Technical RECALL: Service Solution for Suspension Springs

[PNL]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

Because we drive Stilos not Puntos:nerner:

And no one in their right mind would want a punto over the stilo .. Gaz realised that one

 

[Big Black Stilo]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

Fiat Uk complaint responses take months upon months, in my case with the gear box they first told me a pile of BS then only resolved the complaint after it exploded- six months+ after logging it.

I too feel that it is the spring at fault, not the corrosion as stated- as in prev post my last cars suspensions springs hadno coating and were rusty as hell and even survived a starskey and hutch moment on a hump backed bridge!

I have had the catchers fitted and to be honest its made no difference to the car- although i never checked if the springs had been changed.

Actually I have noticed a difference since it was recalled (done at MOT service time), I cant get up my mates drive anymore without scraping- but I cant see signs of a failure of any spring

 

[Bombay]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

Fiat Uk complaint responses take months upon months, in my case with the gear box they first told me a pile of BS then only resolved the complaint after it exploded- six months+ after logging it.

I too feel that it is the spring at fault, not the corrosion as stated- as in prev post my last cars suspensions springs hadno coating and were rusty as hell and even survived a starskey and hutch moment on a hump backed bridge!

I have had the catchers fitted and to be honest its made no difference to the car- although i never checked if the springs had been changed.

Actually I have noticed a difference since it was recalled (done at MOT service time), I cant get up my mates drive anymore without scraping- but I cant see signs of a failure of any spring

You said in your previous posting, that you have had two gearboxes fitted out of warranty. Could you please let us all know, how old your car was at the time and what mileage it had done. Thanks for your help on these matters.

 

[mattylad]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

my springs havent gone yet as far as i know but i got the recall letter of my mate who i bought the car off, so should i get the recall done or wait for a spring to go, also i had my car mot'd and it failed on lower suspension arm bushes, would the spring recall affect these

 

[Rich]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

You said in your previous posting, that you have had two gearboxes fitted out of warranty. Could you please let us all know, how old your car was at the time and what mileage it had done. Thanks for your help on these matters.

This is nothing to do with the spring issue that this thread is about.

 

[Big Black Stilo]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

its to do with fiat dragging their feet and inconsistancey

 

[Bombay]

Re: How to get spring replace free of charge?

This is nothing to do with the spring issue that this thread is about.

I thought the object of coming on this forum was to get help and give help to other Stilo owners, in their quest for a fair deal.
I agree this is nothing to do with the spring issue, but it is relevant to people who have broken springs out of warranty on low mileage cars and are not being compensated for these breakages.
On the other hand Fiat are prepared to replace two gearboxes out of warranty.
This is evidence, which shows that Fiat don’t have a consistent policy for dealing with these matters and are giving some customers a load of
B S.:bang:

 

[T14086]

Read 'Big Black Stilo' gearbox posts then if you want to know about that.

 

[Stilo_ste]

Well, took the car for the catcher bodge to be fitted today.

After an hour, the service desk guy comes over and says that one spring had already failed (drivers side) and they will replace both sides under the terms of the recall from Fiat FOC.

Anyway, they have no parts available and NO courtesy car for me to use either.

So I have no Stilo for 4 days approx, ie they think they can have the car done on Tuesday.

Happy that the springs will be changed but very unimpressed that :-

1. They don't have stock of seemingly a commonly failing part
2. Not enough courtesy cars
3. Fiat UK not answering the phone to authorise a rental car.


In reality I can accept 2 above, but 1 and 3 are not very good at all, and not good enough.

Commonly failing parts, I would have thought, would have had a limited stock available on a 'use and replace' basis. Even if that was only one set.


And they will still be fitting the catcher badge anyway.

Lets see if it will actually be done on Tuesday.

Should I hold my breath ???

Mansfield Evans Halshaw are doing the work.


Also, as the car is unroadworthy and is unsafe, I had to ring a friend to pick me up and take me home.

 

[Argonought]

After an hour, the service desk guy comes over and says that one spring had already failed (drivers side) and they will replace both sides under the terms of the recall from Fiat FOC.

How come a man of your experience missed that then

Good result getting NEW springs but I agree it's stupid not to carry such a commonly failing part

I'm surprised they didn't just fit the catcher and let you drive away and come back when the springs are in stock :chin:

 

[Stilo_ste]

To be fair, I had noticed a slight clunking from this side, but just put it down to wear in the linkages.

It was only a small piece that had actually broken off, apparently.

 

[PNL]

And I am still waiting for mine but not for much longer the way things are looking I'm thinking now I'm going to get a set of coil overs and to hell with them

 

[Stilo_ste]

Got a phone call today saying thet the parts (front springs) will not arrive until Thursday at the earliest.

