Technical What needs doing: Car comes with no service history

[JaffaOrange]

Hi. My ‘new’ 2012 TwinAir 0.9 4x4 has done 75,000 miles but came with no service history. It looks nice and drives well.

Any advice on what big items I need to have looked at or replaced at this mileage? E.g. does this car have cam belts etc. which need changing? Are there any other obvious things to sort out or check?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Did it come with the owner handbook? The ‘what needs doing when’ items are listed there, under ‘service schedule’.

 

[gar074]

Hi, and welcome.

No cambelt to change

First thing I'd do is to attend to any MOT advisories (eg on brake discs & pads) and change the oil, filters, plugs and brake fluid, if you don't know when they were last done.

 

[JaffaOrange]

Thanks. I’ll include all those things in a full service booked for next week. Just didn’t want to miss any of the high mileage infrequent stuff.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Given its age as a 4x4, also worth checking - in addition to the gearbox oil level - the levels in the transfer unit between gearbox and prop shaft, and in the rear diff. These are marked as needing to be checked/topped up at each 36000 miles. It’s also worth checking the integrity of the rubber support that holds the prop shaft centre bearing - there’s a second post here about a 4x4 with a rattle that explains what you’re looking for.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Incredible as it sounds, some people buy new cars and then don’t service them. Others will service the car themselves.

If the car still has the dealer badge, give them a ring and see if they know the car. Often an owner will take it to be serviced at the garage they bought it from.

In this case you’re right to assume nothing and treat it to a full service. I would also change the gearbox and transfer unit oil.

 

[jrkitching]

The TA also has a small oil filter in the top end of the engine, which is often overlooked. It would not surprise me if yours had never been looked at since the car was new.

Don't ignore this, because it protects the uniair module, which is costly to replace. Uniair failures are quite often reported here.

 

[gar074]

The TA also has a small oil filter in the top end of the engine, which is often overlooked. It would not surprise me if yours had never been looked at since the car was new.

Don't ignore this, because it protects the uniair module, which is costly to replace. Uniair failures are quite often reported here.

I don't think this has ever been replaced - or removed for cleaning - on mine. There's nothing on any service invoices to suggest it has been. 2015 reg, 55k miles.

 

[jrkitching]

I don't think this has ever been replaced - or removed for cleaning - on mine. There's nothing on any service invoices to suggest it has been. 2015 reg, 55k miles.

Have you seen this thread?

 

[gar074]

Have you seen this thread?

Yes. I found it again earlier this afternoon. But my point is still valid. This isn't something that is attended to by FIAT dealers as part of the routine servicing schedule.

 

[jrkitching]

...my point is still valid. This isn't something that is attended to by FIAT dealers as part of the routine servicing schedule.

If your point is that having your car serviced by Fiat at the prescribed intervals isn't going to do everything that's needed to keep your car from suffering significant and costly failures in its later life, you'll find no disagreement from me.

Following the servicing schedule will likely see the car through the original warranty period without having anything major failing. If you're going to keep a new car for more than 3-4 years, or you have purchased a used one, then it pays to do a little more.

It's a trade off between increased cost of servicing and increased reliability later on; how you make that tradeoff depends on both how much that extra servicing costs, and how long you're going to keep the car.

Labour charges are a big part of the servicing bill for many; at main dealer rates, doing everything you'd ideally want done would put folks off buying the car new. If you can DIY, then the argument for adding a few items to the list is much stronger.

Folks who buy a fiat (or any other marque, for that matter) that's 5 yrs old with 50k on the clock and assume that a full franchised dealer service history will protect them from significant unexpected repair bills may be in for a nasty surprise.