Change to factory specs relating to a timing belt & service schedule.

[wturnbull]

Of course, in reality I don't think it's ever managed to stay away from a workshop for an entire 12 months...

Just WHAT are you doing to that poor car? 

My 156 JTS Wagon is my work car, and it is worked HARD! Loaded to the MAX, driven longer than average distances daily, yet I have never needed to do anything other than the usual servicing and consumable items such as brakes ect.

And it's a Selespeed to boot! (Gotta love em "Flappy Paddles")

At last a positive comment on Selespeed with its 'paddles'. On a six speed 2.2 jts 159, Selespeed gives so much more control over performance than manually. Many of course don't agree! Is it the case that Selespeeds were rarely sold in the UK?
p.s. Is Brisbane Alfa Romeo now an "independent dealership" ?

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[bazzbazz]

p.s. Is Brisbane Alfa Romeo now an "independent dealership" ?

Apparently so, but it all depends on who you ask . . . . god knows. 

[tiptoe]

Update. Despite FCA Australia insisting that our Giulietta QV should be serviced every 6 months, Swann Insurance has acknowledged that we only need service our vehicle every 12 months (per the Autodata schedule, which is the leading online go-to reference used by most auto mechanics in Australia).

It irritates me that FCA Australia neglected to inform us of the significant changes in the maintenance schedule, despite our car being within the 3-year factory warranty.

FCA Australia maintains that it is the responsibility of our Alfa Service Agent to advise us of any revised maintenance items. How arrogant! Truth is, there is absolutely no legal requirement to have our vehicle serviced by an official Alfa dealer to comply with the factory warranty. Plus, I object to FCA Australia presuming that I would elect not to take my vehicle to be serviced elsewhere.

[tiptoe]

Alfa Romeo is the car you buy with your 'emotions', because, if you used your brain, you would buy something else! LOL!

[Citroënbender]

Or - It's the car you buy second-hand when all the issues are caveat emptor, with a price to match. 

[Craig_m67]

FCA is next to useless

Can you post up an image of the email, or advice (letter, etc) from FCA that says the car needs 6 monthly services, thanks

Remove your contact details if you wish

[bazzbazz]

Well FCA need to update their owners manuals then, or at least read them themselves, as I just downloaded the Giuliattas Owners Manual for June 2019 and it states the following for oil changes -

1.75 Turbo petrol - "The actual interval for changing engine oil and replacing the engine oil filter depends on the vehicle usage
                              conditions and is signaled by the warning light or message in the instrument panel. In any cases, never exceed
                              1 year."

Now, as we all know, it is IMPOSSIBLE for every person owning an Alfa to have it serviced by an Alfa dealership who receive service updates, such as any owner outside of a capitol city. So the local service specialists HAVE to go by what is in the service schedule provided by Alfa with the car.

And really, just who the bloody hell does Alfa think would buy any fricken car, no matter what that only lasted 6 months between services. What a UTTER load of cr@p!

Like I have always said, "The problem with Alfa Romeo in Australia, IS Alfa Romeo Australia!"

The cars themselves are fine.

[tiptoe]

FCA is next to useless

Can you post up an image of the email, or advice (letter, etc) from FCA that says the car needs 6 monthly services, thanks

'Dear ...

Thank you for contacting FCA customer care in relation to the service schedule for your 2015 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio.

As per our phone conversation, please see the information you requested to be sent via email.

The service schedule emailed to you via .... is the most recent updated version released Nov 2017.
This was issued out to all dealerships in the Alfa network and is available to them via internal systems.

This service schedule should be referenced during each scheduled service.
It is the dealers (sic) responsibility to ensure your vehicle is serviced as per the service schedule, and they should be notifying customers of when their next service is due.

Please refer to your dealership to enquire if this will affect you extended warranty...'

[tiptoe]

According to Alfa Romeo Customer Assistance Centre, the new schedule for a timing belt replacement was a factory decision. Perhaps.

I requested that a confirmation email be sent to me about this, along with acknowledgment relating to another issue about the disgracefully outdated Uconnect Nav maps (don't get me started on this one).

I am extremely disappointed with Alfa Romeo Customer Assistance Centre. The fellow I spoke with was very unhelpful. He insisted that it was the service agent's responsibility to help me instead. Hellloooo? I tried explaining that there is now only one Alfa dealer left in Adelaide, and I did not purchase our new vehicle from that dealer. Nor should you presume that I would have my car maintained by an Alfa agent.

It was after this that I asked for a definitive answer about the timing belt issue from FCA Australia. A new schedule (per my previous post) was emailed to me to confirm the revised 3-yearly replacement interval – but it was by pure chance that my wife picked up on the new 6-monthly mechanical servicing requirement! Nobody advised us of this change, including the Alfa agent that has been servicing our car since new.

