Chris RWatts
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Good luck cuz its god damn expensive if it isnt under warranty !
General New Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse Owner
- Thread starter jasracing
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General New Abarth Grande Punto Esseesse Owner
Oooh, an AGP SS in Peterborough!
I'm in Coventry, with a white one, keep the white wheels man!
I'm in Coventry, with a white one, keep the white wheels man!
Chris RWatts
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My paint on my wheels are starting to bubble so need them refurbing soon. Not sure whether to move over to the white or stick with the titanium ? What do we reckon ?
White one side, titanium the other. Then after 6 months decide which you like more living with your car for 6 months on either colour 
I've been temted to do this on my last 2 cars before this AGP SS, i may just have to haha,
I've been temted to do this on my last 2 cars before this AGP SS, i may just have to haha,
OP
OP
There's no doubt the warranty covers it, I've read the small print! But my concern is they'll see the issues as merely 'characteristics' of the gearbox. I had to fight my way through rush-hour Nottingham traffic to get there last night and struggled to get 2nd numerous times and clunked into 3rd repeatedly. I await the phonecall with their verdict...
The poverty-spec 1.2 Fiat 500 they've given me as a courtesy car is hilariously bad - no power, no grip, no poise and spongy suspension...such a contrast to the AGPSS! The 500 feels very nervous on initial turn-in as if it would really rather just carry on in a straight line
OP
OP
You need white on a white car...you should've took me up on my offer to swap for my immaculate white set
Chris RWatts
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Haha i might do white on the rear and leave titanium on the front and see !
Chris RWatts
New member
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There's no doubt the warranty covers it, I've read the small print! But my concern is they'll see the issues as merely 'characteristics' of the gearbox. I had to fight my way through rush-hour Nottingham traffic to get there last night and struggled to get 2nd numerous times and clunked into 3rd repeatedly. I await the phonecall with their verdict...
The poverty-spec 1.2 Fiat 500 they've given me as a courtesy car is hilariously bad - no power, no grip, no poise and spongy suspension...such a contrast to the AGPSS! The 500 feels very nervous on initial turn-in as if it would really rather just carry on in a straight line
Good stuff ! And ive not driven an normal 500 but i can imagine how terrible they are as i have a normal grande punto as well and thats fairly dreadful
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TIM Fiat are quite expensive, dont pay them to fix anything not covered under the warranty.
They quoted me £450 for a cambelt change, Sandicliffe round the corner did it for £290
They quoted me £450 for a cambelt change, Sandicliffe round the corner did it for £290
I'm with you on really dark wheels or even black not looking good; I'd be happy with normal wheel silver on mine
Personally I think gold looks great on red...
OP
OP
Picking my AGPSS up tomorrow afternoon...
For the handbrake issue they initially said they'd "released the mechanism" and it worked ok...when I suggested that such an action was not a permanent fix as I'd already tried it myself (unsuccessfully) they went away to have another look. I was then told they'd submitted a claim to the warranty company for a complete new caliper and assuming they got approval to proceed the caliper would take a week via an Abarth dealer to get...however, I got a call on Tuesday to say they'd stripped, cleaned and rebuilt the existing caliper and it was now working properly?! I'm not concerned either way as long as it's fixed!
For the gearbox they initially suggested the handbrake issue was making me think there was a gearbox issue!? I dismissed that nonsense quickly & they continued investigating. Their conclusion however was that they cannot reproduce any of the issues I say I've been getting, and hence cannot submit a warranty claim. I furnished them with info from around the internet on the dreaded M32 gearbox but they say the Fiat/Abarth system states that my car doesn't have the M32 gearbox but a 'C44 FGA' instead...we agreed to disagree on that point as regardless of who's right the gearbox it has is not working properly.
The only further option they can offer is for me to authorise them (i.e. pay) to remove the gearbox, strip it, and if there's significant wear or a failed component try to claim on the warranty. Even if successful though the warranty company is unlikely to pay for 'diagnostic costs'.
I'm forced to come up with a plan B and if I'm to put my wallet on the line I'd rather it was with a garage I was confident with and had experience of the M32 gearbox. As it happens Trade Transmissions in Peterborough have been doing some work recently on a couple of Uno Turbo gearboxes for me and also know all about the dreaded M32, having fixed LOTS of them in the last few years. I've described the symptoms over the phone and they say "classic M32 failing mate" but are having the car next week to test drive and confirm. Assuming they do conclude that a rebuild is needed we'll try and push it through the warranty company (I've also spoken to them and they say it's ok to do it that way as a 'sub-let repair')
One way or another the gearbox HAS to be sorted and I've partially resigned myself to the fact that I'll end up paying but it's a shame that it may come to that despite having a 12 month warranty & having bought from a dealer. As is often the case they're not worth the paper they're written on!
