29th Mar 2001, 17:47
I had three minor electrical problems with my 1999 156, all of which occurred within a few weeks of buying it in Nov 2000.
A constructively worded letter to Alfa UK did the trick and they have offered compensation in the form of a free 24000 service funded by them not the dealer.
30th Mar 2001, 09:01
Re above comment - mine's an import so I probably won't get far with Alfa UK. Minor irritants with the car are really starting to annoy me - it now sounds like my wheel bearing is on the way out after only 12K. Not to mention the immobiliser which couldn't co-exist with my mobile phone - has anyone else had this problem???
23rd Jul 2001, 09:09
My 2.4 JTD was also an import, but I haven't had any grief from my local dealer (Tates, Brighton/Hove). The car itself has been very reliable (nearly 18,000 miles), with only one problem (a wiring fault with the heated rear window) fixed satisfactorily under warranty.
29th Oct 2001, 04:56
Is it just me? Everytime I leave my 156 in to have minor faults fixed, I collect the car and sit in it to drive home, secure in the knowledge that the car has been sitting in garage all day and absolutely nobody has touched it. All the faults will have been teased over with dealer. Diagnosed and cures approved. He'll even hand the keys back to you saying everything's been done. It's amazing. Is it part of their training? To wear you down so you don't bother and then buy another one anyway because no one else will take it on trade in. I must stress I've only had minor niggles, same as I've had with other makes. But, what is their problem? Are they understaffed because they were previously only used to selling a few cars a year?
31st Jan 2002, 06:41
I've also had instances where my car appears to have sat at the dealers (Desira, Hayes) and come back the same, usually for minor problems. But once they're convinced there's a problem, they've been great, and even chased Alfa UK for a gearbox repair on an import that was out of warranty!
I've also dealt with Tates in Brighton, and could NEVER fault them... Brighton might just be the best place in the country to own an Alfa!
19th Mar 2001, 12:45
I've had a couple of minor gripes (sticking air-con switch and immobiliser which frequently immobilised me!) - and I have to say that the level of "service" offered by my local dealer has been absolutely appalling!