Technical Brand new Panda 4x4 TA misfire
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Technical Brand new Panda 4x4 TA misfire
2 months in service.. 
It needs to go back to supplying FIAT agent, could be a simple fault
Do Not risk your Warranty and Consumer Rights
It needs to go back to supplying FIAT agent, could be a simple fault
Do Not risk your Warranty and Consumer Rights
Give them your written statement describing the issue(s) and insist they also give you a written statement:
1. stating their diagnosis of the fault(s) you described and the remedial work they say is needed to correct the fault(s), and
2. an itemised statement of all the remedial work they have carried out, including all replacement parts fitted
3. do not allow them to say “It’s warranty work so we don’t need to give you this”
You must create a detailed+comprehensive “paper trail” in case you have further problems and you need to escalate matters
…I cannot stress enough how important this is to protect your position and to be in control, and not be “pushed around”
1. stating their diagnosis of the fault(s) you described and the remedial work they say is needed to correct the fault(s), and
2. an itemised statement of all the remedial work they have carried out, including all replacement parts fitted
3. do not allow them to say “It’s warranty work so we don’t need to give you this”
You must create a detailed+comprehensive “paper trail” in case you have further problems and you need to escalate matters
…I cannot stress enough how important this is to protect your position and to be in control, and not be “pushed around”
You really must notify the selling dealer immediately in writing that the vehicle is faulty and you are considering returning it for a full refund.
In writing so the dealer cannot deny they were made aware of the problem.
Is it a 4x4 or the special edition 4x40 model?
If I'm not mistaken, Fiat stopped production of the 4x4 in Mai 2022, and the production of the 4x40 is also stopped or paused ? So if this car was sold as "brand new", it likely was sitting around in the dealership for some time.
https://www.motor1.com/news/737728/fiat-panda-production-pause/
Still, you need to notify the seller immediately (in case there might be further damage if repairs are not done) and if he tells you to stop driving it now, then he needs to provide a replacement now.
If I'm not mistaken, Fiat stopped production of the 4x4 in Mai 2022, and the production of the 4x40 is also stopped or paused ? So if this car was sold as "brand new", it likely was sitting around in the dealership for some time.
https://www.motor1.com/news/737728/fiat-panda-production-pause/
Still, you need to notify the seller immediately (in case there might be further damage if repairs are not done) and if he tells you to stop driving it now, then he needs to provide a replacement now.
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its a 4x40, registered end of July 2024. probably one of the last 4x40 produced. when the 4x40° was put on sale (june 2023) it was sold off in a matter of hours. most if not all of them were purchased by dealers and they started appearing on the marked at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024. So this one sat at the dealer for no more than 2-3 months.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
It is an odd fault, It may be a faulty coil or a plug, but it could be a uniair unit and I would explain your concern at this possibility and be pretty formal. In the UK a faulty uniair would be sufficient grounds for rejecting the car. However it should be possible to get this resolved. Its new so its more likely a simple fault but dont delay and be firm.
The car may not have been used, but...
...you are not the first owner; the dealership that registered the car is. So, in the UK at least, and possibly also in your country, in law you have bought a secondhand car.
only if you are the first owner of the car. As far as consumer rights legislation is concerned, a prereg would be treated as a used car, and you'd have to give the seller one chance to repair it.
This does catch some folks out, as you don't quite have the same protections you'd have if you were the first registered owner. For example, the usual insurance protection of being able to get a brand new vehicle if it's written off in the first year doesn't apply to a prereg car. The manufacturers warranty, the service schedule, and the requirement to MOT it will all be based on the date of first registration, not the date you bought it. It also won't be a one owner car when you come to sell it, which could affect its trade in value. There are quite a few good reasons why prereg cars are usually sold at a discount.
All that said, in this case it could be something as simple as a faulty spark plug. I've seen at least one car leave the factory with a cracked insulator; presumably the plug was dropped on the floor during manufacture and just installed. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the OP that something like this is what's happened here.
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Technically its a second hand car, which has the legal 2 years insurance starting from the end of July 2024 (plenty of time).
Moreover, for the Italian law, there’s also the responsibility of the seller (in this case a dealer) in case the warranty has expired (not the case).
I believe that from the legal point of view I am covered.
I wrote an email to the dealer describing the symptoms along with that short video.
I asked if they prefer to see the car or if I am free to go to any authorized dealer (the dealer where I bought this cas is 100 miles away from my town).
The situation is indeed worsening as now I have the misfire every time I turn on the car after a few hours of rest (which might indicate a multiair problem: no oil in the multiair pistons at startup?).
Moreover, for the Italian law, there’s also the responsibility of the seller (in this case a dealer) in case the warranty has expired (not the case).
I believe that from the legal point of view I am covered.
I wrote an email to the dealer describing the symptoms along with that short video.
I asked if they prefer to see the car or if I am free to go to any authorized dealer (the dealer where I bought this cas is 100 miles away from my town).
The situation is indeed worsening as now I have the misfire every time I turn on the car after a few hours of rest (which might indicate a multiair problem: no oil in the multiair pistons at startup?).
while waiting to bring the car to the dealer I tried to startup using the old trick of switching on for 5-10 seconds the beam lights, trick used with busted batteries to let some electrons flow trough the elements to slightly and briefly revitalizing an aging battery. to my surprise (its 4 days in a row now) the misfire is gone. wonder if if should replace the battery and see. i am always reluctant to bring the car in for unnecessary services…
That makes sense.
Premature battery failure is extremely common on prereg cars, which are sometimes left standing for months unused without the battery being charged.
Fully discharging a car battery, even just once, can substantially shorten its life, and even cause it to fail outright. You've no idea what was done (or not done) whilst it was left standing prior to you buying it.
I always advise anyone contemplating the purchase of a prereg to factor in the cost of a replacement battery.
Me too. Every visit to a dealership is another opportunity to sustain unwanted collateral damage.
If the battery has been damaged because the vehicle was left standing for weeks with the battery in a fully discharged state, that's not going to be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Any claim would have to be against the selling dealer; not sure how easy it would be to pursue that in your country.
I went the easy way, more expensive though. I replaced the battery by myself: problem gone. The dealer will not replace the old one unless I bring back the car fitted with the busted one. No problem as I noticed that it is the same size and disposition of + and - of my vintage golf Cabrio GLI… and I guess it will be ok in a 35 years old car…
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