Been trying to get my sister to have her car serviced, its never had anything done to it since she purchased it about 4 years ago.
Just checked under the bonnet and found the brake fluid bottle almost totally empty, she has just brought some DOT4 from Halfords, assume its the right stuff.
Anyway, I am trying to allow her to let me service it, any issues with oil filter access or the drain plug in Punto's? Do I need any fancy tools, we have star and hex bits..
Any discount OEM suppliers on the NET? I need to do coolant, oil, plugs, leads and air filter. Its very low milage but as I've said, never been touched.
Cheers,
James
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Dont touch it
If anything goes wrong afterwards it will be YOUR fault.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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i agree with tvm you will get all the blame,to be honest if its not been touched in 4 years then she wants reporting to vosa as the car could have any number of potentialy lethal faults and is a moving time bomb.
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\"a little man in a big world/\"
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She has a 3 year old daughter and has always believed servicing a waste of money. She always passes the MOT each time.
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Sorry to be a wet blanket, but I agree with the others
An excellent idea to change all fluids, and check brakes. However if anything goes wrong you are likely both to be blamed and expected to continue the repairs.
Give her the advice, and point her towards an independent
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Fair point, but there is no way she will pay anyone to have anything done. Makes me wonder why I bother paying out hundreds of pounds and anyone else for that matter. Her oil is like black tar, oh and its only been washed twice, one of those was by a bodyshop!
Because it still goes and passes MOTs (one of which she missed by around a month once) she does'nt see the need to have anything done.
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Oh, local indy wanted £120 for basic service!
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I've heard of people thinking garages are a waste of money, but never someone who thought any sort of maintenance was a waste of money !
However, the only likely thing that could have caused any lasting damage would be the engine oil. If this was kept topped-up however you may still be okay, assuming the car hasn't done much mileage.
If the engine still runs without any strange noises, you should be able to redeem the situation by doing an oil and filter change.
However, the brake fluid being this low is suspicious, and in my view may indicate a leak somewhere. The likely places for leaks are rear wheel cylinders, as I think on most Punto's they have rear drum brakes. I would investigate this first, as well as the state of all of the brake linings.
I dont know the Punto well, but I believe they are fairly simple to service without any major idiosyncracies.
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However, the brake fluid being this low is suspicious, and in my view may indicate a leak somewhere.
Doesn't the level go down anyway as discs/pads/shoes wear out?
Don't touch it with a bargepole. The engine will probably go for about 50,000+ miles before it fails an MoT, a friend drives a works diesel van which hasn't had anything done to it since new, 90,000 miles ago!
It's also not quite a lethal death-trap. Yes old fluid can rust the brake pipes out, but that didn't happen with my car in 13 years before I got it. Failing electrics and lack of power assistance when the engine stalls due to them are a bigger death-trap problem with modern cars.
Relax, she'll just have to learn the hard way!
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Mike Farrow
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I too can almost hear the inevitable, "It was fine until after you serviced it."
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Brake fluid will drop a bit as the pads wear down but not so much to almost empty the brake fluid reservoir.
If she does nothing else, then change the oil and have the brakes inspected.
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It always amazes me how ignorant people are, she has a 3 year old daughter, yet doesn't want to know if her car is safe!! I hope she doesn't drive down my street anytime soon, you should confiscate her keys until that brake fluid drop is investigated.
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best way to deal with this,is to say you dont think the car is fit for the road for reasons stated,and take the keys away. could be another prob in that not able to pay for any work done and doesnt like the idea of someone else paying.pride comes into it -but a line has to be drawn somewhere, carries on like that innocent people as well as themselves may be killed
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Steve
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People like this anger me,putting themselves,family and others at risk,smugly thinking the're beating the 'rip off garages'when,inevitably,the lack of maintenance will come back and bite her in the bank account.It is as well it gets MOT d now or she would no doubt be running it on bald tyres as well.
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I've an idea. This could get shot down and it's probably way over the top but I reckon it'd work.
Without her knowing - sabotage her car. Bear with me. Do something easy but that would disable or make the car run rough. A HT lead or something. Then offer to get it fixed for her. Say it just needed a good service, put the HT lead back and hey presto! She thinks the service fixed the car, is back to driving a car that actually has brake fluid in and everyone's happy!
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Report her to the police.
Driving an unserviced car with a 3 year old in, with no brake fluid in.
I can imagine some of your reactions if the word 'sister' wasn't in that post, and the hypocrisy is astounding.
How would you feel if this complete prat of a woman was giving someone you know a lift?
