Faults:

Oil Cooler sprung a leak on joint on two occasions.

Heat shield cracked.

Power steering leak.

Steering rack with cracked joint.

Selespeed system failure. Potentiometers and actuators replaced.

Faulty body computer replaced.

Faulty ECU replaced. I think this is the Engine Management Unit.

Erroneous fault messages.

Leather seats started to wear excessively.

Selespeed gear selector replaced as it was sticking.

Exhaust manifold came loose.

General Comments:

I have now covered almost 35000 miles. The majority of faults have now been rectified.

However even after major repairs over many, many months I still experience intermittent faults with the selespeed gearbox which keeps slipping from 2nd to neutral or 5th.

The dealers must come top of my list of disappointments. Fault diagnosis and rectification is very poor. Although the 147 comes with its own computer which is supposed to record faults its not much use if the computer is faulty as in my case!

Put it this way. At some point during your cars life your selespeed is going to go wrong. Believe me, when I say, it will be a nightmare to repair.

Faults:

Stereo failed after 4 days. Dealer replaced it. No problems since.

'Rear fog lamp failure' warning when cornering. Bulb was OK, I adjusted the bulb '+' contact. Problem solved!

Squealing noise from engine (sounds like a loose fan belt?). Exhaust bracket replaced by dealer (Known problem)

General Comments:

Excellent styling and build quality.

Brilliant road manners.

Interior is beautiful. Dash illumination is cool. Seats are incredibly comfortable. (cloth)

Climate control is a must.

The Bose stereo is the best I have heard in any car.

Faults:

Manifold shield fractured around mounting point.

Rear suspension rubber cups twisted.

Complete airbag system failed.

General Comments:

Car looks beautiful and drives fairly well dealership OK, but a bit sluggish getting parts.

The interior is definitely one of the best around mine is cloth, but still looks classy.

Strange problem after first major service, tyres were slightly over inflated this caused the ride to change dramatically for the worse.

Faults:

Gearbox replaced.

I've had numerous problems with the air bags - the warning light is still on after 5 trips to the dealer.

The exhaust manifold heat shield cracked.

An assortment of compact disc player errors.

General Comments:

The car looks fantastic.

It handles very well, however the anti-lock braking system cuts in a bit too soon.

The traction control can generate serious oversteer when going around roundabouts in the wet.

The seats are very comfortable.

The cabin makes the car feel like it should have cost a lot more.

The compact disc player is good, although it frequently needs to be turned off and then on again to convince it that it doesn't have a multichanger attached.

Faults:

Repeated alarm false alarms with siren sounding non-stop for up to 20 minutes.

VDC, ABS and Selespeed failure warnings.

Selespeed clutch engagement malfunction.

Radio station presets self reset.

Repeated CD Error messages.

Trip computer self resets.

Windscreen wiper/washer malfunction.

Only the latter fault has been rectified by the dealer, the others remain and the car has so far been off the road for over 4 weeks in the last 48.

General Comments:

Handling is excellent.

Styling is stunning inside and out.

Build quality is good.

Equipment level is excellent.

Bose sound system is stunning.

Dealer service is lacking.

Electrical problems are becoming too much for me to consider continuing ownership.