2001 Alfa Romeo 147 Lusso 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Wonderful car, poor reliability

Faults:

Continuous pulling to the left which remains unresolved. Dealer unable to identify problem.

Rear suspension bushes worn.

Brakes grind. Checked by dealer, but problem remains.

Vibrating and whistling noise from exhaust. Dealer indicated that flexi pipe vibrates, but no problem. Third party examination stated that front pipe of exhaust required replacement. 9000 miles driven at that point.

General Comments:

Wonderful car to drive.

Handles very well.

Dealers inability to resolve problems is frustrating.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 24th April, 2003

2001 Alfa Romeo 147 TS 5 Door 2.0 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Nothing else like it on the road

Faults:

The key keeps falling off the key ring (removable - what a dumb idea!!)

Loose speaker wire behind glove box.

Rubber strip under front spoiler fell off.

False warnings about lights.

Questionable oil consumption.

Rattle from RH door lock mechanism (seems common)

Faulty relays (high beam & fog lights)

Cracked heat shield (seems very common)

Loose exhaust joint.

Grinds when selecting reverse.

Coolant leak (loose hose)

General Comments:

Car looks good, goes well and is very comfortable and well equipped.

Could do with a bit more go, but I am just greedy - a 5 door GTA would do the trick nicely.

I was worried about early build quality because mine was the first delivered in Oz, and so far I have been right. The list of items are minor, but it has taken 6 trips to the dealer in just over 12 months to get them fixed.

I stayed a long way away from the Selespeed - nice to play with, but I wouldn't own one from what I have heard.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st April, 2003

10th Apr 2003, 18:08

Another update to the list of faults. First heavy rain in several months (we're in the middle of a drought) and the floor has a puddle of water on it. Reminds me of my 1979 Alfasud, probably means it's time to go and find something else to drive.

14th Apr 2003, 01:06

I have a few faults which seem to be common as well. I have a 1.6L 147. Year 2002. Steering makes a strange noise when I start-up. Rear window washer has stopped working. Driver seat - Threads wearing on it. Getting a Rear Foglight Failure message (Foglight works!). Sometimes (Once a week) I find it very difficult go put the car into 4th and 5th gear. Very frustrating as the dealer doesn't seem interested in fixing the problems. Does anybody know if the seat covers are covered by the warranty?

19th May 2003, 06:53

Another update:

The water leak was fixed, found to be a 3 inch gap in sealant on the firewall/bulkhead joint. The wipers weren't put back on properly by the dealer, so I took it back. They fixed one of them, I gave up and decided to do the other myself.

The heat shield was replaced, but it didn't fix the problem. It turned out to be a exhaust bracket right near the engine. Sounded like a loose fan belt.

The car is now trouble free for the first time since I have owned it.

23rd Feb 2005, 21:01

I had a similar problem with mine. Check the steering fluid level. Top it up and watch for leakage.

4th Mar 2007, 20:11

I am currently experiencing a couple of problems with my Alfa 147 1.6 T.spark. My front windscreen wipers do not reactivate after I cancel, (they only activate again when I turn the engine off and restart), I do not have a rain sensor fitted. Is it an electrical relay problem/computer? Rear fog light failure alarm displays too, but it works! any suggestions?

2001 Alfa Romeo 147 Turismo 1.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Vanity over Sanity

Faults:

Motor Control System Failure

ABS Failure

ASR Failure

Imobilizer Failure

Fog Light Problems

Interior Rattles

Weird Air Con Smells

Premature Seat Wear

Rear Wiper Problems

Boot Catch/Alarm Problems

Paintwork too Easily Chipped.

General Comments:

-Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and special motorcars in its league with an apparently solid build.

However I experienced so much utter frustration with my first example (bought in February 2002 at 5 months old with a low mileage). The accumulated time that it spent off the road having mechanics of dubious aptitude attend the various 'motor control system failures' (throttle potentiometer), interior rattles, immobiliser problems, fog light problems, ASR and ABS problems, weird air con smell problems, rear wiper problems, boot catch problems etc. etc. etc. etc. - ran into weeks.

Fortunately the dealer eventually provided me with an ex-demonstrator replacement car (at slight extra cost to myself) which I sincerely hope means trouble-free motoring - though even this one pulls to the left, and has interior rattles.

I would advise to only buy new. However if a used example attracts your attention - in addition to my second paragraph - make sure you carefully check the paintwork, especially around the front, as chips manifest without due reason, mainly in the darker colours. Also cloth seats wear quickly.

Also note that some examples are ex-rental, and, being Alfa Romeos, are more likely to have been thrashed.

One further warning: Alfa Romeo's customer service infrastructure is based in Milan. This unfortunately means inevitably difficult conversations based around their long, erratically placed lunchtimes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th December, 2002

28th Jun 2004, 07:29

Alfa Romeo Customer Services is based in Milan, but they work continuously from 9 until 5,30

It+s the senior (or so they call it) department in slough which has very long lunch breaks (at least, that+s what they tell us), and is very hard to get through to.