Unless Fiat learn how to make a glove box or diagnostic plug cover they are doomed
A little harsh but only partly true.
Seems to me if you are a BMW driver and it has a *rap glove box then you ignore it. If you do get interviewed/surveyed then you sing the BMW, Mercedes etc praises. Who would admit to spending 30,000+ (pounds/euros) on a *rap glove box on wheels.
With Fiat, cheap car, cheap glove box we have another side of the coin.
In reality Fiat cars are pretty good, good value for money and like all cars have their issues.
WHERE FIAT SUFFER (IMHO) are:
1) Poor number of dealers
2) Even poorer number of COMPETANT dealers
3) Quality of *decent* UK Cusotmer Support
4) Dealer "in stock" parts
5) No offical presence online is "User Groups/Clubs"
6) I could go on but I won't
For over 40 years I've been running and buying Fiats in the UK, have had official club and unoficial techincal roles, contacts with Fiat UK Product Engineering and Parts Technical etc. Whilst I often made progress the Fiat overall UK/Italy Corporate interest in engaging with those that want to support and progress the brand it attrocious!
To get an idea of a recent struggle see here:
http://nick-bailey.co.uk/ritmo_parts_intro.html
In October 2012 I wrote to "Centro Archivio Storico (Fat SPA)" as my research informed me that they have the authority/Copyright approval authority for "legacy" documentation.
Needless to say I'm still waiting for replys from Fiat UK & Fiat Italy.
The evil side of me thought, as I get free phone calls, I could phone every Fiat dealer UK parts department with Strada 130TC parts requests. They would have two options. 1) "sorry mate before our time" or 2) all out of production/availability (NOT true) or 3) have to contact Fiat Parts Technical for support.
With 3) we then get the next response "was that the washer behind the washer in front of the brace plate" etc. etc.
Don't get me wrong. I know some great technical people at Fiat UK who have helped me over the years. Sadly the Fiat company does not seem to take that little bit of extra effort to raise their game.
The underlying real issue is market share.
No Mercedes, BMW, VW, Skoda franchise here in the UK is going to switch to Fiat. What Fiat have to rely on is small independent garages being converted to a possibly more profitable Fiat dealership. But with a UK market share of 3% to 5% (I don't know the current actual % but it is still low) these dealerships will always be under extreme presure to deliver, primarily on sales targets. It does not take a rocket scientist to realise that ONLY the best dealerships will survive here in the UK.
That is another issue for Fiat buyers. Is the dealer you bought you car from and were happy with still a Fiat dealer or have they collapsed or moved on!
I keep dealership lists (well many) going back to the 1970s and very very few are still around. I'm sure I could find many Ford and GM dealerships still running today and no doubt will be in the next 5,10,20+ years.
So here in the UK the problem is NOT the crap glovebox or a diagnostic plug cover!
