New 156 owner - Guidance needed

[gt_hill]

Hi All

I bought my 2004 156 JTS at an auction about a month ago (I can already hear the sharp intakes of breath).  But it was a steal and I had done the proper checks before bidding.  With the auction fees and getting it reregistered it only cost me a fraction over $3,000 to get it on the road.  It has done almost 150,000 and has a near full service history including belt changes at the right times.

The car runs fine but it does have a few niggles and now that this bargain isn't starting to look as good and my other half is starting to get unhappy about it.

First thing I noticed when I started it for the first time was the dreaded "Motor Control System Failure" light.  After some Googling I saw this wasn't a disaster but I took it to an Alfa specialist (Alfamotive in Sydney) for a service and to get this cleared up.  That cost me close to $600 but since then the warning light has stayed off.

Now I've got some other problems and I start to wonder whether my marriage can survive this car! 

The most important one is that I think the passenger side front shock has gone.  Any time I go over a little pothole I'm holding my breath and gripping on tight to the wheel as I prepare for the impact.  It's bad.  I've read some threads around the web about replacing the wishbones as it is a bit squeaky too.  I'm no mechanic and I don't have the facilities or tools to be doing this work.  This one will definitely be taken in to a mechanic.  So can anyone tell me how much this is likely to cost me?  Also if they replace one side, should they do the other side too?

Second, the climate control panel is a joke.  Mostly because it only knows one way, and that is up!  Even turning the dial down produces an increase in temperature and after going over a bump it jumps up to HI.  Thank god it's a cold winter at the moment.  After some Googling this looks like a common issue and one I should be able to sort myself.

Third, the previous owner put in an after-market radio/CD and I think they did a bad job.  I need to go through the wiring because only half of the speakers are working at the moment.  Again, something I should be able to sort.  If budget permits I might even buy an original and put it back because I don't like the look of the one that is there now.  Unless there is anyone out there who has replaced their radio as is looking to offload their original?  On eBay these are about $175 which seems pricey to me.

The car is not a lemon by any stretch.  But it was definitely not looked after properly by its previous owner and the log book shows that they did not get it serviced by Alfa specialists all of the time.  My issue now is that I can't afford to be spending huge amounts of cash on this car right now.  And I'm close to a point where if I have to spend much more then I'll have to sell it.  So I'm hoping that there is light at the end of this tunnel and that the members on this board can point me in the right direction.

[psproule]

Similar story to me. Bought a nice looking one at auction. All good for a while - having fun driving and pampering it. Then it spat #2 big end bearing and lunched the motor. Mine is in bits through the garage at the moment with a second hand motor about to be dropped in. I'm quite mechanical and love tinkering with mechanical things in our workshop but this one is wearing me a bit thin. They are sublime to drive and look stunning though!

My suggestion - if you are not mechanically inclined, or dont have deep pockets, then cut & run. The JTS when running is great but I have discovered they have quite a few foibles such as a huge thirst for oil (expensive synthetic oil), propensity to wear off cam lobes thanks to the direct injection, cam belt changes at short intervals, the squeaks in the suspension and a few other issues.

Good luck!

[Neil Choi]

Hey there mate, the light is at the end of the tunnel, since you made a saving from buying cheap at the auction, now take your savings and fix the Alfa up to the way and level you want it to be at.  Once you have caught up with all the maintenance, keep it up and the Alfa will look after you.  Budget on a good chunk of cash as it is an Alfa and not a Toyota Camry where you only have to put petrol in it but still looks crap.
The message here is you just don't own an Alfa, you have to love it.
Once you have it up to scratch, you will enjoy the Alfa and come back on here raving how wonderful the Alfa is.  I know you love the Alfa already so don't get too desponded.
The suspension problem you mentioned is not that bad, just replace the control arms and shocks and it will transform the car.  The climate control can be fixed, take it to a trusted Alfa mechanic or do some investigation yourself as you mentioned.  Put an original radio back in, it looks better. 
Oh, also watch the oil level, very important, weekly and carry some synthetic 10W60 with you all the time.
Anyway I have mentioned nothing that you don't know but other than to offer encouragement.  Welcome to the Alfa world, or more so, SUCKED IN.  Cheers.

[Mick A]

Second, the climate control panel is a joke.  Mostly because it only knows one way, and that is up!  Even turning the dial down produces an increase in temperature and after going over a bump it jumps up to HI.  Thank god it's a cold winter at the moment.  After some Googling this looks like a common issue and one I should be able to sort myself.

Use the passenger side temp control to adjust temp on both, once it gets to 25deg or something around there the drivers side will follow and you can actually adjust both doing it this way in a pinch.

[gt_hill]

Second, the climate control panel is a joke.  Mostly because it only knows one way, and that is up!  Even turning the dial down produces an increase in temperature and after going over a bump it jumps up to HI.  Thank god it's a cold winter at the moment.  After some Googling this looks like a common issue and one I should be able to sort myself.

Use the passenger side temp control to adjust temp on both, once it gets to 25deg or something around there the drivers side will follow and you can actually adjust both doing it this way in a pinch.

Thanks Choderboy
This is the only way I'm keeping it down at the moment.  But they never equalise - passenger side always lower than driver's side.  Hit a bump and they are both back up.  Something for me to tackle soon.....