2003 Fiat Stilo Dynamic from UK and Ireland - Comments

Update on Murphy Family Stilo Saga.

The car went back to the dealership on 19th September,

They repaired the glove box door,

Replaced the errant rear door lock,

Provided us with a new key to replace the problematic one.

We now have the new key which works fine, unfortunately the second key (which was working OK) now refuses to operate.

We will have to take the car back to the dealership yet again.

I am becoming weary of using so much of my valuable time coming and going from the dealership. I am incurring expenses and will now insist that they come collect and deliver the car in future.

Sorry to hear about your woes. I purchased a brand new Fiat Bravo in January 2000.At 13,000 (June 2002) miles the gearbox failed. The dealers got in touch with Fiat, who didn't want to know. I sent a letter to Fiat Ireland, threating to take legal action as they would never return my phone calls to discuss the matter further. Straight away they contacted me and I had all my money refunded. The only way to sort these people out is to threaten legal action. Had I not been sorted out, my next move was to picket their head office with a placard. I have absolutely no doubt that your new Stilo would be delivered by the end of the week if you threatened to picket.Don't be afraid to be "aggressive" with these people. After all there were no defects with the money you gave them for your dream car.

Best of luck, go for it!!!

Alan

(Dublin)

I own a 2001 Alfa Romeo from new, and thankfully have had no problem whatsoever.

However, just a pointer if you're considering legal action. Which by the sounds of things you should. You have given them more than enough time to get things right.

Check out the preamble on your owners manual. Here you will find chapter and verse from Fiat about the lengths they go to to make sure their cars are top quality. And that that you can be assured of that quality for years to come. They talk about all of the quality control and also have a printed Guarantee about quality.

I'm sure you're legal team would be delighted to have this in front of them, if Fiat start using lines like "you can't expect" Fiat cars to meet the standards you were seeking.

Good luck.

Jim (Dublin)

I have just purchased a brand new stilo active, I traded my 02year punto in for it and I was glad to get rid of my punto it had numerous faults, the main fault was engine rattle called piston slap, it was that bad that on cold mornings I was ashamed to start the car in case the neighbors were still asleep and the noise would wake them, it went back and back and back and back, I lost count on how many times, eventually fiatuk decided that it needed an engine strip down and over-sized piston rings fitting, but they could not give me a date when this could be done as they were testing out new manufacturers of pistons and rings, after 9 months of waiting I finally got a date out of them for the work to be done, unfortunately at the last minute this was canceled and put back by another month, the reason I was given was that fiatuk had withdrawn authorization for the work... it was eventually done, but it came back to me worse than before with more faults:- oil leek, engine judder when driving of from standing, and still that good old engine rattle or should I say piston slap sounds better (laughing out loud). This is where my 2 month old fiat stilo comes in to the story bought in October 2003 and yes you have guessed right, out of the fire into the frying pan it too has piston slap and the radiator fan starts running as soon as you start the car up and never switches off until you reach your destination and turn the engine off then it starts again when you start the car up to drive somewhere else, which is not good as the heater never gets warm and you can't defrost the windows and we are now into the middle of winter and a good few months of freezing weather still to come... oh the joys of being a fiat owner never a dull day...you have to laugh... this car has now been back numerous times with the same result unable to cure even had a fiatuk technician on it he said it needed a new ecu (engine management system) that was fitted on Wednesday 26th Nov 03, started the car on the following morning just the same radiator fan on all the time and I drive 35 miles to work and it never goes off... oh yes the piston slap needs a new engine so I've been told... well fiat I don't think so I'm not going through the same hell as before if it isn't exchanged for a new car then I will see you in court from a very dissatisfied Sheffield uk customer.

Thanks go to

carsurvey.org

for having this website.

I have a stilo 1.8 dynamic 3dr, Bought in March 2003, so now in its 3rd year of warranty, to date the problems I now have to live with are.

1) Driver and passenger internal door handles are coming away from the door panel - Fiat class this as TRIM so will not repair, mind you, they did charge me a diagnostic fee of £36 just to tell me this.

2) Engine sounds like a bag of hammers everytime you start up (work colleagues all think I drive a diesel!) Dealer will not repair on 3rd year warranty.

3) Car constantly pulls to left, tracking has been reset 5 times already, onto 3rd set of tyres (car has done 36000 miles)

4) Car cuts out with all warning lights flashing for no apparent reason - now sick of taking car backwards and forwards to dealer.

5) Airbag lights come on when I turn right at roundabouts!

6) Best of all! - now have smoke and fumes coming through airvents when you turn on heater - car booked to go into dealer tomorrow morning.

7) If you hit a bump in the road whilst cornering, steering goes all over the place.

8) front screenwash is intermittent (never works when you need it anyway)

If it wasn't for the fact I owe more money for the car than its actually worth, i'd get rid of it.

Purchased a Fiat Stilo May 03, have done 26,000 mile on to 3rd set of tyres! suspension tracking has been adjusted at least three times now, and I get charged for this. Fiat Garage do not know why and are unable to fix. Fiat UK claim tyres are not covered by warranty and not interested. What happens next? trade in awful and no customer support from Fiat UK. Wish I had read this site before purchase.

Helen (Northamptonshire)

The dealer offered you a full refund, which is not something many dealers would do.

I do not understand why you did not just take it and go and buy something different (or maybe even another Stilo on the 1 in 10 chance that it was a non-lemon)