My Alfa has finally broke!!!!!!!!1

subterranean-alien

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All you Alfa haters were right!!

After 111k, 4yrs, run on false plates by a drug-dealer called Leroy in L'pool for a few months and receiving general abuse form my goodself its finally broke. Its failed its MOT, a worn upper ball-joint
shock.gif.7732780fe7e208b945ce79ca96402fca.gif
. That dam alfa build quality! In four years its needed tyres, brake pads and a new upper ball-joint. Alfa, sort it out.

 

Jezzer

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Well, my Alfa's never failed their MOT's. They just stopped working...

 

IHaveNoNaim

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Well my alfas still plodding along (dodgy Tesco petrol notwithstanding - Grrrr).

Get a new Upper Ball joint whatever one of them is and get it thorugh the MOT, if after four years all its needed are brakes and tyres its not exactly the most unreliable set of wheels on the earth is it?

 

johnniebaby

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F*ck me, my 156 4 yrs old next month, needs a new power steering pump, a mere £280. Having said that it is the first problem with it. I think I have been very lucky. Maybe time to get rid.
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Miller-8

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johnniebaby wrote:

F*ck me, my 156 4 yrs old next month, needs a new power steering pump, a mere £280. Having said that it is the first problem with it. I think I have been very lucky. Maybe time to get rid.
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Must be due a cambelt change soon? Costly excersise.

 

johnniebaby

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Miller-8 wrote:

johnniebaby wrote:
F*ck me, my 156 4 yrs old next month, needs a new power steering pump, a mere £280. Having said that it is the first problem with it. I think I have been very lucky. Maybe time to get rid.
71_71.gif.90e48c720ca56a2d2fa0532dd3380cc7.gif
Must be due a cambelt change soon? Costly excersise.
It has only covered 32,000, I am just looking at swapping for a Seat Leon 2.0 140 TDI, anyone had any experience with Seat diesels?

 

Jezzer

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4 years and only 32K? No wonder you've had few problems with your Alfa.

 

peterh

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I have no experience with Seat diesels but I do have a Passat Tdi 130 which is the forerunner of the 140 engine in the Seat. My engine has been 100% reliable. It returns 47mpg overall and does better than that on motorways. My car has enough oomph for practical purposes and I imagine the 140 in a Leon would be fine (my car is the estate so will be heavier than the Leon). I have done 60k in 3.5 years and apart from routine servicing have had no trouble. Just had the cambelt changed and that was £300. While the garage was at it I had a new waterpump put in (£30). In order to change the cambelt a load of the bits under the bonnet need to come off including most of those needed to change the waterpump. I reckoned the law of sod would intervene shortly and the waterpump would go. Call it £30 of preventative maintenance. In any event the garage (who I trust) said there was a slight weep from the waterpump.

I would have no hesitation in getting a Seat with a 140 diesel. In fact I am looking for another car as a runabout and am really only looking at VAG products with diesels. The Leon is a bit big but a Fabia with a 1.9Tdi should be economical (60ish mpg) and reliable and fit the role nicely.

 

subterranean-alien

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Mine has done 111k now but Ive now got to find its replacement as the lease is up in a few weeks. The Cambelt was done at 60k and Ive no idea how much it cost, I just ring up the leasing company, its all included in the lease. They did fcku up the cambelt change by cross-threading the water pipe feeding the head. I got it back and 10 mins down the road the computer thingy told me to pull over quick!! I checked under the bonnet, no water. Didnt get an apology off them at all. The worst thing about Alfa is the customer service, it is truely horrific IME. They also cross-threaded a sump plug, left a screwdriver under the bonnet, damamged my wing, broke one of the rear number plate lights when they changed the bulb, never re-set the service indicator etc etc etc.

Ive looked at the Seat Altera 2.0TDi DSG for my next car and its in with a shout. Im buying this one and taking the cash equiv + mile allowance, I should be better off, but I need to go as low as poss to make more money!. Only problem is, the VW cars on our fleet have caused the most trouble, one Passat is never out of the dam garage.

