A Cars forum. AutoBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AutoBanter forum » Auto makers » Alfa Romeo
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

New-style 156 opinions sought



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old July 23rd 05, 01:00 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default New-style 156 opinions sought

I've had an old style 156 for the last 3 1/2 years which has just given
up on me (a week after the 72,000 mile service, new brake discs & pads
and a new battery - typical!!). The bearings went and the garage want
=A33300 for a reconditioned engine. Seeing as the car is 5 years old
with 72,000 on the clock, so only worth around =A34500, it hardly seems
worth it. My head tells me to get something else (the cam belt also
went at 55,000 miles, but Alfa paid for the repair), but my heart says
otherwise - for the price there isn't anything else that appeals to me
in the same way the 156 does.

I've seen a decently priced 1 year old new-style 156 and I just wanted
to get any opinions on them. Are they any more reliable? Do they
still drink oil? By the way, I'm open to offers on the busted one - W
Reg, leather seats, telephone dial alloys. It's currently sitting in a
garage in Amersham; best offer so far is =A31000.

Thanks
Stuart

Ads
  #2  
Old July 23rd 05, 01:07 AM
Domestos
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


> wrote in message
oups.com...
I've had an old style 156 for the last 3 1/2 years which has just given
up on me (a week after the 72,000 mile service, new brake discs & pads
and a new battery - typical!!). The bearings went and the garage want
£3300 for a reconditioned engine.


Wheel Bearings???

Whats that go to do with a new engine?


  #3  
Old July 23rd 05, 09:04 AM
SteveH
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

> wrote:

> I've had an old style 156 for the last 3 1/2 years which has just given
> up on me (a week after the 72,000 mile service, new brake discs & pads
> and a new battery - typical!!). The bearings went and the garage want
> £3300 for a reconditioned engine. Seeing as the car is 5 years old
> with 72,000 on the clock, so only worth around £4500, it hardly seems
> worth it. My head tells me to get something else (the cam belt also
> went at 55,000 miles, but Alfa paid for the repair), but my heart says
> otherwise - for the price there isn't anything else that appeals to me
> in the same way the 156 does.
>
> I've seen a decently priced 1 year old new-style 156 and I just wanted
> to get any opinions on them. Are they any more reliable? Do they
> still drink oil? By the way, I'm open to offers on the busted one - W
> Reg, leather seats, telephone dial alloys. It's currently sitting in a
> garage in Amersham; best offer so far is £1000.


I don't think you're cut out for Alfa ownership to be honest. You
obviously don't know anything about looking after a 156 - the cambelt
should have been changed at 36,000 miles and if the 'bearings' have gone
in the engine - I'm assuming big end bearings here - then it's because
you haven't been checking the oil.

Perhaps a boringly reliable, zero maintenance German car is more your
thing.

--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Alfa 75 TSpark
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark Lusso - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
  #4  
Old July 23rd 05, 09:19 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I always had the car serviced at an Alfa main dealer and the service
schedule is a cam belt change at 72,000. It was never suggested to me
that it should be done earlier. It wasn't until it went and I started
reading up on it that I found that in other European countries they
were recommending 36,000. As for the oil, I checked it every 1000
miles; if it needs doing more frequently than that then perhaps you're
right.

  #5  
Old July 23rd 05, 11:22 AM
alfistagj
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

What 156 do you talk about.
Oil burners is only applicable to the first generation 2.0JTS engines.
All others engines have "normal" oil consumption easily maintained by
checking (topping up when needed) the oil level every 4-5 tankstops.
How reguraly did you check your oil level befor the service and how much oil
did you have to top up?
Was the oil consumption increasing or did it stay constant over time?
Bearings only fail when you run with low oil levels (the level is important,
but more importantly low level results in much higher oil temperatures and
high temp oils lubricate badly.
If all was "normal", in combination with the week earlier 72000 mile service
only one thing comes to mind: They messed up your car!!
What kind of oil was in the engine befor the service and what did they put
in? (different oil may result in a exploding oil consumption!!)
How much oil did they put in?
How much oil is in there now?
So how much did you use in 1 week?
Does the engine leak oil somewhere?
Did the put the filler cap and drain plug back in correctly?


