2003 Fiat Stilo Dynamic from UK and Ireland - Comments

I have a 2004 Stilo 1.6 Dynamic and I wish I had never bought it. After reading some of the posts on this site and nodding, yes I know that, and that problem, electrics, lights sensors with a life of their own, aircon that only works in the winter.

Being a lover of Italian cars, I wish to get a quick divorce from this one and go back to either a Lancia or an Alfa; the 159 looks soooo pretty and drives nice too.

Well that was my tuppence hapennys worth.

Derek, living in Holland.

I have a 1.6 2002 Stilo with 68,000 on the clock now. Bought it in 2005 at 30,000 miles. Generally happy with the car. Pleasant to drive and despite what some think, I like the styling and don't think it is dated. Fuel consumption a bit disappointing at 32mpg without thrashing the thing but I've had no problems at all with the engine. It runs and ticks over sweetly, no leaks, knocks or other worries. The Fiat coil packs are rubbish and will fail which is what causes the rattling, lumpy engine and stalling that has been mentioned. When one does fail, or even before, replace the lot and buy the far superior 'Champion' upgraded coils, NOT the official Fiat part. Again, you can get these for a relatively reasonable £30 to £40 each these days, or you might be lucky as I was on Ebay and got 4 for £60 brand new.

I've had the usual niggles that others mention with warning lights coming on, but I found out how to spray the connectors which can be found under the front seats, in the glovebox and in the boot with electrical contact cleaner (about £6 from Halfords) and your red light worries and trips to the dealer to reset the ECU at £30 a time will disappear! It is possible to change front bulbs without taking off the bumper despite what Fiat say. Uneven tyre wear is due to play in the wishbone suspension arms which is something that happens to all cars over time. Tracking won't sort it, but new arms fitted are about £120 from a non-Fiat garage, or £240 if you want to be ripped off by the main dealer.

Front seat belts are a ludicrous £230 each but I got one off Ebay 'as new' for a mere £15 to get it through its 7 year MOT. Infact most parts are now easily obtainable 2nd hand as more 'write offs' turn up at the scrappers, or are available as 'pattern parts' making the Stilo a cheap car to maintain if you know where to look (the internet!). Avoid Fiat dealers unless you absolutely have to get parts and servicing there as their prices are outrageous. Once the car gets to its 7th service the 'service due' indicator stops prompting, so you can get it serviced elsewhere or, more sensibly, do it yourself. The value of the car isn't going to be compromised at this stage of its life so long as you have receipts. A £200 service at Fiat is little more than an oil and filter change. You can buy a service kit including oil and air filters, plugs and oil for about £60 and have the job done in an hour. Brake pads and discs are an easy DIY job too and can be done for £60. Fiat want £200+. The only job I would definitely have done at the main dealer is the cambelt and tensioner change. £250 at 70,000 miles isn't too bad for something of fundamental importance.

On the whole though, the problems are minor, the car is reliable with expected maintenance and wear and tear being the only real costs I've had to pay for and if you do a bit of research and source parts from the right places at the right price you can fix most problems that do occur FAR more cheaply than Fiat would like you to pay.

I shall be keeping my Stilo for another few years and have no reason to suspect that it will be any less reliable than any other make or model of comparable age.

I finally traded in my 2002, 1200 Active, mentioned in previous comments, for a C4. I was sorry to see her go as she gave me very good service for nearly 5 years and looked as good as the day I bought her, without a speck of rust anywhere.

Reading all the comments above goes to prove that no two cars are the same and a lot is down to the drivers.

I once bought a car, many years ago, that the previous owner wanted rid of because it had burned out three clutches in two years. I had the same car for three years on the same clutch.

So all you drivers having problems - take care of your car and it might take care of you.

PS Don't think I'm keeping this C4 very long.

How do I change the ignition coils (pencil type) on my Fiat Stilo 1.6 2004? When I undo the screw, does the coil just pull out?