Ferrero's in the shop...

"Ferrero1911" (Ferrero1911)
02/04/2015 at 12:10 • Filed to: Abarth, Fiat

That's right Ferrero is my car's name, not mine. Read on to find out what happened to him...

When I went to get into my car after work yesterday there was a large red puddle next to the right front wheel. I popped the hood and immediately saw the problem, my coolant expansion tank was completely empty and there was coolant sprayed all over the engine bay (no pics because I was busy trying to get a tow). Upon further inspection I discovered that the hose clamp for the bottom hose was broken. As long as the bottle itself doesn't have any cracks (a la BMW) it should be an easy fix.

I called Fiat roadside because my car is under warranty. They sent a tow truck, but to make a long story short I was in a garage too low for a rollback and my car is too low for a regular tow truck (which they sent even though I told them that), so I ended up driving to the Fiat "Studio" which was luckily only 3 blocks away.

I got to the Studio 15 minutes before they closed, hung my "do not wash" hang tag on the mirror, and left them the key. They weren't willing to give me an Alfa as a loaner despite my best damsel in distress act, but I did get to see one! Unfortunately this left me 12 miles from home without a car, so I had to take a taxi. That was 40 bucks I wasn't planning on spending.

Luckily for me I'm not working the rest of the week and I can walk to everything I need from my apartment. So now I'm just waiting for a call from the Studio and making a list of all the other stuff I need done. I was planning to take my car in on Thursday for an oil change (the first one not done by me) and to get some TSB's taken care of anyways, although I was going to take it to a Studio closer to my house.

Hopefully they can get everything fixed by the weekend. And yes, I have generally been very happy with the reliability of my Fiat.

DISCUSSION (14)

E. Julius > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:14

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the purpose of "do not wash"?

Ferrero1911 > E. Julius
02/04/2015 at 12:20

I'm really particular on how my car is washed an detailed, so I don't want the dealership to run it through an automatic car wash.

Funktheduck > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:21

I'll skip the Fiat jokes and get straight to my question:

Why didn't they give you a loaner? I understand why no Alfa but why no loaner at all? I've never heard of a car under warranty not getting one while work was done.

Ferrero1911 > Funktheduck
02/04/2015 at 12:24

My warranty doesn't provide for a loaner and so it's at the dealer's discretion. The service department was closed when I got there, so even if they had one I don't think they could have given it to me. I have gotten a loaner from the dealership I bought it at before though.

sellphones2493 > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:25

+1. I do the same thing and people look at me like I'm crazy.

Whoever created the idea to have massive mops slapping your car repeatedly in an attempt to clean it sucks.

E. Julius > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:27

Makes sense. If that's your car in the photos it looks gorgeous!

Ferrero1911 > E. Julius
02/04/2015 at 12:33

That is my car. Thanks!

E. Julius > sellphones2493
02/04/2015 at 12:37

Yeah, if I do the automatic wash I always do the touchless wash.

Sam > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:41

Good call. The dealership I work at only does hand washes when a car comes in, but I doubt a Fiat "Studio" has the facilities to do that, assuming it's like the one by me. (It's in the freaking mall, they send the car to another dealership to do service)

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:48

Gorgeous car! Hope they fix it soon.

Funktheduck > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 12:51

Weird. My gf got a loaner when she took her car in for non warranty work. My employee took hers in for warranty work and they tried giving her a full sized SUV. She started to cry so they paid for her to get a rental. I told her to start going to the dealership my gf and I go to.

They might reimburse you for the cab if you're nice about it.

Ferrero1911 > Funktheduck
02/04/2015 at 13:05

I wonder they'd be more likely to give you a loaner for non warranty work since you're paying them. The loaner I got last time was a Jeep Cherokee - it sucked. Getting used to an automatic was worse than the size though.

I'll have to ask about the cab reimbursement. Luckily I should be able to make it at least until Monday without a car. I live in one of the most walkable neighborhoods in LA and I don't drive much when I'm not working.

Ferrero1911 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
02/04/2015 at 13:05

Thanks!

Funktheduck > Ferrero1911
02/04/2015 at 13:46

I'm not sure why they did. It could be policy since it's under warranty regardless of the work performed, I could be to make up for the fact that the guy who was supposed to be there wasn't to do the fix, or because she takes it to them for all maintenance.