[Closed] FIAT reliability? Tell me your experiences.

FIAT is an acronym for Fix it again Toni.

FIAT? Fixed In A'Talian factory..

Mind you that was yrs ago might be better now..

I had a Multipla for a couple of years (worth considering over a Doblo btw). Never had one mechanical murmur in al that time, despite (over) loading it with towbar-mounted bike rack, two 13ft kayaks on the roof and the capacious rear absolutely packed with tent and camping stuff.

I'd have another in a flash if I hadn't moved on to a van.

Folks have had three small FIATs over the years (two Puntos and a Panda) and again never a problem.

My father has owned one BMW. It was the most poorly built car he's had in many years. He won't buy another.

I rather like Fiats, and I'm not convinced they're nearly as unreliable as people would have you believe.

Just sold my Bravo TJet. Overall very good but, each service has warranty work and previous mot also had warranty work. Also had the gear selection cables replaced twice. Aside from warranty work it was a very nice car to drive, had toys and was nice to look at. If it wasn't covered by a warranty I'd have got rid but a few mates have them and no issues, so I think mine was unlucky.

Doblo is very reliable from what I've heard.

Which reminds me...I've got roofbars to sell!

Owned several over the years. Uno, Tipo, couple of Puntos, Bravo. All been very reliable

I had a 1999 Bravo HLX until about 4 years ago when I finally killed it.

Failures from memory.

Handbrake detached from the floor.
Exhaust bracket broke dropping the exhaust, which also broke.
Rear wiper motor.
Central locking.
Alarm.
CD player.
Heated seats.
Seat tilting mechanism (front)
Seat folding hinges (rear)
Crank shaft sensor.
Lamda censor.
The entire instrument panel.
Seals on sunroof.
Rear washer (separate failure to wiper)

From memory that is it.

Utter, utter piece of shit. Never again.

The mrs had a 1.9 non turbo diesel doblo from new for 7 years and the only thing that broke was the radiator, got one for £80 new from euro car parts and did it myself, she replaced it with a 1.9 multijet that's now 4 years old and been faultless, good buses they are
I've got a panda multijet that's been reliable, and a hoot to drive too..

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Mine was great except when it spat me off! Oh and it was actually a Yamaha!

Parents are on their third,

Tipo
Tempra
Grande Punto

Radiator went on the Tipo, fixed and sold.
Turbo pipe went on the Tempra (bodged with reinforced hosepipe and good for several 10,000miles before sold).
Punto has been good so far.

All bought arround 4 years old and kept for ~4-6 years each.

We had fiat brava's as surveillnce cars back in the day (the gti type version)and use to thrash the tits off them. Always seemed to last ok apart from the stereos - not the most comrotable car for fourteen hours or so 🙂

Fiat Panda 1.2. Thrashed mercilessly (as only a small low powered car can be). Utterly reliable.

Had an X plate Punto Sporting that had 100k hard miles on the clock before it died of a valve problem. Only things that needed replacing during that time were 1x set of brake pads (after 80k) 2 x exhausts 2 x exhaust bushings (and something else that can't remember but was fixed cheap).
Would have sorted the valve problem but got another car free 🙂

2006 Grande punto, good engine, but all electrics sh1t from 1 year/12000 miles onwards, replaced door lock, interior fan, resistor pack, lots of v odd things going on with electrics

My Bravo died on the way to a weekend camping trip in The Lakes. To be fair it had been brilliant for 10 years and it was the timing belt that failed, which the MOT garage should've replaced after 60,000 miles. I scrapped it and got a Toyota.

It's a timing chain on multijets fwiw

1.2 Punto on a W plate (2000?) Owned from new, fully serviced. Head gasket went pop at about 50,000. Dies at 60,000 and we sold it for scrap for £500, 5 years old.

Windscreen wiper linkage broke after a couple of years.

Wouldn't own another

I had a 1999 Bravo for 5 years. I only held on to it that long as ownership remained economical because I do all my own maintenance. Radiator burst, EMS needed diagnosed and repaired twice, door handles perished, airbag warning light keep coming on*, brake pipes rusted out at 6 years old.

Other parts failed at a younger age and lower mileage than comparable cars. E.g. first new exhaust required at 3 years old at 30k miles, alternator seized just under 100K and just before I scrapped it, inner CV joint needed done at 70k (boot failure), clutch needed replacing at 75k ish.

Would I have another? Yes, after all the depreciation has taken place, bought at scrap value, as a hacker for a dog walking business over one winters harsh use.

*Air bag light could not be reset meaning I had a car with no airbags. The issue related to the airbag module disliking a new battery and any subsequent battery fitted to resolve the issue.

