Broke Giulietta advice
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Discussion

robgt

Original Poster:

2,587 posts

183 months

Wednesday 15th January 2014
quotequote all
A good friend of mine has a 3 year 3 month old 36000 mile Giulietta 1.7 ltr turbo. It was bought as a low mileage x demo. Within a month it required an entire new dash . It has had 2 x Turbo replacements due to failures. Just out of warranty the water pump has failed which has led to the cam belt failing. The engine has multiple bent valves and a cracked head. The car has been serviced as and when Alfa advise. To make matters worse to effect a repair requires Alfa to supply a special tool . This tool does not exist at the present time! Alfa are quoting a 7 month lead time.

What, as Alfa Romeo owners, do you suggest that he should do and what should the factory offer? Basically it needs a new engine! Help!

MollyGTi

2,372 posts

175 months

Wednesday 15th January 2014
quotequote all
robgt said:
A good friend of mine has a 3 year 3 month old 36000 mile Giulietta 1.7 ltr turbo. It was bought as a low mileage x demo. Within a month it required an entire new dash . It has had 2 x Turbo replacements due to failures. Just out of warranty the water pump has failed which has led to the cam belt failing. The engine has multiple bent valves and a cracked head. The car has been serviced as and when Alfa advise. To make matters worse to effect a repair requires Alfa to supply a special tool . This tool does not exist at the present time! Alfa are quoting a 7 month lead time.

What, as Alfa Romeo owners, do you suggest that he should do and what should the factory offer? Basically it needs a new engine! Help!
Nobody else experienced problems like this? Rob & I feel so sorry for our friend. So many problems and so much time spent back at the dealership and then 3 months out of warranty this ^^^^^

Can you believe that the tool required for this job does not even exist and Alfa are telling him it will be 7 months until such a thing might be produced?!?!?!? WTF is the poor bloke supposed to do.

Incidentally I have it on good authority that the components are cr*p so more Giulietta owners can anticipate similar troubles frown

robgt

Original Poster:

2,587 posts

183 months

Wednesday 15th January 2014
quotequote all
Latest update , our friend has this morning been in touch with the same woman at Alfa that is aware of the catalogue of disasters that have befallen his car. She assured him this morning that the tool in question could be sourced. By close of business this evening she has admitted that it does not exist !

How can any manufacturer market a vehicle without the tooling to fix it in the event of a premature failure?


Veesix75

130 posts

145 months

Wednesday 15th January 2014
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Persuade your friend to try and be calm with the alfa garage and the woman he has spoken to, write to the boss of alfa uk and try and get as much funded by alfa gb as he can. THere's a good chance they will be sympathetic even though the warranty has expired. They did when other models suffered premature cam belt failures.

Dave Brand

941 posts

289 months

Thursday 16th January 2014
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I can't believe that the tool doesn't exist. Assuming it's required for some stage of the assembly operation, there's no difference between a reassembly & initial build, so they must have the tool in the factory.

crostonian

2,427 posts

193 months

Friday 17th January 2014
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Does seem odd as this engine was also used in the 159/Brera/Spider albeit in very small numbers in the UK. Nice to know some things never change at Alfa GB.......

trashbat

6,215 posts

174 months

Friday 17th January 2014
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I don't get it. What tool? The only obvious tool I can think of is cam locks, and they couldn't get very far without them.

If your friend is now paying for this, rather than getting any kind of warranty or goodwill, has he considered taking his business to a specialist?

Not that it helps, but I've heard very few disaster stories about the G, so this surprises me frown

trashbat

6,215 posts

174 months

Friday 17th January 2014
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Also, sod the warranty - if they said the cambelt service interval was X miles/Y years, and the water pump failed before that, I would be after them to pay for it. Not sure what the legal standing is, but seems like there's a case to be made.

anonymous-user

75 months

Friday 17th January 2014
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Why would someone need a new dashboard?
Something odd about this.......

MollyGTi

2,372 posts

175 months

Saturday 18th January 2014
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Yes, I think so too & it shouldn't have happened.

The reason for the problem was that some of the mountings broke.

I do hope you weren't inferring that it was somehow the owner's fault. I don't think he kept a pet mouse in the dashboard, subjected it to extreme temperatures or did anything else daft or irresponsible.

mike306

15 posts

175 months

Saturday 18th January 2014
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Is it in a dealers? Alfa should cover this no problem throw there goodwill. What tool is it that they need? That does seem very strange that it is not available.

anonymous-user

75 months

Sunday 19th January 2014
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Very strange......
Ask your friend to find out what specific function the tool is supposed to perform. Post that on here and someone might have a better idea.

old_timbo

6 posts

253 months

Wednesday 22nd January 2014
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I've got my own tale of woe with Guiletta this week. 1.4L MultiAir Turbo 52000 miles and 3 months out of warranty. Started running lumpy at tickover. Post Mortem has revealed a bent exhaust valve stem on No 1 cylinder!! No other damage or marks - just the valve head was no longer true to the seat. Never thrashed, full dealer service history. Why? Anyone heard of anything similar?