General is it time to say goodbye multipla??

[turbo_pib]

Hello folks!
Well after been so happy for an mot pass in january my multi decided to break again
So far in nearly a year i have replaced
cambelt and water pump
Crank pulley, aux tensioner, belt and idler
new brakes all round
Oil and all filters + new rocker gasket
2 wheel bearing and both radius arms at back
2 track rod end and antiroll bar link
Car has had 2 new fuel pumps fitted just before i got it (£950!)

Last night driving back home there was a massive clanging noise from back and car was all over the road and brakes felt very weird
Took it to garage and guy said that there is something wrong with brakes like master cilinder gone and anti roll bushes are gone, oil leak from engine and back brakes are not working properly...
I love the car but cant seem to stop on needing new parts constantly...
Time to say goodbye and get something newer?

 

[Zundapp]

There does come a point...

Pity you invested so much though.

 

[turbo_pib]

Oh well after a few days spent looking at multipla i found out that there is nothing wrong with master cilinder...
front bushes are ok but i had to replace again the 2 antiroll bar link
Back brakes had a problem with the clips that hold the brake shoes
Clips were snapped causing one brake to be on all time
Only thing that i cannot figure out is this oil leak
I had the rocker gasket replaced in may and the oil level does not go down
I was suggested that is the turbo seal thats gone but car has plenty of power and runs well
There is a bit of white smoke at cold engine but once is warm is fine
Looking at engine oil seems to be pouring out from back and right side of engine and all hoses are covered in it...is it turbo seal?

 

[widemouthfrog]

What's it dripping off at the bottom of the engine? I've seen many Multis with a small amount emerging from the bottom of the clutch bellhousing.

All in all, it looks like your troubles have been annoying but cheap to fix. Other cars will be no better and could be a lot worse. Keep telling yourself that and one day you might believe it!

 

[turbo_pib]

Looks like oil to me
It is dripping from gearbox but leak is from above that and running down it
Car is 11 year old now so i really gotta decide if buying a newer car maybe would be better instead of keep fixing this one...but then again i have fixed a lot of faults on it so no much more can go wrong now!

 

[turbo_pib]

Turned out to be a breather oil hose clogged that caused oil leak
I decided to sell car and is actually gone now
Sold to a chap from halifax yesterday for £850
So if anybody in halifax sees my multi N81APY plate that was my car!

 

[martyc5674]

Sorry you gave up on the multi!!
I'm gonna try hold onto mine, have it 6 months and it's cost me more than the previous 15 years and 2 toyotas I owned( they both cost nothing each!!!.yes nothing in 300K miles)

I think i have the same oil leak..should I take off that hose?..am I likely to get a performance improvement?
I wish I had more time on my hands to sort out all my multi issues!

Marty.

 

[turbo_pib]

Well im sorry to see it go but enough was enough
the multipla is a good idea but poorly designed and with poor materials
i would not take the hose off
My was the 110 jtd and hose was on the right side of engine going into the top cam cover
It was just clogged up and needed a new clip
if you want to see a power improvement...get it remap or get a tuning box like i had
More power but better mpg
I archieved 60mpg going to london and back with a full car!

 

[martyc5674]

Cheers don't suppose your selling the tuning box?
Have one in my ducato...prob the same..they can be hard on clutch and DMF tho.
Marty v

 

[QinteQ]

- I've had 2 - and still have both
- now running a
- a 110 with 80k and a 115 with 100k+

Parked the 115 up with a goosed gearbox [good otherwise] a couple of years ago
Parked the 110 up in last autum in excellent order, no problems whatsoever

Other than new shoes, I spent less than a couple of hundered on each over the last 12 years so, my truth is I might have been lucky but we only hear about the bad ones, and I have to stand up and be counted because I had one good one .. .. and it still is a good one.

Why leave it alone parked up ?, because, I can't get round to parting with it, I've had more trouble with the Chrysler than I ever did with the PlugUgly

 

[multipla1]

Get rid of it!!!! Run for the hills, I've got a Multi and oh my god it has successfully cost me more to fix/ run than any other car i have owned. At the moment it needs front anti rollbar rubbers, a crack in the exhaust mending, manifold gasket, the front subframe mounts for the rear subframe....and on and on.... Do the sensible thing and buy another car, any car!

I do love fiats...just not the multipla...anymore

 

[Zundapp]

Well... on forums it's mostly the problems you hear of rather than anything good and that can give an unfortunate impression.

I'm on my second diesel Multi which is now at 120,100 miles, and apart from front springs it's cost probably less than any other car I've owned.

