General Fiat punto evo 2010 subframe corroded

[Murphhhyyy]

recently had a new alternator fitted and while in the garage the mechanic advised me that the subframe was heavily corroded and needed replacing ASAP as it was on the verge of snapping. While in the garage he said that there was similar problem with Vauxhall’s and that Vauxhall would cover the cost as it was under some sort of warranty for this problem. So I was wondering do Fiat do something similar for the type of problem?

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi

The grande and the corsa are closely related.. a lot of parts are interchangeable

But.. Ive never read of a subframe changed under warranty

Out of interest.. did yours get the modified scuttle drain tube ( directing rainwater AWAY from the alternator)?

 

[stephen2929]

Do you have any picture of the area affected? Or maybe its 'obvious', so we can take a look at ours to check on it.

 

[varesecrazy]

A question for
@Murphhhyyy

Intrigued by this myself.. as I owned much older Grande's.. and not had any mention of corrosion ( other than the exhausts..)

 

[varesecrazy]

Usual subframe problem for corrosion is :

Unrestricted water in
Restricted water out

Scuttle drains.. mud build.up

The old Tipo and Coupe had a reputation for rotted subfames.. my tipo certainly held water..

And early galvanisation may not have helped
'Sacrificial anodes..'

Only car in which the wheels corroded so badly they caused flat tyres

 

[AndyRKett]

Usual subframe problem for corrosion is :

Unrestricted water in
Restricted water out

Scuttle drains.. mud build.up

The old Tipo and Coupe had a reputation for rotted subfames.. my tipo certainly held water..

And early galvanisation may not have helped
'Sacrificial anodes..'

Only car in which the wheels corroded so badly they caused flat tyres

I’m gonna guess this may be the usual new member 1 post never comes back to follow up or reply to what people have said or asked

 

[stephen2929]

But still a useful tip of something else to check when doing periodic inspection etc
For info, Alternator is deep down back of LH side of engine, as seen from the front
(or behind right hand front wheel if inspecting from underneath).

I usually have a good look round twice a year (inspect, derust, 'waxoil' etc) especially prior to MOT
I've probably tried all the anti-rust / preventative sprays etc available on my various cars
Currently using XCP Green and XCP Professional

 

[varesecrazy]

On the early grande punto

The 'duckbill' drain from the scuttle aimed rainwater directly at the poor alternator

Thankfully a cranked version was available to duct it into the gap to the rear of the motor..and down to the floor