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Why is my diesel Fiat 500 suffering repeated engine failures?

I purchased a Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet 2 years ago. During that time the car has been in and out of the garage for diagnostics, reputedly due to engine management lights. It has regular servicing but no one at the garage where I purchased it from or where I had it serviced has ever mentioned the DPF. Six months ago the light came on for engine management failure. The garage informed me that it was down to faulty electrics, no problem.

On my drive back from Dublin the car went into limp mode. I had to call the AA to collect and drop the car at the garage. The DPF was removed and cleaned. Two weeks ago the car over revved so much I thought it was about to blow up there and then on the motorway. The car produced so much white smoke, it filled six lanes of the motorway. Smoke then began to fill my car. The AA again came to my rescue and refused to start it as no readings were showing on the diagnostics. My car is still with the garage and it is now looking like a full engine replacement will be needed. My car was registered in 2008, I would not have expected this for a car on which I spent £8500. How can I take this further? What do I do next? I'm so angry and frustrated with Fiat but can't afford to lose the car.

Asked on 26 January 2013 by GO, via email

Answered by Honest John
This was a problem with the 500 Multijet a few years ago but I had not heard of it since. Basically, because the DPF was blocked, the extra fuel injected to the engine to regenerate it instead sank to the sump, raising the sump level to the point where the engine ran on its sump oil and the only way to stop it would be to force stall it or cut off its air supply. Fiat Customer Services is well aware of the problem.
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