FIAT 500 Twinair - Turbo failure - Twinair

Very disapointed as our new Fiat 500 Twinair has already had to go back to the dealers.

The engine had a very noticable loss of power so I dropped the car off earlier today. The dealership called to say I wont get the car back for two to three days as the wastegate has a damaged pin which means the removal and replacement of the complete turbocharger.

The car is only 2 weeks old and already I am now wondering how reliable this car is going to be. It has certainly taken the edge of owning a new car.

I cant work out why the wastgate cant be repaired though, any ideas?

FIAT 500 Twinair - Turbo failure - cheddar

Two weeks only, reject the car perhaps?

FIAT 500 Twinair - Turbo failure - craig-pd130

Depends what they mean by the "pin", it could be the axle on which the wastegate flap moves.

If it's faulty (for example, bent or some other manufacturing defect), the wastegate will tend to stick in one position, so exhaust gases are bypassing the impeller blades and the turbo will not generate sufficient boost. Or it could be sticking shut, causing overboost and the ECU is putting the engine in limp mode.

Most modern turbos are not available from dealers as individual components, they are supplied as a complete turbo / wastegate unit.

Hopefully it's a one-off defect, and the replacement turbo will be fine. We've had a couple of Puntos over the years and both have been very reliable, despite being driven in the harshest conditions (i.e. by my wife, the Michelle Mouton of Macclesfield). Good luck.