huff3r 347 Report post Posted April 27, 2012 So the GF has bought a new car, her own piece of Italy. It's a 1999 Fiat Punto 90 ELX with a 1.6l engine. Pics will be up soon once it arrives for anyone that may be interested, I just thought I might start a topic for any good or bad stories regarding the mighty little Punto. If anyone has any good advice for servicing and parts etc in Hamilton thatd be much appreciated also! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted April 27, 2012 Good points... Dunno Bad points... its a Fiat Seriously though, Maurice Thomson Motors in Te Awamutu - Fiat/Alfa specialists. Well regarded & been playing with these cars forever Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted April 28, 2012 Awesome, thanks she goes through Te Awamutu fairly regularly so that should be helpful. Yeah I know it's a FIAT, dodgy lazy italian car. But it was cheap, and she thinks it's cute. And its euro so I approve, at least it isn't another over-priced, unexciting, poorly built toyota corolla Plus it's "broken drivers window" appears to be fixed with no work involved haha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted April 28, 2012 Awesome, thanks she goes through Te Awamutu fairly regularly so that should be helpful. Yeah I know it's a FIAT, dodgy lazy italian car. But it was cheap, and she thinks it's cute. And its euro so I approve, at least it isn't another over-priced, unexciting, poorly built toyota corolla Plus it's "broken drivers window" appears to be fixed with no work involved haha. And so it begins, the breaking and fixing of itself.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted April 29, 2012 Haha I thought that was reserved for French cars. My window stops working, take door card off, blow on connectors, refit, working for another 6 months. Beats having to buy whole new regulators every 6 months like I had to do in my old E39. Good luck with the Punto Huff3r. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 5, 2012 Window is broken yet again... I'm thinking it is the regulator, bushes stuffed. Another thing, the temperature gauge never even makes 1/4 so I think it may need a thermostat, but not completely sure if there is anything else I should check etc. If anyone knows a bit about Fiats and can point me in the right direction that'd be great . Also on the hunt for a Haynes manual for it . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 14, 2012 More FIATness.... the "code" immobiliser system today decided it didnt want to recognise either of it's keys, leaving me stranded for 2 hours waiting for AA, and then the tow truck. I no longer like FIATs despite it's massive amount of grunt for a tiny car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 14, 2012 And to think I used to want one of these as a quirky little run around. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 14, 2012 And to think I used to want one of these as a quirky little run around. They are quirky thats for sure! Don't get me wrong, it's insanely fun and stupidly quick for a 1.6. It just has italian electrics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 14, 2012 A pity! I'd love one of those HGT 3 door versions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 Apparently coolant leaking onto ECU makes a $2k car worthless. GF is not happy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palazzo 477 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 Now that's a brilliant piece of design. My dad has an '01 Punto Sporting, about 4-5 years now. It has been 100% reliable. There must be a wreckers with an ECU, cheap? Not like there'd be much demand? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 (edited) Now that's a brilliant piece of design. My dad has an '01 Punto Sporting, about 4-5 years now. It has been 100% reliable. There must be a wreckers with an ECU, cheap? Not like there'd be much demand? Thats what I thought too, and a heater box since thats probably the culprit. But the mechanic was adamant it was now worthless.. Catch is... will any 1.6 punto ecu work? As it has an immobiliser system fitted from factory.. Edited May 15, 2012 by huff3r Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palazzo 477 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 Only a guess, but is it like a BM, so you need the key etc? I'd hit the yellow pages or google, if you can be bothered. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 Only a guess, but is it like a BM, so you need the key etc? I'd hit the yellow pages or google, if you can be bothered. Yeah it is, I've been trying to google but it's a mission. Hopefully the mechanic comes back and says well actually it is fixable and will cost this much... It seems the ECU can be "decoded" and then no more immobiliser, which would be awesome (who steals a punto anyway?!). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 If there is anything I know now about owning odd ball European cars is that taking them to your average mechanic is a huge mistake and often ends up costing more than taking it to a specialist in the fist place, so many of them are negative and get all defensive and hateful on the brands simply because working on them is above their skill set. Try contacting the Fiat Car Club of Hamilton, they have a page on Facebook and are a good bunch, I have attended a few of their events and they are good people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted May 15, 2012 If there is anything I know now about owning odd ball European cars is that taking them to your average mechanic is a huge mistake and often ends up costing more than taking it to a specialist in the fist place, so many of them are negative and get all defensive and hateful on the brands simply because working on them is above their skill set. Try contacting the Fiat Car Club of Hamilton, they have a page on Facebook and are a good bunch, I have attended a few of their events and they are good people. We took it to Carspot who are the FIAT authorised service agents in Hamilton. We later realised we probably shouldve gotten it taken to Te Awamutu to Maurice Thomson Motors, but a bit late now. Same way I'd rather take an old BMW to an independent specialist than to Jeff Grey etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Dwarf 136 Report post Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) We took it to Carspot who are the FIAT authorised service agents in Hamilton. We later realised we probably shouldve gotten it taken to Te Awamutu to Maurice Thomson Motors, but a bit late now. Same way I'd rather take an old BMW to an independent specialist than to Jeff Grey etc. Been playing with Italian cars now for about 20 years (hence the avatar) and the best piece of advice I can throw at you is find a good mechanic... Maurice is one of the best on these (a mate used to drive down from Auckland to get him to do work, and more recently had him build an engine for his Alfa and then shipped it to the UK to put into his car )... There are very few people who actually know what they're doing with all things Italian... Maurice in TA and Pete Reynolds at the Italian Job in Auckland both have a wealth of knowlege... I'd be surprised that one or the other can't come up with a solution... I'm going to see Pete this afternoon so I'll see what he says... Oh and by the way... you'll more than likely find that the electrics are Bosch! It's not just Magneti Marelli that should be called the "Prince of Darkness". Edited May 18, 2012 by Red Dwarf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UniformTurtle 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2012 Welcome to the club. My partner has a '99 Fiat Marea which is a very good little car but can be incredibly frustrating at times which something goes wrong I wish you the best. Its all worth it for a piece of Italy, well for a little while anyway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted June 20, 2012 Welcome to the club. My partner has a '99 Fiat Marea which is a very good little car but can be incredibly frustrating at times which something goes wrong I wish you the best. Its all worth it for a piece of Italy, well for a little while anyway A Fiat parked next to a BMW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
