christos
New member
[V]Hi there...
Got my Stilo 3 days ago and my problem-free living with three Fiat cars in the family so far came to a crashing end... Problem no1: The Blaupunkt cd changer simply didn't work from the beginning. The discs wouldn't go in or come out (destroyed 3 CD-Rs pulling them out with a pocket knife). Fortunately, they took the damn thing out and contacted Blaupunkt who agreed to repair or replace it if necessary. I'll have to wait for some time though as they have to send it to Athens and wait for it to be sent back (repaired I hope). This however was only of minor importance compared to what happened during my first ride in the car: Reluctant to believe my own ears, car owner's worst nightmare appeared: A squeaking noise could be heard from the front suspension every time the front of the car sank or raised during low-speed driving in traffic, especially when braking or suddenly accelerating (eg red or green traffic lights). I jumped out of the car, opened the bonnet and gave the front part of the car some good pushing just above the front left wheel, trying to depress the front shock absorbers (please excuse my terminology, my knowledge of technical terms in English is poor, so I just hope you understand what I mean) as far as they would go, and the squeaking could be heard loud and clear. Shocked, I took the car to the dealer's service department where they sprayed some lubricant at various points of the front suspension and the sound disappeared. According to them, it was only due to the suspension being "stiff" from lack of use and that it would be OK now. I should be so lucky! Later in the evening the squeaking reappeared strong as ever and my night's sleep was gone...
The next day I took the car back to the garage and they repeated the lubrication process more thoroughly, spraying grease in more places after unscrewing some bolts and screwing them back into place. The sound disappeared once more, only to reappear one hour later... Once more, I took it back and was advised to drive the car for 500-1000 kms and to re-visit them if the sound hasn't disappeared by then. The ultimate nightmare: the "I do not know where it's coming from" sound has come to haunt me. I'm definitely convinced that it's not simply a matter of lubrication and I fear this sound has come to give me endless hours of garage time spent in agony and uncertainty... It's a pity that this incident occured because the car feels like a giant leap forward from what fiat customers were used to in terms of build and material quality, and this comes from someone whose family has trusted la fabbrica for more than 12 years now (Tipo 91, Marea 99, Punto 2001). Just feel the window and roof light switches and you'll know what I mean... Anyway, any advice, comments or similar experience on the matter is welcome. Hope the problem will be solved soon.
Thanks,
Christos
Got my Stilo 3 days ago and my problem-free living with three Fiat cars in the family so far came to a crashing end... Problem no1: The Blaupunkt cd changer simply didn't work from the beginning. The discs wouldn't go in or come out (destroyed 3 CD-Rs pulling them out with a pocket knife). Fortunately, they took the damn thing out and contacted Blaupunkt who agreed to repair or replace it if necessary. I'll have to wait for some time though as they have to send it to Athens and wait for it to be sent back (repaired I hope). This however was only of minor importance compared to what happened during my first ride in the car: Reluctant to believe my own ears, car owner's worst nightmare appeared: A squeaking noise could be heard from the front suspension every time the front of the car sank or raised during low-speed driving in traffic, especially when braking or suddenly accelerating (eg red or green traffic lights). I jumped out of the car, opened the bonnet and gave the front part of the car some good pushing just above the front left wheel, trying to depress the front shock absorbers (please excuse my terminology, my knowledge of technical terms in English is poor, so I just hope you understand what I mean) as far as they would go, and the squeaking could be heard loud and clear. Shocked, I took the car to the dealer's service department where they sprayed some lubricant at various points of the front suspension and the sound disappeared. According to them, it was only due to the suspension being "stiff" from lack of use and that it would be OK now. I should be so lucky! Later in the evening the squeaking reappeared strong as ever and my night's sleep was gone...
The next day I took the car back to the garage and they repeated the lubrication process more thoroughly, spraying grease in more places after unscrewing some bolts and screwing them back into place. The sound disappeared once more, only to reappear one hour later... Once more, I took it back and was advised to drive the car for 500-1000 kms and to re-visit them if the sound hasn't disappeared by then. The ultimate nightmare: the "I do not know where it's coming from" sound has come to haunt me. I'm definitely convinced that it's not simply a matter of lubrication and I fear this sound has come to give me endless hours of garage time spent in agony and uncertainty... It's a pity that this incident occured because the car feels like a giant leap forward from what fiat customers were used to in terms of build and material quality, and this comes from someone whose family has trusted la fabbrica for more than 12 years now (Tipo 91, Marea 99, Punto 2001). Just feel the window and roof light switches and you'll know what I mean... Anyway, any advice, comments or similar experience on the matter is welcome. Hope the problem will be solved soon.
Thanks,
Christos
