Further to my original post - more has materialised. The owner's handbook describes the function of the oil warning light. For petrol engines the oil warning light coming on is clear - STOP THE ENGINE. For diesel models it means the same, but also that if it flashes - according to the vehicle electronics - THE OIL MUST BE CHANGED. This is something which can be reset by the Fiat dealer when the oil change/ service is done. Do I detect a touch of "customer capture" here ??
In the case of our car it has not visited a Fiat dealer workshop for service since 18K miles. It's mileage is now 35K miles. In between it's had the scheduled service and an additional oil + filter change at my discretion. Those jobs were done by the independent garage we normally use for our car maintenance and their work is always to a high standard. They didn't know about any "service reset" to be done after a service, and why should they? The oil in the engine is only 3000 miles old (about 2 months), the level still at the top of the dipstick and reasonably clean.
An oil warning light should be an indicator of a fault, and no more. In the case of the 1.9 JTD it's also being used as a "service indicator" - IRRESEPECTIVE OF THE CONDITION OR LEVEL OF THE OIL. That to me is wrong and irresponsible, and sure to frighten the driver (as it did!!) After the light has flashed for a while it stayed on. What does that mean? That there is a real and dangerous fault, or that you've chosen to ignore the flashing light until you get get the car booked into a Fiat dealership for an oil change?
Yesterday the car went to our local Fiat dealer and the reset was done. No oil change (it didn't need one), and no replacement parts (it didn't need any).
Actually the scenario could easily have resulted in a panic phone call to a recovery service, a ride home on a transporter, and a very worried owner. All for the sake of a flashing and then continuous warning light, whose message isn't clear anyway. Annoyed ?? You bet !!!!
1.9 JTD users - B E W A R E !!!!!!!