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Someday this car will be on a used car lot, with one previous lady owner and low mileage. Offered at a premium price. Very sorry but the service book has been lost!!!!!
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^^Very sorry but the service book has been lost!!!!!
I'm sure that they will find a fully stamped service book for it!!!
I wonder how many more cars are out there like this one.
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Makes you wonder how often this sort of thing happens - some ignoramus buys a "budget" car brand new on the never-never, never even bothers to pop the bonnet unless the windscreen wash runs out, then 4 or 5 years later trades it in and the car ends up with the bunting brigade with nothing more than a wash down and the inevitable "one owner" banner
How would you know for sure??
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You should have seen the tyres on her old car before they were replaced, outside was all "crumble". I can tell her till I'm blue in the face, ever since she has had a car I've been telling her!
Good suggestion on a HT lead "missing", might suggest that to her other half!
I'm still willing to service the car but insist on her taking it to a garage for a brake check. Are brake cylinders known to be "leaky" on the Punto? I had that problem in my old Mk5 Escort a few years ago, found the handbrake stopped working!
Its a real shame cos if she asked me, I'd valet it and check it over every week but at the moment if she were to get anything done its for the wrong reasons. I am not a mechanic by trade so would 'nt trust myself with brakes but our friendly indie would no doubt take the wheels off for a check. Might suggest that as a starter! if they do find anything, I'll pay for it.
I had a mini panic when I noticed my brake fluid had dropped by about 5mm on my new Mazda so you can imagine my disbelieve when I found hers almost empty, I had to wipe the dirt away before I could even try to look. I'm very critical with stuff like that, I wish she was, makes it more difficult for me.
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There was a problem some years back with brake pipes corroding on the Mk1 Punto, but I think they recalled the cars - surely that particular gremlin's been cured for the Mk2
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I think some of the replies here, like report her the Police, or to VOSA, are slightly unrealistic. Imagine the family strife for reporting your own sister to the Police. Is she actually doing anything illegal anyway - there's no suggestion the car is unroadworthy?
I bet there's loads of cars on the road like this - there was a post a couple of wks ago from someone whose (female) colleague hadn't had her car service in many years.
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why not just send her out for the day and them do what you know is to be correct...????
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www.storme.co.uk
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. Isshe actually doing anything illegal anyway
>>
Yes its illegal and invalidates your insurance if you dont keep the vehicle in a road worthy condition.
Can you imagine the scenario if she has an accident and the police do an inspection of the vehicle and find no maintainance has been carried out and that was the reason for the fatal accident?(leaking wheel cylinders,bald tyres,wrong tyre pressures worn out pads/shoes,oil contamination of the discs ........etc) the idea of the annual mot is to keep death traps off the road not as a source of income,im sorry but this driver and her car should not be allowed on the road.
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\"a little man in a big world/\"
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Agree, don't touch it. Something is almost bound to go wrong and she will just say it that you should never have touched it and you will be expected to sort out a problem you didn't cause.
An astonishing number of people will only get work done when something breaks, or to pass the MoT. This includes tyres, which get picked up at MoT time with wire sticking out of them. The same people, when something does go wrong, usually say 'it must be something they did when they worked on it last time that caused it, becuase it was all right before'.
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Whay is everybody panicking? It´s a FIAT and was designed for this kind of abuse....That´s how the Sicilians treat them.
only kidding
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I think some of the replies here, like report her the Police, or to VOSA, are slightly unrealistic. Imagine the family strife for reporting your own sister to the Police.
Where as they'd no doubt applaud her current attitude, or her injuring someone?
Is she actually doing anything illegal anyway - there's no >>suggestion the car is unroadworthy?
I didn't realise brake fluid and clean engine oil were essential - thanks! I'll save a fortune now!
I bet there's loads of cars on the road like this
So that makes it OK?
- there was a post a couple of wks ago from someone whose (female) colleague hadn't had her car service >> years.
8< SNIP 8< insult removed. DD
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Since she does not want to pay for maintenance and nothing has been done, rest assured if you do a proper job and all the work needed, she will not pay.. what you spend.
So don't offer to help.. cos you will get no thanks whatever you do. Suggest she gets it servuiced by a garage.. warn her of the inevitable consequences to the engine if nothing is done.. and leave her.
Some people learn the hard way.
madf
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i hear holloway is nice at this time of year before the daffodils show.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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She doesn't deserve to be on the road, especially with a kid on board.
Get the thing roadworthy, whatever the personal cost, and read her the riot act.
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Should be declined life insurance!
