Question: how long does it take to change 2000X Punto ELX front wheel bearing?
Answer: 3weeks plus
A front wheel bearing went on our Punto so our local car repair man ordered a new one from a Fiat dealer giving all the necessary chassis and engine numbers, etc. When it eventually arrived he had the car in and fitted the bearing. The grinding noise had gone but the ABS light was on all the time so he suspected he had damaged the ABS sensor removing it. He ordered a new sensor and a couple of days later the sensor arrived but it wouldn't fit. Back he went to the dealer but none of the correct type in the country so he had to wait for one to come from Italy. The correct sensor arrived nearly a week later and was fitted but the ABS light was still on. Our man returned to the dealer and was then told that he had fitted the wrong wheel bearing originally. The ABS wheel bearing has magnets moulded into the rubber seal between inner and outer races which the sensor uses instead of the normal toothed ring.
As I write this the dealer is attempting or should I say has been trying since last Thursday, to get a bearing transferred from another division.
The first bearing cost £25 but would be cheaper no doubt at a bearing shop; the ABS bearing should be costing about £60 but I doubt if you could get one except from a Fiat dealer.
In the two and a half years and 16,000 miles of owning this car we have had 4 weeks off the road to fix a gearbox problem, 1 week off the road to get a rear section of exhaust and 3+ weeks so far trying to get a wheel bearing replaced. This doesn't include another new wheel bearing, a new shaft in the electric steering system, the handbrake being stuck on and a few other little things which were relatively quick to fix.
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Reminds me of the problem I had with my 1998 Punto 75. I was getting a knocking when reversing and suspected the exhaust was touching something. The garage confirmed the downpipe needed replacing, the car was booked in and the work done. Driving it afterwards was a nightmare - appalling vibration at certain revs. Took the car back. They first suspected that the wrong part had been supplied - apparently there are several slightly different versions. (Why?) After taking the new downpipe off they reckoned it was faulty in that the flexible section wasn't flexing and re-ordered the part. Of course, it was replaced for the time being.
Three visits to the garage, spread over three weeks! At least I had the use of the car in that time, though driving it wasn't much fun.
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Up date on our Punto wheel bearing situation.
The new wheel bearing turned up early last week but the box had been opened and the items inside were not the correct bits. So another bearing was ordered and arrived last Friday. Our repair man fitted the new bearing yesterday and the ABS light has gone out.
So to replace a simple wheel bearing on this car took 25 days, cost £97 in parts and £74 in labour plus VAT giving a total of £201.
Fiat cars may be cheap to by but they are hellishly expensive to run. A lot of parts on other cars that are rarely replaced seem to be consumables on Fiats e.g. head gaskets, clutches, wheel bearings, etc
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Sorry to hear of your problems. Our local MOT man who also does repairs hates Fiats because of the problems, the spares prices and the Fiat dealers..
(He also dislikes Peugeot 106 front disks: can't say I blame him).
Your sorry tale confirms my long held prejudices about Fiats..:-)
madf
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That's what happens when a car is designed down to a price. 5p saved here, 3p there .. ..
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From an engineering point of view there is no need for poor design and often it's all put down to being done for cheapness.
Putting magnets in the bearing is not necessary and why should you have to replace these with the bearing each time (especially when it is a regular occurrence with a Punto), when the classic toothed ring is a far better way of doing this. Like Opel/Vauxhall with the Vectra indicator stalks you have to really think if a change from the normal way is necessary or just being done as a gimmick.
A new registration Fiat standing on your drive definitely says something - it says that it has probably broken down and awaiting parts.
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