Punto goes putter putter putter putter...

SteveH ( snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Or diesel Mercs...

In message , Alhambra writes

I know what your saying, I was lucky enough today to catch it as it happened. The wife was in a very bad spot when it happened to her and personally I'm glad she managed to pull into a safe area rather than worry about the car.

I was in very slow moving traffic and glanced at the clock. The temperature gauge went from normal to over heater within seconds as I looked down. I think it's a feature of modern temperature gauges, judging by it's ability to maintain a perfect middle position (cold, medium and hot). My old Fiesta's gauges used to be all over the place, entertaining (and sometimes worrying) to watch but at least you knew what was going on (and left you willing the fan to come on).

Regards,

Tim

Thought that might be case, I've been told several times that they're never the same one done. I wonder how much it will knock off the part-ex value? The Parker's guide values it at £1,400 part-ex in good condition. It's got a nice scrape over a wheel arch and a blown HG. Probably about £500 then :D Maybe I should just dismantle all the new and working parts and flog them on e-bay ;)

Regards,

Tim

I have a 1991 VW Polo G40 with 161k on the clock - still running well, no reliability problems at all..... It's only major engine work was a new head gasket about 50k ago.

But FIAT are well known to be crap.

Alan.

I dunno, Volvo have got the hang of it, good engines that are easy enough to work on.

Hold on - you're having a go at a Punto that has needed a HG at 90k miles, but your 'reliable' Polo needed one at 110k miles?

What you're really saying is that the Punto is just as reliable as your VW, in reality.

I note you haven't told us how many supercharger rebuilds it has needed. Don't even think about claiming that it hasn't, because, at that age, it will have had at least a couple.

I have to say the T-reg Punto 1.2s I had last year was the most unreliable car I have *ever* owned (and I've had 63 at last count). I've had some real old s*it too. It was a one-owner, FSH car with 45k on the clock when I got it.

Mike

What a load of old bollocks.

Camshafts, even in Fiats, are made out of something a tad more heat resistant than an alloy head.

My Punto performed very well after it's headgasket was changed, so no worries there :-)

A Pity however that it blew the crankshaft oil seal a couple of weeks later and pissed oil everywhere :-(

Mike

(sighhhhhhhhhhhh)

I like to see a Fanboi in action, as much as anyone - but try to control those knee-jerk reactions or people will assume you suffer from St. Vitus Dance.

Try sitting calmly and do a search on the phenomenon.

Then you can come back and apologise before taking your excitable knees to dance in another thread. .

You see that's the annoying thing about it all. Over the last month every time I fix the damn thing up something else goes wrong:

- The crankshaft oil seal £135 (about 10k after doing the clutch as well). I actually thought this was the oil leak and not the head, as it was the only visible sign of oil.

- New shocks £100.

- Guys who did my shocks (bolts seized couldn't remove myself) left it with a damaged track rod end so another £72. Probably not his fault as the bolt had probably sized on, but annoying that he didn't tell me.

- Rear brakes were a warn so £80-100 (90k on them though).

- Plus the self adjuster was buggered on one side, another £30.

- A CV boot went so £20.

- A wiper arm went so £20.

- Transmission to Drive Shaft oil seal warn £10.

- Got out the the car the other day and the seat wouldn't move forward for access to the back. A wire had snapped, so bodged a fix.

- Oh yes and the windscreen wipers are now doing what the f**k they want when on intermittent. Including staying on when I turn them off.

Add to that a blown head gasket and what have you got? A Punto :D OK to be fair a lot of the above is standard ware n tare when you consider

Regards,

Tim

Really? But it's got a full detailed DIY bodgers service history as well. Surely that is makes it vastly more attractive for the average buyer ;)

A good project car for somebody perhaps?

I was fortunate to be looking at the dials just when it went and immediately stopped the engine. Interesting thing though, the radiator was cold. Cold water in pipe was nice and warm, warm water out pipe was luke warm at best. Considering that it was over heating, I would have thought that the radiator would have gone. Would that be thermostat or water pump? Fan was coming on though.

Regards,

Tim

Yeah tell me about it. Like I said I was planning on getting rid in a couple of months. I'm repairing the HG as I'm guessing there would be no part-ex value in a Punto without a HG.

Regards,

Tim