General Typical Stilo behaviour....Grrrr

[JayEm]

Soo, got up a few hours ago on my day off to prepare the car for the dreaded MOT at 1pm. Thought it would be a good idea to give it a good blast around around town in low gears to warm it up. Anyway, got into the car, put the key in, turned ignition on for the routine "pre-flight check"....BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, stop lamp failure, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, indicator failure.

Tools out, replaced bulbs, no joy. Thought hmmm, that's odd?? After a bit of fiddling, I worked out the bulbs were actually loose and not blown. :idea: Managed to bodge it and got the car in to be MOT'd, but I'm worried its gonna happen again while they're testing it....

I can see why Fiat has a terrible reputation build quality wise, there's so many niggly faults with mine and its only done 40k so far e.g. squeaky brakes, drop links gone again after only 10k, broken glove box hinge, loose bulbs, doors that don't shut in the winter, air bag warning lights, leaky gearbox that no one seems to be able to find the source of...... the list goes on.

If only insurance was cheaper, I'd be off to ze Germans.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Nothing wrong with build quality, that could have happened on any car. After all the car isn't new any more!

If you think German cars are better then you're very much mistaken!

 

[JayEm]

Nothing wrong with build quality, that could have happened on any car. After all the car isn't new any more!

If you think German cars are better then you're very much mistaken!

You can't deny Stilo electrics are dodgy, can't comment on the other models but the Stilo sub-forum alone is littered with people having electrical issues. I've just counted 9 threads on the first page alone and for a car that didn't sell in huge volumes, that's abysmal.

Btw, it passed! haha

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

You can't deny Stilo electrics are dodgy, can't comment on the other models but the Stilo sub-forum alone is littered with people having electrical issues. I've just counted 9 threads on the first page alone and for a car that didn't sell in huge volumes, that's abysmal.

Btw, it passed! haha

Certain versions seem to be more problematic than others, but doesn't mean to say they (all/majority of Stilos) are dodgy.

Look on a VAG or Vauxhall forum and they'll be full of problems also. You won't get people posting just to say they haven't had an issue will you.

A loose bulb is hardly a problem. Could have been incorrectly fitted in the first place? Who knows.

Glad it passed though

 

[JayEm]

A loose bulb is hardly a problem.

It is when its MOT day! lol

Its been intermittent for the past few weeks, will probably have to get a new cluster or bulb-holder panel if its available on its own.

Thanks, btw.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

They may be available on their own. Will the pins under the bulb not bend up to secure the bulb better?

 

[JayEm]

I've tried bending the contacts up for a better connection but the metal they're made of is so soft that they end up in their original positions after a while. Probably better in the long run to get a new unit.

 

[Clivvy]

from my experience so far, the Stilo is pretty well built for the class of vehicle. VW, Vauxhall, Ford etc, no better. VW have just as many issues these days, they just have a better long term reputation!

 

[Yellow Peril]

Most of the electrical issues with the Stilo can be permanently cured by fitting a more powerful battery than standard (75A/hr minimum) and some extra earth leads.

 

[MarkThompson4]

Where from/ to would you fit the extra earth leads? And what would be a recommended brand battery to use? I'm having starting issues with my 1.2 - checked all the earth points and even stripped the front end and interior to double check all the cables and I'm still left stumped. I bought a brand new battery in may - a standard battery for the 1.2 Stilo, it's not quite 75ah but it worked fine but since my car's been lying for a while I think something's gone awry with (hopefully!)

 

[Yellow Peril]

Here's a thread about improving the earthing:

https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/121470-engine-bay-grounding-earth-lead-improvements.html

and here's my recommendation for a battery:

http://www.tayna.co.uk/E44-Varta-Silver-Car-Battery-577400078-P7726.html

 

[JayEm]

Still having problems with this, need help!

I've replaced all the bulbs in the rear left cluster to rule them out and they all work. However, every time I step on the brake pedal or put it into reverse, I get left rear indicator and left rear fog light failures so I'm guessing its a ground issue??

The only thing I can think of doing to test it is to switch the left cluster with the right and check whether the problem moves over.

EDIT: Think I've fixed it; the ground connector in the plug that connects to the cluster was too wide, causing a poor connection.

 

[vladof]

Glad it was fixed. Reaching out to the poor build quality of the Stilo that some may experience.

I've recently worked on a Skoda Fabia for some poor electrical contacts, interior trim failures, etc, and I must say the Stilo is at least twice as better built as the Fabia. Poor earth points, poor quality materials used, poor plastics that easily brake, buttons that are falling apart and have a plastic feel, etc.

The Stilo is really good in terms of build quality for a car of its class. You can only imagine how frustrated you will be when you see things that are impossible to open, bolted, glued together permanently, etc. You rarely find this on the Stilo.

In time, all cars have electrical problems. We need to understand that they have served, some for 10 years now, so it's not really a new car anymore.