Typical unreliable Alfa

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

I should have listened to that knowledgeable Holden driver in the pub.
My Alfa 159ti 3.2 ran faultlessly for the 3 years it was under warranty.  In January the warranty expired and look what happened today.

Unbelievable.  I had to replace a globe!!!!
“Those Alfas.  Full of electrical problems they are”, he said.
Next thing you know, it will rust and fall apart (like he said).
Dammit

[Evan Bottcher]

That's sh*thouse.  It's probably the cheap russian steel used in the globe elements.

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Yeah.  Crap cheap Russian steel.  Those globes are full of it.  I hate FIAT and what they have done to Alfa Romeo.
You know what else?  You know that plastic they use for the interior?  Guess what they made it out of.  Plastic!!!  I know, I know. Unbelievable.
It would never happen with a BMW.

[Evan Bottcher]

And the stone chips on the front of your car, Marco - don't forget those.  Never got no stone chips on the proper pre-FIAT Alfa Romeos - back when they knew how to paint a car.

[alfagtv58]

The really incredible thing about that is that is was 21 degrees at 6pm in April in Melbourne.

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Abso-friggin-lutely.  Unheard of in the good old days.  I bet you a BMW don’t get no stone chips.
What about premature wear on the inner edges of the tyres.  Ask a BMW owner about that and he wouldn’t have a clue what you were on about.
The old ones never wore down a set of tyres.
Brakes!!!  They wear down on the new ones with use.  The old ones never did that.  Mind you, they didn’t stop as well either.
I say screw progress.  Who needs it?

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

The really incredible thing about that is that is was 21 degrees at 6pm in April in Melbourne.

Except, it was probably only 20.5 degrees.  Those pesky electrics again at play.

[Brad M]

Unbelievable.  I had to replace a globe!!!!

I bet you had the left one replaced

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

 
Granted, my mechanical aptitude may be described as ‘crap’ but I am not that crap.
I work in IT so I must be intelligent and stuff.
Things go from bad to worse with this car.  It consumed fuel today!!  Are we allowed to say ‘fuck’ on this forum?

[Evan Bottcher]

Yeah these 159s are notorious for using fluids.  I keep having to top up the diesel in ours, not a lot mind - but it's still very disappointing.  There's no stains on the driveway or visible leaks, so I can only assume that it's being burnt in the engine.  Fiat/Alfa need to have a good hard look at themselves, how can they expect to meet their growth target without addressing quality control issues like this?

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

I told you it would happen.  I friggin told you and it did.  Just like I told you.  Shit.
 I hate Italy and pasta and Inter Milan and especially Alfa Romeos.  They suck big hairy ones.
Fortunately, Bruno and Giancarlo at Maranello Motors were able to work some form of black magic and get this wreck back on the road again.
As a BMW about worn brake pads.  “Unimaginable”, they would say.
Aaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh.

[aggie57]

And only 51000 kms - man these cars are lousy.  And talk about depreciate (oops....maybe we won't after the article in the Age on Saturday!)

[Davidm1750]

Hey I know what you mean about the reliability of these so called modern Alfas. I mean, mine needed to have some minor cosmetic surgery recently as a result of an errant rock leaping out and hitting the 156 on the side skirt, and slightly denting the cill, at my brother's home.

This sort of thing wouldn't have happened in the old days. No way !!  Damn they don't make metal and plastic as strong as it used to be. 

And so in the interim I have had to slum it by driving around in one of my brother's spare car (his collection is now well over 90, so he has a few spare), and a French car of all things.  A $2k banger, Peugot 406 manual, 3.0, 24v quad cam V6.  How can that sort of technology compare with the Alfas.  Sacre blu !

[Evan Bottcher]

I told you it would happen.  I friggin told you and it did.  Just like I told you.  Shit.

You should definitely get out of that car before the big bills start coming in.  I'll do you a favour, I'll take it off your hands for $5k.  I know I know that's more than the redbook value, but I like the shape and it's red.

Thankfully we can keep these shitboxes on the road due to the tireless efforts of true enthusiasts like Maranello Pur Sang, Monza Motors, Mauceri etc.  If they weren't constantly investigating and trialling radical new methods - like 'replacing brake pads' - we'd be in big trouble.

Just the other day I was surprised to observe that while driving on a dirt road that our 159 came back coated in a dusty grey-red substance, some kind of powder.  It's all over the car.  I'm sure this never happened when we had the Subaru.  Do you have any advice?

[Ray Pignataro]

Evan I found with my car that no sooner then it had run out of petrol it stopped.What next will I need to keep oil in the motor?