Advice needed: Fucked Gearbox on Fiat Bravo (48k miles)

[Bubbs]

Hi all,

So I have a problem. My wife bought a car 6 months ago - a Fiat Bravo 1.9 multijet diesel. She bought it at 38k miles and it is now at 48k and the gearbox has gone. Took it to the local garage who have stripped it today thinking it was going to be the drive shaft, but once they got into it they phoned and told me it was the gearbox.

This car was bought through a loan at a used car dealership, it was bought to be used as a safe car for when our baby comes, and is good on fuel so would make a great family car.... now my pregnant wife is stuck, struggling to get to work etc. Just pretty fucked off!!

Anyhow, just wondering if you guys know if I have any options with getting Fiat to help?
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Pete.]

Wave money at them and help will be forthcoming in the shape of a new gearbox. Personally, I'd just find a used unit and have that fitted.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[syl]

Bought from a dealer six months ago you say - was it more than six months or less than six months? It's important as if less than six months, it is assumed faulty at purchase (unless the dealer can prove otherwise) and you have comeback on the dealer. If more, you have to prove it was faulty when purchased to have any comeback.

How old is the car (less than 36 months will get help from Fiat)?

Was the finance HP or a regular loan? Did you pay a deposit, and if so, was it with a credit card?

https://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/676408/oft1241.pdf

(Pages 32-34)
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Current bike: Kawasaki Z750S

[UnknownStuntm...]

Fix It Again, Tony!

[Rogerborg]

You've done 10K miles since buying it? The dealer is just going to laugh and put the phone down, regardless of which side of 6 months you fall.

I apologise for being frank, but you gambled on a cheap marque with a poor reputation, and lost.

If you're raging about the cost, how much more would you have had to pay up front for a Honda Civic?

So, again, sorry, but I'd either suck that one up, or depending on how old and cheap it was, just scrap or Gumtree it as spares/repair.
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[Bubbs]

Yeah that's what I feared. Fucking car!! Going to have to fork out for a new gearbox then I think. It's a 2008 model so outside the 36month thing. Car cost £4,500 so wasn't exactly cheap.. intended to go for a decent car and the wife really wanted the security of buying from a dealership (no matter how much I tried to convince her otherwise).

Well I'll chalk it up to another experience! Still can't believe the gear box has packed in.
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Rogerborg]

Sorry, chap, I think you're stuffed.

Might be worth asking the garage if this is a common issue, whether they'd recommend going for a salvage box, and whether they can source it for you. There are still a few decent outfits around who know their stuff.

Never let a woman buy a car or cook meat, hi Mumsnet.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[MattEMulsion]

Its a Fiat, its 6 years old, you have owned it for six months and put 10,000 miles on it in that time. You stand no real chance of a claim against the dealer as the gearbox has been fault free for those 10,000 miles.

If it was me I would be looking at a reconditioned/exchange box as getting one from a scrapper could easily be about to fail too. A recon box will at least have some kind of warranty with it.
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[syl]

[Raffles]

[Nb]

Just get the box reconned, our guy normally charges around 200-350 depending on the box. But why a bravo? Safe and reliable isnt what i'd call a multishit diesel.
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[MattEMulsion]

[andyscooter]

we had one go on our fiat bravo but it was a 2001 one

cost 700 quid to have a new box and then labour
the clutch went a week after buying it off a private sale with no warning
the lambda sensor snapped causing the car to breakdown as it ran crap without it
the cat then went faulty

got rid and bought a skoda fabia instead

learnt my lesson with that car never have another fiat again
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if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[lihp]

I actually know of a few Bravo's that have killed their gearboxes around that age.

[Bubbs]

I'm learning the lesson quite well - Fiat can fuck right off in the future. I knew they used to have a poor rep. but read up quite a bit and anything post 2007 was supposed to be a lot better.

Going to wait and see about the cost of this one but a new car may well be on the cards.
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[P.addy]

Jap or German are the only 2 car people I would trust with my £££

[Irn-Bru]

ex-bravo (51 plate) only here, they are shit cars The engine and gearbox were fine on my 1.2 petrol but everything else was crap, body was rotten mainly, failed MOT on a massive hole in the sub frame or something dodgy like that. Not a safe reliable car, and I'm fairly certain it only had a 2 star rating as well.

May as well go German like everyone else, although when they go wrong they cost an absolute fortune to fix. Mate's 2.0 tdi golf, new drive shaft seal and clutch after 50k, won't even say how much he paid to get it fixed. Other friend, 1.9 passat, clutch destroyed at 60k and he drives like James May
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[lihp]

I hate the thought of these new Turbo Diesels with Dual Mass Flywheels, they always seem to manage to destroy them, leaving quite a big repair bill.

I'd stay away from the diesels, get an economical petrol.

[Kickstart]

[RideLimousin]

I'm with Kickstart on this one, FIAT is above pretty much all of the German marques, including Mercedes, BMW, VW Porsche etc on the reliability index https://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer
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[angryjonny]

They don't get given the acronym Fix It Again Tomorrow for nothing.

German or Japanese. Everyone else on the planet makes junk. If you're on a budget go Japanese, they're generally half the price to fix.

[Clutchy]

4.5k on a used fiat!?
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[dodsi]

[lihp]

[JonB]

If it was repaired by Honda it will have been the latest clutch (coded 325) which was introduced on 2010 onwards models and is manufactured by LUK.
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