After extolling the virtues of my wife's new Punto, predicably, things have gone wrong. The air bag, engine management and power steering warning lights have come on at different times and it has had to be fixed.
Now the clutch has developed a horrible judder and I gather that there are loads of Puntos out there that will have similar problems. Faulty clutches so I'm told that will have to be righted under Fiat warranty.
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I have had exactly the same problem on my Mk11 punto 2002 model; it starts off by juddering and progressively worsens. Fiat are aware of the problem and I have had a "modified" clutch fitted. Unfortunately, this hasn't resolved the problem entirely and the car is booked in for potential replacement of the fly wheel which may have become warped.
Fiat haven't done a recall yet. It took me several months before they would do any warranty work. It appears dealers have been told not to replace the standard clutch, but to wait for the modified version. Apparently thousands of cars may have the dodgy "design fault" clutches. If your dealer describes it as a "characteristic" of the car, then get onto Fiat UK customer services and don't let them fob you off. Even though my car is now in the third year of its warranty, the problem started over nine months ago and it is crucial to register the fault with the dealer within the first two years of warranty.
To reiterate: FIAT are aware of the problem, but are reluctant to do a recall and are waiting for individuals to register a complaint. It appears this affects 2002 and 03/04 (new models)also.
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Zman
I was told by the dealer today that they are no longer 'modifying' the clutches. They are replacing them with a redesigned part.
The dealer has agreed that the clutch is useless and I am told that a 'back order' will be placed asap.
I wonder what the legal position is.
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My son has just bought a 2004 punto 1.2 active with 4,000 miles on the clock.
If this problem affects all of these models, and even if his clutch is OK at the moment, as Fiat are apparently aware of this problem and have designed a cure for it, I'm just wondering if he should approach Fiat now, or wait and see if his clutch becomes problematic?
Any thoughts on this approach?
Reggie
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Hamer,
I should have said the modified clutch is, as you say, a re-designed part. The dealer should have a part number for this (they had to ship my part from Italy specially back in July). Unfortunately, this re-designed part/clutch hasn't worked completely for me- it appears the fly wheel may have been warped also and the dealer will try replacing this in the the next few weeks.
The dealer told me the fault usually develops after around six months of driving. Mileage is irrelevant. If you have any concerns, I would suggest contacting your dealer early and get them to record it just in case a fault develops later.
As I said before, this appears to be a major problem and so far the demand for this redesigned clutch seems to be causing major headaches for Fiat. They should just own up and do a phased re-call rather than let consumers suffer.
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Zman
You're bang on with the six months thing as my wife bought it new in April this year.
The dealer looked at it on Friday and are seeking authorisation from Fiat to order the part. I've been told 4 hours labour and a 2 to 4 week wait which is pretty crap for a brand new car.
Some have been waiting up to 4 to 5 months I've been told. The car is driveable but you have to wonder if it is damaging the vehicle (flywheel) by continuing to drive it (like they've told her to).
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Reggie
It's not all Puntos but a substantial batch so you are probably OK.
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Seem to recall reading something about a premature clutch failure in Saturday's motoring section. Can't remember exact details, but think a clutch failed at 9500 and the garage refused to replace it, citing normal wear and tear.
Surprised HJ didn't recommend the Small Claims Court, as I'd have had the dealer in there the moment he mentioned "wear and tear".
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Just had the replacement "modified" clutch fitted last Friday. So far, so good. The clutch judder has gone!
I certainly hope this is a permanent fix.
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No probs (touch wood) since the car was done.
My understanding is that a large batch of fault clutches were put into the cars. When the fault became apparent through a judder, cars were fitted with a modification but this has led to more problems. They are now fitted with a redesigned clutch.
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