[CalvinHobbes]

To whom it may interest,


I have, a now, three month old 2018 Giulia. A windshield was ordered on July 3, 2018 due to impact. Windshield was due to arrive at dealer on July 20, 2018. It did not arrive. A case was opened with AR, with the result being that a windshield will not be available until mid September. This is inexcusable and shows that Alfa Romeo has not learned from previous experiences.


This story should be researched. I am a former Service manager for an FCA dealer. I am dumbfounded how the parts system that Chrysler was using in 2008 is the same system that Fiat and Alfa Romeo are now using. The Customer Service system is also the same as what Chrysler has used for the last 30 years. This is a travesty and does not bode well for Alfa Romeo in North America long term.

 

[chrisngrod]

Usually aftermarket companies start making windshields.

Sucks.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Racer Z]

To whom it may interest,


I have, a now, three month old 2018 Giulia. A windshield was ordered on July 3, 2018 due to impact. Windshield was due to arrive at dealer on July 20, 2018. It did not arrive. A case was opened with AR, with the result being that a windshield will not be available until mid September. This is inexcusable and shows that Alfa Romeo has not learned from previous experiences.


This story should be researched. I am a former Service manager for an FCA dealer. I am dumbfounded how the parts system that Chrysler was using in 2008 is the same system that Fiat and Alfa Romeo are now using. The Customer Service system is also the same as what Chrysler has used for the last 30 years. This is a travesty and does not bode well for Alfa Romeo in North America long term.

Have you contacted FCA or AlfaRomeoCares yet?

FCA -> 844-253-2872
PM @AlfaRomeoCares on this forum

 

[Bmiller_Alburtis]

I went through the same thing... twice (first one was wrong P/N even though they had VIN#, duh). Second one was supposed to be July 18, no show, back ordered 'til Sept. However, mine came in last week! Might want to check with them again. Unless they sped up due to the error the first time, dunno.

 

[freedomgli]

This is a travesty and does not bode well for Alfa Romeo in North America long term.

Terribly disappointing. Unfortunately, par for the course it seems. I agree it does not bode well for long-term success of the brand here. They will remain a small niche player (at best) with poor aftersales customer service like this. I'm not sure how Alfa can make it at their current pace given how thin their profit margins are for all models. The whole system will fall under the weight of poor sales, which in turn leads to poor customer service. Ferraris have huge profit margins so they can manage okay on just a few thousand US sales per year. Although many Ferrari owners do daily drive their cars, most can just as easily switch to their backup Porsche or Rolls-Royce if their dealer tells them it will be 2 months to source a replacement windshield. The same cannot be said for your average Giulia or Stelvio owner. Long waits for service and repair parts undoubtedly presents a much bigger inconvenience for those people who don't have a garage full of alternatives.

 

[QtrItalian]

This has come up a few times...I was 3-4 weeks (but they mistakenly ordered an aftermarket or non IR windshield which reset the clock on my wait). As an aside, I wonder (but have no insight on industrial production techniques) if there is a limited supply or production speed of glass by their supplier. If so, Alfa Romeo has to make a conscious decision on how many units to send to the Cassino factory versus how may to divert for world-wide parts inventory. Since they are early in production and attempting to increase market share and presence there could be a decision made to not stock limited parts to a high degree in order to garner more sales initially, but then to eventually rebalance that ratio. Again I am speculating but when something is in limited supply one has to make decisions. On the other hands perhaps there is no limitation in glass production and this is just Tom-foolery on their part....

 

[freedomgli]

Since they are early in production

They are 2.5 years into a ~6 year product life cycle. This is not early production. Windshields are not low-demand items. They are relatively high-consumption wear and tear parts just like bumper covers, brake pads and tires. It should take no more than 4-5 days to get a new windshield from the supplier in Italy to a customer in the USA even if there was a run on windshields at the US parts distribution center ran out. The real problem is that their supply chain logistics is poor. FIAT is like the general contractor who ignores your bathroom remodel punch list and instead is busy selling the next 5 bathroom remodels to other clients who saw the pretty pictures on Houzz. The problem here is the customer already paid the last 10% that gives them any leverage over the company to fulfill their end of the bargain.

perhaps... this is just Tom-foolery on their part....

Nailed it.

 

[He's Deaf]

I got mine in AZ installed within 4 days and it's was strictly because there were no openings. this was less than 2 weeks ago.

