Faults:
Stereo would not switch on and off with the ignition. I replaced with Bluetooth one as I needed hands-free, plus I prefer using USB/ipod and not carrying CDs, so not the end of the world. Every review on this car mentions problems with the standard fit audio system.
5100 miles: oil light flashing, message on the computer - Change Engine Oil. I took her to Fiat, thinking this would be warranty, as the car had been serviced every year as per the guidelines e.g 12k or 1 year for a service, only to be told your oil has reached degeneration stage, and needs to be changed. Oil and filter were £175. After an argument, £116.00. Whilst I didn't expect oil to be covered, I failed to see how oil can degenerate so quickly, 7 months and just 5k. This simply means the Fiat service schedules when they sell you the vehicle are simply garbage, and expect to change oil twice a year unless you do higher miles; do low miles, and the oil will not heat fully, and has a shorter life. Next time I will not bother with Fiat dealerships, as the price is over inflated!! Breath!! Rant over..... It's worth noting that when stationary you can select the menu button and check how many miles until your next service which will prevent you from the nasty surprise, or so I thought, however this is just annual servicing not oil quality. I have just had the oil changed for a second time. The computer still thinks another 4k to service. It would seem I used to average 7 months for an oil change. However a full service from a non Fiat garage who I now use and trust is £160.00.
It's also worth mentioning that the speakers are not the best quality, replacements were made as the back ones were next to useless; tiny speakers in a boot that is huge. Any bass and they just bomb. 6x9 boxes mounted with better quality speakers rectified that situation also to note... I'm not a music head, filling my boot with bone shaking bass systems, but I do like to singalong (wail) on occasion, and the standard system really doesn't do it!!!
At 12k together and a leaky air con drain pipe.... the pipe was blocked with crap from the road, and when the A/C was running for long periods, it backed up and I got a wet footwell. The worst problem was a stagnant water smell; the A/C still worked as normal. The pipe was cleaned out and and I had the pollen filter replaced for £45 quid, so nothing too terminal.
At 15k an electric window went down and stayed down. It refused to move. I checked the fuse and that was fine. After panic and swearing, I bagged the window ready for a trip to the garage on Monday morning. On the Monday I removed the bagging to drive, and to my surprise the window worked perfectly and has done ever since?!?!? Weird; deffo a gremlin on board somewhere...
21k together and the front flexi pipe on the exhaust system has rusted through, the engine was noisy, so go I thought I'd get it seen to. Only now after it was replaced I have the engine light on with engine failure on the display, and it's all pointing to the DPF temperature sensor. The car is in limp mode, and the garage inform me that the main issue is trying to get this device out of the DPF, which is also rusty on a car that is 5 years old and has covered just 40k! The DPF to replace is £980 plus VAT. I spent a week hoping the garage had a viable plan 'B' and save this rather expensive part. It is worth stating that DPF's in general seem to be problematic and not an issue unique to the Doblo, although the amount of rusting on the exhaust system for 5 years and 40k is not good.
My mechanic has now rectified a repair to the DPF and the car is back quiet again with turbo boost!!! MARVELOUS.
From 44k intermittently the car doesn't start, third click on the ignition barrel and silence, no attempt to start. Same happens with both keys; odd as I leave it a minute or two and she starts as normal. I'm having the wiring checked and see where we go from there!
On service investigation found nothing, ignition wiring was checked and 'fingers crossed' it seems to have not happened for a while.
Disaster; 8 weeks after service the turbo has gone! Squealing, screaming and sounds dreadful. I managed to limp to the garage and there she has stayed. The diagnosis is confirmed as bent turbo fins, probably caused by a collapsed bearing. Just 46k on the clock! £580 + VAT & labour, cheers FIAT!
4 years owned (now 7 years old), 51k relay switch faulty, meaning jammed indicators. A new fuse board as it's an all one unit. £200 later and it was fitted with the issue resolved.
4 years and 52k (7 years old), engine light on. Investigation required, but no loss of power, service due soon, so figured 2 birds and 1 stone will resolve it. EGR valve identified as the cause.
56k and 8 years old. A rattle on the exhaust noticeable on clutch bite. Found to be a broken exhaust clip.
