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Sunroof and steering warranty work

4K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Monk 
#1 ·
This is warranty repair number 11 since I leased my 2018 Giulia TI Sport in July 2018. Went to open the sunroof shade and it just made a bunch of plastic breaking sounds. I also reported the driver seat creaks and the steering squeaks when it is cold. The parts came in relatively quick. I requested a loaner but they haven't responded. Hopefully it is completed this week. The non-stop rant from the wife is get rid of it and get a different brand. I am looking at other brands, but nothing pulls the emotional trigger like the Alfa. Was looking at an S5 Squareback, its pretty close to the look of mine. Had my heart set on a Stelvio, but it it has the same reliability issues, it will be unbearable. We will see what happens.
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#2 ·
I’ve rewritten this response several times trying to find the words to assure someone who’s having a bad experience that yours is not the norm. I own 2 Alfa’s, a 20 Stelvio that is my wife’s daily driver and a Giulia QV that my wife calls my Italian girlfriend. Both are great cars. Every brand has its share of lemons or issues. I’m certain your frustrated as I would be also. I’m also sure you won’t find anything as fun to drive. When your lease is up just remember your current experience is not the norm. Look at everything and I’m sure you’ll come back to Alfa. Just don’t get the sunroof. 😉
 
#3 ·
Monk, thanks for the encouraging words. No other car looks better , handles better, draws a crowd, puts a smile on your face and makes it almost worthwhile to overlook other things. Unfortunately this specific one has gone from something truly special to the joke of the neighborhood and my workplace. No one wanted it to be a totally positive ear to ear grin experience more than me. It has been an engaging experience learning all the nuances and what I can do to increase the reliability. I wasn't driving it enough at highway speeds and now that I do, battery number 3 is holding a charge, the first 2 had internal shorts. I also disable the start stop feature every time I get in it. The hood release cables were replaced when the hood would not open. The intelligent battery module was replaced when the battery would not hold a charge. The battery was replaced twice. The body control module was replaced when the lights would flash when the car was off. That took 7 weeks to diagnose, they thought it was a wiring issue, it wasn't communicating with the PCM and ABS but Alfa customer care reimbursed me for my lease payments and it was at the start of Covid 19. I think there were 5 software updates. The infotainment system still rests itself weekly and sometimes prevents you from getting the Sirius stations. This time they are replacing the cables for the sunroof and the steering column for the squeak when you first drive it when it is cold. Not sure what they found with the squeaking seat. I also haven't brought up the faint fire truck siren like whistle you hear when you first drive it. I replaced the tires at 19,000 miles because they were shot. They replaced the glove box fascia the adhesive failed. The heat shield by the turbo came apart. The cac temp sensor ground circuit wire was corroded and split so they replaced it. Had to replace the driver door moulding when that wore through prematurely. The horns were replaced when they no longer worked. I am extremely familiar with disconnecting the negative on the battery and then performing the steering calibration to clear the warnings. The car did save my life when I floored it to avoid a delivery van running a red light and I squirted through a spot barely wider than my car completely controlled. Nothing pulls on my heart strings like my little blue maniac Italian artwork. Maybe this will be the last thing and it will be trouble free from here on out. I am always optimistic about that.
 
#4 ·
Geez, your much more patient and accommodating than me. Lol. Certainly hope they get things sorted before your lease ends. Sadly sounds like your problems are widely known by friends, neighbors and co-workers and will only reinforce the “poor reliability” bias that some people have of the brand. Good luck, and wishing u a trouble free experience from this point forward.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Wow, that was quite a laundry list. It sounds like your car may have been one of those famous Friday builds that rolled off the line at 5:00pm right before the whistle blew.

I have a QV and had CEL issues the first year. Two new ECUs and various software updates and an O2 sensor. Since then, it has been problem free. Some of the early cars had teething issues due to the rushed development and minimal technical training. With techs getting experience and software updates released, most of those issues have gone away. On the new 2020 Alfas, I am hearing about issues with the new infortainment--probably because it is new.

Overall, the fleet reliability numbers for Alfa are not bad and in line with other manufacturers so you can get a bad car if you buy a Camry. Maybe pull up the reliability rankings and show your wife that they are in line (be careful with this, you may end up in a Lexus).
 
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#6 ·
Lexus OMG no, I just want a car with some personality, I'm not dead on the inside. I'll just get an Uber to drive me back and forth to the dealer and like today rent a car from Enterprise instead of using her car. Then the conversation will stop and I can eventually step up to a QV. Tires aren't supposed to last more than 10,000 miles anyway. I'll once again look at the Stelvios when I pick mine up. They have a nice blue Stelvio Sport on the lot at this moment.
 
#10 ·
I do own a GX 640 for family and towing duties (the Toyota version in addition to not being as nice does not have a V8). Not going to get your heart racing but it goes anywhere and Never breaks down. I get a beach pass for the Outer Banks every year and I have towed so many Ford and GM trucks that got stuck in the soft sand. I stopped letting the air out of the tires as it just plows through.
 
#14 ·
When I picked up my car after it was completed, I stopped at the showroom and looked at a 2020 Stelvio. Talked to the salesman, 2 hours later he emailed me a good deal because of what I have been through with mine and the current economic conditions
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. The wife and I test drove it today and on Thursday I say goodbye to my Giulia and hello to the Stelvio. No, the Continental tires slide way sooner than the Pirellis, but it has the all the important features and we will use it more for family runs. I'm excited to stay with the brand and not have to talk to the service department every week. Had to stay with the Montecarlo blue and the yellow calipers. The seats are no so confining and we will have an easier time getting in and out. We are not exactly lithe young Italians. I can't wait . I will be selling off some things I couldn't live without for the Giulia and a week old set of pirelli cinturato p7 tires.
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