hence the very common phrase "bloody french electrics!"
they are equally as bad as fiats. now you know why
FIAT - so big rubbish ???
- Thread starter Diwiak
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FIAT - so big rubbish ???
hence the very common phrase "bloody french electrics!"
they are equally as bad as fiats. now you know why
Ev0luti0n_FX
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If most people wouldn't care about what other people say regarding fiat, and did regular maintenance to their cars, their would be little but no problems at all! I am a proud owner a Uno turbo MK2 from 1990, and i hope i can continue on beeing so. Cheers to all fiat fans!
(CZ)enda
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If I had a dime from every silly git whom I heard ridiculing Fiat, I would never have to work again for my bread. It is quite typical that it is almost always heard from people who never owned a Fiat.
Also, I do not understand the hysteria about Fiat electrics. All troubles I ever had were easily fixed by simple jobs like cleaning connectors etc., as suggested by sumplug.
As far as MM parts are concerned, when I bought my second Uno, it had 195 kkm on the clock and when I changed the spark plugs as a part of its preventive maintenance, I found they were still factory-original MM plugs.
Also, I do not understand the hysteria about Fiat electrics. All troubles I ever had were easily fixed by simple jobs like cleaning connectors etc., as suggested by sumplug.
As far as MM parts are concerned, when I bought my second Uno, it had 195 kkm on the clock and when I changed the spark plugs as a part of its preventive maintenance, I found they were still factory-original MM plugs.
OP
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the plugs could have been only recently purchased from the dealer by a previous owner. obviously it is not possilbe to do 195k km (120k mls) on the same plugs.
and not all electrical problems are easily fixed. the bravo/a & marea commonly have faulty instrument cluters due to poor design of the pcb causing dry joints. the mk2 punto suffers from power steering failure and requires a full column as well as a trip to the dealer to get it set up (all that due to one small design fault).
even the problems that are related to wiring connectors can easily cost you. the airbag systems are very prone to illuminating the fault light. but even if you can find and fix the dodgy connection, you still have to pay to have the airbag reset to switch the light off.
the probems are not maintenance related either, they are often manufacturing and design faults. for example the leaking sunroof on bravo/a models is due to a bad design. the rubber on the door handles drops apart because bad materials were chosen to do the job. how about the 1.2 head gasket issue that even rover would be proud of?
on this forum you see the same issues on the same cars again and again and again, that is not a coincidence, it is evidence of the common problems, and there are many of them.
the main cause is simply cost, fiats are built cheaply, and cheap cars will have bad quality materials and badly designed components. that is to be expected, and i'm not complaining, but it is a fact and there's no need to deny it. if it was simply a case of playing with connectors and keeping the car well maintained i'd be laughing and vw would be worried.
and not all electrical problems are easily fixed. the bravo/a & marea commonly have faulty instrument cluters due to poor design of the pcb causing dry joints. the mk2 punto suffers from power steering failure and requires a full column as well as a trip to the dealer to get it set up (all that due to one small design fault).
even the problems that are related to wiring connectors can easily cost you. the airbag systems are very prone to illuminating the fault light. but even if you can find and fix the dodgy connection, you still have to pay to have the airbag reset to switch the light off.
the probems are not maintenance related either, they are often manufacturing and design faults. for example the leaking sunroof on bravo/a models is due to a bad design. the rubber on the door handles drops apart because bad materials were chosen to do the job. how about the 1.2 head gasket issue that even rover would be proud of?
on this forum you see the same issues on the same cars again and again and again, that is not a coincidence, it is evidence of the common problems, and there are many of them.
the main cause is simply cost, fiats are built cheaply, and cheap cars will have bad quality materials and badly designed components. that is to be expected, and i'm not complaining, but it is a fact and there's no need to deny it. if it was simply a case of playing with connectors and keeping the car well maintained i'd be laughing and vw would be worried.
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(CZ)enda
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The fact that MM spark plugs were factory-original is... a fact. There was a brown coating on the ceramic insulators protruding outside the engine witnessing their long-term use. Plus, nobody buys MM spark plugs where I live - even authorized Fiat shops are replacing them with whatever brand is offering a sale ATM.
The plugs were factory-original, just like the clutch which needed renewal at 210 000 kkm because of the pressure plate fingers broken.
End of story.
Fiat is not a crap, no matter what germanophiles adoring certain company built upon the order of a certain man with a funny mustache say.
Fiat cars may not be perfect, but they are fine examples of a real value for the money spent.
End of story.
The plugs were factory-original, just like the clutch which needed renewal at 210 000 kkm because of the pressure plate fingers broken.
End of story
.Fiat is not a crap, no matter what germanophiles adoring certain company built upon the order of a certain man with a funny mustache say.
Fiat cars may not be perfect, but they are fine examples of a real value for the money spent.
End of story
.
The fact that MM spark plugs were factory-original is... a fact. There was a brown coating on the ceramic insulators protruding outside the engine witnessing their long-term use. Plus, nobody buys MM spark plugs where I live - even authorized Fiat shops are replacing them with whatever brand is offering a sale ATM.
The plugs were factory-original, just like the clutch which needed renewal at 210 000 kkm because of the pressure plate fingers broken.
