Share your Alfa 156 horror stories with me

wyk

I need someone to talk me out of buying one when I move to Ireland next month from Texas. What should I get instead? A diesel VW?

Obliged,

Wes

Sandwich

Alfa 156 horror stories?

Worst I ever heard was a guy on Boards who posted for stories to help talk himself out of buying one. So tragic - he saw the light but just couldnt make the leap into paradise and buy himself one. To this day it gives me the shivers just thinking about the poor guy. Maybe there's hope for his remption yet and he will get one.

Owen

I had one, and every time it got to 60mph, the entire instrument cluster died. Then there was the time the windows went up and down of their own accord, quickly and randomly while driving. It was like the car was possessed. The main dealer, and about 1000 Euro couldn't sort it either. I love Italian cars, bikes and women, but the 156 needed to be put out it's misery.

Quint

The electrics on the italian bikes aren't much better;)

vengeance52

didnt own one, but drove a 156 a while back, and it was a sweet ride. very comfy.

tw0nk

I think the alfa 156 is the most desired car on boards that people just cant bring themselves to buy because of the gremlins found in some of the cars! Buying a car and parting with a large chunk of money tends to make people more conservative and sensible, maybe rightly so, but a red alfa 156 flying by me on the N11 always makes me wish I bought one...

galwaytt

wyk wrote:

I need someone to talk me out of buying one when I move to Ireland next month from Texas. What should I get instead? A diesel VW?

Obliged,

Wes

Wes
Seeing as no-one else bothered - welcome to Ireland. And to the whining/bitchin central that is........the Alfa 156. If I were you, I'd go for the Alfa - you might as well try something here you can't at home.......kind of a 'when in Rome'.........if you will

But, long before that - a word of caution. Driving Licence and insurance. If you're moving here permanently, you'll need an Irish licence - they usen't allow you swop your US one, you have to join the queue and do the driving test........

Which brings us neatly to insurance.........as a newly licenced driver, and coming from US, you won't get any No Claims Bonus, and you'll be right up there with 17 year olds...........so expect telephone numbers for quotes...........which means your next post might be more like 'can I get any car' rather than 'which car'.

Sorry to be a downer, but I know someone else who's just gone through the whole ringer, having moved here from Texas too.......

Oh, btw - stick or auto ?

wyk

Thanks for the welcome. So VW diesel lupo it is then! At least in Ireland I won't live in constant fear of a 7,500 lb Dodge Dually Cummins Turbo Diesel t-boning my 1500 lb compact...

I will have licenses in the process, my main job will be driving, and the new boss is assisting me with that.

Sad about the insurance. I have been driving since I was 12, licensed since 16. So that's 22 years licensed. Never an accident since 18(with a Datsun 240Z ! ) And not a ticket in over 13 years. It's sad none of that will be considered. Add in the fact I have around 500,000 miles under my belt, 300,000 of it driving professionally in 1 ton to 13 ton wreckers and recovery vehicles, and it's even more frustrating. I am told my age works for me, but I know being a new driver in Ireland makes insurers nervous(even if I did drive the length of Ireland last time I was there in a rental).

The Alfa Romeo is not available here since..uh...98? Nearly ten years. Most of us Americans just assumed one of 3 things:

1) The salt water rusts out the undercarriage in the 30 days it takes to get here overseas from Italy, which is the extent of the warranty when you purchase an Alfa in the U.S - sight unseen...

2) All the jostling from lumbering across the oceans disconnects most the electrical systems, and the cost of retrofitting was becoming too much even to sell them to Alfa addicts - mostly due to the fact that not even the factory owns a proper schematic...

3) Italy just makes more profit selling us cheap Chianti they can't sell in Italy or the EU, or for that matter, to anyone with decent tastes. And it takes up MUCH less room on a barge, and unlike the Alfa - gets BETTER with age...Thats a win win Italy hasn't seen since they bettered Carthage.

In any case, it is a gorgeous car the 156. And with the way my searching is going for a flat, I may buy one just to lounge in it between shifts...


Wes

galwaytt wrote:

Wes
Seeing as no-one else bothered - welcome to Ireland. And to the whining/bitchin central that is........the Alfa 156. If I were you, I'd go for the Alfa - you might as well try something here you can't at home.......kind of a 'when in Rome'.........if you will

But, long before that - a word of caution. Driving Licence and insurance. If you're moving here permanently, you'll need an Irish licence - they usen't allow you swop your US one, you have to join the queue and do the driving test........