I aslo had a Renault Laguna 2.0DCi Dynamthingy for the last 2 days and Ive got to say that Ive never ever liked a french car and would never think about getting one, BUT the Laguna was very nice indeed! As I do 30-35k a year I need something quiet & comfy.

 

peterh

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I know I am about to be shot down in flames, but look at the JD Power/ Topgear survey thing. Skoda got three of the top ten places. Given that Skoda only make 4 cars and one of them is just out that is no bad achievement. Effectively, Skoda's entire range is in the top 10. When my Passat is due for a renewal the Superb will be on the shortlist.

 

Jasper

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peterh wrote:

I know I am about to be shot down in flames, but look at the JD Power/ Topgear survey thing. Skoda got three of the top ten places. Given that Skoda only make 4 cars and one of them is just out that is no bad achievement. Effectively, Skoda's entire range is in the top 10. When my Passat is due for a renewal the Superb will be on the shortlist.
Maybe it's a question of perception though. Perhaps people don't expect too much of them and are therefore pleasantly surprised. The opposite effect is true of Mercs in the past. Ofcourse, French cars are just genuinely sh*te.
 

johnniebaby

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subterranean-alien wrote:

Mine has done 111k now but Ive now got to find its replacement as the lease is up in a few weeks. The Cambelt was done at 60k and Ive no idea how much it cost, I just ring up the leasing company, its all included in the lease. They did fcku up the cambelt change by cross-threading the water pipe feeding the head. I got it back and 10 mins down the road the computer thingy told me to pull over quick!! I checked under the bonnet, no water. Didnt get an apology off them at all. The worst thing about Alfa is the customer service, it is truely horrific IME. They also cross-threaded a sump plug, left a screwdriver under the bonnet, damamged my wing, broke one of the rear number plate lights when they changed the bulb, never re-set the service indicator etc etc etc. Ive looked at the Seat Altera 2.0TDi DSG for my next car and its in with a shout. Im buying this one and taking the cash equiv + mile allowance, I should be better off, but I need to go as low as poss to make more money!. Only problem is, the VW cars on our fleet have caused the most trouble, one Passat is never out of the dam garage.

I aslo had a Renault Laguna 2.0DCi Dynamthingy for the last 2 days and Ive got to say that Ive never ever liked a french car and would never think about getting one, BUT the Laguna was very nice indeed! As I do 30-35k a year I need something quiet & comfy.
Went for a test drive in a Leon today, a 140 TDI sport. Seemed very nice, powerful and very responsive, but a bit dull, v.plain interior. Also seemed huge, after the Alfa.

 

subterranean-alien

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I went for a longer drive in the Altea 2.0TDi DSG Sport this afternoon, I founf the engine to be quite rough but at least it was drowned out by the road noise. French maybe shite but I was very surprised by the Laguna. Mercs were crap, I should know, I sold plenty!

 

johnniebaby

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I am going to try an Ibiza 1.9 FR TDI 130 tomorrow. But I think I may take a look at 2nd hand BMW's, I really fancy an old shape 330 d se, 2004 ish.Seems so much more car for the money.

 

meninblack

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johnniebaby wrote:

It has only covered 32,000, I am just looking at swapping for a Seat Leon 2.0 140 TDI, anyone had any experience with Seat diesels?
I had one of these as a hire car recently. A bit frustrating to drive - just when you felt it was starting to come on song it ran out of revs and you had to change up. Also rough and noisy, with a shite interior.

Quick-ish in a straight line, but not much finesse IMO. I've also driven the Audi A4 version, which was pretty much identical (but more expensive.)

 

johnniebaby

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meninblack wrote:

johnniebaby wrote:
It has only covered 32,000, I am just looking at swapping for a Seat Leon 2.0 140 TDI, anyone had any experience with Seat diesels?
I had one of these as a hire car recently.  A bit frustrating to drive - just when you felt it was starting to come on song it ran out of revs and you had to change up.  Also rough and noisy, with a shite interior.

Quick-ish in a straight line, but not much finesse IMO.  I've also driven the Audi A4 version, which was pretty much identical (but more expensive.)
Hi MIB, thanks but we have totally opposed views on cars, especially diesels, I love em, you hate em.
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