looking on a new car within next 6 month, no rush to get it but would like to know the differences in the punto sporting 1.9tdi engine and the 1.9 tdi used in vrs and ibiza fr

also differences in the car, are the puntos any good?

If it's a new style punto sporting it's better looking than the Fabia.. I quite like them

, are the puntos any good?

In a word "No"

Dreadful customer service, and they had a long standing clutch problem, and I'm not sure if it's been sorted out yet. Clutches were failing at 1,000 miles :thumbdwn:

In a word "No"

Dreadful customer service, and they had a long standing clutch problem, and I'm not sure if it's been sorted out yet. Clutches were failing at 1,000 miles :thumbdwn:

wow thats not good, im tempted by an ibiza fr for some reason, i know its practically a vrs but i quite like the looks of them, in saying that though i got a thought of i would only get another small car if i could remap it, lower it, put ARBs on it etc, but then i realised by the time i get the car and do it all i will be needing a famlily car i would have thought so i havent thought this topic through much! :rotz: a vrs still has 5 doors though:thumbup:

One is in a VAG car; the other is in a Fix It Again Toni!

I'm not entirely joking here; at least half the people I know who've owned FIATs have had issues that make the worst Octys on here look like paragons of reliability.

The two engines are completely different.

The VAG engine is the only one worth having.

rotodiesel.

it was fiat that invented the common rail diesel , the engine is very good , my mrs has a stilo , has done 80k now and its fine

however the electrics are rubbish , all the stories about them are true .

my daughter just bought a 500 tho and thats pretty decent build quality , its also the new ford ka as well apparently , both built in poland on the same line .

me i'll stick with vag thanks .gives me a fighting chance at least.

im getting the message of steer clear...... would i be right:rofl:

Doesnt the Good doc Zoidberg have a Grand Punto?

Someone else on here does too

I bought my GPS two years ago and have done 79k with no real issues (certainly much less problems than my vRS) nothing wrong with my clutch and its been driven by learners for 79k, and has been running 314lbs/ft of torque since 4k when it was mapped.... lets see the PD130 run that torque without clutch or flywheel problems....

the PD engine (I had a fabia vRS obviously) feels faster, its a big lump of torque in one go, the fiat engine (which is sold to vauxhall and ford by the way, its that good) is much smoother, and doesn't give that sudden bang at 2k, however after extensive testing at skoda meets there's actually nothing in it on the road, between my ,mapped GPS and a mapped fabias.

fuel economy? driven gently I can easily get 55-60mpg... driven like I stole it, no less than 45 mpg...

my dealer has been fantastic (much better than any skoda dealer I ever went to) but one of the above posters is correct MOST fiat dealers are bad....

reliability?

under warrenty, in 80k, I've had :

new door lock

new drivers seat base

two new wheel bearings

new drop links

new EGR valve.

in the skoda (again 80k in two years) under warrenty I had:

new seatbase

new EGR valve

new gearbox,

mounting frame,

and two new driveshafts (Major fail)

NOT under warrenty new suspension bushes, skoda said I had done too many miles even though I had unlimited miles warrenty for two years... In the fiat I had new wheel bearings at 70k, they didnt try and say 'wear and tear' , when I bought it my dealer assured me if my suspension bushed failed within the warrenty period they would be replaced no matter the miles as , er, its an unlimited miles warrenty.

so far on the fiat in running costs

group 6 insurance, 18k service intervals, 90k cambelt interval

front pads/discs lasted 62k, rear pads discs are still original and about half worn,

thats about it in expenditure of consumables apart from tyres...

you also get ESP standard, Blue & me standard, NCAP5 six airbags standard.

don't get me wrong I love skodas, they are fantastic cars (and am in the market for a mark I octy) but I wouldn't buy a new one due to dealer and warrenty issues.... to sum up, my fiat has, overall, been a better car than the vRS was.... I will be keeping this one (or swmbo will inherit it when I get the Octy !)

if you have any specifi q's feel free to PM me, I've run the vRS for 80k in two years, and the fiat for 80k in two years.....

Edited 30 June, 200916 yr by sharkrider

oh and the turbo is garret not KKK

the fiat engine (which is sold to vauxhall and ford by the way, its that good) is much smoother, and doesn't give that sudden bang at 2k, .....

Sad query from me which Ford uses the Fiat diesel 1.9 engine?

Lee

One is in a VAG car; the other is in a Fix It Again Toni!

my brother's Octavia decided to eat it's gearbox on little more than tickover and he had to properly fight with Skoda to get it replaced under the still valid unlimited miles warranty, one of the ESP sensors has failed which also takes out the ABS and one of the door/lock sensors died so the car and alarm don't know the if the door is open or closed which means you can't open the car by that door first without setting the alarm off.

apart from a dodgy VSS my Ford hasn't skipped a beat and my dad's on his 4th(?) problem free Astra. VAG FTMFW

Doesnt the Good doc Zoidberg have a Grand Punto?

Someone else on here does too

Nope , Bravo with the newer 1.6TDI

There's nothing wrong with the Fiat engines, and their cars seem a huge improvement over where they were 10 years back - just like Skoda in fact.

I've only had mine for a couple of months but so far I'm happy with the choice.

Fiat diesel is the same as Vauxhall/Saab. I've not heard many terrible reports about those motors.

It's the rest of the car that will fall apart around you. And those famous Italian electronics :eek:

Fiat dealers are (generally speaking) not the most helpful. Up here Fiat is pretty much exclusively sold by Arnold Clark, as good a reason as any to avoid them.

On the flipside I have a mate with an 8yr old Punto 1.2 he's had from new and has done well over 100k in it with pretty much no problems.

my dealer has been fantastic (much better than any skoda dealer I ever went to) but one of the above posters is correct MOST fiat dealers are bad....

The two local dealers I've used have also been fantastic and much more flexible, reliable and also cheaper than any other dealership I've used. They also actually do what they say and ring you back when they say they will :eek:

Top marks, and other dealerships in the area could learn a thing or two from them!

Chris

Sad query from me which Ford uses the Fiat diesel 1.9 engine?

Lee

they don't use the 1.9, but the 1.3 verion of the same engine in the KA. (but I suppose to be fair it is a redressed 500...)

Fiat diesel is the same as Vauxhall/Saab. I've not heard many terrible reports about those motors.

It's the rest of the car that will fall apart around you. And those famous Italian electronics :eek:

Fiat dealers are (generally speaking) not the most helpful. Up here Fiat is pretty much exclusively sold by Arnold Clark, as good a reason as any to avoid them.

On the flipside I have a mate with an 8yr old Punto 1.2 he's had from new and has done well over 100k in it with pretty much no problems.

again... with electronics you were right... but since the new panda, all fiat electrics are made by BOSCH

again... with electronics you were right... but since the new panda, all fiat electrics are made by BOSCH

And still hooked together by Italians! Even presuming this is true and Bosch make the looms.

And still hooked together by Italians! Even presuming this is true and Bosch make the looms.

Or, more accurately, by Poles

Chris

Or, more accurately, by Poles

Chris

mmmm, mine came from Poland.....

FIAT = failure in automotive technology, made by Luigi's.

FIAT = failure in automotive technology, made by Luigi's.

Considering this is a Skoda site I'm amazed at the nonsense some people are coming out with.

SKODA = Saddest Kind Of Driving Agony

Considering this is a Skoda site I'm amazed at the nonsense some people are coming out with.

SKODA = Saddest Kind Of Driving Agony

:confused: and then you add your own connotation

:confused: and then you add your own connotation

Trying to point out how stupid these acronyms are as a meaningful way of deciding on a car.