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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 21:31   #1
meglamaniac
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Nice one Fiat service...

I have a car.
It's a Fiat.

It was due for its timing belt change at 64k, so I thought I'd take it to the Fiat garage seeing as they should know what they're doing right?
Well you'd have thought so anyway.

This was on Friday.
Saturday morning I start the engine to set off on a 60 odd mile trip to my housemate's from uni for his 21st - strange whining noise comming from the engine. Stamping the accelerator a couple of times seems to fix it.
Sunday, just after lunchtime, I start up again to come home and the noise is back. This time it doesn't go, but I'm 60 miles from home and don't really have much choice in the matter. About halfway home I start getting a rather acrid smell coming through the vents into the passenger compartment - my first thought is that the engine was overheating (it was that kind of "hot mechanical stuff" sort of smell) but the temperature meter isn't even halfway. Get home ok, wait a few hours for everything to cool down, and check the obvious (oil, coolant) despite the fact I did that before I set off on saturday. They're still fine. It's sunday so there's nothing I can do regarding getting it looked at.

TODAY:
I'm driving to work, it's 7:30am, its foggy outside and BLOODY cold. The noise is still there and not long after I start, the funny smell is back despite the fact the engine temp meter is resting on minimum still. Halfway to work there's a sort of soft "pop" noise from the engine compartment and the whining noise stops. Just as I'm thinking whatever it was has fixed itself, a warning buzzer starts going off somewhere and the "battery undervolt" light on the dash comes on.
This is not good. I'm still 15 minutes from work, and it's VERY foggy so I've got full headlights and front and rear foglights on which is drawing a hell of a lot of battery. I kill everything inside the car that I can (stereo, heater, mobile phone hands free kit) and pray the damn thing gets to work without seizing up.
The engine seems to be working ok still, although the temperate meter is climbing slightly. This seems to be an electrical fault only. I get to work.

I phone Fiat and explain they've fked something up and would they please look at it as soon as I'm finished work, assuming I make it that far.
Get in the car after work and start it. Battery light is still on. Get to Fiat. Service techy takes it off somewhere to look at it.


10 minutes later he's back. Whichever muppet changed the timing belt had only gone and put the fan belt back so it was nicely rubbing along a peice of the engine. The acrid smell I'd been getting was the fan belt being melted by the friction, and the whining noise was it rubbing along the engine. The pop was as it snapped, and (as i figured as soon as he'd said it was the fan belt) the electrical problems were fairly obviously due to there being no power to the alternator (the fan belt drives the alternator).

To be fair, they were very apologetic and fixed it right then and there for free as you'd expect, but really you'd have thought something as simple as that might be CHECKED before handing the car back in the first place.

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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 22:02   #2
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

its ****ing typical of everywhere though isnt it, there is always one muppet who cocks something up and the other people have to fix it
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:10   #3
Knight Theamion
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

good service tbh, mistakes do happen and they could've told you not to use your car after the 'funny incidents' and told them it was your own stupid mistake and charge you a ****load.

however, you got lucky, they did what was expected tho
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:12   #4
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

To be honest it's a fiat, it was going to **** you over sooner or later, no matter that some monkey broeke it for you
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:20   #5
meglamaniac
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Actually, the Mk 1 Puntos are meant to be quite reliable.
The timing belt was only being replaced because thats what the handbook says you should do after that milage, and I'd rather replace it than risk having the engine leap out of the bonnet.

Given its done that many miles and is 8 years old, I think its fine - the list of things actually "wrong" with it are:
* Front left electric window slows down a bit halfway down
* Gearstick squeeks a bit when you move it laterally (ie. to the right, from 4th to 5th)
* One of the rear seats has lost the little fabric hoop they have to make it easier to lift them up (oh noes!)
* Right windscreen washer nozzle thingy doesn't spray very well (major oh noes!)

If thats the worst that can be said for it then i'm fine with that.
Oh and it passed its last MOT with no problems.
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:22   #6
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Things that are wrong with it

* It's a Fiat.
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:26   #7
meglamaniac
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

You need to revise your preconceptions of fiats.
Incidentally, my mate has a ford fiesta of the same age, and a bit drops off that and has to be repaired nearly every month. Another guy I know with a peugot 206 hasn't faired much better.
In contrast nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with mine over the same period (except this obviously, and you can hardly blame that on shoddy manufacturing)
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:29   #8
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

No, I don't. I had a Punto for a year and it was the biggest pile of shite I've ever had the mispleasure of owning.
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Unread 6 Sep 2004, 23:55   #9
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Quote:
Originally Posted by skiddy
No, I don't. I had a Punto for a year and it was the biggest pile of shite I've ever had the mispleasure of owning.
Youve never driven a Daewoo Matiz , have you.

Oh you poor, poor soul.
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Unread 7 Sep 2004, 00:12   #10
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

i drive a peugeot 106 xn

marvellous piece of junk

always works



this weekend i drove one of those old VW vans, known as the love bus in GTA1 ... also terrific
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Unread 7 Sep 2004, 00:27   #11
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Knight Theamion
this weekend i drove one of those old VW vans, known as the love bus in GTA1 ... also terrific
quite possible the most unreliable thing to ever come out of germany :eek:. or so i've heard. still a classic though
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Unread 7 Sep 2004, 05:07   #12
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Hey my 20 year old Mistubitsi Colt still goes fine
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Unread 7 Sep 2004, 08:03   #13
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

I have a Fiat Brava. Went in for service to a fiat garage as there were issues with either the plugs or the timing.
They kept it for 2 days longer then they promised, then charged me twice what they quoted.

**** them. I'll stick to my local garage thank you very much.
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Unread 7 Sep 2004, 08:14   #14
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Re: Nice one Fiat service...

Buy a haynes manual, you could have fixed the fan belt yourself about three seconds after hearing the whining noise.
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