General Fiat Qubo Model Year 2011

[s44gtw]

No call back from the dealer,
but he did speak to me.
The Salesman doesnt like my attitude, & my implication that he is a liar.

'There is no Order Number because they were told that they could not order untill February, he tried to call me,
they will return my deposit because they would rather not have me as a customer.'

I said i require the Interest to be paid on the £500,
He wants to know how much.

On to Fiat & then to Arnold Clark Head quarters,
& then off down to Peugeot to see if they are taking orders.

george

 

[Monkeyboot]

Hi s44gtw

Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience with your dealership, by the sounds of it I think you may well have had a lucky escape. The dealership you have mentioned seems to attract a lot of bad press. If things are bad before you even get the the car I dread to think how they would be if you had any issues with it.

I had a bad experience with my first qubo/dealership but I am now 18months later a happy owner, having changed dealership. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Ulpian]

You would think that in a difficult car market dealerships would be falling over themselves to make the buying process easy and attractive for customers. Not here it seems.

It all comes down to bad management and training, something I suffer from at work on a daily basis. Thick, complacent, lazy, insecure people ruining life for everybody, and worst of all, damaging the business.

 

[JTD_Liam]

As with everyone else, sorry to hear how awful the dealership have been. However i'm not that suprised, it's not the first time that dealership chain have been slated on here.

There's not much choice of alternatives up there i know, and i'm not sure of your exact location, but i did spot a dealer called William B Cowan Limited on the dealer locator. Their postcode is EH33, probably miles away from you. However, they do seem to get a very good rating on fiat.co.uk & if theyre the only non-Arnold Clark dealer in Scotland, i'm sure i've heard positive things about them before.

If theyre too far away then tbh i don't blame you for trying Peugeot, even though it's a shame. I'd tell Fiat UK youre gonna get the Peugeot one instead, just so they know that pi*s poor dealers cost Fiat sales and revenue. Might (probably won't) make them buck up their ideas.

 

[s44gtw]

Cheers & thanks,
i sourced a new specced up Citreon Nemo van pre-registered for a good price,
but still more expensive than the Qubo was to be,
i was after the 2 doors and seating if needed..
Happy to have another 1.4HDi tho.
I will get it after the registration is done tomorrow,
insurance was cheaper than the Qubo, even without being trade just private use.

Peugeot Bipper Tepee automatics are not available to order at present now that they are 1248cc diesel,
listed plenty of places,
but at least the dealers admitted they dont know anything yet on when they can order builds.

Fiat have raised an enquiry officially into my complaint.
Arnold Clark's Customer Service wouldnt even talk to me.

I Emailed my letter to Fiat HQ,
Then a second one that i had done to Arnold Clark.

then forward them to every Car Magazine i could find,
around a dozen, then all the national newspapers with motoring sections or columns (8).
Then my local Trading Standards & the Perth TS.
The council licencing committes/office in every Scottish town with an Arnold Clarks branch.

Just various copies sent off,
they will have no effect, but then even if one person takes in what i wrote, they might just give them a swerve.

(the g/f was sitting not doing much, & took very little time to do to Arnold Clark what i said i would,
get him more publicity than his rubbish adverts do)

The amount of Sites/scam sites etc that have 'Arnold Clark' horror stories is amazing.
The way they run their business for all these years is unreal,
up to a few years ago i know he was driven around his dealerships almost daily, dont know what it is he tells them.

I want to draw this to 'Jonny Miller' attention, he just got his new job with 'Fiat UK' only at the end of 2010.
Any email for him will be handy if anyone knows it or him.

Anyway, the 'salesman' called today to say my deposit was back on my card,
& no interest paid to me.
Short, business like call.

thanks again,
george

 

[Highlander]

I have read this thread with great interest, and there are a few things i'd like to with regards to Fiat and some of there policy's.
First Price, I read that a 95bhp Qubo Dynamic is now £15000, yet we bought our new 1.3 Qubo Dynamic just prior to Xmas for well under £13000, and i';m not sure if 20bhp and a few new toys are worth 2k.

Second Point, I only hope its not the same 95bhp unit that was used in the Punto, our daughter had one out on a test drive and the turbo blew. Whilst being taken back to the showroom, the head mechanic told her to keep clear of that model as it was prone to probs "too much power from too small an engine".

As for the 75bhp unit, i heard from our dealer that this engine will be going into the panda shortly.