My Mrs has a 2003 punto which hasn't missed a beat. She doesn't do many miles but its mainly short daily trips around town. Never let her down on a cold morning

Ah yes, I forgot my windscreen wiper linkage went at night, on the M62 when it was pissing it down, not fun

Fiat engines are excellent, the rest is shite.

Interiors are nasty with cheap switch gear, parts are expensive and not for any good reason i.e they are not well built.

Then there's the electronics....

I know this because I have two friends who for some weird reason are into Italian cars - Lancia, Fiat, Alfa etc.

I recon they would tell you the same.

Hired a fiat tipo afew years ago, drove down to Tewksbury, ansd as i reversed into a space caught thye passengerr rear door on aanother car , large dent, went to find a shop selling a screwdriver to take the iner pannel off the door to see if i could push it out, couldnt get the screws out, so slammed the door really hard in anger, the dent popped out.

Took car back a few days latter, met a mechanic, who saiud we habve been looking for that car, they gave you the wrong one, its got a dent in the rear passenger door and needs fixing before we rent it out, i pointed at the door, no dent, the mechanic looked as well and then went round the other side, all he could say was weird.

The belt on my Multipla went.

I'll never buy another car with a timing belt. It could have been catastrophic.

im sure its a fiat engine in the new bmw mini thing, and also the ford KA, VAUXHALL ASTRA, INSIGNIA, SAAB, SUZUKI AND ALFA ROMEO,Chrysler,
as well as a few other manufactures who use the engine in their cars.

Fiat Coupe 20v turbo. Gave me a boner. Went like stink. Cost me more than I care to remember to run. Sold it for a fraction of what I paid. Probably wouldn't get another.

Apparently fiat poached the head of QC at BMW in 02-03 ish, so later ones are much improved of old allegedly, and I must say the two we've got are much better compared to the ones of old
I remember sitting in old pandas and stradas with no floor or sills, or electrics, Same as old alfas really..
Engines tended to be good though...

My Panda has been great so far. Only had it 6 months though.

A colleague's Multipla's gearbox died last week. Six years old and now a scrapper. Sounds like it had been a dog from new.

Have a 3 year old Panda 100hp that has been no bother. Also have an older stilo which has been a bit more bother (had a coilpack and one of the sensors go) but nothing major.

Certainly compared to the old school Fiats they seem a lot better.

I've had a couple of Unos (15 years ago) and a Punto (had for 2 years, Part exh'd 2 years ago)

I think Fiat make great small cars, bigger ones not so much. our Punto was brilliant, never any problems in two years, drove it to the south of france and back, as well as down south quite a few times

My dad's 2001 Bravo:
Brake leaks
Speedo was about 50% out
Throttle cable always loosening
Sunroof leak
Rear wiper motor
Central locking would lock/unlock randomly of its own accord any time of day/night
Suspension bushes
Serious corrosion
Lights would blow every few weeks

Apart from that ok.

Electrics from the Titanic.

Speedo was about 50% out

Surely he realised he was doing 140 mph when he was passing all the other cars, even thopugh the speedo was saying 70mph

FWIW

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

Our Multipla was fab.

I have a 1.9 jtd 120bhp Doblo for child and bike duties.
Its the ugliest thing ever and handles like a barge, but its great.
42 mpg average since Jan when i brought it.
Fold the single rear seat down and my xl Chameleon fits straight in, no lowering of the seat or taking wheels off, just roll it in.
The only thing i have had to replace is the aerial mount, i knocked it off sliding a big open canoe
onto the roof bars.

joolsburger - Member
FWIW

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

I had a 1989 Panda from 6 months old & put 80k miles on it in 3 years. Ragged as only a teenager can and then sold it. Never let me down.

Was an ace car, liked it so much I'm trying to convince Mrs Wombat that we need a 100hp Panda as a second car 😉

I've had Fiats since 2004.

Punto for four years. All that went wrong was the driver's electric window, which was an easy fix.

Panda for three years. Nothing yet has gone wrong.

* touches wood like crazy *

The Fix It Again Toni thing is old news. But, it appears, still a good joke.

Over the years the wife & I have owned an Uno, Punto, first generation Panda 4x4, second generation 2WD Panda and Panda 4x4. Apart from the last Panda 4x4, they've all been as reliable and hard wearing as various Fords, Peugeots, Citroens, Vauxhalls and Renaults that we've owned. Not as good as some BMW's or Mazdas I've owned - but then the Fiats cost less than half the price! (er..and in some cases less than a fifth the cost 😉 )

(the last Panda 4x4 was an impulse buy by my wife...because 'it looked cute' - turned out to have been owned by a farmers wife who'd been using it off-road every day for 4 years...all the underside and running gear was completely shot)

No personal experience of the Doblo car, but neighbour had the van version. He bought it 2nd hand and really liked it - he's quite a conservative bloke, and I think he was surprised at the reliablity & cheap running costs of it. He had it for about 3 years, and only got rid because he needed a larger van.