I continue to maintain that it is the responsibility of FCA Australia to have formerly notified all affected new vehicle owners of this significant amendment to the Alfa maintenance schedule.

[bazzbazz]

So it completely contradicts what they are still printing in there own owners manuals.

Please note item 37 on the list - Replace Fuel Filter every 60,000 km. 

[Craig_m67]

Cheers for the info

Thats a fairly simple excel spreadsheet.  I don't think that has been authorised by anybody in Italy/Alfa.  Are there any identifying marks, authorising notes etc from FCA?

Nobody in their right mind needs to change the oil and filter in a car every 6months.  And how the hell do you adjust the aux belt tensioner in a TBI ??


I have no time for FCA in Australia anymore, I've been dealing with them on and/off for 30years.  Consistently useless.  How the hell Alfa Italy chooses these people to ruin their brand is beyond me. 

I guess if they're not selling cars (again, there's no issue with the actual product) then they have to gouge people on servicing.

That's if you can find an actual dealer .. who ever is in charge of Alfa Australia needs to be fired, along with who ever is responsible within Alfa itself for distribution.  It's an absolute joke.

[wturnbull]

Cheers for the info

Thats a fairly simple excel spreadsheet.  I don't think that has been authorised by anybody in Italy/Alfa.  Are there any identifying marks, authorising notes etc from FCA?

Nobody in their right mind needs to change the oil and filter in a car every 6months.  And how the hell do you adjust the aux belt tensioner in a TBI ??


I have no time for FCA in Australia anymore, I've been dealing with them on and/off for 30years.  Consistently useless.  How the hell Alfa Italy chooses these people to ruin their brand is beyond me. 

I guess if they're not selling cars (again, there's no issue with the actual product) then they have to gouge people on servicing.

That's if you can find an actual dealer .. who ever is in charge of Alfa Australia needs to be fired, along with who ever is responsible within Alfa itself for distribution.  It's an absolute joke.

So Brisbane Alfa Romeo seems not to be an actual dealer. Fortunately for me and my 11 year ownership of a 159, I now have full confidence in Chris Lucas at CL Bodyworks, Bowen Hills, for advice after the debacle of being shunned by so called "dealers".
I now have confidence with 12 month services after getting all service items back in order.
***** A bit of good news from the U.S.   According to the recently released 2019 Trusted Automotive Brand Study (TABS) from AMCI, Tesla has fallen off its previously lofty perch in the study to land at third from the bottom, besting only Acura and BMW among luxury marques.  Alfa Romeo was the top-ranking luxury brand in this year's study, followed by Porsche, Genesis, Audi and Land Rover in the top five.

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[tiptoe]

Thats a fairly simple excel spreadsheet.  I don't think that has been authorised by anybody in Italy/Alfa.  Are there any identifying marks, authorising notes etc from FCA?

The spreadsheet was sent to me by FCA Australia as an attachment to an email. The email states that this is the '...recommended service schedule as provided by the manufacturer. As displayed in the below table on row 34, your timing belt is due for change every three years or 105,000km, whichever comes first. If you have not already had the timing belt changed, we would recommend to do so without delay.'

Well, my wife has just had the car serviced. With a mere 20k on the clock, we had the timing belt replaced. Total cost, was a little over $1600.00, including a $200 discount.

[Craig_m67]

Thats a fairly simple excel spreadsheet.  I don't think that has been authorised by anybody in Italy/Alfa.  Are there any identifying marks, authorising notes etc from FCA?

The spreadsheet was sent to me by FCA Australia as an attachment to an email. The email states that this is the '...recommended service schedule as provided by the manufacturer. As displayed in the below table on row 34, your timing belt is due for change every three years or 105,000km, whichever comes first. If you have not already had the timing belt changed, we would recommend to do so without delay.'

Well, my wife has just had the car serviced. With a mere 20k on the clock, we had the timing belt replaced. Total cost, was a little over $1600.00, including a $200 discount.

Sorry, don't get me wrong.  I am sure the info came from FCA (Australia), what I'm suggesting is nobody in their right mind in Italy (or the UK, EU, etc) would publish such a thing.. they be committing brand suicide suggesting their cars are so fragile they need an oil/filter change every 26 weeks.

It's just ridiculous.

I suggest you keep your QV for a very long time (or sell it to me if it's blue).. it's going to last for ages, they're perfectly reliable and capable cars when serviced (or over serviced).

Bazz will be along in a moment to tell you how much he'd have to increase his prices to charge you that for a cambelt change, even if you did everything (plugs, belts, idlers, tensioners, waterpump, engine mounts, etc..).  Possibly could have flown him to Adelaide and still been cheaper... and he's good company

[tiptoe]

Cheers Craig!