ALFA reliability - are the doomsayers right??

[patrick]

I will probably be very unpopular for posting this. And I hope I'm wrong. Here's the sad story...you be the judge
I posted a month or so ago regarding a broken timing belt. To cut a long story short, not replaced on time as non specialist mechanic missed it. Lots of damage, end result $5K poorer. Alfa back on road....Or so I thought!
Having learnt my lesson, had it repaired by the dealer mechanic. One month later (which is today) broken down on victoria road in peak hour. Being towed for the 2nd time in a month.
Dealer verdict - hydraulic fluid flushed out, clutch pedal stopped working. Gearbox will have to be removed to repair. If clutch is worn, he recommends that be replaced too. Estimate $2000. Just one of those things apparently.
Its a 2003 147 Tspark with 75k's on the clock. Only owned it 9 months. Paid $16K for it, repair costs now approaching 50% of the purchase price.
I now dont even know if I should keep it. Of course I am getting lots of "told you so's" by gleeful work colleagues which isnt helping! The recommendation is to buy myself a reliable japanese car instead. Something I dont want to do. But I dont want to keep breaking down either!!

[alfisti2]

hello,
who is servicing your car?

[patrick]

according to previous buyer records rick damelian in leichardt (i am in sydney) serviced it before i bought.

Then i had it serviced by independant mechanic (which is where the trouble started and timing belt missed - my fault i guess for not using specialist)

The timing belt repair and this current repair at McCarrolls Alfa at Artarmon

[shiny_car]

Max Oddi is an independent alfa specialist workshop, and come highly recommended by sydney people if you're in that area.

timing belt is an oversight, and you unfortunately were the bunny to wear the pain (as opposed to the previous owner who was lucky in retrospect).

clutch is surely unrelated to the recent repairs. hopefully it's as simple as a slave cylinder that is faulty, and relatively easy and cheap to replace. if so, then you could probably leave the clutch for another time.

if you think you're having a hard time with the alfa dealer, then i recommend seeing Max for future work. a lot of alfisti go there that i know about. he is not the cheapest of the indies, but he is quality from all reports.

[lombardi]

I know exactly where youre coming from about people knocking alfa,mate i have had alfas all my life,and all my life i have been ridiculed by all my family members and friends and whoever else,but u know what,i am glad.lets keep our segret to ourselves,i wouldnt want everyone to drive alfas,i am an individual that appreciates perfomance and quality,alfas are numero uno without a doubt,true pleasure in ownership,let them eat sushi.ciao

[MD]

There is a quiet irony happening amongst mechanics. The complexity or work is getting greater and the responsibilites as well. Increasingly their training is getting streamlined to produce efficiencies for the dealership but at the loss of work diversity (and hence experience gained)for the apprentice. Gone are the days when your mechanic/fitter & turner made you the part if it wasn't available off the shelf. People who could not only bolt something together but diagnose the problem as well and it wasn't just limited to one aspect of the car either.

Yes we expect a lot from our mechanics and yet we pay them almost the lowest basic wage. Why is it that in the building trade, plumbers and electricians who are by no means more intelligent than mechanics get considerably more pay? It's a crime. So combined with crap pay and piss poor training where are we heading to folks? More goof ups on belts I fear and a lot more variations on the theme.

I sympathise with you Patric but I wouldn't necessarily blame it on the car nor are any us immune from more stuff ups in the future. I have lost count of the thousands I have wasted getting work done to specs prescribed by so called experts only to find that the outcome turns to sheit.
Sorry about the pessimism but it my experience that this is a primary reason why Alfa onwers usually want to be more involved with their cars than just drive them. Through frustration, they are teaching themselves to fix basic things to prevent getting ripped off and get the job done right. In doing so, their enthusiasm just gets deeper.

..Cripes enough of the waffle already... you get the idea. Direct answer to the question. In a lifetime of motoring, I have never been left stranded on the roadside whislt driving an Alfa.

[shane wescott]

Also been copping brunt for owning alfa's for years.

The way I handle it now is accept it and embrace it - the cars have character, so accept it. Join RACV to save you when you do have a breakdown.

My experience with "new" alfas has been very positive - I owned a 99 GTV, had a leak in power steering caused by a bump on a gutter, and a dead clutch after 6 years - not a bad run IMHO.

My current ride the 86 GTV6 is all about Karma - treat it nice, talk to it, give it some fun (take it to Bathurst), dont spend too much time in the city, and it loves me :-)  1800klms to Orange/Bathurst and back with out an issue. My mates joked I should ring the Guinness book of records, but my skin is pretty thick.

But if i give it too many rides into the city, it starts to play up and i dont blame it.

It all about cars you love with personality.