Really feel for you mate... On the other hand, you'll love it again when its fixed! I know I do Good luck
Good luck
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Grande Punto Abarth have the M32 gearbox, the same as Opel Corsa / Vaxhaul Corsa: the Grande Punto where developed by Fiat and GM.
http://www.abarthforum.co.uk/grande-punto-abarth/gearbox-gearstick-movement-solution/
The Evo box seem to be the FTP C635, 6 speed up to 350Nm.
This has changed with the new range of engines for the Evo.
http://www.abarthforum.co.uk/grande-punto-abarth/gearbox-gearstick-movement-solution/
The Evo box seem to be the FTP C635, 6 speed up to 350Nm.
This has changed with the new range of engines for the Evo.
M32 - GM have said the design dates back to the 70's. Clearly isn't fit for modern engines. My bearings were done twice on my old 1.9 m jet. Fully serviced and motorway miles mainly.
OP
OP
Picked up my car yesterday as planned.
The service advisor at TIM explained that he'd spoken to 'management' about having the gearbox looked at and repaired by the specialist in Peterborough then any warranty claim passed through TIM but they want no part of it as they have no knowledge of the specialist and there's an "opportunity for a fraudulent claim" as a result. Reading between the lines I suspect they simply don't believe there's anything wrong with the gearbox and are washing their hands of the matter. I still have the option of authorising TIM to remove and strip the gearbox at my cost to see what's wrong but I fear at this stage they will be determined to prove me wrong and I'll merely be landed with a bill for removal & refitting (at £75/hr) and a "there's nothing wrong with it, just normal wear and tear" conclusion.
Before I departed I checked the handbrake action and was dissapointed to find that it still didn't seem to release fully on the N/S and was under-adjusted such that pulling the handbrake on fully required pulling the lever miles up and WAY past what is normal (I counted 12 clicks) and there was 40 or 50mm of upwards play/slack in the lever when the handbrake was off. After 'discussion' on the matter with firstly their service advisor, then their 'chief technician', then finally their service manager they whipped the car back into the workshop and adjusted the cables up to reduce the handbrake lever travel down to about 5 clicks (what I've always worked to when setting Fiat handbrakes). The service manager said that, in their opinion, it was adjusted up too much but they were merely doing as I requested. He also felt confident that the mechanism was releasing properly and indeed having driven home and parked the car up overnight then driven it again this morning it's so far so good.
I must say I felt uncomfortable having to put my foot down and insist things were done a certain way as I don't want to be 'that' kind of customer but as I explained to them before I headed home I'm not your average punter - I've worked on Fiat's for 20 years and know my stuff so won't be fobbed-off nor will I accept what I consider to be sub-standard work. They said they understood but no doubt were still very glad to see me drive off!
TIM have only been open less than a year and the experience of buying my AGPSS last year was top-notch but as is often the case with Fiat dealers the service side of things appears to need more work, something they are no doubt aware of. The people who work there are all friendly and nice, and I understand that customers don't walk in with a sign above their head detailing their experience, or lack thereof, of working on cars, but having the attitude of "we know everything, customers know nothing" is only ever going to cause friction with people like me!
Oh, and the gearbox played up within 1 mile of leaving the place + several times on the way home!!
The service advisor at TIM explained that he'd spoken to 'management' about having the gearbox looked at and repaired by the specialist in Peterborough then any warranty claim passed through TIM but they want no part of it as they have no knowledge of the specialist and there's an "opportunity for a fraudulent claim" as a result. Reading between the lines I suspect they simply don't believe there's anything wrong with the gearbox and are washing their hands of the matter. I still have the option of authorising TIM to remove and strip the gearbox at my cost to see what's wrong but I fear at this stage they will be determined to prove me wrong and I'll merely be landed with a bill for removal & refitting (at £75/hr) and a "there's nothing wrong with it, just normal wear and tear" conclusion.
Before I departed I checked the handbrake action and was dissapointed to find that it still didn't seem to release fully on the N/S and was under-adjusted such that pulling the handbrake on fully required pulling the lever miles up and WAY past what is normal (I counted 12 clicks) and there was 40 or 50mm of upwards play/slack in the lever when the handbrake was off. After 'discussion' on the matter with firstly their service advisor, then their 'chief technician', then finally their service manager they whipped the car back into the workshop and adjusted the cables up to reduce the handbrake lever travel down to about 5 clicks (what I've always worked to when setting Fiat handbrakes). The service manager said that, in their opinion, it was adjusted up too much but they were merely doing as I requested. He also felt confident that the mechanism was releasing properly and indeed having driven home and parked the car up overnight then driven it again this morning it's so far so good.
