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Everything said above is true but this kind of reputation is the death knell for the brand. Very worried Alfa will be discarded to focus on Maserati.
Consumer Reports- Mazda topped the list......Alfa Romeo fell to last place among 32 brands.
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This forum has a sub-forum dedicated to issues, which has 3.7m views (the second highest on this site) and 19k comments (also the second highest).
So, maybe CR's report that Alfas have issues is based on some facts.
Regardless, this thread is a perfect example of an "echo chamber".
So, maybe CR's report that Alfas have issues is based on some facts.
Regardless, this thread is a perfect example of an "echo chamber".
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480 Posts
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It’s typical for forums like this. I just came from Bimmer Owner’s Club. Let me detail the top threads there:
- Common problems with your E46 (154,000 views)
- E36 Common problems (152,000 views)
- E46 Buyer’s guide (42,000 views)
- E36 Buyer’s guide (7k views)
- 328i dies at stop when warm (2k views)
- Common problems with your E46 (173 replies)
- E36 Common problems (32 replies)
- E46 Buyer’s guide (13 replies)
- E36 Buyer’s guide (0 replies)
- 328i dies at stop when warm (61 replies)
Clearly, that forum doesn’t have the audience this one has, but looking not at the post total but the ratio of post topics (which I’m assuming is typical across BMW boards), problems and issues dominate. I think that’s to be expected of enthusiast boards for almost any topic.
(To believe the boards, one would think my Street Triple is one of the biggest POSs on the road. Until you look at any other motorcycle board. Plus ca change...)
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1,676 Posts
My uncle's one. It drives like a brand new. Treviso license plate but it is in Belluno. And he put a "... mi son da Belun ..." decal !!!!You have a cool dad.
I still have an 850 Coupe...
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Thanks for sharing. I was assuming that BMWs had zero issues. Same as with Audi, Mercedes Benz and Porsche. I though that the only cars with issues (the famous "reliability" comments) were Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
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578 Posts
I love my Giulia and it's actually very reliable. Issues I've had have been my fault in a lot of ways: battery Drain from adding aftermarket remote starter for my phone, etc.
When I have been asked to rate it I have rated it very highly. My only complaints have been with the company's unwillingness to upgrade the infotainment and other software to newer versions.
That said it seems that EVER review of this car starts and ends with "concerns about reliability" WTF? The media is totally against this car. The CR "evidence" is the nail in the coffin.
If Alfa cared they'd do a little work to make it possible to upgrade the older Giulias so the owner reviews would be amazing and the resale would improve. But that won't happen.
When I have been asked to rate it I have rated it very highly. My only complaints have been with the company's unwillingness to upgrade the infotainment and other software to newer versions.
That said it seems that EVER review of this car starts and ends with "concerns about reliability" WTF? The media is totally against this car. The CR "evidence" is the nail in the coffin.
If Alfa cared they'd do a little work to make it possible to upgrade the older Giulias so the owner reviews would be amazing and the resale would improve. But that won't happen.
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If FCA (or the new name) had a competent marketing department and management with a clue, they could address this. They should match Jaguar with warranty and included service, or at least do the 70/70K or 10/100K that Dodge and Hyundai did to address unreliability claims. Also, why not send cars to large YouTube channels for long-term testing?
There are ways to change a reputation. It's not easy, to be sure. However, you have to at least try. So far, I've seen no evidence that they have done anything to change perceptions.
There are ways to change a reputation. It's not easy, to be sure. However, you have to at least try. So far, I've seen no evidence that they have done anything to change perceptions.
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306 Posts
Testify! As a former e46 owner, this list is pretty familiar. I was cracking up at a e36 pouring coolant out it a parking lot yesterday. The new owner of my e46 has already had it puke coolant too... no idea why considering the entire system only has a few thousand miles on it.
The probs w/ Giulia are fairly minor in comparison. Still, most folks buying a new car want trouble free driving. After a year + on this forum, it’s also pretty obvious most people here aren’t hard core car people... they’d rather drive the car then wrench on it.
I get a lot of people asking me about my Alfa. I always tell them how much I love it. I also warn them that they might want to be comfortable working on a car before buying one.
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460 Posts
Alfa also didn’t do us DIY’ers any favors either making a lot of it a PITA. No friggin dip stick and the method for changing the cabin filter is inexcusable.
My post wasn't to simply use forum views/posts as singular data point for CR's argument... just merely that their article isn't complete fiction.
Alfa has had issues with their cars -- is it the worst brand? Far from it -- is it the best brand? Nope.
Alfa now has two vehicles: A very capable and gorgeous sedan that is underrated -- and a big, ugly, dumb SUV that the bean-counters needed to keep the brand afloat.
How can a brand be highly regarded when it only has two vehicles, that are often serviced by Fiat or Dodge dealers (both terrible brands), and they sell so infrequently that people tend to forget the brand even exists?
I loved my Giulia when I had it. I'd get back into one if I had an Alfa dealer within 500miles and there's no way I would take it to a Fiat or Dodge dealership. The Alfa dealerships struggle enough to fix issues -- you think a couple of Fiat/Dodge trained mechanics are gonna have a clue? They are too busy swapping engines out of Chargers and replacing wheel bearings on 500s.
