kevingrove
New member
Hi,
I put 2 new posts on last year on this subject, I was very annoyed with Fiat they were as follows:
I came to this thread cos I have a new 1.3? (1248cc) turbo diesel family (7 seats) which I was sold by Fiat on the understanding that I would get approx 52mpg, well; full load or empty the trip gives me 42.3 to 42.6!! The car was bought new in July and has about 3K on the clock. The sales guy assured me, it should be doing at least 50mpg and to bring it back for investigation. Guess what? The service guy said nothing wrong with it, and I'm unlikely to get much more than 42mpg even when the engine has loosened up a bit. So I am going back to the sales guy Monday a bit cheesed off. I don't like having the wool pulled over. However, I'd be interested in anybody else's experience with this version. Do they invent these figures?
and,
On the 14th of July this year, I bought a 1.2 turbo diesel Fiat Doblo MPV, based on my wife's good impressions of the Fiat Brand, price, size, and an amazing fuel economy (or so I thought). Quoted as extra urban 58.9, combined 51.4, an urban of 42.2, in their literature, it seemed perfect.
Once bought imagine my disappointment when a trip to france gave me 42.6 over nearly 1000 miles.
Still, I thought once all the luggage is out and we are just doing the mixed driving around us locally things ought to improve, but no; the next test was 42.3!
Then I decided to report the matter to fiat (Perry's of Aylesbury), they had the car for the day and no fault was found.
Another test physical test was done and on a full tank to reserve I got 456 miles, achieved using 49.59 litres of fuel (10.92 gallons) giving me 41.8 mpg.
A later trip to Winchester saw me achieve just 38mpg (dual carriageway and motorway).
All the figures since France were achieved with no load, and single occupancy, unless you count my 6 year old daughter Molly.
Upon complaining to Fiat I was offered a fuel consumption test which I would have to pay for, and then if a fault was found, I would be reimbursed.
I was also told by Dale at Fiat customer care, that the quoted figures were produced in test conditions in a wind tunnel (presumably it was blowing from behind), no occupancy and with no gear changes. Also the mpg figures quoted were likely to vary from those stated (but he wasn't prepared to say by how much they might)
And that was that!
I was told when I bought the car that I could expect a 600 mile range, but I get 456. This is by anyone's measure a big difference.
Can it really be the case that, I have been sold something on the basis of what appears to be misleading information, and by law I do not have recourse to any support or compensation from the manufacturer.
............UPDATE............
Well, on the 2nd of february this year, the car was written off by some muppet in a VW, a total loss! But I could have a new car replacement as long as it was EXACTLY the same model and specification. So I went for it, abandoning all hope of any recourse to fiat now the evidence was gone for the misleading fuel consumption. New car duly arrives end of June (took Fiat that long to build it), and I take it down the road to Bicester and when I look at my average fuel consumption for the 6 miles, I do double take when I see 55.3 MPG!!! I repeated my trip to Winchester (from above) and got 46 mpg, some of that(..well quite a bit) at 80 mph. Going around town I get 50.5 MPG! Don't forget the local fiat dealer had my previous car for a whole day and found no fault. Both these cars are/were identical, carrying exactly the same load (OK I might have lost a couple of pounds since last year...but), both new and both having a thorough PDI. So how do you explain that, I can't.
Now the sting in the tail, having had the new car for a week I got a squealing from underneath, the breakdown chap arrived and removed a stone (we have a gravel drive) from the front disk brake guard ("it'll just be a one off mate"), 10 days later more squealing, took it to Perry's (my local dealer who were so helpful last time, right) and they removed 2 stones from said disk (again "it's a one off mate, but if it happens again we'll have to charge you as it's not covered by the warranty, and btw we could find any fault with the vehicle" (sound familiar folks?)
Well this morning I got a squeal again (only had this car 6 weeks) and not wanting to be charged, phoned fiat customer care (Really I'm not into SM!!) who advised me to take it to the nearest dealership (whoo!) and pay for a diagnostic check out of my own pocket to see if there was a problem. (sounding familiar again folks?)
I declined, phoned my breakdown people again, he arrives, removes another stone and THEN on inspection of the guards of both front wheels, found the gap between the disk and the guard, at the top of the guard, was bigger than the gap at the bottom. So stones were falling in from the top of the tyres and not coming out.
So I bent the guards so that the gap is smaller at the top and bigger at the bottom,so stones that get in, can get back out again and sod the b*&^%y warranty it seems pretty much worthless.
(and btw...Big applause please for Perry's technicians powers of observation who didn't spot in 2 hours what I spotted in 2 minutes... yes REALLY!)
I have vowed never to step foot again into Perry's of Aylesbury again, and my next car given the laughable level of care I have had from fiat customer care on the 2 occasions I needed them, will sadly not be a Fiat, since they use the premise that the customer is always wrong, unless he pays and can prove otherwise.
