FAQ and de facto Charter for news://alt.autos.alfa-romeo ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) This group is for the discussion of Alfa Romeos and associated topics only. Please DO NOT TOP POST. It makes it harder to follow the chain of advice being...

'Cos I get the 75 back tomorrow. Total bill is rather a lot. About 800 quid more than I initially planned to spend, but I've added some extra jobs along the way (new windscreen, repainting the grey bits etc) and there's still some money to be spent on the interior and refurbishing the...

Apparently, insurance company repairs as well as 'total loss' claims are lowballed as a general practice. I just read an article at www.claimsreporter.com that says that you can get on average, the ~$2K difference needed to get a replacement ride (vs. trade-in)... for sure, if it was not your...

Hi there, The exhaust has started blowing on my 156 (not bad as it has done 70000 miles over 7 years on the original) but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on replacement. Can anyone offer comments/advice on the relative merits (e.g. cost, longevity, performance, looks, fit) of...

My 156 2.0TS has started to "screech" when I drive off first thing, or after it's been parked up for a while. The screeching disappears as the car warms up and seems loudest when it's cold or wet. It does NOT happen until the clutch is depressed and drive engaged. So parked up in neutral there's no...

I was driving home from shopping last night in my 2002 2.0JTS 156, which is all that makes this ramble relevant. I found myself cruising along a new piece of road with a great smooth surface. Limit on this new dual carriageway is 40, my speed was more suited to a new dual carriageway. I had the...

I just found out at www.claimsreporter.com that apparently most Insurance company policies require the use of certified factory parts for collision repairs. They also said that most repairs have no warranty unless issued by the repair service and not the Insurance company! Does anyone know if and...

I didn't know you could collect for the reduced market value of your car after an accident repair, but the articles at www.claimsreporter.com say you can. I know most people will not buy a car with a bad Carfax unless it's offered at a big discount. Anyone else know about this stuff? --...

Hi, the manual seat adjustment (drivers side) on my Alfa 147 1.6 Lusso is stuck. it has been raised, but now I cannot lower it! Anyone know of a fix? I cannot drive like this - my head hits the roof! Thanks

I know there have been lots of discussions on this topic in here. I have taken the time to read them all, but with all the various models and the recend diesel discussion, I'm bemused by it all. My car is the 2.0 JTS from Oct 2002. It is due its 5 year (60k) service in October this year, so...

Hi Group 2 weeks ago I put my deposit for a brand new alfa romeo 147 Collezione 1.9 JTD 3 door, black. The dealer, the biggest in the UK, at first told me that there were none left due to the limited number available in the UK but then apparently managed to find one. However a few days ago they...

Is the general consenus to stick with the 36k interval for JTDs? AIUI they're not as problematic as TSs (from previous discussions here) but do I err on the safe side (next service will be 108k).....

Got the 156 back this evening. The bill will be presented to us on Thursday - all we know is that it needed a new cat. and the fuse pulling from the aircon to get a stable fast idle. Had it serviced at the same time. I reckon all-in, about 200 quid. incl. the new cat. --

2.0TS Is changing the head beyond the scope of the home mechanic? It is a long time since I got my hands that dirty under the bonnet but in the past I have changed gaskets on Cav's, Astra's and a Hyundai S-Coupe. I have told the mechanic to give it me back, he found me a 'new' head after giving...

Hi all, You may know from a recent post I am looking for a 156 Sportwagon and I have been offered one by a dealer. The thing is its had its Speedo replaced. So even though it has apparently done 20,000 miles it is barely showing any miles at all. Its a 2005 model. Apparently the speedo was...

Could someone please lend me a " Cardisc 164 " CD. My AR164 , was towed away over a week ago, after loss of power, followed by smoke under the driver's side dash. Electrician replaced ignition & some wiring, but needs wiring diagram for instrument panel cluster. I've tried the online "shorey"...

I got our 156 back from the garage yesterday, went to Toys R Us today to find summat for the lad for Chrismas and the dog chewed hell out of the gear knob the *******. Unfortunately, unlike our Multipla, simply changing gear isn't enough to remove it, how do I get it off? Its a leather one in...

How to change gear knob on alfa spider 51 plate it is a leather 6 speed lift up reverse .Please help :(

The cat. has been replaced and the emissions are actually fine now. However, it's still failing the MOT because, when holding at 'fast idle' the ECU is dropping the revs from 2700 to 2200 rpm on a constant throttle - it does this for a couple of seconds then recovers back to 2700rpm. However,...

Anyone faced this problem before? The key-plip part of the central locking on my Spider has long since died, but I am still able to unlock and lock the old-fashioned way - by putting the key in the lock. However since Monday it has not worked any more. When it gets REALLY cold the lock doesn't...

New company car time coming around so not my depreciation Saw this 166 3.2 V6 24V Lusso, new at £21000.00 http://www.veloces.co.uk/reg/DRCCWWFK