I tried to get a quote for a replacement rear 9" wheel from Bill Luke. They couldn't find the PN in the system, and they would call me as soon as they get it.

Been 3 days now LOL. ALFA is scrwed up allright.

rjp

 

[MorganB]

August is a vacation month in Italy unfortunately. They must not have stock in the US.

 

[JMody]

So I got a windshield last year, and was told a week, got it in about 3 or 4 days. It came, it fit, the job at the local Safe-lite was done quickly and professionally. Mine is clearly marked with the Alfa badge and "Pilkington LTD", and I'd bet it was made in North America --> I'm not sure if I'd blame European August vacations instead of just plain ATE-UP supply chain management.
http://www.pilkington.com/en/us/about-us

 

[freedomgli]

So I got a windshield last year, and was told a week, got it in about 3 or 4 days. It came, it fit, the job at the local Safe-lite was done quickly and professionally. Mine is clearly marked with the Alfa badge and "Pilkington LTD", and I'd bet it was made in North America

Was your car originally equipped with the Driver Assistance Dynamic Plus Package that includes Adaptive Cruise Control Plus with full stop, Forward Collision Warning-Plus, Lane Departure Warning, automatic high-beam system and infrared windshield? Because people have reported performance issues with those safety systems when using anything other than OEM glass on those cars.

 

[MINIME]

It sounds like Alfa's are short on parts supply. With the low sales volume also stated on these threads I am actually surprised that there is an Aftermarket Glass to procure. So far everything about this car is Alfa Romeo specific and requires an OEM replacement other than oil and cosmetic parts.

I have IR and the Dynamic Plus package. I will pay the difference if necessary to get OEM glass. Just surprised any glass company would be taking up inventory space for Alfa Romeos. Leave it to the OEMs.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Have you contacted FCA or AlfaRomeoCares yet?

FCA -> 844-253-2872
PM @AlfaRomeoCares on this forum

A case was opened on July 25, as stated in original post.

Why has the title of my thread edited. These are opinion post and my opinion was stated in the title on how a potential buyer should proceed based upon the evidence supplied in my post. Whoever edited the title is a disservice to other members here and should change thing as they see fit to align with their personal opinion and agenda.

 

[Racer Z]

I got mine in AZ installed within 4 days and it's was strictly because there were no openings. this was less than 2 weeks ago.

I tried to get a quote for a replacement rear 9" wheel from Bill Luke. They couldn't find the PN in the system, and they would call me as soon as they get it.

Been 3 days now LOL. ALFA is scrwed up allright.

rjp

I had an extremely difficult time getting a set of new 9 inch wheels in 2017 when the Giulia was first released here in the USA. But my dealer finally got the correct PN and my four 9 inch wheels. The problem back then (about 1.5 years ago), was that the parts supply line/inventory system was still being setup. Now that it's mid 2018, there shouldn't be these issues. (Well, I can dream can't I?)

 

[Racer Z]

A case was opened on July 25, as stated in original post.

You can call FCA again and again and again. I ended up calling FCA once a week, every week, for a few months when my 4C had transmission issues (back in 2015). Somebody eventually lost their job (long story that I won't go into). My transmission was eventually fixed and I've put 15,000 miles on it since for a total of over 30,000 miles currently.

Why has the title of my thread edited. These are opinion post and my opinion was stated in the title on how a potential buyer should proceed based upon the evidence supplied in my post. Whoever edited the title is a disservice to other members here and should change thing as they see fit to align with their personal opinion and agenda.

I changed the title. The topic seems to be about windshields and inventory, not about why people should not buy Alfa Romeo cars. The title reflects the topic and contents.

It's a terrible experience your having and I'm sorry that you're going through this. If you really have this much distaste for Alfa now, sell your car and move on, or, get AR to do a buy-back (Lemon Law) and move on.

 

[chusifer]

It's not just the windshields. My QV will have been sitting at the body shop for 8 weeks this coming Sunday due to poor availability of parts to repair the rear end. Might have to sell the car if it ever gets fixed and just take the loss, as I cannot deal with this again.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

You can call FCA again and again and again. I ended up calling FCA once a week, every week, for a few months when my 4C had transmission issues (back in 2015). Somebody eventually lost their job (long story that I won't go into). My transmission was eventually fixed and I've put 15,000 miles on it since for a total of over 30,000 miles currently.




