Sounds like a heck of a list, but about right for a Stilo now... What DRL's were you/are you still using? How many miles is your car on now?
It's a tiny list really...
The DRLs were some cheap Chinese LEDs that were just the right size to fit on top of the plastic radiator panel inside the bumper and poke into the bottom slot of the bumper air intakes.
But they had plastic lenses and not "100% waterproof" (hardly surprising at £3 each) so they quickly got punctured, the lights filled with water and the LEDs started going out....
But my main purpose was to wire them in and get the installation done, so I was less worried about the lights themselves.
The new lights are more robust looking (more waterproof and I will put them behind a mesh) so could be a better long-term prospect. They're a bit bigger than the slots in the bumper so maybe won't look so tidy... and they're 48W.. which could turn them into driving lamps rather than DRLs..
but I'll fit them as a hobby, so it's not desperate if they're too big/too ugly or just too bright - I can convert them into reversing lamps.
The rear springs are original and the coating has fallen off, so they get noted as "rusty" on the MOT advisory. They passed the last two tests but I have new springs ... just need to get my stands out from under the Cinquecento so I can change them. The rear beam makes it "impossible" (I'm sure I could do it if I really needed to) when one wheel is still on the floor. I have two jacks, so that might be an option. Anyway... not urgent.
The cam-belt is just "due".. the last one went on in Paris when I suffered a massive water loss in the summer 2017 heatwave. I found a Fiat garage who were fully booked but the guy spoke Italian, so I managed to explain what was wrong and they phoned a back-street garage round the corner and explained to them in French what was wrong. Everyone thought it was "le pompe a eau..." but when they dismantled it, they discovered that it was "le radiateur". €1200 lighter, I managed to get home/catch the ferry two days later. That was lucky then...
Anyways, the belt/pump (and le radiaeur) have done 66,000 miles now, so it's due a change. I can't remember if 60k or 72k is the interval.. but I'm in the zone for sure.
The AC has never worked while I've had the car... which is ironic since it's an Active "Air" model - "Air" being a more expensive option for the original owner who bought it. I had the system re-gassed a few years ago by a rough looking garage who was running a special offer (I didn't know at that time whether the system worked at all, so I needed a cheap way to find out) and it worked for three days until the gas leaked out. Later I took it for a "free air conditioning check" to be properly diagnosed and the guy discovered there was a fairly big leak in the condensor (so first garage shouldn't have filled it up really).
Anyway, I have my eye on a condensor on eBay..
It's a Nissens job and not a bad price (£70) so I'll buy it nearer to when I can fit it, in case there's a problem. No point to buy it now and send it back in 8 months time, if I discover it's damaged/broken/doesn't fit etc.
The clutch is the nasty job. It's been moody for a very long time and I think the problem is the dual mass flywheel. The clutch itself is probably "okay" but the last time I changed it was at 125,000 miles. The CSC was leaking, rather than the clutch being completely worn out... I'd have said the clutch plates would have gone to 140,000 miles) but I left the old flywheel in there, since it was okay.
But now the flywheel rattles and rumbles, so the whole kit needs to be changed again. The grief is the labour (since I'll do it myself) so I'll replace the whole thing and the input shaft oil seal too, in case that's leaky or about to become leaky. I don't want to change the box ever again....
Which is why it's annoying that I'm stranded from my tools since now is a good time to do it (picture the work taking 2 or 3 weekends)....
Anyway, it all keeps the old beast running. It's on 205,000 miles now and otherwise in not-bad condition. I can't think of anything that doesn't actually work (touch wood) apart from the A/C...
Ralf S.
