General Longevity

[captain_swing]

Something that troubles me a little is the issue of longevity in Doblo's. As you may know I drive a car version (1.3 multijet "family").

Now most commercial vehicles are designed for a horrid and brutal life of about 3 years before being scrapped - and Desiree, bless her is a very thinly disguised commercial vehicle. What is the life expectancy of this car?

I hope to get about 6 - 10 years out of her - but she may not reach that.

Interestingly of course, FIAT have galvanised the body - but Volkswagen, Ford etc don't for their commercial vehicles and they rust like billy-o.

I think I can expect the major componments - engine gearbox, body etc. to go the distance. But I can look forward to the components peculiar to the Doblo giving out after a while. Could get expensive.

Any thoughts?

What bits do you think are going to be long term failures?

 

[T14086]

Stop worrying! doblos are decent cars(vans)if looked after & serviced it will serve you well.Any major problems(leaky gearbox/heater matrix)will rear its head within warranty period

 

[AppleSei]

Ive heard nothing but good about the 1.3 engine

If you are are worried about things breaking, i would question your driving style if previous cars have not lasted as long as expected.

If you have also had a previous bad experience with a car then i would get out of that mind set that it is going to happen again

 

[alexwood146]

As with anything in life - the better you treat it the longer it'll last.
I'm going for the long game too, that's the main reason I wanted it from new, with no first owner knowing they'd have it a short while so doesn't give a sh@&.
If your going for longevity then it means
- you drive the car the way YOU'd want to be driven if you were 'Desiree'...
- you have it serviced, regularly, properly (yeah, that means after the warranty expires you take it to someone that's good - whether its your main dealer/local independent/brother-in-law that has the gift - whatever...)
- know Desiree, DON'T ignore something unusual, it'll become something broken eventually. 'A stitch in time saves nine'.

If you're worried about the engine mechanicals then remember to use good oil when its needed and good fuel while you're at it. FIAT do seem to have a good reputation for solid, reliable diesels (didn't they invent the common rail diesel?) and those problems that have occurred (original 1.9 non-turbo) seem to be quick to appear, during the warranty period, as already mentioned.

I thought about a Berlingo or Puggy Partner but I read the review (that's since appeared on the FIAT website with the Kangoo, Dobló, Berlingo & Partner) where the tester said that the Puggslie's engine had real power problems, esp. when compared to the Berlingo that had the same engine from the same factory. I know I'd rather walk into a FIAT dealership with, 'my car's a year old and the nice man frorm the AA says its head gasket has gone' = 'here's a new engine sir!'. Than... walking into a Peugeot dealership with, 'I don't think the engine is quite right' = 'Our test drive mechanic hasn't noticed anything unusual, I'm sure you'll find that the behaviour you've reported is a character of this model........'

Relax & enjoy! 'Cos remember - Desiree is alive... and she'll pick up your bad vibes...

Alex
Spirito di Dobló, 20% A.B.V.

 

[hmallett]

Ive heard nothing but good about the 1.3 engine :

How long have they been around though. I don't think it's long enough for their real long-term durability to be tested. I wonder how many will be around in 20 years time.
H

 

[captain_swing]

If you are are worried about things breaking, i would question your driving style if previous cars have not lasted as long as expected.

The last car I had for ten years and when I sold it it was still on its original clutch, exhaust and rear tyres. The one before that I had for seven. Neither had serious problems. So I don't question my driving style. I was just interested in your opinions on this.