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Less of the chastising of J1mbo's sister, and back to the original question please.
J1mbo is willing to have a go at servicing the car, excluding the brakes, and take it to somewhere they can be looked at.
One of the original questions was "Any discount OEM suppliers on the NET? I need to do coolant, oil, plugs, leads and air filter"
Another was "Are brake cylinders known to be leaky on the Punto?"
Lets see if someone can offer J1mbo some constructive advice please.
DD.
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I can't answer the questions above posed by DD and OP, but a trip to www.fiatforum.com will find a host of Fiat knowledge and resources.
www.shop4parts.co.uk/ are very competitive for all Italian spares/consumables
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Brake fluid should be renewed every couple of years,if not the cylinders are more likely to fail,after such along time I would think they could be suspect,certainly need checking.They often show up at MOT time,or during an emergency stop,when unusually high pressure on the pedal pops one.If one is on its way out it means the other will be similar.Of course she can 'save money'by waiting for each one to fail and having to replace the brake shoes twice.
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I think that men should always look after a woman's car. My wife hasn't a clue about maintenence, but is very usefull in fetching me back from the pub.
Whatever happened to Pologirl, I think I fancied her.
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I think that men should always look after a woman's car. My wife hasn't a clue about maintenence, but is very usefull in fetching me back from the pub.
>
Yes, they should, if only to the extent of acting as agent and interpreter between the helpless lady and the tooth-sucking villain in the workshop (or even the decent honest mechanic if there is one, because she still won't bother to decipher most of what he says).
Harking back to the original thread, J1mbo's sibling is in no way unusual. Cars are treated this way and worse by men, women and especially farmers who hate spending money.
Catastrophic failure is very unlikely in a three year old car. What is usual is a steady loss of edge and sharpness in the thing's behaviour. When the owner finally notices, he or she may do something about it. I find the moralistic attitude of some posters excessive. Pity would be more appropriate.
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she may do something about it. I find the moralistic attitude of some posters excessive. Pity would be more appropriate.
Is contempt OK?
(Man or woman, the amount would be the same.)
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Contempt is OK, but can it be genial contempt?
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^^^^Cars are treated this way and worse by men, women and especially farmers who hate spending money.
I am a farmer and I can tell you that nobody, but nobody spends more time changing oil, greasing and messing about with cars, Landrovers and tractors than me.
Tractors have got much more sophisticated recently, so you will find that most farmers are much more particular with servicing than they used to be. Farmer's cars are usually dirty, but you will find that the oil gets changed.
Yes, farmers hate spending money, but it's only because we haven't got any!
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qm, that is what I would expect but not what I see. The farmer I know best, who does other things as well as farming, isn't poor but treats all vehicles, tractors included, unbelievably badly. Perhaps I am relying too much on a small sample!
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I reckon that your mate is a dairy farmer. They do spend most of their time looking after their cows, and sometimes neglect their machinery (and wives). Tell him to start maintaining his kit a bit better, he's giving us a bad name.
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The arable farmer on whose land my parents lived was forever complaining about being broke. He owned a beautiful Rolls which he used to drive to Ireland twice a year for the salmon fishing. He was always good for his round in the pub though and had an endless supply of yarns to spin: good bloke.
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You did mention what you need.check out local motor factors,they are normaly cheaper than motorists shops with or without an account
they normaly stock all items so should not be a problem getting the parts,unless it is an OEM part you can only get through M/D and they dont deal with them,as some dont...as rover parts were a while ago,doubt thats the case with fiat
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Steve
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I'm surprised at the amount of flak on here. It is the guy's sister, after all, and the car obviously needs attention. He's clearly used to getting minimal thanks for things, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't do it. Topping up/changing fluids isn't likely to provoke a major fault, and if the wheels do suddenly drop off, he can respectfully point out that that is what happens if you put off servicing for four years. I'm amazed it's got any oil left...
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Why has your sister's partner not become involved? Surely he should be the one 'taking her to task'?
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J1mbo,
The only part needed for routine service of my Punto I haven't been able to get through my local motor factor's is the rear wiper assembly. Access to the various service points isn't a problem.
At 4 years old, or 36000 miles (whichever comes first) the timing belt on the FIAT 1.2 engine also needs changing.
Loss of brake fluid, or leaking brake cylinders, haven't been a problem on either of the Gromit clan's Puntos, or others I know of.
- Gromit
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Because maybe she has no partner??
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J1mbo mentions 'her other half' in an earlier post.
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Sorry Miller, I stand corrected!:)
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