The air con has a leak as it's no longer cold, despite having it re gassed. Works for a few days, then stops.
61k EGR replaced.
60k, 8 years old, rear sliding windows leak after a pressure wash. Seals worn, I researched on the Fiat forum to find out that it seems the whole window needs replacing as Fiat won't sell the seals separately; tried glass replacement firms to be told the same. Main dealer part only! Fiat quoted £1010 for the windows plus fitting. When I stopped laughing, I resolved it. Duct tape strip over the old existing tape and some added some black sealant (to glue the seal back over where it should sit). Not perfect, but a solution.
£17.25 and half an hour of effort, it looks virtually unnoticeable!
Rear wiper jammed upright. Motor gearing broken at 63k, 8 years old.
Rear sliding door handle sheared off in frosty conditions. Replaced at the cost of £160
83k, 10 years old boot intermittently locks on the central locking. Odd and annoying having to check and use the key to secure the car.
90k play on the n/s steering rack joints, advisory on MOT but still a pass so nothing too terminal...
Repaired £130; Fiat wanted £430 plus VAT for the whole rack which wasn't needed. Unable to get just the part of the assembly I wanted, hence the repair.
General Comments:
This is a car that one buys with the 'head', rather than the 'heart'. Sports car she is not! However I have to say that it's the best purchase I've ever made. It suited my needs perfectly.
The cabin has loads of room, great adjustment on the front seats for people of all shapes and sizes. Driver's armrest is also a nice touch. The layout is sensible, and the dials are all clear and functional.
The only slight disappointments are the lack of reach adjust on the steering; the wheel does move up and down for height though. Also the absence of the external temperature with ice warning. Fiat left this as optional at £150 quid, which frankly is a stupid price. It also makes no sense when all the other features on the computer remain, one particularly useful feature is the speed warning function normally only found on much more expensive cars. The modes also feature trip function, average MPG, instant MPG, journey time and secondary trip function for additional info.
The one really stupid thing about this car is that the sun visor does not unclip to be turned to the side to filter the sun?!? Bizarre and frankly stupid, as I discover every winter when low sunlight first appears and driving in winter sunshine I pass trees being blinded by the flickering light. Fiat, where is your logic on that decision?
The other minor irritation is the positioning of the switch for indicator auto cut off. At times getting a left indication when exiting a roundabout for example is difficult, as it will not always allow you, owing to the position of the steering wheel and the switch cut off, meaning you select the signal 2 or 3 times! Frustrating!
The load capacity is huge; I had 3 Dobermans when purchased, now sadly just 2, however they all were able to go in the boot at the same time. The rear windows 'pop' out, which keeps the boot cool when parked. The Fiat dog guard frame and fixings are quality items, and do not rattle like after-market options. However the mesh that appears to be metal in the catalog is in fact lace mesh and not chew proof. My Doberman came crashing through on the A12!! Not at all good for the price it cost. If the inner mesh was metal, then the design would have been excellent. I have resolved the issue by getting poly-carbonate sheet cut to size and drilled. I then zip tied it to the guard frame, making it solid and secure. I also added an extra section taking the protection up to the roof, as the guard stops short of the roof, meaning the dogs kept putting their heads up over the top before. The cost of the adaptions was around £70.00, but it's worth it. It's also clear and better for rear view than the mesh was in the beginning. Now that the guard has been in place for 5 years the trim around the top of the load area that it screws into has bowed and now looks tatty. The screwed guard fixes to the trim, which is held to the car with a nylon/plastic screw. Probably fine until you add the guard, then not so good. Cheap and spoils the look inside.
The split folding parcel shelf is a great idea when loading and unloading, as the boot is so deep, folding it back allows for reaching items towards the rear seat. The boot floor is also a low height, with the tail lights on the edges makes for a wide load and low loading area also, so lifting heavy or bulky items in and out couldn't be easier. The monthly food shop looks lost when loaded, unlike others scratching their heads rearranging and continuing to struggle, which then results in putting bags in the back at the supermarket. The boot in fact is so big, that I managed to put a fully built duck house in by just pushing the rear seats slightly forward; they didn't have to be folded down, The dog guard stayed hung in place and just tilted forward. The duck house was massive.