I notice everyone complaining is talking about old(er) cars. Not really fair to compare them to new cars is it???

And I notice nobody has has the guts to mention the 500, which is easily the best small car on the roads right now.... 🙂

That said, I had a 1990 Panda from new, and did 56,000 miles in it in 3 years. In all that time it cost me £9 for a snapped engine mount bolt and £50 for a carb strip and clean other than servicing and consumables. I thrashed the tits off it all the time and got 42mpg average!
Seriously the best car I've ever had, and the only one I miss. I loved it.

We test drove a 2008 Bravo the other week and I have to say I was impressed. I don't think it was much worse quality inside than a VW and probably better than anything French, and it felt a bit more special than either IMO, no acres of black plastic, it had a bit of style, and it was VERY well equipped. VFM wise it wipes the floor with a Golf.
I think we may get one for our next car.

mmm - we've had 2 - a diesel and a coupe 20v turbo. Minor elecrical niggles and a huge appetite for front tyres on the 20v turbo are my only gripes - but thats hardly fair.

I am sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out why I will NEVER in my life buy another Fiat - all I can think of is the plasticy feeling and the god awful local dealer we have (arnold clark). TBH - it a bit illogical.

Edit - ok - I remember - depreciation is astoundinly bad on anything other than their basic small cars. Oh yes. I remember it now! Only buy a base model small fiat!

Damn - double post - it wasnt there a minute ago - honest!

ran a multipla diesel for 4 years.

No problems - at all.

Best family car out there

Had a Punto for 3 years... it was a 2003 model 1.3 multijet... Good as gold.

Noisy from a road perspective... but .. competent.

I had a 1990 Panda from new.....Seriously the best car I've ever had, and the only one I miss. I loved it.

You need to get out more.

Mine was a 2007 Bravo - first of the new range...was good but highly impractical for the mileage and driving I do/did. 1.4 Turbo and it did about 9 miles each journey.

Road tax is £210 a year/tyres could be £220 a corner (for Pirelli somethings) and the fuel economy wasn't great - about 32-35mpg.

Bike fitted in no probs and I also have the Bravo roof bas if I needed to carry more than 2 bikes and 2 people.

So from a cost point of view - it was the wrong car for me to buy...from a mechanical point of view - 3 gear selection cables/rear calipers replaced/handbrake cable corroded (warrantied)/shock boot somethings worn (replaced under warranty) and front brakes also had work on them (under warranty).

It did under 10k a year...perhaps not using it properly i.e. long runs and properly driving it hard might have helped it along it's way to so many warranty jobs but that isn't something I would expect from a (now) 4 year old car.

Inside it was nice...did feel upmarket and very comfy...engine did the job when you did plant the foot...had a fair few toys in it and it sounded nice.

Would have cost me a huge fortune if I had to pay for the warranty work and actually stumped up for the Pirelli tyres.

I got rid as it was costing a mountain of money that didn't need to be spent on what is essentially a tool to get me from A to B without getting my feet wet. Car replacement is a Suzuki Swift 3-dr - £0 tax (£30 from second year)/tyres cost about £80 per corner and so far it looks set for about 600 miles from the tank - same distances and journeys but this is returning 50mpg as the average so far (done 200 miles and only used a 1/3 of the fuel according to the gauge).

So for me, the Fiat was a nice but costly car with failures it shouldn't have had...it was a new one.

The 500 is a superb car but was too small for my 'needs'...

Well, after a test drive and a lot of soul searching I've gone for a 58 plate Doblo 1.3 Multijet, 22000 miles for a pretty reasonable price.

We've had two Puntos from the same dealer in the past and they've been excellent.

Fully serviced, 15 months warranty, tank of fuel and a guarantee that they'll take it back if we have any issues.
Below book price too.

Pick it up next week, can't wait!

Richard Cort Fiat in Bury - decent people to do business with.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes.

I've had two hire car FIAT's.

The first one, in Menorca.... Bits fell off it while I was driving it. It also had this thing which changed the steering ratio to help with parking, except it would do it when we were driving along a straight road. I would be driving along, then the light would come on and suddenly the car is a frisky as a new born colt. Very scary.

