General Numerous issues...

[Pauline McCarthy]

Numerous issues with my three year old Fiat500 star! Mileage of 16.000 and has just failed it's MOT! This is the third time it's required parts which aren't available!! Fed up being placated by customer services now and rapidly losing patience. Is there a head office or another number one can ring/email to get some answers please?

 

[bugsymike]

They said it's illegal to drive an MOT failure. Apparently you are only allowed to drive to a garage for a repeat MOT. Not helpful at all and only because I had a massive hissy fit, they have got me a courtesy car! None available at the dealership so they've had to hire one at their expense!!!!

It may be at their expense , but I suspect it will be covered in your bill!
Opinions seem to vary, personally I have always driven back from a Mot test.
It appears a good way for a dodgy garage to guarantee to get the work from failing a car. If it only fail;ed on emissions it is no more unsafe than when you drove to the Test.

"Are you allowed to drive home with a failed MOT?
The answer here is yes, provided that in failing the test, no problems have been listed as 'dangerous'. If you continue to drive with dangerous faults - even if there is some time left on your old MOT certificate - then you could be facing a £2,500 fine and three points on your driving licence."

 

[bugsymike]

Not trying to see your Vehicle details but if you enter them on https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history you will be able to see if they actually tested and failed the vehicle and on what exactly!

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Not trying to see your Vehicle details but if you enter them on https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history you will be able to see if they actually tested and failed the vehicle and on what exactly!

Thank you! I had no idea such a site existed. I will go and take a look. Thank you again.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I dont know about anyone else, but in over 50 years I have never had a car fail its first MOT. I find this a little odd. Panda Daffo failed on emissions at 8 years old and exhaust leak upset the running. A new clamp sorted it.

Air conditioning is best left ON all the time. If switched off the lubricants inside the system dont circulate, seals can dry out and failure is more likely. Denso make the air con compressor for small Fiats and these are readily available and easily fitted. S4P and eBay supply.

The alternator is unfortunately mounted low down and is badly placed in any flooded road situations. 6 inches is probably the safe limit before it gets drowned. I have had issues with screaming alternators after they got wet. WD40 Universal 3 in 1 spray always resolves this. I now give the alternator a good spray several times in winter. Just a good soaking from above with the engine running. I hope your warranty covered the cost of that job.

The most likely things with emissions are lambda senors, O2 sensors or MAP sensor. All are readily available.

Ask for a print out of any fault codes alleged on your car.

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

I dont know about anyone else, but in over 50 years I have never had a car fail its first MOT. I find this a little odd. Panda Daffo failed on emissions at 8 years old and exhaust leak upset the running. A new clamp sorted it.

Air conditioning is best left ON all the time. If switched off the lubricants inside the system dont circulate, seals can dry out and failure is more likely. Denso make the air con compressor for small Fiats and these are readily available and easily fitted. S4P and eBay supply.

The alternator is unfortunately mounted low down and is badly placed in any flooded road situations. 6 inches is probably the safe limit before it gets drowned. I have had issues with screaming alternators after they got wet. WD40 Universal 3 in 1 spray always resolves this. I now give the alternator a good spray several times in winter. Just a good soaking from above with the engine running. I hope your warranty covered the cost of that job.

The most likely things with emissions are lambda senors, O2 sensors or MAP sensor. All are readily available.

Ask for a print out of any fault codes alleged on your car.

I've never had a car fail it's first MOT before. The alternator failed suddenly on the A1 and had the potential to be extremely dangerous. AA recovery said it should not have happened! It was covered by the warranty as is the emissions issue. What concerns me is that my car has all these faults and is out of warranty in a couple of weeks. What else is going to go wrong and the likely expense?

 

[bugsymike]

I've never had a car fail it's first MOT before. The alternator failed suddenly on the A1 and had the potential to be extremely dangerous. AA recovery said it should not have happened! It was covered by the warranty as is the emissions issue. What concerns me is that my car has all these faults and is out of warranty in a couple of weeks. What else is going to go wrong and the likely expense?

Maybe they will keep it until the warranty expires.
A friend whose cars I serviced until retirement bought Toyotas for their long warranty and service included, but now warranty schedule nearly expired they seem to be "noticing things" that may need attention later, but not quite bad enough to do under warranty??? Plus their labour rate is well up there too.

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Maybe they will keep it until the warranty expires.
A friend whose cars I serviced until retirement bought Toyotas for their long warranty and service included, but now warranty schedule nearly expired they seem to me "noticing things" that may need attention later, but not quite bad enough to do under warranty??? Plus their labour rate is well up there too.

This is what concerns me. I don't trust anything or anybody associated with Fiat anymore. I'm thinking, once repaired, I'll part-ex it for something else but definitely not a Fiat!!!

 

[bugsymike]

This is what concerns me. I don't trust anything or anybody associated with Fiat anymore. I'm thinking, once repaired, I'll part-ex it for something else but definitely not a Fiat!!!

That may sound like swearing on a Fiat Forum

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

That may sound like swearing on a Fiat Forum

It probably does lolWon't be for a while....I'll need to save my pocket money!

 

[The Panda Nut]

I've never had a car fail it's first MOT before. The alternator failed suddenly on the A1 and had the potential to be extremely dangerous. AA recovery said it should not have happened! It was covered by the warranty as is the emissions issue. What concerns me is that my car has all these faults and is out of warranty in a couple of weeks. What else is going to go wrong and the likely expense?

