7th May 2007, 06:40

I am living in South Africa and bought a Grande Punto 1.3 Multijet in August 2006. The only problem I had thus far, was, as with most other owners, the knocking sound coming from the steering. Fiat SA replaced it under warranty and all is well now. Apart from that, I had no other complaints. The car is extremely comfortable, entry and exit very easy, and off course the looks just do it for me (mine is Montreal Blue) My fuel consumption is 16,6 km/litre (46,67 m/g) on awerage, but is getting better every time I fill up. I'm driving very hard so I do not expect to get the 60 m/g you guys are talking about.

Well done to Fiat for an excellent little car.

24th May 2007, 10:42

Unfortunately I too have been bitterly disappointed with my GP 130 multijet sporting.

It has required a new steering rack, a new driveshaft, a new gearbox, a new door lock mechanism, attention to the brakes, the tailgate fills up with rainwater and Fiat refuse to do anything about it (this is surely going to bite them savagely with corrosion warranty costs in a few years), the "special" paint is wafer thin and the bonnet is peppered with chips through to the bare metal. The engine is sluggish, the turbo whistles noisily, the aircon barely works. There are many many other faults still not investigated yet, economy is appalling, the best case mpg has been 39 and the average over my 2000 miles of ownership less than 34 (accurately measured).

In less than 3 months of ownership it has spent nearly 3 weeks at the garage.

Fortunately my dealer has behaved superbly, accepted my rejection and given me a full refund.

First and last Fiat for me, anyone in my family, and anyone who cares to listen to my story.

Back to German engineering for me. Such a shame, it could have been a wonderful characterful car if it hadn't been put together so shoddily.

6th Jul 2007, 10:56

Hello to all

I purchased a Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Active Sport 26 Jan 07 as a birthday present for myself.

I bought this vehicle thinking I would be getting a good vehicle, after the problems with my X Box Stilo, ie shockers recall.

I appear to have the same problems as others here. Firstly the door lock on the drivers side is u/s.And was replaced today 06 July 07.The ironic thing is I was told by the engineer quote."it's a new lock, but might be the same as the other lock and will go faulty in about Three months"unquote.

The seat belt light is also faulty and the fear fog light is faulty to be fixed when the garage has the parts so I am told.

The service I have received is total rubbish and this a major dealer.

I am now in the process of contacting Fiat UK.

22nd Jul 2007, 16:13

I bought a Dynamic 90 6 speed (diesel) in March 2007 and consider that it is a vast improvement over the previous model.

This car is a beautiful, elegant shape. The black and beige interior is tasteful. The engine has plenty of torque, it is extremely quiet (nearly 70mph at 2000rpm) and very economical. The ride is a little firm, but the seats are especially comfortable on long journeys. The stereo is simply fantastic. My only criticism is that there is little storage space.

Unfortunately my car developed knocking noises from the near-side front. My local dealer replaced the anti-roll bar, but it made no difference! Upon subsequently jacking up the car I discovered play in the nsf steering tie-rod ball-joint inside the steering rack. After half-an-hour at another Fiat dealership (who were extremely patient), including one inspection and two test drives, I had to enter their workshop and demonstrate the problem to the mechanic who agreed with me.

I wrote to Fiat, a steering rack was rapidly supplied and fitted and the play is now gone. However, I am now convinced that the car is noisier over bumps than it was before. I think that the preload on the steering tie-rod ball-joints is low and that a large bump causes compression of the spring and movement in the joint. Maybe I am paranoid, but this has spoilt my Grande Punto experience! I would be interested to hear the views of other owners.

2nd Aug 2007, 17:12

I bought my 1.3 multijet 90bhp GP today. It's 6 months since it was registered with 4k on the clock.

I'm in love with it, I knew I would be, but... yes there's always a but, I think it loves me too cos it wouldn't let me out. I'd read about the problem before I bought it, and I've seen that you guys have also noted the problem; the drivers door won't open from the inside. I feel like I'm a child again, having to run down the window to get out; oh well, I hope I can get it fixed without too much fuss, here's wishing!

Ooh and BTW, the turbo lag is a lot of fun, you're not going anywhere and then it's "88 miles per hour Marty" - "roads... where we're going, we don't need roads!!!" it's odd, but I drive like a granny most of the time anyway, and I've got 66mpg going on ATM:D.

27th Aug 2007, 15:50

I have a Fiat Grande Punto; 5 months old, only 5000 miles. Guess what? The gearbox has split in half. I was sent to main Fiat dealer last week, only to be told by Fiat uk they were not going to fix it. It has been over-revved. We will see if this car will be rejected. A warning; it could happen to you!

5th Oct 2007, 13:43

I got my new Fiat Grande Punto only 3 months ago; I have had no problems with it so far, until the other day when the driver's door would not open from the inside and won't shut right from the outside. I have to pull the handle inside, then shut the door.

7th Nov 2007, 23:21

I have a 130BHP Sporting Grande Punto which I bought in October 2006. I had it re-mapped after 3 weeks and it now turns out approx. 200BHP with around 320lb/ft of torque and gives endless pleasure in wiping the smiles off the faces of Scooby/Focus ST drivers. So I can't really complain that I get an average of 32.4 MPG. After all; 0-60 from 9.4 down to 6.6 secs. and top speed up from 124 to the clock stopping at 140! (on a closed track , of course).

The car had a new turbo under warranty, which was replaced during my 12-month service (still only done 9400 miles) because the old one whined quite noticeably. The dealer didn't quibble and all is now fine.

One thing which does bother me is there feels to be an intermittent vibration through the steering wheel and the O/S/F bangs violently if I hit a shallow. There is also a strange juddering under heavy acceleration- I know this could be the traction control, but I have a feeling the drive shafts may need looking at. Oh well, got to call the dealer anyway as I've been getting a 'check glow plugs' warning since yesterday.

Apart from the niggles the car is an absolute cracker and really does go as quick and handle as well as any of the petrol breathing hot-hatches for less than £20K. It'll be even better with the Carbon Dynamic Airbox, lowered Eilbach springs and imported Regazzon exhaust after xmas :-)...

Were diesels ever this good?!