I have two fiat palio Eds. Which I am repairing my self; I have decided to repair were I can. I am obviously not a mechanic I would not sell them because of the thousands of rands I have been RIPPED BY NISSAN /FIAT t during past five year service. I think I would loose.

My car had been stolen in 2003 and needed a new car so I bought a new fiat palio at Charter fiat NORTH CLIFF.

It was recommended that the car be fixed at springs where I stay. We do not t expect a car to be perfect but the after service was very TTERRIBLE from the beginning.

First week speedometer failed- It was fixed. The problem started when the car was due for service – the first at about 15 0000 KM- which I think is just basic oil filter.

I have never taken my fiat to any FIAT/NISSAN dealer and got service first time- any fiat garage I have been – I am talking about normal service of a brand new car under warranty!

I do not know where to start - I will end up writing a book. I ended up taking this thing personal –I am a black South African.

After reading Statistics about the RETURNS late last year in the news papers and some car magazine I began to see I am probably not alone. Fiat was number 2 from the last, mostly last.

I will state my last service with fiat march 2006 and one before. I have spent thousands of rands on the phone phoning both the branch and the head office.

Since fiat claim to record their phone calls. I have got evidence and proof of my approach as I spoke to them: I still have most of the Invoices.

Before the date indicated above my car overheated and blew the head two days OUT OF BOKSBURG INTERCITY service. They had suggested I pay R7000-which I did because for full service and other things that had seen needed attention their normal 64 000 km service is bout 1 thousand some thing.

I slept on the road because the car failed while I was coming from a client at Middleburg. They demanded R2000, after I phoned the head office they apologized and promised to check what went wrong. Every time I phone the service manager will say they will call me. Having had seen how Nissan/fiat works I would pass there every morning. The service manager would say your car is been attended to strangely my car was lying outside. Since I had two keys I would pass to the car and check before seeing this service manager-but he will still lie that one of their technician is fixing the car.

As I was waiting that day, that day one technician drove out with the customer car hitting a boom gate! I was shocked!i also asked fiat about leaving our cars there!

After I think two weeks with fiat head office intervention I got my car .The excuse was the delay from ENGINEERING. The initially proposed R 2000.00 appeared on my invoice with new parts mentioned-I paid. I do not know what I paid for. R9000 in two weeks!

I phoned fiat head office they expressed their surprise and promised that they call me back after hearing the dealer’s side of the story. That really surprised me –I even suggested that lets us all sit and discuss the problem ‘no we will call you back was the dismissive ton’.

The head office dissappeared as ussual. Only to be phoned by the after service guys. I related the story again, They also expressed their surprise and the guy also promised to enquirer and takes this matter up with the INTERCITY BOKSBURG immediately. He will phone me back. He Never Called.

This Year This Car was settled after -WORSE 5years was

The borksburg intercity fiat branch also closed last year leaving nissan there, but fiat moved to east rand mall

They claimed they have reshuffled and were now offering BETTER SERVICE. My car had failed an injector- which could have been broken from previous service.

I booked at the newly EAST RAND MALL FIAT the service seemed ok. Well I did not expect any problems. The money charge did not correspond. There injector failure is indicated inside by red light and normally power loss. These two things were not there as I took the car from fiat EASTRAND MALL. A wee Later I was driving on N3, the car lost power and light showed. As I stopped it disappeared. I noticed the problem was intermitted-something was loose.

The new inserted injector was loose –the ring cannot fall by itself-that means it was not lost during service and i was not told.

I phoned fiat as ussual. They said they don’t sell the clips the clips come from factorty. Once is lost it is lost! Well……….

My next service was at fourways close to were i work. The manager there was fast talking type.claiming the problems that i had where there because i ‘been using wrong garages.

He meant all Fiat approved dealers were wrong but his. This was a normal 18 000 or 20000 service That I had booked the car for. Fiat garages don’t even agree on the mileage after which you have to service your car.

Well, these guys were fast.I got the car at the promised time. I t was cleaned and nice.

I WAS STILL VERY SKEPTICAL. The next morning I did periodic water oil check in before I Go to work. THERE WAS OIL ALL OVER THE TOP. What scared me was that this was supposed to be a normal service. I wondered what happened.

When I reached (80 kM from where) FOUR WAYS the manager laughed ‘It’s a small thing We will Fix it for you. He asked one guy to come. I came to look also. The TOP seal had not been put back one side!

Since fiat always claimed i was the only one not happy i bgan to feel it’s a racist thing!

I had asked this garage to replacce the injector clip lost by the east rand fiat garage.

They removed the injector from the far side of the endine to clip the one i could see.

The one that they removed was next to the alternate and the car would not go even 500m before losing power. As I stopped on the freeway I saw this. I phoned head office they kept quite. Till today my injector clip is missing.

I do not know whether to continue this email has gotten this long. My worst case was kempton park fiat.

I need advice whether there is still something i can do. Because i phoned fiat each time after the service.