General Used Panda 100HP Review

[The Beard]

There was review the other week (19/06/13) in Autocar of the 100HP. It started off quite well with comments from the original test but came up with a number of faults:

Drainage holes blocked by leaves causing wiper motor failure.

Inadequate capacity in the A/C system causing less than effective cabin cooling

Back box susceptible to rot.

Tappety noises from the engine indicates engine has been run with too little oil.

Faulty electric windows & headlights turning off when the indicators are on.

Stereo sometimes turns itself on draining the battery.

I have the MJ (sans A/C) so some of the listed faults won't apply, but I've had none of the others in 80,000 miles, so I was wondering if any 100HP owners have suffered from any of the above.

I know people post threads about what's gone wrong with their cars but I'm interested to find out how members' own experiences tally with those of the journalist who wrote this article.

Personally, I often think that these people drive the same cars as us but in a different part of the space-time continuum.

 

[boozyjay]

I would imagine they were on about the earlier 06 cars. The air con in my 09 is great - better than my Audi in fact and I haven't had it re gassed. Being such a small car I suppose sitting closer to the air vents helps.

 

[Mike n Helen]

A/C spot on in my car, although the drivers side window does go very slowly when it's near the lowest point and won't auto up until it's half way up.

But come on, it's a cheap car, not a BMW or Audi which are overpriced so if something does go wrong, have you seen how cheap parts are

 

[babbo_umbro]

Aircon on mine - 58 reg - is on all the time and is very effective. Exhaust has lasted almost four years - just trading in for new 4x4 with 49000 miles on the clock. I've always had it meticulously maintained and imagine that any engine that's been starved of oil would make odd noises.

The only problem I've had was warped clutch plate that was changed under warranty after three months or so.

 

[Matt100HP]

I haven't experienced any of those issues on my car (08 plate).

Leaves blocking drainage holes and the engine making odd noises if you run it without enough oil are hardly faults of the car. If people looked after their cars properly (cleaned them; therefore removing the leaves and kept an eye on the oil) neither would be an issue.

As for the AC not being very good, it's much better than the Fiesta I used to drive and doesn't seem any less cold or any slower to cool the car down than the AC system on my dad's (much more expensive) Audi.

I think Autocar might have just found the worst possible example of a 100HP and listed everything they found that was wrong with it .

 

[cooperman]

Air con on mine has just stopped pumping out the super cold air - feel a regas coming on before that it was perfect.
The only thing that annoys me is how thin the paint is, any little tap and your down to the white undercoat (not good on a blue car) I'm sure they must only have put one coat of paint on!!!

 

[Rmdinho]

Touch wood I have none of those issues on my MY07.

 

[Dan Friel]

Read this review the other day (I've got a pdf copy)...

Exhaust back box. Certainly doesn't cost £600! I bought a replacement for about £100, and got it fitted in under an hour.

Air con has been ok. Struggled a bit yesterday when it reached 30 degrees, but no worse than other similar cars.

Sounds like the other issues are typical Panda ones, although I've never read about these. I'm at a stage (70k miles) where suspension parts are showing signs or wear and some replacement will be needed. But parts will be cheap and it's not surprising.

Off to check drainage holes....

 

[Van Diemen]

I've been very happy with our '07 plate. Has had a couple of faults:
1) passenger window runners broken and fails to go up
2) radio fails to tune - suspected aerial fault tbc

Other mine faults:
* rear wiper blade delaminated, and wiper scored rear window
* front wiper arms corroded and oxidised aluminium showing

It's definitely ageing quicker than the Fiesta we owned for 10 years previously, but I'm still very happy with it.

 

[Rooflessdriver]

As Matt100HP said, hardly the cars fault if not maintained properly!

* rear wiper blade delaminated, and wiper scored rear window

Mine has done that as well.
Went to halfrauds to get a replacement and they didnt list the right part.
got a refund when the guy looked at it and said apparently the whole arm need replacing from fiat dealer.
I bought a refill kit, cut it down to size and sorted.

 

[The Beard]

Thanks for the replies folks. My own (1.3 MJ) has had the front anti roll bar drop links changed at about 40K and had a front shock replaced at MOT, and another one this year, but to be fair, the one that failed this year was the one I had fitted new 12 months before. Tyres have lasted 35,000 miles, it's on its 3rd set of pads and 2nd set of shoes and also had the handbrake cable replaced. The clutch is still the original as is the exhaust system.

At 80,000 miles I'm really pleased with its longevity and really don't see how any of the premium brands would have been any more reliable. The only fault I've had which isn't down to reasonable wear & tear is a fault, I think, with the ECU which is a purely MJ issue. It's perfectly driveable except if I need to go over 3500 rpm to overtake or get up to speed quickly when joining a motorway.

I'm thinking of replacing it next year and it'll definitely be another Panda. The only real decision is whether it will be another Multijet or a TA

 

[The Beard]

As Matt100HP said, hardly the cars fault if not maintained properly!

Mine has done that as well.
Went to halfrauds to get a replacement and they didnt list the right part.
got a refund when the guy looked at it and said apparently the whole arm need replacing from fiat dealer.
I bought a refill kit, cut it down to size and sorted.

Same with mine. I bought a cheap Halfords own brand and cut it down to size. Buy a big enough one and you still have enough rubber left for the next time it wears out.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I would imagine they were on about the earlier 06 cars.

The system has never changed.

Looking at that review and knowing mk3 Panda's inside out I'd have said half of it was BS tbh.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

* rear wiper blade delaminated, and wiper scored rear window

Seen it a few times, a minor design they could change, but comes down to checking blades in weekly checks with tyres and oil etc as they should be. Never suffered it myself luckily.

It's definitely ageing quicker than the Fiesta we owned for 10 years previously, but I'm still very happy with it.

At least its likely to have less rust than the Fiesta at 10 years old

In what way is it ageing quicker out of interest?

 

[Van Diemen]

Seen it a few times, a minor design they could change, but comes down to checking blades in weekly checks with tyres and oil etc as they should be. Never suffered it myself luckily.




At least its likely to have less rust than the Fiesta at 10 years old

In what way is it ageing quicker out of interest?

It's accruing lower mileage than the Fiesta did, as my wife no longer does the commute she did. However, in all the time we had the Fiesta the only problems were front springs replaced, ball joints and a heater resistor. We owned it from 3years old to 13yrs old. At that point, it was noticed that rust was attacking under the door seal. Not immediately obvious, but significant and not worth sorting out - better to sell on!

In contrast, Panda owned from 6months old. Low mileage but also kept outside. Rust on wiper arm, visible rusty bolts on bumper, seat brackets (holding seat back to base) surface rust, radio issue, door window runner issue, plus damper replaced due to knocking. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the car but at like for like age it is easier to immediately point to things that are aging than it was on the Fiesta. The rust items are large cosmetic, but not confidence inspiring!