I know the 75bhp engine aint going to set the heather on fire, but it sits fine at 70mph even in the Qubo, and it seems to be very reliable

cheers Ian

 

[Ulpian]

It IS the 1.3 95: no idea how many detailed tweaks there have been, but 95 certainly is a lot from so small an engine.

As for the pricing: ditto, the Qubo is now too expensive for what it is.

Fiat Europe has just taken on two new sales executives, who previously worked for Hyundai/Kia and Ford, in an attempt to get sales moving. Blame for poor sales (the worst decline of any European maker) is usually laid on the end of the scrappage schemes, but the more honest, and well understood by Fiat, answer is the lack of new product. The 500 is the newest car they have, and that is three years old and in need of the American revisions which don't arrive until next year!

Perhaps the new men will offer decent warranties?

2011 is going to be a very difficult year in Europe for Fiat, where all their models, bar the hyped 500, are practically dead in the water. Even in Italy they are struggling. The very good Qubo and Doblo have failed due to poorly organized spec and weak engines, and ridiculous pricing.

Fiat says Britain is the hardest market in Europe because the margins are so low there is hardly any profit. Well, give us great product at a fair price and with decent warranties and there might be a change, with profit coming from volume, but until then...

 

[Highlander]

Hear hear.

Mind you Fiat Dealers dont help in trying to assist Fiat to sell more cars.
I've been lucky and have found Border Cars in Dumfries to be very good, but its 80 miles away from my house.

Daughter was going to buy a 500 Abarth, so she went up to A.C. dealership in Edinburgh, only to be told that the only way she would get a test drive was if she bought one. She ordered a new Mini Cooper the next day. (FIATS LOSS ).

One other point you may wonder why i'm prepared to do a 160 mile round trip to the Dealership, the differance between A.C. in Edinburgh and Border Cars on the purchase of the Qubo was £2.300......guess who got the sale??.

Ian

 

[Dobbin]

Sorry to hear about your problems with Arnold Clarke. I bought my Qubo from them last year ( on line) and they were excellent. In fact, I have never had such a smooth transaction as that.

 

[Fiatluver]

What exactly has this garage done??!?!?

Correct me if im mistaken but, the following is how i interpret it.

They accepted an order on a van which you believed they couldnt order. It has came to light that indeed, THEY CANT order the van and offered you a full refund at the first instance. IF, in the contract, there is an 'interest on deposit' clause then I would understand you would seek this. I have yet to see such a clause on anything I have ever bought but might be worth checking?

I find it most annoying when people use forums to tell only one side about 'CERTAIN' garages. I know the company that your talking about and I have never had any problems with them.

I hardly think the situation you have described warrants a viscious slander campaign.

Its just my two cents, but hey, you dont need to take them on board.

p.s. I think your g/f would prefer to go out for a nice lunch than watch you go about your hate campaign.

Vince

 

[s44gtw]

Fiatluver, thats not what they did.

I was on my way to the A.C. Citroen Dealership in Perth in November to purchase a Nemo van that the advert showed they had & the price.
(2 vans in stock & registered, but then the price wasnt the price because the Metalic paint
which they both had would be extra to the advertised price,
but i said to the guy, thats fine i am on my way to see them & i will take one)

So off i pop to Perth to buy 'a van'.

Then i got a call to say that van wasnt actually available just as i reached Perth.

Instead I went to the Fiat Dealership to look at the Qubos,(cars)
& asked the salesman about the possibilty of an Active Dualogic.
Having already tried in Dundee a few weeks before.
(October,
just as the last Euro 4 Dynamic went out to a customer,
i got to sit in that vehicle to see that i liked it, for when they became available again. 2011 i was told, euro 5)


He went spoke to the Manager & gave me a price that was so good i said yes then & there & filled out an order & spec with him.

Next day i got a phone call to say when they tried to place the order it was £300 more than the price the day before, but if i came & placed a £500 deposit, it would be ordered.

I was there in an hour, i changed the Rear Door option to tail gate & was then given an order form only £200 more than the first one, less £500 deposit, & a delivery date of 14/2/2011.

One week later i looked in to see if everything was OK,
& i was told the order wasnt placed but was being done then.

Next call i made was 5 weeks befrore the vehicle was due,to see when i might need to get Insurance cover to get the vehicle registered.

Then the salesman says Fiat are not building Qubos untill April.
I said OK i would wait.

Then i contacted Fiat last week to see if the Qubo would be Built.
Fiat asked for an Order Number to check the build date.

