General Fiat Useless

[dvae]

I have to ask,,,why do i people trade or sell there old ulysse only to buy a new or newer one?
I bought a 02 2.0 jtd about three months ago.
Just after buying i noticed the outside temperature gauge and both heated seats were not working but i just put it down to a bit of wear and tear.
After a couple of weeks i noticed a slight crunching in 1st 2st and 3rd gear. Soon after that i lost 1st gear and the gearbox started to wine.
My local Peugeot dealer said he would look out for a gearbox but in the mean time he said to take it easy.
Last Friday on the way back from town i heard a loud banging coming from the engine but before i had time to stop the car, billows of white smoke started coming from the exhaust. Anyway the car would not start again and its back in the garage awaiting an engine and gearbox.
A friend of mine who is a taxi driver just told me in the two years he has
had his 02 ulysse hes had a broken crank shaft, replaced the gearbox and
injectors.
Ive always driven Japanese cars until now and never had such problems.
Also when i look around other forums say ford or Nissan i don't see as much problems with engines or gearbox as i do on the fiat forum.
As soon as its fixed its going.......

 

[Eklipze3k]

You don't buy an 8 yr old car and expect it to be flawless, the previous owner got rid of it for a reason. However, if you only got it 3 months ago I'd be querying the dealer about repairing it under warranty, I know if I'm looking at 2nd hand cars I expect at least a 3mth warranty.

 

[digger58]

Hi you don't say how many miles etc and what sort of a service history, I had a 97 with nearly 200K and it is still running 2 yrs after I sold it, was there any oil in the box, when was the timing belt changed etc etc? All vehicles need tlc some more than others. Caveat emptor etc, still it is very bad luck, better luck next time,
T

 

[renaultvation]

I have a 97 Ulysse which I have owned for 9 years. It now has 146k on the clock and the only problem I have had is a broken wire from the keypad immobiliser. I fixed this myself. I have it serviced regularly by an honest and reiable local garage and today it flew through its MOT.

I suspect that with a few notable exceptions, most cars are as good as the servicing and treatment they receive. I also have a 95 Punto Cabrio which we have owned for 10 years and the only problems we have had is an aftermarket immobiliser and a dodgy connection on the ignition switch.

I too have had Japanese cars and they too were reliable, although I did have a head gasket failure on a Mitsubishi Spacewagon - not a major problem, but it took nearly six weeks to get a replacement gasket.

 

[fiatgaz]

this is all very interesting to me, never knew they had so many problems!!!

bought mine from ebay without seeing it in person and all i have had go wrong was the hand brake lever stop sring breaking.

£15 for a citroen dispatch handbrake and good as new, other than a pair of wipers, bulbs and a towbar, its not missed a beat in nearly a year!

mine is a 1998 2.0 el petrol

 

[raymie]

this is all very interesting to me, never knew they had so many problems!!!

You must be joking? I have had mine one week and i have had the airbag light on, the ESP light on, knackered alternator (bought it like that), electric sliding door fault, not to mention ****e fuel consumption! Absolutely dreadful to work on!! Not the best car i ever bought although at least it is comfortable. Warranty advisable!! R.

 

[renaultvation]

Perhaps the oder petrol models are more reliable

Unless anyone knows otherwise.................

 

[digger58]

The old 1.9td was a great machine, I would buy one again in the morning, not too many electrics, I even recon it was quieter than the newer models. Again maintenance is the key. I now have a 2003 2.0jtd, more gadgets, but less reliable. Simplicity is the key!

 

[zebedee]

Did you know, if you get hold of another Ulysse badge, you can turn your Fiat Ulysse into a Fiat Useless. I did just that on my old MKI and it gets plenty of giggles.

Just need to do the same to the MKII now.....

 

[amlych]

have owned a 2004 prestigio model for around 4 yrs and fortunately i know a good mechanic that works for citroen main agent,he is very informed re- problems on this car,most faults that show can be fairly easily diagnosed by him but dealerships tend to use the sssssh sort of noise just to justify the final bill,so beware of mainagents etc and try local independents and trust them.