Extend the warranty. I did with our Panda. I didnt have any claims but had peace of mind. You need to do this before the warranty expires. Make sure its an any garage warranty. If you do this ensure services done to spec and on time and ALWAYS RING WARRANTY SUPPLIER BEFORE ANY WORK IS STARTED!,

Pay for an expert to check the car and identify any impending issues or warranty claims needed before the warranty expires. I always do thus before the warranty runs out and claim anything that is needed. RAC OR AA are possibles.

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Extend the warranty. I did with our Panda. I didnt have any claims but had peace of mind. You need to do this before the warranty expires. Make sure its an any garage warranty. If you do this ensure services done to spec and on time and ALWAYS RING WARRANTY SUPPLIER BEFORE ANY WORK IS STARTED!,

Pay for an expert to check the car and identify any impending issues or warranty claims needed before the warranty expires. I always do thus before the warranty runs out and claim anything that is needed. RAC OR AA are possibles.

Thank you! I hadn't even thought about a warranty extension. I will certainly look into it. I'm so glad I joined this Forum because I've learnt so much today. I feel more positive now.Thank you again!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thank you! I hadn't even thought about a warranty extension. I will certainly look into it. I'm so glad I joined this Forum because I've learnt so much today. I feel more positive now.Thank you again!

Good. Cars can be depressing, but its still pretty new and these cars seem generally reliable. I would get the gearbox oil changed, and anticipate the clutch slave cylinder as a possible issue in the future. They squeak before failing. Get the clutch hydraulics bled as it needs doing every 2 or 3 years but is not on the service schedule. Bleeding is a 15 minute job. Slave cylinders are cheap and can be changed in 30 minutes. Also make sure you lubricate door locks. We do have a list of garages that have been good to members on here which might help you find a good one. Lastly the brakes really need an annual dismantle and clean. It prevents problems. 1 hours work is required to do this.

500s and Pandas have two more major issues front suspension wear, affecting tyre wear can develop but it is repairable and with light use shoulnt need attention for around 50,000 miles. At the moment a full change would be £300 parts and 4 hours labour at most. Our oldest Panda is still 100% sounb at 43000 miles. Air conditioning radiatorsvcan corrode. Newer cars seem better. Cost could be £475. Look atbthe condition through and under the front. Disintegration will be very obvious.

We have 4 Pandas because they are basically cheap to run but also fun to drive. Nothing else seems to come close on economical motoring at anywhere near the cost. I expect 12 to 15 years life minimum from the Pandas.

 

[John202020]

The compressor has also gone in the air-con so they need to sort that too.

Ask the garage what exactly has failed re the compressor ?
Did you normally use the ac or "just when it's hot" ?
In 40 years of ac cars I only had 1 compressor seize all used continuously

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Good. Cars can be depressing, but its still pretty new and these cars seem generally reliable. I would get the gearbox oil changed, and anticipate the clutch slave cylinder as a possible issue in the future. They squeak before failing. Get the clutch hydraulics bled as it needs doing every 2 or 3 years but is not on the service schedule. Bleeding is a 15 minute job. Slave cylinders are cheap and can be changed in 30 minutes. Also make sure you lubricate door locks. We do have a list of garages that have been good to members on here which might help you find a good one. Lastly the brakes really need an annual dismantle and clean. It prevents problems. 1 hours work is required to do this.

500s and Pandas have two more major issues front suspension wear, affecting tyre wear can develop but it is repairable and with light use shoulnt need attention for around 50,000 miles. At the moment a full change would be £300 parts and 4 hours labour at most. Our oldest Panda is still 100% sounb at 43000 miles. Air conditioning radiatorsvcan corrode. Newer cars seem better. Cost could be £475. Look atbthe condition through and under the front. Disintegration will be very obvious.

We have 4 Pandas because they are basically cheap to run but also fun to drive. Nothing else seems to come close on economical motoring at anywhere near the cost. I expect 12 to 15 years life minimum from the Pand

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Thank you for all this information. I hope it's ok for me to screen shot this so that I can refer back to it in the future. I am really determined to get on top of car maintenance and not rely so heavily on garages and manufacturers.

 

[Pauline McCarthy]

Ask the garage what exactly has failed re the compressor ?
Did you normally use the ac or "just when it's hot" ?
In 40 years of ac cars I only had 1 compressor seize all used continuously

I very rarely use the air-con so maybe this fault is of my making. When I speak to the garage next time I will ask.Thank you.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thank you for all this information. I hope it's ok for me to screen shot this so that I can refer back to it in the future. I am really determined to get on top of car maintenance and not rely so heavily on garages and manufacturers.

You can screen shot or use the search facility which should find the post. You can also click on your avatar in the black ribon and look at your content.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I very rarely use the air-con so maybe this fault is of my making. When I speak to the garage next time I will ask.Thank you.

My mothers car compressor failed due to non use. That was a 4 month wait from Malaysia and very expensive.
Best left on all the time unless its below freezing. Use the temperature control to raise temp if required. It clear condemsation and stops windows misting up as well as keeping the air feeling fresh by controlling humidity. The effect on fuel consumption is, as far as I can work out almost nil.

 

[The Panda Nut]

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[John202020]

I very rarely use the air-con so maybe this fault is of my making. When I speak to the garage next time I will ask.Thank you.

My money is on its lost the gas, leave it for now until you sort the other issues if you wish, even if you do need a new compressor a second hand one would be fine I'd go to a ac specialist rather than the garage, you can Google them, once it's fixed leave it on all the time?