I phoned A.C. & got no salesman & no reply.
Then when i persisted, was told my attitude stank, he/they didnt like be
ing accused of telling lies about trying to contact me,
&
the vehicle could not & was never ordered.
I could have my money back.

Why am i annoyed other than their lies.
8 weeks of my money sitting in A.C.
& the extra few hundred i have paid now over not buying van i could of bought in December,which was cheaper than this one i have had to buy & which was also pre 20% vat.

If they think they cant get right away or cant order for a while,
a £100 deposit surely shows the customers willingness to wait to see if they can get it.
£500 to me is the Deposit you leave when an order thats been/being built might get canceled & the dealer left to sell the vehicle to someone else.

I was pretended to twice that the order was placed.
That is fraud or mis-representation as i see it
& so that is & has been written openly by me for A.C. to refute & take action over,
if thats me liabling/defamation or slandering, or what ever public statements are,

Is it slander if its true??
Slander is oral/spoken, liable is written or broadcast i believe.
I cant be lowering their credability or respect/reputation,deflaming them in the publics eyes,
i will use all the other times they do similar to others to show their reputation.
IMO Sometimes public forums are the only way that the greater public get anything done against persistant offenders like them.
I wish i had read all the stuff on the net thats still there from many years of people feeling injustice.

george

ps my g/f would rather have a Spa weekend or new shoes from the money thst was wasted by being messed about actually, so she was rather happy to be as petty as me.

 

[crossman]

Hello there, sorry to hear about your bad experience with the dealership. But I would say there are probably alot of other people who have had positive dealings with them. Even with this said I still think you have the right to tell others about your experience,then if people are looking to purchase from them they can take on board any reviews good or bad and make up their own mind.Like the guy who said he had a very good experience with them in a reply to this topic,for me he has the right to tell people.
As far as the Qubo goes I picked up my 1.4 Dynamic this morning from Stoneacre in Doncaster.It has taken about two weeks to arrive which is good,also I would highly recommend them to anyone.I bought my Panda from them last year and the service I got was excellent as it was again when I traded it back in.
Back in December I was looking for a Panda Cross,I obviously tried Stoneacre but they had none to my dissapointment.I kept searching and eventually found one at a Fiat dealer in Lancashire.Sorry to say though the service at this dealership was not good,the salesman was not a people person,not very helpful I also had to sort out the paperwork to transfer my private plate over, he did not want to know,I also had to wait over two hours before I could leave which was really annoying,good thing the Cross is an excellent product.
Just a last word on the 1.4 Qubo engine,it is alot better than I thought it would be, runs smoothly with a good gearbox.I had read that it would'nt pull you off the job but I am more than happy with it.

 

[ivantate]

s44, i hope you enjoy the new car. dont worry about Acluver you have every right to moan, the dealership took your money regardless of the fact that they had the correct or incorrect or any information from the factory.

It will be interesting to know the differences between the fiat and citroen automated transmissions.

Sounds like the van factory is in a bit of a mess, i guess too many chiefs, all with different responsibilities and targets, alot of stock in the docks and maybe too few euro5 engines to go around. sounds like citroen arent sure what the are fitting either at the moment.

Will keep my eyes open for you crossman as you will be localish to me.

 

[s44gtw]

ivantate,
we have had a Bipper Tepee automatic since July,
which i bought accident damaged.
Its got repaired & partially fitted out as a camper,
& to tow a small box trailer with bikes.
i have had lots of intrest in it, (the orange & tinted windows caught people attention)
I accepted a very good offer from a friend that wanted to buy it,
when i got my new one,
he was prepared to wait for it,
but
It went away to him at the start of the year
& he is delighted with it.

My G/F was driving it daily,
she is happy now to have got the new car see wanted, which is not orange.
(funnily she is now raving about the new Smart Night Orange she got anemail about),

So thats how i learned of how its the perfect vehicle for me comfort & seating wise.
Not so impressed with the gearbox on the Bipper tho,
or the fuel economy.

I have had no right leg since 1977 & only drive automatics.
Now my back is pretty bad & i want the car that causes me least discomfort driving any distance & getting out of.
Up to now thats be Suzuki Jimny's.
But max 30 mpg is not on anymore.

The Bipper Tepee auto car van & the Citroen Nemo van were perfect sitting & driving positions for me for comfort
& not needing to change the throttle or brake pedal position.

