and not only Bravos but Puntos too. Is this a developing issue? I would be interested to hear if any other T-Jet owners have had similar problems.

I'm hoping this is the end of the coolant issues but I'm now seriously considering getting rid of the Bravo and moving away from Fiat altogether.

I should also say that after an initial hiccup with the service staff at the local dealer they have been really good and very helpful.
 
Well after forking out the dosh and being assured all was well, I checked the coolant level again and it is still leaking. It's not losing huge amounts but the level has dropped below the minimum mark.

It is losing the same amount of coolant as it was before the repair and I'm not happy. I've been back to the dealer and asked them to raise it with Fiat as this will be the 6th time the car has been in.

Reading over the thread it seems there was a recall for the T-Jet with regard to a replacement hose to the turbo. Was this the case and, if so, did it cover certain manufacture dates?

Any help anyone can provide would be much appreciated.
 
T14086 said:
Surely a pressure test will identify the leak?
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You'd have thought so but the car has been pressure tested each time it has been in and each time they tell me they've fixed it. I've now asked them to refer the problem to Fiat and see if one of their techies can look at it.
 
JonnyK, call Fiat Customer Services and make them aware of the situation. They'll then contact your dealer and will make sure it gets sorted. I've had to do that twice, once for my gearbox and once for the coolant loss issue.

Both times the problem was fixed on my next visit...probably because the Fiat DET at Arnold Clark in Ayr is a top bloke and made sure it got fixed! :)(y)
 
Papa P said:
JonnyK, call Fiat Customer Services and make them aware of the situation. They'll then contact your dealer and will make sure it gets sorted. I've had to do that twice, once for my gearbox and once for the coolant loss issue.

Both times the problem was fixed on my next visit...probably because the Fiat DET at Arnold Clark in Ayr is a top bloke and made sure it got fixed! :)(y)
Click to expand...

Last time the car was in I phoned Fiat "Customer Services" and all they would do was offer me a paltry £100 toward the repair. At that stage though the dealer thought they had the problem sourced and repaired.

I'll try them again and see what they say after I explain the problem is still there.
 
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