General Help !!

[Mandys mad]

I am a new member I am hoping someone might be able to help my elderly parents.
We bought our x reg multipla in August my father loves it the rest of us are in 1 way or another disabled and this car fitted the bill for us however we have had problems since we had hte car, our biggest problem which our mechanic has tried very very hard to fix is a major problem with the emisions when the car is running at 3000rvs or more we have a dream of a car but when we pull up and the engine idles the engine cuts out and nothing that has been done had worked has anyone had a similar problem if so did you get it fixed? We have spent nearly £1500 to get the car right it wont pass it MOT with the emisions as they are and its making my parents ill can anyone help I would be so grateful if you have any ides. thanks

 

[TinyUK]

Some more information may be useful, is it petrol or diesel for a start?

What exactly has your mechanic done?

If its a petrol, which seems more likely if its cutting out on idle, the first thing I would look at is the idle stability valve. For the emission problem, a lambda sensor can often be the culprit, but If your mechanic cant sort it you should probably think about changing garages. There are other sensors (MAF for instance)that have direct input to the ECU and anyone of these could cause incorrect fuelling which is often the root cause of poor emissions.

A diagnostic check is always a good place to start, either a dealers or a specialist diagnostics centre. A code read can be as little as £25.

 

[JTDman]

Seriously change your mechanic, you need to list what you have had done to start so we know what has been ruled out.

 

[JTDman]

great minds!

 

[TinyUK]

great minds!

Think alike! Ha

 

[Mandys mad]

The car is a 1.6 petrol engine the moneys not all been spent on this but it is what the main problem is please remember im a non mechanical woman!!
As I ubderstand it the thinking is that the car keeps thinking its cold so keeps in old trems choking its self I dont know what parts have been changed but the guy our mechanic called in is talking about needing a key ?? I will find out from Dad what has been changed but we are at our wits end the reason I asked if anyone had heard anything like this is that yesterday someone with a deisil multipla came to the mechanis with an identical problem thanks for the replys

 

[TinyUK]

I think the best thing you could do is get a diagnostic check done at a different garage! If there is a sensor fault, there will be an error code stored in the ECU.

Phone your local Fiat dealership and ask how much an OBD code reading would cost. This will give you an idea of how much a diagnostic session will cost, then look for an independant garage that specialises in diagnostics and get a quote.

If you say which area of the country your in, someone on here may be able to recommend a specialist.

 

[Mandys mad]

Than k you very much we are in the west mids nr wolverhampton

 

[TinyUK]

Cant help with one down there, but perhaps another member can.

If anyones near Carlisle I can recommend Auto-Tech.

 

[Pandabloke]

Hi Mandy. Sounds to me like no one who has looked at it is particularly knowledgeable of the engine or the car's systems. That's fair enough, some problems can be very difficult to diagnose particularly without the correct computerised diagnostic equipment. I certainly wouldn't know where to start on a modern engine like the Multipla's.

If you keep letting them investigate, they may disconnect something that will cause further problems or similar. At best I don't think that they will find the fault.

Now, when a fault occurs on a Multipla's engine, it throws up fault codes to the main computer on board the car. The car may keep running, but the codes will continue to be stored. These fault codes are stored by the car's computer until a garage plugs a diagnostic computer into the car. This diagnostic computer can then read the codes and tell a technician what is wrong and how to fix the fault.

The AA and RAC have computers that can read a limited amount of information from the car. Some garages also have diagnostic equipment that do a similar job. But my advice to you is to take the car as soon as possible to your Fiat agent and they will plug it into their computer and almost certainly identify the fault in a very short time. It will cost some money. My local Fiat garage in Canterbury charge £50 plus vat to plug the car into their computer. However, they will almost certainly identify the fault(s) within minutes and then tell you what parts need replacing etc. I have seen at close range just how much the Fiat diagnostic computer can interrogate the car and can reccomend it.

If you go to https://www.fiatforum.com/multipla/179564-key-coding.html you will see a Fiat diagnostic computer plugged in to my car.

I truly believe that as you have no mechanical knowledge and the mechanics you have approached have been unable to help, this is the best road for you to take. It will also give you any information about faults or engine problems with the car that are not at the moment causing problems.

My old Multipla, albeit a diesel, had numerous faults and problems. It was a truly unreliable car, but each time a fault occured my Fiat garage were able to find the fault and correct it. I am not suggesting that other garages couldn't have done the same, but the experience I have had demonstrates that Fiat will definitely find the fault, which is in the end, all you want!

If you do this I am convinced that the fault will be found and your mind will be put at rest.

It is very difficult to think straight when there is a problem, I know, and I hope that this reply will help you see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Pandabloke]

Other folk who have suggested a diagnostic check, I do apologise! I was busy writing my epic reply while you were posting your responses!

 

[JTDman]

I thought you deserved a thumbs up for that.