> schreef in bericht
oups.com...
I've had an old style 156 for the last 3 1/2 years which has just given
up on me (a week after the 72,000 mile service, new brake discs & pads
and a new battery - typical!!). The bearings went and the garage want
£3300 for a reconditioned engine. Seeing as the car is 5 years old
with 72,000 on the clock, so only worth around £4500, it hardly seems
worth it. My head tells me to get something else (the cam belt also
went at 55,000 miles, but Alfa paid for the repair), but my heart says
otherwise - for the price there isn't anything else that appeals to me
in the same way the 156 does.

I've seen a decently priced 1 year old new-style 156 and I just wanted
to get any opinions on them. Are they any more reliable? Do they
still drink oil? By the way, I'm open to offers on the busted one - W
Reg, leather seats, telephone dial alloys. It's currently sitting in a
garage in Amersham; best offer so far is £1000.

Thanks
Stuart


  #7  
Old July 23rd 05, 02:11 PM
Max Reheat
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 12:22:53 +0200, "alfistagj"
> selected combat throttle and
flew into a dogfight with:

>Oil burners is only applicable to the first generation 2.0JTS engines.


Oil burners are diesel engines; the 2.0JTS is a petrol engine ;o).

The oil consumption of my 2.0 JTS has always been within specification
and has improved over 2 1/2 years since new.

>All others engines have "normal" oil consumption easily maintained by
>checking (topping up when needed) the oil level every 4-5 tankstops.


Oil check is every 300 miles. I use the tripmeter as a guide and the
trip computer for measuring trip (Alfa speak: mission) distances.

<Snip pertinent questions>

Perhaps the OP should contact his motoring organization (and/or
Trading Standards) for advice and perhaps an engineering inspection to
ensure that the service was properly conducted and not the cause of
the failure.

--
Max Reheat () - deselect Part Throttle Reheat to reply.

Alfa 156 2.0 JTS Selespeed Veloce
Lancia Dedra 1.8i.e.SE
  #8  
Old July 23rd 05, 11:29 PM
MarkK
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"alfistagj" > wrote in message
. ..
> If all was "normal", in combination with the week earlier 72000 mile

service
> only one thing comes to mind: They messed up your car!!


Good point. Could they have accidentally left engine flushing oil in there?

Mark


  #9  
Old July 25th 05, 06:30 PM
Gazza
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

there is a possibility that your bearing going were related to your cambelt
... the impact on the piston squeezes the oil in the bearing and it rubs. I
should know it happened to me. Cambelt went at 73K, big-end bearing at 81K.

What did I do? Had the engine rebuilt. The bottom end work including a crank
regrind, bearings, new oil pump and new piston rings was around £1500 ...
and now the car is better than new!! I took mine to an Alfa/Fiat specialist.
Took a few weeks (it went week before Christmas) but is was worth it. The
"new" engine uses less oil than new mainly done to the new piston rings.

OK you spend £1500 but you could make £3000 selling her straight away or
£1000 to someone that will spend the £1500 and have a good car for £2500.
You figure ......

Me: I'm keeping mine .... even though it's cost me around £3000 to get her
back on the road.

Gazza

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> I always had the car serviced at an Alfa main dealer and the service
> schedule is a cam belt change at 72,000. It was never suggested to me
> that it should be done earlier. It wasn't until it went and I started
> reading up on it that I found that in other European countries they
> were recommending 36,000. As for the oil, I checked it every 1000
> miles; if it needs doing more frequently than that then perhaps you're
> right.
>



 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Buying a new car -- looking for your learned opinions on my 3 finalists Ursula Driving 7 June 6th 05 03:57 PM
Opinions Wanted: 66 Exhaust Setup Scott Ford Mustang 2 March 11th 05 01:36 AM
Opinions Sought C4/C6 Joel Jacobs Corvette 10 February 1st 05 09:30 PM
Opinions of the 1988 735i ---Should I buy one?? Mark J. Amero BMW 7 November 20th 04 09:47 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AutoBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.