Second one. All the bit stayed on but it did two things of note. Firstly the radio would tune itself into random stations at full volume, so I'd be driving along listening to Chris Evans and it'd suddenly change to ROCK LANCASHIRE and start playing Metalica at plus 10. Secondly it would show me the mile per gallon. Which was nice. Except it only ever read 45mpg. Ever.

As long as it doesn't do the Metallica thing, I'm happy.

I've had a Punto 1.9JTD for 8 years. I'm not a sympathetic driver. The electronic dash is screwed due to me jump starting it after it had been undriven for 9 months and the chip which manages airflow into the engine/turbo died and was replaced after 90 000miles. its been awesome, I laugh when my mates spend a fortune when their cars break down.

Fiat stilo 1.2 here.

Bought new £6300

No proper repair bills in 65,000 miles.

Airbag warning late is on, who cares? Always needs a bush or something suspension wise but that's the lovely roads...

Last year a van put a big crease in the side. We took just under write off value,£1600 and kept it. Polished the dent and added helicopter tape to any scratches. Result!

Will now run it till it dies 🙂

Had a 1.9 diesel Uno for 5 years from new - no bother - much better car than the good condition VW polo I had before it.

then a Punto for another 4 years - bit light at the front end but no problems

then an alfa 156 2.0 from 8 months old (T plate). A few problems - lambda sensor problems and garage unable to fix made me trade it in for:

another 156 2.0 with sportspak from 8 months old for 8 years - clutch went in the end preceeded by problems as the alfa franchise don't change the clutch oil in any services - answer is to go independant.

superb handling so I gave it away to someone in Birmingham who has fixed the clutch, done it up a bit and it lives on.

bought a 6 year old alfa GT - pin holding clutch cable to pedal went - v. expensive service as several things leaky, etc.

probably buy another alfa after this one - they just steer better than a lot of cars and are more fun to drive.

Airbag warning late is on, who cares?

Common Stilo problem. Either take the plugs under the seat apart and spray with contact cleaner or cut off the plugs and rewire together the wires via a standard connector.

Very early 1.9 Stilo dynamic here. Only car I've ever owned from new but gave me all sorts of hassle over the years until we got rid this time last year. From the end of week one and for the next 3 months passengers had to climb across and get in and out through the drivers door as the ecu in the passenger door failed and it took Fiat that long to get a whole new door (never worked that bit out!) from Italy. When I see them on the road now I still think they are pretty in comparison to the focus (3dr, 5dr was as ugly as sin).

I'm a sucker for punishment so my next car was/is a Renault!

Mind you we also had a little Siecento for 7 years too and it never skipped a beat - very little to go wrong! The ncap videos online showed quite how bad it was in a crash (1.5* rating) and I always shuddered when my wife was in it on the motorway in the dark and wet.

Well, after a test drive and a lot of soul searching I've gone for a 58 plate Doblo 1.3 Multijet, 22000 miles for a pretty reasonable price.

Has you massive Mayor's limo died?

Forgot to say in the above - you might want to care a little bit as without ensuring the dodgy connection is sorted as the passenger air bag does not deploy with the warning light on.

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Blast Rusty. This was in the classifieds of the Salford Advertiser. It'd have been perfect for you and Mrs. Spanner.

Does that have a swimming pool? Pointless if it hasn't.

1996/97 Bravo 1.8 as a first company car.

Went well, lovely revvy engine, if not the most powerful.
Four years very hard use.

Only mechanical was a snapped front suspension spring - undoubtedly due to several years of offroad use [s]rallying[/s] driving around landfill sites.

Replaced with an alfa 156 Sportwagon - only had for 18 months, but did 30000+ miles with the only problem being a battery failure.

Wife had the recent Grande Punto - 3 years, no problems. Good fun to drive, although trim could have been better (trim panels started to get rattly quite quickly.

Currently have an Abarth 500, which is the closest in spirit to my all time favourite - Peugeot 309Gti.

Light(ish), not particularly powerful, immediately responsive, fab cabin to sit in. Can't not have fun every time you drive it 😀

On the downside for the Abarth - just had a £300 bill for a new intercooler. In keeping with the 60s Abarths, the turbo and intercoolers are in the protruding "chin" which sticks out further than the normal Fiat 500s. Mrs rkk01 clipperd a kerb with the front bumper and cracked the intercooler 😳

I had a Cinq Sporting, that needed a fortune spent on it. I was 18 at the time though which could explain alot plus it was a very cheap car built with very cheap components so I guess it was to be expected.

More recently I've had a Panda 100hp which provided a year of trouble free motoring. Sure the plastics inside were nasty but they were well built and despite the rock hard suspension trying to shake the car apart there wasn't a squeak to be heard.