If the family go out in the car, the kids all have loads of space, the seats are good quality in the back also, and the dark glass on Dynamic models is a nice touch for any rear seat passenger. The air-conditioning is a 'must have' item that's missing on lower models. Anyone with mobility problems needing easy rear access will find the sliding rear doors and head height invaluable, my main reason for considering a Doblo in the first place.
The engine is very frugal and quite nippy, and its V.E.D. emissions are also quite low for a car of this size, £150 for a years tax, at the time of purchase back in 2011 it was one of the best for a car of it size, however since then many other models are lower in cost, Fiats included.
Back to performance however, you do have to work the gear box and keep it in the turbo 'peak' to get the best out of it. It's worth noting that earlier models of this 1.3 Multi jet diesel come with less power; these should be avoided in my view, as 85BHP is about the minimum this body needs to be carried with any sufficiency. Especially when you consider the weight of passengers and loads etc. It is fair to say that you notice the additional weight when carrying five passengers and their belongings, although this 1.3 still slugs along. It's mostly the initial pull away that it's most obvious.
Generally when driven quite hard, it returns 46 MPG, and on a steady 'run' to the sea side (motorway) she managed 57 MPG!!! Which is in my view great for a car of its size. Especially when you factor in 3 dogs, 2 kids and 3 adults, and all the luggage!! It's when fully loaded, and big hilly roads that make you appreciate the frankly amazing 200NM of torque from this tiny engine. When using a different style of driving, (coughs) lane 3 foot down, expect figures of 41 - 42 again; impressive for the size of this car. This little 1.3 is also willing to motor along and slugs up hills well at speed, without that tail off you get with hills from small petrol engines. I drive on motorways now everyday thanks to a change of job, I regularly obtain 56mpg driving steadily in a mix of free flow and congestion. Good going for a 11 year old 95k motor in my opinion. Also worth noting that servicing intervals have improved and no DPF issues due to it being ran.
This little power train is fab for snow, allowing full use of high gears, and that thing us experienced drivers crave, torque!! But the peaky turbo can make pulling out from a junction a little tricky when driving in ice, as it will torque steer, gentle has to be the order of the day for that situation. The car does wear front tyres fairly quick due to the turbo and of course powered steering and being front wheel drive.
Now back to every day motoring... This car as a result joins motorways with short hilly slip roads easily, much better than my old 1.6 petrol, which overall was more powerful, but useless until revved up, by which time the short slip road had ran out. For a diesel, it is also not too noisy, although it does struggle a little with wind noise. The gear change is very smooth and responsive.
The handling for such a tall car is also surprisingly stable, although the ride can be a little bouncy on an uneven surface. Having owned Fiats before, the cabin is a refreshing change in build quality, and feels very well put together, and remains generally durable (excluding the stupid designed rear quarter panel for the dog guard mentioned previously). It is fair to say that the plastics are not as plush as other MPV's on the market, however they are considerably more expensive. The new Doblo seems to have made progress into bridging that gap. We have covered over 70k now together, hence the updates. Some of the outside trims now look tatty and needs regular treating to keep the colour, the most obvious being those around the front fog lamps. When untreated, they look a bleached grey colour and bring the appearance of the car down. It is worth noting that she is 11 years old though; I’ve not owned anything else as long to get a true comparison.
Owning one of these, you will get used to van jokes, ice cream salesman jokes, taxi, oh and the odd 'Pope' gag, but s*d em! If you need like me, space and practicality with affordable running costs, this car is perfect. Another major point to note is that most people change their minds when they have been out in this competent, spacious, practical car. I have to say that owning one now for eight years and covered many miles, I like the fact that this car doesn't attempt to hide its routes, e.g. the Combi Van, essentially that's what makes it so practical and useful. Other MPVs I feel offer a lot of pretence, and as a result are less real use and value. In a perfect world I'd have one of these in the garage, and a sporty number for those days when all of the above situations don't matter, but as us MPV owner's realise, those days are few and far between...
To summarise, despite her letting herself down with one or two minor but random issues, many now age related and of course the previously mentioned turbo bill, 'My Doblo remains a winner!' Style icon she ain't, but remember what your mother once said, summit about books and covers - you decide....
29th Sep 2013, 12:41
Excellent review. Thank you.