Clutch was replaced 30,000 miles ago (didn't need a dmf), never had an issue with the maf or egr, the sunroofs don't leak, the electric mirrors have never malfunctioned, the a/c has been impeccable and the plastics are fine. I'm still on the car's original brake discs, although the examiner commented at the last MoT that I'd need new ones for next year's test.

Realistically, maybe it's time to look for a replacement car, but what to replace it with...?

 

[momoe]

Only two other cars which seat six that I know of, Honda FR-V and Mercedes R-class.
Mercedes is in a different league (not to mention length!) being a 2-2-2 seating arrangement, rear air suspension is £2,700 if it fails - no alternatives as only Mercedes make it.
Honda FR-V is more like it, 3-3 seating and basically Honda's interpretation of the Multi, however a decent 6 year old diesel will set you back around £7k. 6 year old Multi's will set you back around £4k and you'll have £3k to spend on servicing.

I'm not denying the Honda is probably dynamically, mechanically and aesthetically better than the Fiat but can you service it at home?
I like the Multi's dynamics, it does everything I want it do and I'm comfortable servicing the beast.

P.S. KYB rear gas shocks are £30.65 inc delivery on Ebay at this time, (My next job)

 

[widemouthfrog]

A good friend of mine has an FR-V. He's had it for a few years and likes it a lot. I've been in it; it's a different type of car even though it does the 3+3 seating. Quality is up a class or two from the Fiat but it doesn't feel as roomy as the Multipla to me. As you say, it's also a whole lot more expensive to buy.

Added to that, he has had ongonig problems with the (diesel) engine. In the end, it was an engine-out job (£3k to you, sir). It's just gone back to the same people because the problem hasn't been fixed.....

Try Buypartsby for the shocks!

 

[multipla1]

I bought another one....

 

[nuddmann]

My two pence worth FWIW..........

My multipla got to about 125k when it was obvious that he clutch needed doing, as I'm a bit of a belt and braces person I also heeded the advice from my garage that I should consider a new DMF as if the old one went it would cost the same amount to re do it as doing it all together in the first place, I also knew that it would need a cam belt change at 144k an that some of the pulleys needed doing. In making the decision to get this work done I was making a conscious decision to keep the car on the road for at least a few more years, else why bother replacing parts that, although not cheap, are essentially service/wear an tear parts at that mileage?

I've looked at motors with similar mileages and you're looking at spending 1500 for a reasonable diesel car with a years MOT. Add to that the fact that I've had my multi from new so know everything that's been done to it then if I can keep it on the road for less than a grand between mots then I'm doing ok. Second hand motors are a flippin nightmare, even if you spend 3-5 k on them.

This forum is invaluable with some brilliant posters, I do sometimes wonder though at how realistic people are being when they moan about replacing suspension parts or the like on a car with high mileage. I've only just done the front springs and shocks on mine and they had 150k on them. Not bad I would say

I do concede that spares can be pricey compared to other makes, but a few hundred quid a year to keep a family sized mpv that does nearly 50mpg on the road seems realistic.

I await to be shot down............

 

[disgusted]

I'm completely with nuddman on this.

"a few hundred quid a year to keep a family sized mpv that does nearly 50mpg on the road seems realistic".

How cheap to run can anyone expect ANY high mileage car to be?

As 180k looms on the odometer of my Multi, I reckon that it has given (& still gives) very good value.

I bought mine new in 2001 for £14Kish. That equates to £1,100 a year in cost/depreciation. I accept that some parts seem to be made of string (handbrake cables) or plasticine (suspension joints). I'm on the 3rd clutch.

I'm about to spend 5 weeks touring in Devon/Cornwall, I could take the big Alfa 166 - but I'll take the Multi. It is so practical (& returns about twice as good fuel economy!).

 

[widemouthfrog]

I agree with almost everything you say, nuddmann. It doesn't matter what make/model you buy, running a car is not cheap. The only thing I disagree with is the comment about parts being expensive. I continue to be surprised by how little spares for the Multi cost. Turbos and clutch/DMF are the nasties, but show me a car where that isn't the case.

The Multipla was never a great purchase from new because of savage depreciation (sorry to remind you of that disgusted ), but if you let the first owner bear the brunt of that, they're fantastic value at 3-5 years old. That's why I bought one. I've had mine coming up 5 years; bought it at just under 5 years old, one owner with FFSH and 107k miles for £2,450. It's now worth just over half that, so I'm only losing £250-ish per year in depreciation. I've spent a fair bit on parts and remedial work, but cost per year still works out cheap.

The only thing I wish is that the JTD motor had more torque and lower emissions. £200 road tax isn't so great.

 

[disgusted]

"The Multipla was never a great purchase from new because of savage depreciation (sorry to remind you of that disgusted".

Sob...

A lot of money to pay for that new car smell...