I changed the title. The topic seems to be about windshields and inventory, not about why people should not buy Alfa Romeo cars. The title reflects the topic and contents.

It's a terrible experience your having and I'm sorry that you're going through this. If you really have this much distaste for Alfa now, sell your car and move on, or, get AR to do a buy-back (Lemon Law) and move on.

I am on the phone at least 1x a week with AR. I have also contacted others within the FCA universe that did not take buyouts in 2008.

I love the design of the car. The quality of the car appears to be sufficient to compete in its class. I would love to see Alfa succeed. Alfa has a great opportunity here, but they need to make some changes to how they are proceeding. They need to invest for success, not build a car and hope. Hyundai/Genesis customer service and experience is worlds better than AR's. Continuing on with Chrysler's antiquated C/S is a recipe for failure.

Your interpretation of what the topic "seems" to be is incorrect. This is about Alfa Romeo, and it's business plan execution. While windshields and inventory are part of the topic, it is so much more. It is also about whether or not to purchase an Alfa Romeo, based on their business practices.

You are making making assumptions based on your own biases. I have a unique perspective on this situation. I worked for Chrysler dealerships for 25 years, through many ups and downs. Do not claim to know what I am thinking when I choose to title this thread. I would appreciate it if you would bring back the original title.

Having an open discussion about Alfa Romeo and their business practices will perhaps get the ball rolling in the right direction. There is no benefit in apologizing for the actions of AR.

 

[Racer Z]

Use of Public Forums

I am on the phone at least 1x a week with AR. I have also contacted others within the FCA universe that did not take buyouts in 2008.

I love the design of the car. The quality of the car appears to be sufficient to compete in its class. I would love to see Alfa succeed. Alfa has a great opportunity here, but they need to make some changes to how they are proceeding. They need to invest for success, not build a car and hope. Hyundai/Genesis customer service and experience is worlds better than AR's. Continuing on with Chrysler's antiquated C/S is a recipe for failure.

Your interpretation of what the topic "seems" to be is incorrect. This is about Alfa Romeo, and it's business plan execution. While windshields and inventory are part of the topic, it is so much more. It is also about whether or not to purchase an Alfa Romeo, based on their business practices.

You are making making assumptions based on your own biases. I have a unique perspective on this situation. I worked for Chrysler dealerships for 25 years, through many ups and downs. Do not claim to know what I am thinking when I choose to title this thread. I would appreciate it if you would bring back the original title.

Having an open discussion about Alfa Romeo and their business practices will perhaps get the ball rolling in the right direction. There is no benefit in apologizing for the actions of AR.

Who's apologizing? AR is free to make all the mistakes they want and go out of business if they (continue to) make bad choices.

This forum, is based around Giulia owners and those with an interest in Giulias, some are potential owners. It is has many aspects, only some of which I will list. Positive, Upbeat, Experience, Solutions, Questions, Answers, and many more.

As car owners, we all have had, or will have gripes, complaints and problems based around our cars. This is not exclusive to Alfa Romeo. We share our joy and excitement as well as our sorrows and disappointments. When we do have problems (and I've had mine), we seek a sympathetic shoulder to cry on and we also seek advice about how to resolve our problems.

Even in our darkest moments, we try to remain positive about the situation. I know, how is that possible in certain circumstances. It's not always easy. Titling a thread, "Nobody should buy an Alfa", or something like that is neither positive, upbeat, solution seeking, nor does it reflect the content of this tread.

There are a few well worded threads here directed at AR about our complaints with AR. I've posted my complaints in some. I've called FCA and personally talked to them about a few (and I think somebody lost their job). If you want to start yet another list of things AR should or could do better or differently, that's part of what this forum is about. The title should match the subject and content desired.

 

[MrMegadeth]

I'm at 7 weeks. I hope it fits - I didn't even think about getting the wrong part.

 

[JMody]

Was your car originally equipped with the Driver Assistance Dynamic Plus Package that includes Adaptive Cruise Control Plus with full stop, Forward Collision Warning-Plus, Lane Departure Warning, automatic high-beam system and infrared windshield? Because people have reported performance issues with those safety systems when using anything other than OEM glass on those cars.

Yes - all systems. All worked appropriately with no "calibration" service, with the possible exception that the Collision Warning seemed to be a tad more sensitive (working at a slightly greater range). That's subjective, no data. And there's no telling how my own sensitivity changed as I got to know the car better.