I must say I felt uncomfortable having to put my foot down and insist things were done a certain way as I don't want to be 'that' kind of customer but as I explained to them before I headed home I'm not your average punter - I've worked on Fiat's for 20 years and know my stuff so won't be fobbed-off nor will I accept what I consider to be sub-standard work. They said they understood but no doubt were still very glad to see me drive off!
TIM have only been open less than a year and the experience of buying my AGPSS last year was top-notch but as is often the case with Fiat dealers the service side of things appears to need more work, something they are no doubt aware of. The people who work there are all friendly and nice, and I understand that customers don't walk in with a sign above their head detailing their experience, or lack thereof, of working on cars, but having the attitude of "we know everything, customers know nothing" is only ever going to cause friction with people like me!
Oh, and the gearbox played up within 1 mile of leaving the place + several times on the way home!!
Why can't people just give good bloody service anymore
OP
OP
Took the car into the gearbox specialist (Trade Transmissions) this afternoon and they confirmed, not that I was in any doubt, that my car has an M32 gearbox, and it is mullered. In fact, they suggested that it won't be long before it starts jumping out of 2nd gear. They also exclaimed "how could the Fiat dealer not hear the whirring & whining noises??!!"
Next up is to see how the warranty claim can be done but I'm keener than ever to get it fixed.
Next up is to see how the warranty claim can be done but I'm keener than ever to get it fixed.
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Thanks for the update !
Hope this will work with warranty
Hope this will work with warranty
OP
OP
An update for you all...after a bit of conflab with the warranty company, who I will say handled things very courteously and professionally, the conclusion is that any repairs/warranty claims MUST be handled by a Fiat Group dealer. That rules out my plan B of persuading the warranty company to work directly with Trade Transmissions. Plan C is therefore to take the car to Peterborough's Fiat dealer (Stoneacre) and get their opinion on the issues as they work with and trust the opinion of Trade Transmissions. If they confirm the issues they should then be able to process the warranty claim for me...watch this space!
OP
OP
Well...progress has been made of sorts although I'm not really any closer to having the car repaired.
Stoneacre agree that the gearbox is toast and needs replacing, which I suppose in itself is a step forward, but they are having difficulty submitting the warranty claim.
My warranty is branded as a "FGA Warranty" (i.e Fiat Group Automobiles) but is actually provided by The Warranty Group, not Fiat themselves. It says in the small print that I can have my car looked at/fixed at "any Fiat Group Automobiles dealer", but fail to mention that said Fiat dealer must be registered on their computer system and hence able to submit claims online. Stoneacre, as it happens, are not registered with them, partly because they are not part of FGA anymore as that ceased to exist last December when "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles" was created.
I explained this to The Warranty Group and they, quite rightly, said I shouldn't be penalised for such technicalities and a note had been made on their computer system to accept the claim from Stoneacre manually (i.e. over the phone and not through their online system). I advised Stoneacre accordingly who then put in the call...only to be told by the donut at the other end of the phone who didn't read the file notes properly that they could only accept a claim from an FGA dealer, that it had to be submitted online, etc.
I've since spoken to The Warranty Group again, they apologised for their error and promised to get one of their senior claims advisors to call Stoneacre directly and explain how to submit the claim manually. This was Friday just gone so I await further news.
Stoneacre are running out of patience with the matter I fear so something needs to move forward soon otherwise I suspect they'll be telling me "nothing more we can do, come and collect the car".
In the words of a mate of mine - what a faff!
Stoneacre agree that the gearbox is toast and needs replacing, which I suppose in itself is a step forward, but they are having difficulty submitting the warranty claim.
My warranty is branded as a "FGA Warranty" (i.e Fiat Group Automobiles) but is actually provided by The Warranty Group, not Fiat themselves. It says in the small print that I can have my car looked at/fixed at "any Fiat Group Automobiles dealer", but fail to mention that said Fiat dealer must be registered on their computer system and hence able to submit claims online. Stoneacre, as it happens, are not registered with them, partly because they are not part of FGA anymore as that ceased to exist last December when "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles" was created.
I explained this to The Warranty Group and they, quite rightly, said I shouldn't be penalised for such technicalities and a note had been made on their computer system to accept the claim from Stoneacre manually (i.e. over the phone and not through their online system). I advised Stoneacre accordingly who then put in the call...only to be told by the donut at the other end of the phone who didn't read the file notes properly that they could only accept a claim from an FGA dealer, that it had to be submitted online, etc.
I've since spoken to The Warranty Group again, they apologised for their error and promised to get one of their senior claims advisors to call Stoneacre directly and explain how to submit the claim manually. This was Friday just gone so I await further news.
Stoneacre are running out of patience with the matter I fear so something needs to move forward soon otherwise I suspect they'll be telling me "nothing more we can do, come and collect the car".
In the words of a mate of mine - what a faff!