Nick, I'm disappointed. I expect a high-handed dismissive 'if you don't like it then go somewhere else' attitude from T14086
Its a fact of life that things can and do go wrong, moaning about it does what............nothing. OK everyones entitled to vent their frustration but end of the day the only thing to do is get the car fixed.
You're both missing the point(s).
1. Most modern cars have the same problems (hence Radlet6's remarks about the Passat).
2. Unless you're a dealer or Nick with his diagnostic gear then troubleshooting problems becomes expensive and time-consuming. As someone who works 45 hours a week in the middle of a credit crunch / recession I don't have much of either commodity during the working week.
Not sure what your getting at by this? I work 55hrs week and am always skint...is that what you mean, no time or money?
3. Not many alternators are reconditionable these days due to lack of spares availability, and that's if you can even find someone who can recondition it. To quote Bobbyblue from his post in the alternator replacement thread "I was unable to get it reconditioned, the auto electrician said the parts were not readily available". What was he meant to do at that point, rewind it himself and make a new Reg/Rec unit from old kitchen utensils I suppose? Some of us live a fair distance from big cities / repair facilities, it's a long walk carrying an alternator when your car's stopped working.
At the various auto electrical places i worked we used to go down to local domestic appliance shop or lawn mower shop for brushes etc...however due the the vast array of different alternators today (they are not all capable of having a lucas 14 bolted to them) and smart charging they likelyhood of a repair is slight...ebay has now become the repair centre for most.
4. Although the Croma problems are blamed on it being a Vauxhall, many of the parts going wrong are made / supplied by Fiat.
5. Some of us don't have a choice, we might like to go somewhere else but can't. At the minute there are no other cars on the UK market that fit my requirements - none. My Croma
has to last a long time, other people's financial circumstances might not permit them to change. Oh, and T - if everyone takes your advice and goes somewhere else then less people buy and run Fiats, their reputation becomes tarnished and the dealer network shrinks. Sound familiar?
Some people will never be happy (and i'm not refering to anyone in this thread or section) but you can bend over backwards and some customers will still expect more. A classic example is after a lengthy expensive repair paid for my a garage with no cost to customer as a good sign of customer care and goodwill to which the garage does not even get a thanks the customer wants it in writing that nothing else will go wrong with the car.....just how can anyone predict that
6. Most of the cars I have owned (in excess of thirty) have been well used, and I have maintained / improved them. I expect problems in cars over ten years old, it's a given fact of life for that type of vehicle. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when your two-year-old (relatively) expensive car with 20K on the clock spends more time being repaired than a ten-year-old Citroen XM V6 with 90K on the clock. If my Croma was ten years old I would not be suprised at some of its 'characteristics'. It's not, so I am surprised. If this is increased expectation then I don't think it's unjustified.
We will have to wait until the croma becomes 10 years old
7. It's not a measure of how sad we are all getting. Show me where I can buy a Croma with the 2.4 engine without all the electronic rubbish and I will do so. Toys are nice but they are toys, no more. I do not buy cars based on their equipment level, they are working machines, bought to do a specific job. Some people might buy a car because it has a built-in microwave transmogrifier but please don't tar everyone with the same brush.
but its what the public want, maybe not you but the majority. I dont mind the toys in a car but if it stops working and i think its not important then i just leave it, not worth spending money on.
8. No manufacturer has ever asked me what I would like in my next car. I don't imagine many other people have been asked either. Manufacturers tell us what we need, put all this equipment into cars then deny us the ability to fix them without dealer-only specialist equipment. This is not a Fiat-specific problem, all manufacturers do it. Doesn't make it right, and makes for unhappy people when their cars go wrong.
Agree, but as above the public wants it all (air-con/ABS/MP3 etc) or gets it due to legislation. I dont see whats wrong with a basic version, manual windows, no sunroof or aircon, electric mirrors etc
9. T -
you might want to buy a Croma, but how many Croma owners who have had the experience would buy another one even if they could? Like others have mentioned, it's all about
confidence in the car - or lack of it. Instead of 'doing a Gordon' and denying there is a problem, perhaps you might a. consider the possibility that they could actually be doing their best in a bad situation and are justifiably p*****d off, and b. try and help instead of saying 'run along now, there's a good boy'. If I wanted to be patronised by a set-in-their-ways expert who talks about how good things were 'in their day' I'd join a Jaguar forum. If this post gets me banned then so be it, I've just about had enough of being talked down to.
Why would you be banned, you have a opinion (like myself) and everyone here and I certainly do not talk down to anyone if that comment was directed at me.
As for helping then I believe I do more than my fair share and as a moderator who has to read so many negative posts everyday you would get the 'hump' every now and again, all to often people come here and take when they need it but never contribute in any way shape or manner. As much as I would like to help more I actually have a life to lead. Also I think it was yourself PM'ing me about certain aspects on the croma and wheel settings etc (apologies if it wasn't) but its not my place to give out such information and I dont appreciate being asked as such.
10. Modern cars
are too complicated for their own good, but we have no choice - and this is what annoys people. Audis with gearbox problems, BMW and Jaguar with engine faults, it doesn't matter what you spend, you still seem to get problems.
Apart from Toyotas, by all accounts they're unstoppable.
I do believe theres a recall joke there
11. T - two things - a. If you can't get a Croma near you then be prepared to travel, I had to fly 300 miles to get mine then drive it back (proving I am lazy and sad, or something like that) and b. if dealing with everyone's problems annoys you so much, why are you still a moderator? Serious question...
