My shit(e) Punto

[rainagain]

I meant to put a thread up about this a when I bought last year but I never got round to it.

 

I’m not sure if it is classed as shit or shite, having a 60 mile daily commute does limit my choice of cars.

 

It’s an Eleganza so top of the range, if there can be such a thing said of a Punto. It holds the honour of being the first car I’ve ever owned that has working air con, not only that it has dual zone climate control, and it all works! It’s a weird spec through, electric heated mirrors, electric front windows, dual trip computer, CD player with steering wheel controls, six airbags including seat bags, body colour door handles (wow!), yet it doesn’t have a remote control for the central locking. My OH’s almost base model Stilo managed to have a remote control. Also compared to the Stilo the interior feels really cheap, and the doors shut with a quality ‘clang’.

 

It came with a full stamped service history, judging by the damage to the front bumper I’m assuming it’s been a giffer that owned it. I’m happy with it, it goes quite well being a 1.4 (0-60 in just under 10s) and also returns an average of 48mpg going back and forward to work. So far apart from a full service and a new cambelt, I’ve fixed the small coolant leak it had between the inlet manifold and the block, fitted a stainless steel de-cat exhaust manifold (an excellent £12.50 eBay win) along with a 1.2 8V middle section as this doesn’t have a silencer in it, this lot has definitely made it bit quicker. I also fitted a £16 eBay Fiat subwoofer that fits neatly in the boot around the wheel arch. Well chuffed with this, I might buy one for my next car, dead easy to fit, two 12V feeds (one switched when the radio is on, one permanent) then it takes the audio from the rear speakers. Luckily my car was already wired for this so it was just a case of plugging it in.

 

Enjoy (if you can) the pics from the dealer with bonus paper mats:

[rainagain]

Exhaust manifold:

 

Shiny!!!

 

 

[Barry Cade]

Well bought, much better than a Corsa and far superior to a pile of Polo.

[Eddie Honda]

It's probably just shit at the moment, but given a few more years will be solid-beige (I was gonna say gold) shite.

 

When you say fully-stamped service history, stamped by whom? Gie us a laff.

 

Anyway, looks alright to me at first glance, may it give you no grief. How's the front subframe looking?

[Aston Martin]

Beyond awful.

[rainagain]

Service history looked ok some receipts for recent ones as well. To be honest I tend to buy on condition as a stamp from ebay is pretty cheap!

 

Front subframe corrosion was an advisory on mot so I cleaned it up and painted it with some of Aldi's finest black metal paint. The rest of underneath is solid and rust free. Not like my 156, I had to wire brush and paint almost the entire chassis.

 

To be honest it was a very sensible car buy, I really wanted a Honda Civic coupe but couldn't find a decent one nearby for sale. Of course as soon as I bought this a couple appeared! I looked at a lot of other cars near me at sub £1K and it was amazing the state a lot of them were in. I lot of the trade-ins I looked at were filthy inside, surely they could have got the apprentice to give it a quick hoover when they're quiet?

 

Due to the recent BINI thread I'm thinking about selling it and getting a BINI but they seem to be littered with expensive fixes. I guess I just miss the sense of occasion driving the 156 as well as the comfy Momo leather. 

[Cavcraft]

These aren't as shite as some would have you think. Yours looks like that sort of half-arsed facelift before the new shape ones came out, as the dash at least looks like the 2006 onwards ones. 

[Pillock]

I have never seen a Punto that didn't have incontinence stains on the drivers seat. That just looks like a little spurt though rather than a flood.

[Barry Cade]

I have never seen a Punto that didn't have incontinence stains on the drivers seat. That just looks like a little spurt though rather than a flood.

Hmm. OP says it had a full valet just before sale.

[rainagain]

Hmm. OP says it had a full valet just before sale.

They were the dealer pics so interesting stain was included with sale and was not a later addition by the current owner.  

[HH-R]

Whoa, climate control! I had no idea the mk2s had it at all.

 

All Fiat seats look piss stained if they get even slightly damp once, put a bag of shopping on the passenger seat that you've just carried through rain and no one will ever want a lift off you again.

[Hendry]

 

It’s an Eleganza so top of the range, if there can be such a thing said of a Punto. It holds the honour of being the first car I’ve ever owned that has working air con, not only that it has dual zone climate control, and it all works! It’s a weird spec through, electric heated mirrors, electric front windows, dual trip computer, CD player with steering wheel controls, six airbags including seat bags, body colour door handles (wow!), yet it doesn’t have a remote control for the central locking. My OH’s almost base model Stilo managed to have a remote control. Also compared to the Stilo the interior feels really cheap, and the doors shut with a quality ‘clang’.

Did you only get the 1 key for the car? It was a few years ago now but my hazy recollections of working in a Fiat dealership makes me think factory remote central locking was standard on Dynamic, Eleganza, and HGT trims. It's a key which looks like the standard blue non remote key only the blue part is slightly bigger and on the reverse side, ie the plain side without the Fiat badge on it, has 1 blue button on it for the remote central locking. Quite a lot of the more basic ones like Actives and Active Sports with manual central locking had round grey separate fobs with Meta Systems printed on them for the remote central locking/alarm which was apparently a genuine Fiat accessory.

 

I'm surprised to see it doesn't have a leather steering wheel either, the fairly basic Active Sports had a leather one.

[oldcars]

Hmm. OP says it had a full valet just before sale.

When  i bought the Santa Fe it had had a full valet*. Macdonald burger* and a piece of mutant pizza were found.

[rainagain]

Driving to work last week whilst waiting at a set of traffic lights I heard a sudden sharp bang. I naturally initially thought someone jealous of my dual zone climate control was taking pot shots at me but no a quick check at work revealed the offside spring had snapped. Luckily the Punto has entered the 'golden zone' of part prices, i.e. they are really cheap as people are trying to clear them our and they have not yet become rare enough for prices to start rising, so I managed to get a spring for just £12 delivered!

 

So I removed the strut and managed to pop the new spring on without too much bother even using my crap spring compressors. 

[Barry Cade]

Lol, these are a faff, as aftermarket springs (some of them) have to be put in back to front, otherwise they rub on the inner arch.

[rainagain]

Lol, these are a faff, as aftermarket springs (some of them) have to be put in back to front, otherwise they rub on the inner arch.

It wasn't too bad, had the usual problem where the head of the bolt and the nut looked like large blobs of rust, although they cleaned up ok. If was a bit tricky getting the strut out as the anti roll bar was trying to push the lower wishbone up. 

[rainagain]

Here's some bonus pics of the inlet manifold and where it was leaking from. This was a PITA as access to the lower retaining bolts is done by feel only. Also you have to remove the throttle motor and ECU to get it out and disconnect the fuel lines.