End of story
Fiat is not a crap, no matter what germanophiles adoring certain company built upon the order of a certain man with a funny mustache say.
Fiat cars may not be perfect, but they are fine examples of a real value for the money spent.
End of story
Good man, well said!
Fiats are cool
OP
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Update for today
-handbrake
FIXED (left side cable and that "lever" on the wheel a bit rusted and stucked - WD40 )
-left rear brake
not working, cylinder gone - stucked and not moving at all after some attempts, but not blocking the wheel
-left rear bearing
not very good sound, probably caused by blocked handbrake and consecutively overheating
-very small oil leak from engine
there's a bit under rocker cover, and hopefully only from there
-lightly cracked that exhaust rubber mounting
I am not complaining, only informing
-handbrake
FIXED (left side cable and that "lever" on the wheel a bit rusted and stucked - WD40
)-left rear brake
not working, cylinder gone - stucked and not moving at all after some attempts, but not blocking the wheel
-left rear bearing
not very good sound, probably caused by blocked handbrake and consecutively overheating
-very small oil leak from engine
there's a bit under rocker cover, and hopefully only from there
-lightly cracked that exhaust rubber mounting
I am not complaining, only informing
sumplug
Established member
Sounds to me like you do not do regular maintenance on your car. If you did, none of the above would happen. Keep the car serviced properly [ that includes removal of road wheels to check brakes etc], and most problems would not occur.Update for today
-handbrake
FIXED (left side cable and that "lever" on the wheel a bit rusted and stucked - WD40
-left rear brake
not working, cylinder gone - stucked and not moving at all after some attempts, but not blocking the wheel
-left rear bearing
not very good sound, probably caused by blocked handbrake and consecutively overheating
-very small oil leak from engine
there's a bit under rocker cover, and hopefully only from there
-lightly cracked that exhaust rubber mounting
I am not complaining, only informing
Andy.
sumplug
Established member
eec 4 & 5 was reliable in all of its many applications so i dont know why you say that. its widely regarded as a good system in my experience.
multec had problems with coils buring out due to dodgy low resistance injectors, which could also kill the ecu. and they seemed to have a fair few MAF problems (hot-wire is a silly idea). so i'll give you that one, they're comparable with most of fiat's efforts. (vortec cpi was just as bad with fueling, if not worse, so GM deserve their rep)
multec had problems with coils buring out due to dodgy low resistance injectors, which could also kill the ecu. and they seemed to have a fair few MAF problems (hot-wire is a silly idea). so i'll give you that one, they're comparable with most of fiat's efforts.
(vortec cpi was just as bad with fueling, if not worse, so GM deserve their rep)
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OP
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clutch cable broken on very strange place, but, luckily, i had one spare in booth - by your useful advice, thanks ladz !!
Derv drinker
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One of the best places for reliability issues is the vehicle re-call list on the vosa / aa / direct.gov websites, having looked at these i went and bought a panda 1.3 MJ. There are some manufacturers that seem to have a recall every month for some models that cost 20k plus, no wonder ford want to sell them off. Not so many years ago a German manufacturer had a 4x4 which could only be fitted with road tyres in a size to fit the stock alloys, which upset a lot of owners as they found themselves stuck on wet grass. As far as i can remember Fiat of old would rust away long before the motor failed to start, and now with galvanising, i'm looking forward to many years of cheap reliable motoring that is just as good if not better than the cars i've had in the past.
Recalls are not really a sign of reliability but more of preventive issues.Personally I dont have a great deal of time for the AA also........reliabilty (or lack off) depends on a variety of reasons.
steviewonder
New member
Come on guys you cannot say that the problems that Fiats (and other italian cars) are due to improper servicing/maintainence etc, these cars have a reputation for having questionable reliability and their poor residuals bear testament to this. its only now that they are starting to get their act together and make stronger cars...
are you basing this on your tempra ownership or more?
a cars image bears no resembelence to its true 'metal'
When properly taken care of, a Fiat is as reliable as any German car, in some cases more reliable. The worst car I ever owned was an Audi 80 Sport,:yuck: heap of cr*p that was, the last Renault was in the garage at least 5 times a year for minor repairs.:bang: Its nice to drive a car that's relatively unusual on British roads, and that contrary to popular opinion is reliable and solid.
1997 Marea HLX 2.0 20V saloon.
1997 Marea HLX 2.0 20V saloon.
OP
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GREAT car, 2500 kms from IRL to SK, no problems at all, almost always on motorways, 5L/100kms cons... good stuff, I really appreciate this
I and my wife have owned around 15 Italain cars, all except one a Fiat. Apart from the elctrics on a Tipo we had they have all been amazingly reliable, for example I have done 20,000 miles in my Panda 900 in 2 years with no problems, regular servicing has seen to that. I covered 54000 in a Cinq in 3 1/2 years with only a wheel bearing needing replacing.
Have owned many other makes and yes, the quality isnt the best and the elctric connections are pants, but, they are as good and mostly far better than many other makes. The reputation they got was down to rust in the 70s, ask any owner from then about reliability and they will say it was good.
Have owned many other makes and yes, the quality isnt the best and the elctric connections are pants, but, they are as good and mostly far better than many other makes. The reputation they got was down to rust in the 70s, ask any owner from then about reliability and they will say it was good.