Th g/f is picking up her new 500 next week. She's trading in her 2003 Punto which she has run from new. Never gave any bother and always started first time. Recently it's need a few expensive parts but it's all been age related stuff that you'd expect to have to change with any car of that age.

Her family all run Fiats. They all seem happy with them. I don't think Fiat reliabilty is anywhere near as bad as the Pub bores who's only experience of the marque is of a mate of a mate who knew a bloke that had a mate who's Uncle had a step sister that had a Fiat that was a Friday afternoon car make out!

(the dealers level of customer service however...)

I've had all sorts of Fiats, and they've always been great. I tried to persuade the wife to go for a Doblo/Multipla for when BiddyBull arrives, for the dogs, prams, kit etc, but she's having none of it...

Yes Harry, the mighty Omega is going.

Had an ongoing problem with the crankshaft pulley and have had to be recovered five times in the last few months, twice whilst heading off on holiday. 🙁

Being stuck on the hard shoulder of the A1 at midnight on the way to Swaledale with Sue was the final straw.
And you thought you were in the doghouse........... 😀

Negotiated a deal for the Doblo, then mentioned a possible trade in.
They offered me £500, which saves me the hassle of scapping it.
Mind you, they haven't seen it yet - did I mention it was hit by a bus recently?

I've just had a moments silence for The Mighty Omega. May it pass into Valhalla without clipping the gate post.

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Had a fiat uno 903cc engine did 137000 miles cost me £12.00 for a headgasket and thermostat.

1.9 JTD- are you SURE its a chain? I'm sure they are cambelt as the 1.9 has rigid 40k or 4yr change cycles. Unless you mean the 1.3/1.4?

Thanks Harry, that means a lot.

Personally, I hate the bastardly thing with a passion rare in one so plump.

I've never bonded with it like I did with the Daewoo it replaced - I still miss that car, RIP Shedric.

The Omega is comfy and spacious, but it's got no soul and I always got the impression it had just had enough, like an old labrador whose back legs have gone.

Just bought an 09 Bravo here - the eco diesel version. Compared it to other similar cars - and for the money, it is much more of a car than say the Fabia (test drove two of these).

Been fine for 6,000 miles - averaging 56mpg - but can get almost 70mpg by driving at 62 (long motorway).

So far, very happy. Not the Fiat of years ago...

'88 Uno, '94 Punto, '97 [i]barchetta[/i], '08 500 and my Dad has a '06 Panda. In total I've had two new wheel bearings, a thermistor and a stop-light bulb. So, yeah, Fix It Again Tony (for those still in the 70's)

Used to live in Italy when we were doing a big project. Got 10 punto diesels for the team all of them had different problems right from the off.

Mine was relatively minor they hadn't fitted the boot release cable to the handle in the passenger footwell oops.

2 had failed ecus within the first month and another wouldn't switch off the radio (and Italian radio is particularly ****) and kept draining the battery as a result.

Wasn't actually horrible to drive tho ( fiat 500 different matter didn't like it at all) biggest problem I had was trying to find it in the supermarket car park, lots and lots of silver puntos in Italy 😀

I might pimp the Doblo.
Minilites, a huge subwoofer and a remap.
Azure blue flipflop paint, lowered shocks, and 70's F1 highline wing should seal the deal.

Check some of the Turkish modded Dobs on YouTube for the general idea.

Dem see me rollin' to Homebase, dem laffin'.

On a 02 plate Punto. Onboard computer went after 18K fixed under warranty. Few years later had complete engine power lost, computer diagnostics found nothing so dealership put it down to new spark plugs being needed. Which to be fair worked.

Since September we've had the car for a total of 3 weeks as the computer keeps on packing in or something else. It has lost power whilst ambling along (was luckily only on the way to Morrisons rather than on the motorway) or it just won't start.

In favour, for a 1.2 it's v nippy off the lights and copes fairly well for the steep hills round these parts.

BUT it's utter crap for demisting - which is a major issue for this climate, and is not a massive fan of cold mornings. And they now make a timely reminder of maybe why the Italian economy is about to collapse.

Would never buy one again. Rather go for an older plate second hand car of another manufacturer.

I've got a 280,000 mile Vauxhall Omega you can have for any offer over £350.

I wondered about blue underlighting for my crappy focus....

tthew has had a few puntos and he rates them - you could have had citroen though :0)

not sure about the reliability index information. Something doesn't seem quite right if Chevrolet is the most reliable car. And a site that spells 'dependent' as 'dependant' surely can't be relied on?