I put 2 new posts on last year on this subject, I was very annoyed with Fiat they were as follows:
I came to this thread cos I have a new 1.3? (1248cc) turbo diesel family (7 seats) which I was sold by Fiat on the understanding that I would get approx 52mpg, well; full load or empty the trip gives me 42.3 to 42.6!! The car was bought new in July and has about 3K on the clock. The sales guy assured me, it should be doing at least 50mpg and to bring it back for investigation. Guess what? The service guy said nothing wrong with it, and I'm unlikely to get much more than 42mpg even when the engine has loosened up a bit. So I am going back to the sales guy Monday a bit cheesed off. I don't like having the wool pulled over. However, I'd be interested in anybody else's experience with this version. Do they invent these figures?
and,
On the 14th of July this year, I bought a 1.2 turbo diesel Fiat Doblo MPV, based on my wife's good impressions of the Fiat Brand, price, size, and an amazing fuel economy (or so I thought). Quoted as extra urban 58.9, combined 51.4, an urban of 42.2, in their literature, it seemed perfect.
Once bought imagine my disappointment when a trip to france gave me 42.6 over nearly 1000 miles.
Still, I thought once all the luggage is out and we are just doing the mixed driving around us locally things ought to improve, but no; the next test was 42.3!
Then I decided to report the matter to fiat (Perry's of Aylesbury), they had the car for the day and no fault was found.
Another test physical test was done and on a full tank to reserve I got 456 miles, achieved using 49.59 litres of fuel (10.92 gallons) giving me 41.8 mpg.
A later trip to Winchester saw me achieve just 38mpg (dual carriageway and motorway).
All the figures since France were achieved with no load, and single occupancy, unless you count my 6 year old daughter Molly.
Upon complaining to Fiat I was offered a fuel consumption test which I would have to pay for, and then if a fault was found, I would be reimbursed.
I was also told by Dale at Fiat customer care, that the quoted figures were produced in test conditions in a wind tunnel (presumably it was blowing from behind), no occupancy and with no gear changes. Also the mpg figures quoted were likely to vary from those stated (but he wasn't prepared to say by how much they might)
And that was that!
I was told when I bought the car that I could expect a 600 mile range, but I get 456. This is by anyone's measure a big difference.
Can it really be the case that, I have been sold something on the basis of what appears to be misleading information, and by law I do not have recourse to any support or compensation from the manufacturer.
............UPDATE............
Well, on the 2nd of february this year, the car was written off by some muppet in a VW, a total loss! But I could have a new car replacement as long as it was EXACTLY the same model and specification. So I went for it, abandoning all hope of any recourse to fiat now the evidence was gone for the misleading fuel consumption. New car duly arrives end of June (took Fiat that long to build it), and I take it down the road to Bicester and when I look at my average fuel consumption for the 6 miles, I do double take when I see 55.3 MPG!!! I repeated my trip to Winchester (from above) and got 46 mpg, some of that(..well quite a bit) at 80 mph. Going around town I get 50.5 MPG! Don't forget the local fiat dealer had my previous car for a whole day and found no fault. Both these cars are/were identical, carrying exactly the same load (OK I might have lost a couple of pounds since last year...but), both new and both having a thorough PDI. So how do you explain that, I can't.
Now the sting in the tail, having had the new car for a week I got a squealing from underneath, the breakdown chap arrived and removed a stone (we have a gravel drive) from the front disk brake guard ("it'll just be a one off mate"), 10 days later more squealing, took it to Perry's (my local dealer who were so helpful last time, right) and they removed 2 stones from said disk (again "it's a one off mate, but if it happens again we'll have to charge you as it's not covered by the warranty, and btw we could find any fault with the vehicle" (sound familiar folks?)
Well this morning I got a squeal again (only had this car 6 weeks) and not wanting to be charged, phoned fiat customer care (Really I'm not into SM!!) who advised me to take it to the nearest dealership (whoo!) and pay for a diagnostic check out of my own pocket to see if there was a problem. (sounding familiar again folks?)
I declined, phoned my breakdown people again, he arrives, removes another stone and THEN on inspection of the guards of both front wheels, found the gap between the disk and the guard, at the top of the guard, was bigger than the gap at the bottom. So stones were falling in from the top of the tyres and not coming out.
So I bent the guards so that the gap is smaller at the top and bigger at the bottom,so stones that get in, can get back out again and sod the b*&^%y warranty it seems pretty much worthless.
(and btw...Big applause please for Perry's technicians powers of observation who didn't spot in 2 hours what I spotted in 2 minutes... yes REALLY!)
I have vowed never to step foot again into Perry's of Aylesbury again, and my next car given the laughable level of care I have had from fiat customer care on the 2 occasions I needed them, will sadly not be a Fiat, since they use the premise that the customer is always wrong, unless he pays and can prove otherwise.