1st alfa owner & freaking out =)

[lolo888]

Hi All,

I'm glad to see there a healthy alfa community here in Aust =)
Just bought myself a second hand Alfa GT (JTS '05).

Alot of my friends are bagging me and scaring me of "reliability & fixing costs"...
but heck.. you only live once =) and i love the GT look... are my fears unfounded??? need some re-assurance here 

hopefully my new baby will be kind to me and our wallet..
first thing to do when i get her is major service with timing belt change...

on that note... i'm in sydney... any recommendations?
chat to you all soon =)

[twistybits]

Hey what do your friends know!
Whats the bet they drive run of the mill boring cars that hardly stir any emotion when they look back at them or from any on lookers.
The GT is one of the most beautiful modern cars on the road and for this reason I think you can look beyond a few QC issues.
It is also great buying on the second hand market 
Being based in Melbourne I can't recommend a Sydney Mechanic but this is obviously an important find for you in order to keep your beauty in tip top shape!
Happy driving.

[Evan Bottcher]

Welcome new Alfista!  Does it have a manual gearbox?

I don't really believe the 147/156/GT generation of Alfas were particularly unreliable on industry standards.  The advice I hear most often is to check the oil very regularly, keep it topped up, use high quality oil, and get the cam belts changed at the right service interval (60,000k / 3 years).  The selespeed system has it's own small raft of problems, but these are also starting to be well understood and more reasonable to fix when they go awry.

I think servicing costs can be relatively high (compared to toysubssan), so it is worth considering a well-reputed independant mechanic.

Have you considered joining the NSW chapter of the Alfa club?  You'll definitely get some advice on who to fix your car, where to get spares, as well as social events and track days if you're interested.  Check out http://www.alfaclubnsw.org.au.  On that page under General Information -> Businesses there's some information on club sponsors who you might talk to about servicing your car.

I can personally recommend (even though I'm in Victoria) Rob Panetta at Manning Motors in Brookvale (02) 9939 2069

[lolo888]

thanks all...
i haven't got the car yet, i hope to finalise the sale before the end of this week.
i had a sleepness night last night... as i was freaked out by some of the horror stories from this forum 

i can afford the servicing costs.... but BIG unexpected stuff is going to be a real test for my marriage 
i was told Max Oddi was a great place to go to aswell...

i'm a little tempted to pull out of the sale... but i'm so inlove with the car... feel like just closing my eyes and diving in the "deep end"...

[Evan Bottcher]

Hmm *scratches beard* if you're worried about what you read here in this forum, then perhaps you should reconsider.  Buying an Alfa is very rarely the sensible and conservative choice. 

[lolo888]

i agree... it's not the very sensible and conservative thing to do...
but i guess that's what LOVE does... i'm in love with the GT 

i'm just venting out my fears... but i'm up for it!
realised i didn't get to answer you're question... it's a selespeed transmission...
timing belt etc was done by previous owner around 62,000... BUT... since then it's been almost 3 years and he's only added 17,000km...
i'm thinking whether changing it already as part of the 80,000km service...
i'll get the alfa mechanic experts to guide me on that..

[Evan Bottcher]

Yes seek advice from an expert - however I see a lot of cars in my nearest workshop with bent valves because of stripped belts.  The belts look good on the outside but the teeth on the inside start to crack up due to ... weather? temperature?  certainly a lot of these cars have < 60,000km since belt change, but more than 3 years.  I'd change the belts, it makes good economic sense.

[Craig C]

I agree with all of the comments above on belts and oil. In particular check oil weekly and the timing on the belts is 3 years or 60,000k whichever comes first.  My JTS engine has over 200,000kms on it and has had no dramas, just routine serviciing and changing spark plugs and the odd coil when required.  It uses a bit of oil but has done since new and as warned of in the owners manual.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

You'll definitely need to do the belts if it's been 3 years.  Negotiate $1000 off the price, or make sure they get done before you buy.

[colcol]

Most important on 932 series is the correct oil, JTS, 10-60 Fully Synthetic racing oil, oil filter change every second oil change, cam and balance shaft belt and the 3 tensioners change every 50k or 3 years whichever comes first, after numerous engine failures when the 932 series was released in 98 Alfa changed it from 60k- 4years, some old literature still has the old service intervals, check the oil level every week, between full and low on dipstick is only 1 litre, if it is low and oil light comes up, you have most likely run a bearing, look after your Alfa and it wiil look after you, Colin.

[lolo888]

thanks all...
big day today.. i'm picking up the car and dropping it off straight to the alfa mechanic to do an early 80,000km service and get opinion whether the timing belt needs to be changed now or in a few more months time...

the car needs ALOT of tender love and care... will post some pics up once it's been fixed up a bit =)

[lolo888]

**UPDATE**
I am now officially an ALFA OWNER 
Have paid for the car... now in the workshop for a much needed service and can't wait to have her back early next week 

Let the great adventure begin 

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Congrats on the sexy car.
Don't sweat too much over the reliability.  Apart from Selespeed, modern Alfas tend to be as reliable as the majority of other modern cars.  It's not that they don't go wrong.  It's just that not all of them go wrong (like any other brand of car).  Not that they haven't been a bit rubbish over the years.  They have.
I have now owned my 159 for 3 years and can only complain about paint which is subject to chipping.  Once again, this isn't an Alfa only problem.
Alfas have a reputation issue which won't go away.  Especially in Australia.  The funny thing is the folks who keep this reputation alive, have more often than not, never owned an Alfa.  It's the 'pub expect' syndrome.
I keep hearing how unreliable the VW Golf has been and continues to be.  However, the reputation of the Golf is rock solid. Makes me think it's probably down to how VW and its dealers manage the client experience.  It's like when a BMW goes in for service and certain problems are sorted out without the owner's knowledge.  After all, if the client does not know there was a problem, then did it ever exist.
It's a bit like that old saying; "If a man speaks in a forest and there isn't a woman present to hear him, is he still wrong?"
I am going to be in trouble again over that one.
Good luck with the GT.  Awesome looking car.

[wankski]

agree entirely...

the only thing 'wrong' with mine is ABS and lambda sensor... both bosch parts found in VAG bimmer and merc cars...

big diff at least w/ lambda - bosch and bimmer spec replacement for all at 60k kms... alfa doesn;t.... so maybe at 100k like mineu get a failure and alfa is 'bad', but then again at 60k you paid around 2k for a bimmer service...

[MD]

Hmm *scratches beard* if you're worried about what you read here in this forum, then perhaps you should reconsider.  Buying an Alfa is very rarely the sensible and conservative choice.

I cannot say that I have ever seen it better expressed.