Despite them telling me only yesterday that they would be here today, and the car would be available end of today.
Now I'm totally dismayed AGAIN at Fiat in general (unfortunately the whole brand image takes a hit). Why don't they have some stock in place BEFORE taking the cars in for the recall contraption, they MUST know (and certainly DO know) that more cars have broken springs than what would be 'normal' failure rates. A catalogue of errors and failings IMO.

Or simply give honest forecasts of when the car will be ready.

I'm trying not to get negative, but it's so difficult.

I did have a very good conversation with Fiat UK (Victor Chambers was the guy) spoke to him for about an hour saying how disappointed I was for the poor response from my previous contact (ie NO response), how pathetic it was that dealers don't have enough stock and that Fiat had completely underestimated their exposure and couldn't provide enough parts in a timely manner. No courtesy car, total lack of customer support / after sales. Strange that on Saturday customer relations was closed, but the Fiat sales line was fully functional ! which tells me that once Fiat take your money, they're not interested in you anymore. These were also topics for conversation.

He made several promises, but I'm not convinced he will deliver. Heard empty promises before.

Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised this time.

 

[dave]

have the spring seats got drain holes in on a stilo?

 

[Rich]

Ste, I can appreciate your frustration, but a courtesy car is just that - a courtesy, not a demandable item. Also, the recall stocks (which I admit FIAT didn't send enough of to dealers) should be expected ASAP, but to force all dealers to buy stocks of springs when they may never need them is a bit unfair.

Also, do you know if your dealer ordered them VOR? From my experience (and believe me, its vast) of FIAT parts orders, 5 days sounds like a Stock Order from a part available in Italy - VOR's can be done overnight!

 

[Stilo_ste]

I can live with a courtesy car not being available.

Fiat said that I should hire a car and then TRY to reclaim the expense from them. In my experience, once the customer has paid, the OE normally walks away, or takes ages to pay. So I won't be bothering with that.

Completely disagree with your opinion on stock levels, and so did Fiat UK guy. If a part is a known issue, and a SAFETY recall has been issued, I would have thought it good practice to hold stock in dealers. I think that is just common sense. I fully realise that not all parts can be stocked, but a known issue part ??? It doesn't take the brains of an Archbishop to realise that these will be fast turn round parts, with plenty of stock turns. Fiat themselves have totally underestimated the quantity they would need and supply is hand to mouth.

If the dealer didn't order vehicle of road I would be even more pissed off with them, I can anly assume they did. The point that has really niggled me is the fact that they gave yesterday as a completion date even on Monday afternoon and then said yesterday it won't be until AT LEAST Thursday. That is totally unacceptable.

The company I work for has a clear and understood philosophy, "in a day or we pay". Meaning, if a required part isn't there in one day, the company will hire an equivalent vehicle at our expense. I haven't seen Fiat stepping up to the table with an offer anywhere near that.

IMO from my personal experiences and information gathered, the whole spring failure / recall issue has been a complete farce from start to finish and has been handled with seeming incompetence from the top down.

At the end of the day it is a spring, there are plenty of suppliers who can make springs. Why then is there such a back log of demand, and a supply issue? Fiat haven't done the work is organising an effective supply chain for these parts, with suitable quantities.
Once the information came in that excessive numbers were failing and needed replacing, more effort should have been expended in quantifying the likely demand and securing supplies. This is Fiats failing. Then parts should have been made available in dealers to minimise inconvenience to customers (which should be a prime concern for Fiat and VOSA when the recall is issued) - stocking a set of springs on a use and re-order basis would not cost a significant amount to the dealer.

5 days, at least, for pair of springs in unacceptable in this modern world and shows little commitment or regard to the customer.

 

[PNL]

have the spring seats got drain holes in on a stilo?

Yes Dave the strut spring platform does have drain holes

 

[Rich]

5 days, at least, for pair of springs in unacceptable in this modern world and shows little commitment or regard to the customer.

Oh I agree with that completely, and as said previously, whenever I've asked for parts to be ordered VOR (brake caliper, suspension bolts, wiper arm), the dealer has placed the order there and then, and given me a guaranteed delivery date which has always been accurate. Now, the right part in the right box, if only they could do that!!

 

[nidza]

I bought used Stilo JTD, 2004., which chasis no. is in the range. How can I check if the suspension was fixed under warranty while the car was at the previous owner (I imported it 2 weeks ago).

 

[Argonought]

I bought used Stilo JTD, 2004., which chasis no. is in the range. How can I check if the suspension was fixed under warranty while the car was at the previous owner (I imported it 2 weeks ago).

You've already found the right thread - just read from the start.