So i hope you find a good mechanic, use others recommendations and you should be right, but if you are going to count every penny you spend on an Alfa, and forget about the joy of driving it, maybe you do need to buy a Toyota :-(

Catch ya

Shane

[alfisti2]

Max Oddi is an independent alfa specialist workshop, and come highly recommended by sydney people if you're in that area.

timing belt is an oversight, and you unfortunately were the bunny to wear the pain (as opposed to the previous owner who was lucky in retrospect).

clutch is surely unrelated to the recent repairs. hopefully it's as simple as a slave cylinder that is faulty, and relatively easy and cheap to replace. if so, then you could probably leave the clutch for another time.

if you think you're having a hard time with the alfa dealer, then i recommend seeing Max for future work. a lot of alfisti go there that i know about. he is not the cheapest of the indies, but he is quality from all reports.

what shiny said.
from the posts i have read on ausalfa.com, customers seem extremely happy with max oddi's workmanship.

[patrick]

Hi everyone
Well thanks for all the thoughts.  guess I just had a moment of weakness. Picked the car up from the mechanic and it seems to be running better than ever.
I will keep the recommendation to max in reserve for the future. As far as i can tell the dealer mechanic does seem to know his stuff and he is certainly enthusiastic about alfas as you would expect (said 7 family members drive them!)
So for the moment I will see how things go. I think I went into this a bit naive, and not getting the car inspected by a specialist was my first mistake.
After years of driving an 89 celica (with over 300k's on the clock by the time i had finished with it) driving an alfa for the first time was exciting to say the least and 9 months later I think I am still learning to drive it properly!

[1750GT]

I agree with Shane. If you can't embrace it and think it's bad carma then your going to send yourself nuts thinking about it. Do what most do, have your "reliable" car (there are quite a few reliable Toyota's out there for under 5K) and then your beast, the Alfa. As you have intimated Patrick, the Alfa floats your boat and thats what it's all about.

When those twisties arive and the beast is on song theres nothing more enjoyable, try that with the Toyota? When I was alot younger I had a fully optioned ford escort RS2000 in burnt orange with full body kit and it was a lovely except when I had to have the cams serviced or the brake master cylinder went or the brakes needed a work over etc. etc., but! I still regrett ever getting rid of it because it put a smile on your dial, a similar story with the 2lt Alfa Guillia I owned. I also owned a ford XB 302 S pack and whilst it was a great car I am not as sorry that I moved on with that one, just not as involving except in a straight line at the lights.

I now own a 105 17 fidy which wasn't quite kept up to scratch (mostly the problem with Alfa's and with the 105 it's had more time to be abused) but with some patience and a bit of the hard earned (actually quite a bit of the hard earned) over time it's now getting to the point where it's enjoyable and reliable.

Keep the faith Patrick and you will be rewarded and! above all given yours is a newer one know when to give in and trade it for another one thats had all the right care! You know, it's better to get an older Alfa "lovely" thats been cared for than a newer "ugly" and that is not always reserved for Alfa's these days with the amount of gadgets and electronics to go wrong. Thats what I like about the 17 fidy its simple, I can work on it when I have the time and problems are usually easy to diagnose when you get to know the car.

1750GT

[patrick]

Hi everyone
sorry to report I am offroad again. I made it about 2 weeks this time I think. Last night something went with the gear stick. I'm not an expert but its as if the gear options suddenly werent there, or the stick was disconnected from the gears. Towed to the alfa mechanic again. I think thats 3 times in 3 months, a new record for me. Hope this isnt expensive; the wife will absolutely kick my ass if i whack another 4 figure bill on the credit card!

[MD]

the wife will absolutely kick my ass

Patrick, in times like these you gotta plan ahead and be devious : Stuff a pillow down the back of your shorts. 

[patrick]

i got an update. The mechanic says the gear lever box snapped and needs replacing. he says its located underneath the car and so is completely unrelated to the previous work done (therefore not covered under warranty )
Does that sound right to you guys
I wonder if the previous owner really thrashed this car and/or didnt get it serviced properly
should i persist now that I have spent so much $ or give up and buy something else

[franck]

mate you must be the unluckiest person in the world, but there is a saying and that is "you make your luck"... on personal experience, maybe i have had luck or i made it, the stock of cars ive owned ranged from 1st a 124sport 69 to the latest gtv6 85 in between there have been 5 more alfas, of various models, and not one from new but all with over 100k when purchased, and i have never had such problems, however: timing belt, if there is no record of replacement at right time, then replace it, service: if there is no record of the right service at the right time, then get it done, alfaromeos are a quality motor car with a distinctive race heritage, but a lot of people think the can drive these cars as they would a truck, and thats where the problem is, they need attention, patience, and love and care and the only way to achieve that is that you have to have passion! just like a beautiful woman!
So my friend before you lose a wheel, get the car checked from top to bottom, and do your homework with the books you have on the history of your car,  as far as dealer mechanics are concerned i wouldnt use one not because there no good but its not personalized, one day its tom, next day its dick or harry!. ive used the same specialist for the last 30years, and guess what... no surprise break downs ever!