desperatefiatideaowner
New member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2010
- Messages
- 3
- Points
- 1
Hi All -
I found this forum tonight in desperation. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on my Fiat Idea which is a duologic (semi-auto) and of the Eleganza variety.
Before I start I just want to say that I know NOTHING about cars. I bought the car in 2007 with 9000 on the clock. It was approved used Fiat. First thing that happened was when I picked it up. I got half way home and the temperature guage went to maximum and the warning message came up "Engine failure Switch off engine". We ended up (me and my then 2 year old daughter) being towed hoe and the car went back to the dealership for 3 weeks. I got it back only to find there was NO oil or Collant in it. Great service.
Anyway, it has never started well. On a cold morning it would take ages, particularly if I haven't used it in afew days. The other thing that happens is that one lightbulb always blows. As soon as I replace it (say, th tail light) another will blow (say the headlamp). THe cigarette lighter/socket has never worked.
Flash forward two years and I have notched it up to 41000 miles, regularly serviced at the dealership. Around October last year I noticed that any time I stopped at lights or in traffic the fan came on and the temp guage went up and up. As soon as I moved off again it went back to normal.
Eventually I was i a traffic jam and it just went up and up until it initialised the same warning message I had on the first day. I pulled over, waited ten minutes and tried to start it again, but it would not start and all the dials/clocks etc reset to zero. I had the breakdown out (I was 8 months pregnant at the time) and they towed it to a garage. It was in for a week and they (very honestly - the are not a Fiat dealer!) told me there was nothing they could find wrong with it except that changing the oil had solved the problem.
In October I gave birth to a child with disabilities. He has breathing issues and I regularly have to get him to hospital quickly.
In February an error message an warning light came up saying "Airbag FAilure". At first it was intermittant but eventually it came up permanently and was followed by "Switch off Engine". At the same time as that came up, it also said "Gearbox Failure".
I took it back to the dealership. I was told I needed a new gearbox actuator and it was dangerous to drive. It also needed rewiring as a "fuse had blown". SO I take out a loan and pay the £1200 bill. I need my car.
Picked it up, got half way home and yes, you guessed it, the same error message "Airbag FAilure, Switch off engine" came up.
Well flash forward another three months and it had been in and out of the dealership 5 times. Every time they claimed it was fixed and every time after about 50 miles the message came back. In addition it started being even more temperamental about starting and the power steering seems really "hard"/resistant - like I have to work very hard to steer.
II have had an ongoing complaint running with Fiat UK as at first th dealership refused to review their work or do anything more. Eventually at the start of June they took it in for 16 days and gave me a courtesy car (thanks to Fiat UK). After that, they claimed the wiring was at fault and they had "stripped back and replaced it all".
I got home with no warning message and thought my troubles were over. I went away for two weeks and when I returned I sadly lost twin who were ectopic. I needed major surgery and have not been able to drive for the past two weeks. Consequently in the 2 months since I've had it back I've done about 100 miles.
Today I get in it to go to my post-surgery check up and it was slow to start. I get to the docs, have the check and lo and behold the car wouldn't start at all. My dad came and jumpstarted it to get me and my son home.
I then try to start it again and it does so, but comes up with the airbag failure, gearbox failure, steering failure and engine failure messages i quick succession. It also tells me a brake light has blown (I only replaced this last month).
Initially it was trying to "turn over". But all the dials/clocks reset to zero again. Now it doesn't even try - nothin happens when I turn the key past the MAR, only the warning messages!!
I have called Fiat UK again because when I called the dealership they were very rude (again) and say that as I have had thecar back for two months it is not their job to sort it out again. Fiat UK have said it will take 3 working days to get back to me.
So again, for the 6th time in my son's life I am carless again. My boyfriend can't drive and so now I have to ask my parents for help again.
I am at my wit's end with this. I am 100% convinced there is no actual airbag or gearbox failure as the car drives fine once it starts (apart from the heavy steering which only started after the dealership "fixed" it).
I am desperate for a reliable car. I love the size/shap/position/equipment of the Idea, but need a car that works and a company that will sort out issues when they arise. I am sure that a car should not have these troubles at 40000 miles and I think it is computer or electrics to blame. But I am at a loss as I know so little about mechanics and the people at the fiat dealership clearly can't solve this either.
If anyone can help me, eother in suggesting what could be wrong or in the short term how I can get the car at least started (my plan would then be to get it to the dealership and sit in with my crying baby until they do something) I would be so grateful. I've been in tears about this all day :-(
Thanks,
Beth
I found this forum tonight in desperation. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on my Fiat Idea which is a duologic (semi-auto) and of the Eleganza variety.
