I purchased my Panda Active in December 2004. Within a week I had to return to the garage as the reverse gear would not work. The mechanic found an incorrect fitting on the lever (apparently meant for a different model) and replaced the part.
With less than 500 miles on the clock, the car refused to start. The AA attended and the mechanic discovered the battery was not the one which should have been in the car. After ringing the dealer he was told they could not help and he rang round various dealers and finally drove to the nearest town and brought back a Lucas battery.
There is also a continuous rattling in the front passenger window when it is half open, for which there seems to be no cure.
All this time through into 2007 I had still not been able to use the car radio because no handbook had been supplied, and a code number was required to activate. Ringing the manager only produced a promise to look into the matter. Finally early this year I drove to the garage to find a new manager, who said there was no handbook available and the controls were very simple. When I said it could not be activated, they found the code on their computer and the radio was finally working. The trouble started when I wanted to use a tape. Visiting the garage with a tape I again asked for assistance. The mechanic inserted the tape; nothing happened and he could not release it. He removed the radio, had to borrow one of my tools and after a lot of shaking and pulling, managed to remove the tape. He then re-inserted the tape with the same result, only this time he could not remove it. I was then told that if I wanted the tape back, I would have to pay to have the radio dismantled. When I said it was his responsibility as he had inserted the tape, I was again told they did not have the facilities and I would have to pay in the region of £80 for it to be sent away and have the tape removed. I refused to pay as I considered it is their responsibility.
I generally change my car after three years but how can I sell it with a faulty radio and no handbook. I can get no satisfaction from the garage, as once the car was sold their attitude changed and were just not interested.
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Being brutal....
Two faults in first 500 miles and presumably no mechanical faults since January 2005 (over 3.5 years then)? What's your problem?
Radio - you should have been more assertive at the time - how can you buy a new car without a handbook or the radio not working? The problem is now yours not their's, you should have dealt with it earlier.
It's not the car that's the problem, its you and the dealer, neither of which you can change. You can buy a handbook or get one off Ebay for a few pounds and you can also buy a new radio and have it fitted for less than £100.
I really don't understand your complaints.
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I wouldn't say this Panda sounds like too much of a Friday car, either. A Renault I owned makes this one look positively angelic!
I'm just wondering, would an absent handbook for the stereo knock the value of the car that much? I'm not trying to sound unethical here, but why not just sell the car and forget the radio? It's not as though it's something more serious, like a gearbox problem or serious accident damage repair?
Assuming the car is part exchanged, I'm guessing the dealer will leave enough margin to correct any reasonable problems prior to putting it on their used forcourt. Or failing that, they'll put the car into auction and so it won't be their problem. When I've done deals (with a dealer) before I've never been asked if the stereo works and if I have the manual... I'd only mention it if I was letting the car go to a private seller and would bear in mind the cost of a stereo from somewhere like Halfords if the buyer tries to use this to negotiate on price... at least, that's my plan on my 4yr old Corsa that will play a CD, but seems to like it too much to eject it! :)
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Some cynical people would say buying a fiat is asking for trouble, despite Honest John being such a fan. Perhaps a trip to the trading standards office would have been in order earlier, as the dealer did not seem particularly interested in rectifying the faults. Again, this is likely to be another customer lost for fiat.
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It is widely thought that Pandas are only built on Fridays, like Ryton Peugeot 206s
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"All this time through into 2007 I had still not been able to use the car radio because no handbook had been supplied, and a code number was required to activate."
On my Punto of the same age, the radio is coded to the vehicle, so no code input required. How is the Panda different?
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Sorry re read the post.. You got the code but visited the garage for advice on how to insert a cassette tape?
If the big gripe is that a tape is now jammed inside and theres no instruction book, I would visit a breakers and get an identical radio for a few quid.
Its unlikely that anyone at all would be bothered about a radio instruction book on a used car.
Good Luck ;)
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>>Its unlikely that anyone at all would be bothered about a radio instruction book on a used car.
I'd be bothered. Modern ones seem so complicated I sure I couldn't use their full facilities without instructions.
I'm aware that many people don't understand them - and can't be bothered to read the instructions. On two occasions recently I've explained the TA button to drivers who asked 'how do you get it to do that?'
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When a cassette tape is not accepted in the machine the obvious thing in the absence of a manual is to ask the garage for advice
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It is widely thought that Pandas are only built on Fridays like Ryton Peugeot 206s
Are you serious?
If cars built on Fridays need no dealer attention other than servicing in 2 years from new (as with Mrs B's Multijet), then I'll have a Friday one every time, ta.
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Seconded, my brother's lightly used Panda Multijet has needed no more than its annual serivce in more than three years.
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If the radio is that much hassle, you could get another for less than the price they want to charge you for getting the cassette out...
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It is widely thought that Pandas are only built on Fridays like Ryton Peugeot 206s
Thanks for that, very constructive...remind me again how many 206's you've run over 50k miles ???
FIAT dealers ARE slack...no question, the reason I now drive something else.
Basic cars do the job very, very well. The dealers are the deal breakers. Find a good one, and you will never change marque. Unfortunately most of us find the sheds that roger the cars or have not got the faintest idea where to start with one....
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A relative of mine purchased a Panda Multijet when the '08 plate came out. Its already been back to the dealers a couple of times, firstly for a problem with the diesel injection system and now to have the gearbox rebuilt. Apparently the gearboxes are a weak spot on these cars.
I will admit that the engine is good, but the cheap and nasty plastics and roly-poly handling would certainly put me off one. Its a long time since I drove a car with so much understeer.
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A relative of mine purchased a Panda Multijet... Apparently the gearboxes are a weak spot on these cars.
When were the gearboxes not a weak spot. I have driven these cars over the past 30 odd years and they still persisit with drive shafts spinning inside rubber boots. When was the leak between boot and shaft going to suddenly stop ?
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qxman: your relative has been unfortunate. Our Multijet has now been back to the dealer twice since 1/8/06, both times for services. No warranty work has been needed at all.
Re. the gearboxes, I understand that they had to use the same box as in the 1.2 petrol models, which is why the torque output is reduced to 107 lbs ft as opposed to the 133 lbs ft that my Mk II Punto Multijet had. But a rebuild in less than 6 months suggests it was a naff box to start with. Ours is not driven particularly gently and has had no trouble in that connection.
Only thing I can really fault it on is its appetite for front tyres and brake pads - got through a set of each in 15k miles, whereas my old Mondeo TDCi made a pair of front tyres last 28k and was still on its original pads all round when sold at 40k.
I take your point about the plastics, but they stay screwed together well enough and to be honest I don't expect Audi levels of finish on a car that can be bought new for less than £8k.
If you want to see what one of these feels like with less understeer and body roll, try a 100HP :-)
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My daughter's Panda 1.1 Active has clocked up 30,000 miles in 2 years with nothing more needed than routine sevicing. Still on original tyres ( I swap them round every 6,000 miles) and front brake pads are not even 50% worn.
For a car purchased new (pre-registered) for £5,600 on the road, motoring doesn't get much cheaper.
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