There is a difference in the seats,
this was why i was so keen to get a seat in a Qubo dualogic back in October.
Just to be sure of the seat & brake pedals position in the automatic Dynamic.
I then found out i prefered the 'Active's' fixed height seat & the firmness
It was 3 months of trying to get a chance to sit in one as they were so rare every place i tried.

I have had Motabilty lease cars in the past which were ordered on the word of the dealer that the throttle position of the automatic was the same as the manual i could get to sit in.

I once got a Corsa Automatic on this understanding,
when it arrived the pedals were to far right & needed moved,
no big deal but doesnt always suit others getting in to drive the car.

I made the mistake again in 2001 when i ordered a Fiat Punto Speedgear,
a perfect car which i really liked & should have bought & kept for the engine & box.
It would have needed a new seat fitted tho.
I enjoyed driving it for the 3 years, but the seating & pedals wernt great & the seat was done in after about a year.

So now i have the Nemo van,
i will run it in carefully & see how it is.
Not expecting any surprises.
All being well with it, its getting the camper roof fitted thats on the
Romahome R10 Solo.
Some travelling & comfort/reliability hopefully, without the expense of a ready built one..
www.romahome.com

george

 

[Highlander]

George

We have only bought two cars from A.C. (Panda Sporting and a 100 HP.) and both were two of the biggers f**k-ups. Words defy me when it comes to A.C. dealerships and their methods.

Lets start with the Panda Sporting, the car was fine BUT, the documentation was not, The incorrect type of car was on the V5, as it was on all the Sportings.
So we had bought a car from A.C. which we couldn not get insured because of the wrong V5. To cut a long story short it wook a call from a Lawyer (my sister in law) pointing out to A.C. managment in Edinburgh that it was a criminal offence to sell a vihicle with incorrect paperwork. It took a further year before the correct V5 arrived.

The 100HP was in the A.c. showroom, and daughter decided to buy it, she paid deposit and was told the car would be taken out of the showroom. I went over next day with paperwork for cherish transfer, to kind a guy and his two kids crawling all over the car...I hit the roof, car was removed.
Over the next 6 weeks she was given 11 differant dates to collect her new car, In the end it took a call from Tesco her insurer to ask them just what they were playing at. When we did get the car it came with a large crack on the fromt windscreen.

Daughter went up after work last year to look at the Abarth 500 and was refused a test drive, as the A.C. sales person thought it would be to expensive and powerful for her.......SHE BOUGHT A COOPER s THE NEXT DAY.

Sorry Folks But i just cant think of a good thing to say about the A.C. dealers.

cheers Ian

 

[MartZ0r]

stripped 4 of the new unregistered fiat qubo's today at work. must admit i do like the new model. nice glossy black trim on the dash, nicer pattern on the seats/door cards etc.

engine is more responsive but not sure on the reliability yet though with that stop start etc.

 

[JTD_Liam]

stripped 4 of the new unregistered fiat qubo's today at work. must admit i do like the new model. nice glossy black trim on the dash, nicer pattern on the seats/door cards etc.

engine is more responsive but not sure on the reliability yet though with that stop start etc.

Wicked, so they HAVE started making them then Some reports were suggesting they hadn't started yet, and Fiats configurator not being updated reinforced this in my mind.

Have they totally changed the dashboard, or just added bits?

Was it the 95bhp diesels that you've had delivered?

Im guessing Stop/Start will be as hit & miss as it is on the other cars it's fitted too. Seems to have so many instances where it becomes 'unavailable' that you might aswell just switch it off each time you get in the car!

 

[Geminifm]

What i'm wondering is how is the Stop & Start gonna work with the dualogics?

 

[Highlander]

Hi Folks

With regards to the Stop/Start on the new Qubo.
My daughters Mini has Stop/Start on it and whilst looking through her hand book I noticed that it was no on the automatic Mini or the diesel version.
Both these models seen to drop revs after bein on idle for a set period of time.

My own opinion is that the Stop/Start on a diesel wont save you anything in fact it may finish up costing you more, heavier use on the battery and starter spring to mind right away.

Is the new black dash from the Punto Evo?.. if so YUCK

Cheers Ian

 

[ivantate]

My dads diesel mini has start/stop. the only problem is that diesels dont whir into life like petrols so its not as nice to use.

most autos dont have start/stop which is why the auto has disproportionately higher emissions and fuel consumption. The 2nd gen smart car has it on its automised gearbox and it is a pain as it dies as you come to a stop at roundabouts and then you miss the gap while it restarts(it can be turned off). the 'big germans' are just introducing it on their normal autos.