Sure, but then it wouldn't be an Alfa! You should see what it takes to replace the starter on an '85 Alfa Spider Veloce...
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460 Posts
I would love to see someone take a Giulia to a Jiffy Lube as they offer a “manager’s special” which includes replacing the cabin filter. I would literally (and not figuratively) want to sit there in a camping chair with popcorn and watch.
Just try checking the transmission fluid fill in a Q4. The service manual already looks scary with put the car on a lift, start the engine and warm up, pull the plug and fill, replace the plug, set the car down and drive it around, then repeat. It is not as-if this isn't dangerous enough:
The service manual has an error of omission (one of many) for the Q4: you must disconnect the front driveshaft to be able to get to the plug!
All of this because a transmission filler tube with dip stick was too much bother (I guess).
I don't think how to replace/repair/check some engine part when necessary is high on the list of design parameters when an auto is designed. Long ago, to replace the rear spark plugs, back when that was a frequent task, on a Chevy required the motor be raised from its mount to reach them. Making sealed transmissions, without the ability to check or add fluid, engines without dipsticks, and more might make owner maintenance impossible. Maybe someday, to refuel an auto you will have to take it to a dealer for them to unseal the filler.
My former GT3 did not have a dipstick but was designed so that the oil level was checked with the engine running and hot, as in a pit stop in a race.
NV
My former GT3 did not have a dipstick but was designed so that the oil level was checked with the engine running and hot, as in a pit stop in a race.
NV
My uncle was a Consumers Union true believer, I don't think he ever bought so much as a roll of toilet paper without checking CR.
I belonged to Consumers Union for many years. Just about everything I bought got bad reviews in CR, products that I was happy with, so I quit.
The automobile survey that Consumers Union sends their members is incredibly long with a ton of inane questions about trivial stuff. I could see it taking a couple of hours at least. I never filled one out, I worked for a living and didn't have time for it.
CR's reviews are based on a limited number of samples from a very limited demographic... Mostly white, mostly male, older, higher income then average, and higher levels of education.
Their approach is that all cars are the same. To them, a Toyota Camery is the same as an Alfa Giulia. I seriously doubt that anyone is cross shopping a Camery and a Giulia! They favor soulless boring cars over anything interesting. As an example, I would guess that the light scuffing at low speeds caused by the anti ackerman steering contributed to the Guilia's poor review. Boring Toyotas that don't have race car inspired steering don't have that "problem".
I have owned a Fiat 500, and I presently own a Fiat 500L, Abarth 124, and a Stelvio. I have never had a problem with worth noting with any of them. I am confident that I will not have any problems with the new Giulia that I am picking up tomorrow.
I am 59 years old and I have bought a lot of cars over the years... Fiat and Alfa are the only brands that I have made a repeat purchase.
One thing I will say is that I am really impressed that Fiat and Alfa survey their owners and then act on the results. Many of the changes to the 2020 My were improvements of things that I (and apparently many others) noted in past Giulia and Stelvio surveys. So, fill out those surveys from Alfa, they take them seriously.
I belonged to Consumers Union for many years. Just about everything I bought got bad reviews in CR, products that I was happy with, so I quit.
The automobile survey that Consumers Union sends their members is incredibly long with a ton of inane questions about trivial stuff. I could see it taking a couple of hours at least. I never filled one out, I worked for a living and didn't have time for it.
CR's reviews are based on a limited number of samples from a very limited demographic... Mostly white, mostly male, older, higher income then average, and higher levels of education.
Their approach is that all cars are the same. To them, a Toyota Camery is the same as an Alfa Giulia. I seriously doubt that anyone is cross shopping a Camery and a Giulia! They favor soulless boring cars over anything interesting. As an example, I would guess that the light scuffing at low speeds caused by the anti ackerman steering contributed to the Guilia's poor review. Boring Toyotas that don't have race car inspired steering don't have that "problem".
I have owned a Fiat 500, and I presently own a Fiat 500L, Abarth 124, and a Stelvio. I have never had a problem with worth noting with any of them. I am confident that I will not have any problems with the new Giulia that I am picking up tomorrow.
I am 59 years old and I have bought a lot of cars over the years... Fiat and Alfa are the only brands that I have made a repeat purchase.
One thing I will say is that I am really impressed that Fiat and Alfa survey their owners and then act on the results. Many of the changes to the 2020 My were improvements of things that I (and apparently many others) noted in past Giulia and Stelvio surveys. So, fill out those surveys from Alfa, they take them seriously.
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10 Posts
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
5.0
Consumer Rating
KBB.com Consumer Reviews
5.0
Consumer Rating
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805 Posts
I bought a vacuum cleaner that was the highest rated model listed in a Consumer Reports review many years ago. It turned out to be the noisiest, heaviest and least reliable vacuum I’ve ever owned. I love my Shark Rocket vacuum that I bought a couple of years ago. Light, maneuverable and reliable. I don’t know if it made any CR list, I stopped reading that publication years ago!
Last year Motortrend had a 2018 Giulia in its long term fleet test and it got very high marks. See the full final review here:
Why We Still Love Our Alfa Romeo Giulia a Year Later
Why We Still Love Our Alfa Romeo Giulia a Year Later
A member here later owned that car.
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