Alfa 156 JTD
by P McConnell 28.07.03
What can I say? I am addicted to these cars, and that's not saying I am entirely happy with them. Let me explain: this is my third 156. I had a 156 2.0TS, lovely car, but cloth seats and wasn't new. So I bought a new 156 Selespeed Veloce. No problems at first, but was noticeably noisier than my last one i.e. road noise in cabin etc; I was told this was down to the wider tires and firmer suspension. I got used to it, but then the gearbox started making a whining noise. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to dealers I had the gearbox replaced with 3000 miles on the clock. This cured the problem for about 6 months then it started again, and to be honest the Selespeed was starting to bug me as well - good when driving hard, but annoying when trying to drive normally. This brings me up to my present 2.0 JTS.
Initially after my bad experiences with the Selespeed I went looking for a BMW alternative, but quickly found they are over-priced, and to get one with similar kit to the Alfa they are substantially more expensive. So I bought the JTS brand new for £15999 with cruise, leather and all the bells and whistles, but unfortunately again I have to report a less than perfect car. Firstly, the fit and finish of this car is frankly terrible, the welds are very crude and are easily visible through the thin paint, the seams on the exterior of the body shell looks like they have been mastic-ed over and then painted. The alarm LED was not working and so a familiar routine started again, back to the dealer. LED fixed, but six-inch scratch on bonnet, with the car three days old. Pointed this out to the dealer: "it must have already been there, not our problem". I was livid, but never got it repaired. When the weather turned colder I noticed the squeaking roof lining and dashboard, oh, and the driver's seat. After more trips to the dealer I fixed all the noises myself i.e. a piece of sponge in the roof lining and WD40 elsewhere.
Have I mentioned the BOSE hifi system? Great sound if you can get a radio station, the reception is appalling, only able to receive the strongest stations. Back to the dealers we go. Did you know the aerial on the roof is not for the radio but the phone, if you have one fitted? I was told that the radios were renowned for not having very good reception, and the only way round it was to have a roof aerial fitted. Since it already had one, I didn't think this to much of a problem. I now have a roof aerial and guess what, the reception is still terrible. I have given up now and make do. Lastly, much was made of the new fully automatic dual zone temperature climate control. This works well until you need it: when the outside temperature gets into the 20s it simply is not strong enough, and you have to open a window if it's sunny. Alfa have known about this for years, why haven't they sorted it? I hope I haven't been too negative. I'm just annoyed that this gorgeous looking, brilliant handling, enthusiasts' great car is flawed by minor niggles that could easily be rectified by Alfa, and then they would genuinely be more than a match for the German rivals. Would I buy another one? The new one looks nice, doesn't it?
|
