2000 Fiat Brava 80 SX 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Rubbish

Faults:

Car cuts out when idle...!!!

General Comments:

Having bought my first Fiat earlier this year, I was impressed with the specifications for the money, two thousand pounds cheaper than the equivalent on a Ford.

Now I know why!!! At first the car was fine and I had no grumbles, in fact having owned only a Fiesta it was a pleasure to drive, however, having done 2000 miles in the car it now cuts out everytime I come to a stop. Have taken it several times to the local Fiat Dealer where I am charged thirty pounds each time for them to run a diagnostic check. They always tell me there is no fault???

Fiat UK don't want to know, they're getting money out of me for their appalling car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th December, 2001

9th Jan 2002, 05:39

Seems to be a common fault with these 1.2 models - my friend's Bravo did exactly the same thing.

Rumour has it that it's caused by a problem with the air intake pressure switch or the lambda sensor.

10th Jan 2002, 18:32

Well I don't think it's just a Fiat Brava problem. I own a Fiesta at the moment and that's happened to me a couple of times. Mind you it hasn't happened recently, but I'll be sure to check it out.

15th Jun 2004, 03:55

I have had the same with my 2001 brava, but it's not a big deal.

Dealer fix it very easly, they changed a small black box called " the idling actuator " this box set the rev correctly when idles.

And I must say it's not Fiat fault cause this box is "Bosch" made in Germany.

14th Nov 2005, 05:48

I purchased a fiat brava 2000 model December last year, and after driving it only for 3 weeks car over heated and burnt out. It was in the garage for 3 months. Having got it back driving it for only 2 hours car overheated again and was in the garage for a further 3 days. No problems after that really till recently just before the service started cutting out when idle. Took it in for service told them about it and it was in for 4 days. Collected my car and no problems for a day then started again. Took it back in after that and they found no fault. Would not buy one again.

I have had so many problems with it. engine ceasing, clutch going after a week of having the car, wheel bearings going shortly after, now engine cutting out.

2000 Fiat Brava SX 1.6 from Costa Rica

Summary:

Nice and stylish car

Faults:

Brake discs had to be fixed at 21,000 Km.

Some light bulbs changes and other minor details.

General Comments:

Nice and stylish car. It is not a very common car in my country.

After one year and a half of ownership, it seems to be less reliable than my previous car (Honda Civic), but a nicer design and a lot of extras and details. Also, is quite comfortable to drive.

I'm waiting for an air conditioner filter (that should be replaced every year) for almost a month. The dealer service should be much better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th December, 2001

2nd Aug 2003, 06:40

I live in Finland and I owned a Brava 80SX -00 from February -02 to November -02. It was registered in February 2000 and had one full year of guarantee left when I bought it. And that turned out to be a good thing..

The car had 55 000 km on the clock when I bought it and 79 000 km when I sold it nine months later. During this time I visited the local dealer 10 times for repairs.

- I had problems with the engine cutting off in different situations. The engine died even during overtaking. Which is nice, when you are beside a truck and there are cars coming the other way and your car dies in front of them.. The dealer looked at this problem many times, but they said my car is OK..

- When the car had 65 000 km on the clock, the gearbox had to be repaired, because second gear refused to engage while shifting down from third. The dealer's first comment was that second gear in a Fiat is not supposed to engage while shifting down from a higher gear.. I took the car to them a second time, and then they changed synchronization rings to the gearbox under warranty. But after the repair the gearbox did not work in a normal way in my opinion. But the dealer's opinion was as usual "They all do that. It is not a fault. It is a feature of this model..".

The final straw for me was, when the windscreen wipers stopped working at their intermittent setting. Apparently they had worked, when the mechanic tested them and they did not do anything to them. I went to the car after I went to pick it up from the dealer after "the repair". I switched the wipers on and nothing happened. I went back inside and told them that the wipers don't work. I was told their second favorite phrase: " Keep an eye on that problem and if you think it needs repairing, book a time after a couple of weeks..". I told the service manager, that I will not have that Fiat after a few weeks, because I have ordered a Toyota.

I really liked the styling, although the blind-spots were enormous due to the pillars. I have a couple of friends who have had Bravas/Bravos without any problems. Unfortunately I was not so lucky.. I will never again buy a used Fiat. It is too big a risk. Now I have a Toyota Yaris. It is smaller, but big enough for two people. And extremely reliable. It is nice for a change to be able to do something else on my days-off than take my car to the garage for warranty "repairs"..

2000 Fiat Brava SX 1.6 from Turkey

Summary:

Good to have

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Very good car for this price, especially when its price is compared with the Golf or Astra.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd December, 2000