Before I start I just want to say that I know NOTHING about cars. I bought the car in 2007 with 9000 on the clock. It was approved used Fiat. First thing that happened was when I picked it up. I got half way home and the temperature guage went to maximum and the warning message came up "Engine failure Switch off engine". We ended up (me and my then 2 year old daughter) being towed hoe and the car went back to the dealership for 3 weeks. I got it back only to find there was NO oil or Collant in it. Great service.
Anyway, it has never started well. On a cold morning it would take ages, particularly if I haven't used it in afew days. The other thing that happens is that one lightbulb always blows. As soon as I replace it (say, th tail light) another will blow (say the headlamp). THe cigarette lighter/socket has never worked.
Flash forward two years and I have notched it up to 41000 miles, regularly serviced at the dealership. Around October last year I noticed that any time I stopped at lights or in traffic the fan came on and the temp guage went up and up. As soon as I moved off again it went back to normal.
Eventually I was i a traffic jam and it just went up and up until it initialised the same warning message I had on the first day. I pulled over, waited ten minutes and tried to start it again, but it would not start and all the dials/clocks etc reset to zero. I had the breakdown out (I was 8 months pregnant at the time) and they towed it to a garage. It was in for a week and they (very honestly - the are not a Fiat dealer!) told me there was nothing they could find wrong with it except that changing the oil had solved the problem.
In October I gave birth to a child with disabilities. He has breathing issues and I regularly have to get him to hospital quickly.
In February an error message an warning light came up saying "Airbag FAilure". At first it was intermittant but eventually it came up permanently and was followed by "Switch off Engine". At the same time as that came up, it also said "Gearbox Failure".
I took it back to the dealership. I was told I needed a new gearbox actuator and it was dangerous to drive. It also needed rewiring as a "fuse had blown". SO I take out a loan and pay the £1200 bill. I need my car.
Picked it up, got half way home and yes, you guessed it, the same error message "Airbag FAilure, Switch off engine" came up.
Well flash forward another three months and it had been in and out of the dealership 5 times. Every time they claimed it was fixed and every time after about 50 miles the message came back. In addition it started being even more temperamental about starting and the power steering seems really "hard"/resistant - like I have to work very hard to steer.
II have had an ongoing complaint running with Fiat UK as at first th dealership refused to review their work or do anything more. Eventually at the start of June they took it in for 16 days and gave me a courtesy car (thanks to Fiat UK). After that, they claimed the wiring was at fault and they had "stripped back and replaced it all".
I got home with no warning message and thought my troubles were over. I went away for two weeks and when I returned I sadly lost twin who were ectopic. I needed major surgery and have not been able to drive for the past two weeks. Consequently in the 2 months since I've had it back I've done about 100 miles.
Today I get in it to go to my post-surgery check up and it was slow to start. I get to the docs, have the check and lo and behold the car wouldn't start at all. My dad came and jumpstarted it to get me and my son home.
I then try to start it again and it does so, but comes up with the airbag failure, gearbox failure, steering failure and engine failure messages i quick succession. It also tells me a brake light has blown (I only replaced this last month).
Initially it was trying to "turn over". But all the dials/clocks reset to zero again. Now it doesn't even try - nothin happens when I turn the key past the MAR, only the warning messages!!
I have called Fiat UK again because when I called the dealership they were very rude (again) and say that as I have had thecar back for two months it is not their job to sort it out again. Fiat UK have said it will take 3 working days to get back to me.
So again, for the 6th time in my son's life I am carless again. My boyfriend can't drive and so now I have to ask my parents for help again.
I am at my wit's end with this. I am 100% convinced there is no actual airbag or gearbox failure as the car drives fine once it starts (apart from the heavy steering which only started after the dealership "fixed" it).
I am desperate for a reliable car. I love the size/shap/position/equipment of the Idea, but need a car that works and a company that will sort out issues when they arise. I am sure that a car should not have these troubles at 40000 miles and I think it is computer or electrics to blame. But I am at a loss as I know so little about mechanics and the people at the fiat dealership clearly can't solve this either.
If anyone can help me, eother in suggesting what could be wrong or in the short term how I can get the car at least started (my plan would then be to get it to the dealership and sit in with my crying baby until they do something) I would be so grateful. I've been in tears about this all day :-(
Thanks,
Beth