Which brings us neatly to insurance.........as a newly licenced driver, and coming from US, you won't get any No Claims Bonus, and you'll be right up there with 17 year olds...........so expect telephone numbers for quotes...........which means your next post might be more like 'can I get any car' rather than 'which car'.

Sorry to be a downer, but I know someone else who's just gone through the whole ringer, having moved here from Texas too.......

Oh, btw - stick or auto ?

siralfalot

156 horror stories eh?

well since 2002 I've had three so far, a 1.8 T.Spark a 2.4 JTD and another 2.4 JTD, and never once have any of them failed to start.

my latest one is giving me all sorts of hassle, I have tried and tried, but I can't get the fuel consumption down any lower than 40 mpg :mad: and this despite the fact that it is tuned in excess of 200bhp, :rolleyes: and on motorway runs it returns nearly 60mpg :mad:

I'm at my wits end with this car, its like the f**kin energiser bunny it just keeps going and going........

oooh I wish I had bought a VW Golf GTTDPDDDTDPTDRED EYE

prospect

wyk wrote:

I need someone to talk me out of buying one when I move to Ireland next month from Texas. What should I get instead? A diesel VW?

Obliged,

Wes

Could a mod check the IP address here, because if this deffo trolling.

Henry Ford III

I used (didn't own) a 156 1.8 Sportivo a few years ago. It led a hard life.

The only thing that caused anybother was the plastic engine underguard. I broke 2 of these on bumpy roads. The lower suspension in the Sportivo model made the ride quite jiggly.

Other than that I loved it.

galwaytt

siralfalot wrote:

oooh I wish I had bought a VW Golf GTTDPDDDTDPTDRED EYE

or, even better, a Red Tee Red Dee Red Eye.....:rolleyes:

cjt156

Quint wrote:

The electrics on the italian bikes aren't much better;)

Alfa 156 electrics are by Bosch; so its obviously the Huns' fault...

wyk

Who's to say I can't troll from Texas?

In the U.S., Alfa had horrific reliability and repair issues. I would like to know if anyone whom owns one could give me some insight and help assist me in my purchasing decisions - what to look out for, what goes wrong and when. I gotta say, in the U.S. this thread would have been 4 pages deep in horror stories by now. So what makes the Alfa different in Ireland than here? Is it more affordable to run and repair? Or is paddy more willing to make sacrifices to keep such a gorgeous vehicle on the road?

Wes

prospect wrote:

Could a mod check the IP address here, because if this deffo trolling.

siralfalot

wyk wrote:

Who's to say I can't troll from Texas?

In the U.S., Alfa had horrific reliability and repair issues. I would like to know if anyone whom owns one could give me some insight and help assist me in my purchasing decisions - what to look out for, what goes wrong and when. I gotta say, in the U.S. this thread would have been 4 pages deep in horror stories by now. So what makes the Alfa different in Ireland than here? Is it more affordable to run and repair? Or is paddy more willing to make sacrifices to keep such a gorgeous vehicle on the road?

Wes

jeese, the last Alfa to be sold new in the US was in 1995...............

siralfalot

siralfalot wrote:

jeese, the last Alfa to be sold new in the US was in 1995...............

QFT

OKenora

Alfas improved a lot over the last decade and while still not being rock solid they are a lot better than they sued to be. Horror story time now after having owned 3 alfas ........well.......ermmm...........ummmm...................one minute.....................I'll think of something..........................NOPE

Nothing, mostly the same problems as siralfalot, never get to stop too regularly to buy chocolate at filling stations, can't remember what my mechanic looks like cos I only see him at services and getting sick of the jealous looks given by people as you drive by and the "nice car" comments. If you can live with the above then go for it.

Personally I would recommend a diesel Alfa over a petrol ones purely on the basis of reliability though you have the added bonus of fuel economy and 200bhp and 325ft/lb torque to excite you too. It should also be easier to find a decently maintained diesel compared to a petrol despite there being far more petrols for sale. Service history, full and complete is an essential.

Anan1

Our owned-from-new 156 is at nine years and 130,000 miles now. The radiator has just sprung a small leak - does that count?

siralfalot

Anan1 wrote:

Our owned-from-new 156 is at nine years and 130,000 miles now. The radiator has just sprung a small leak - does that count?

oh the shame!! oooh the shame!!!, grab your torches and pitckforks!!!!!

10-10-20

I've a 145 and the missus drives a 156 SW with the 1.9 newer (2003) engine - 140 BHP.
Jesus, that thing is some animal for accelerating. Only problems are a knocking sound from the anti-roll-bar (potholed her twice) and difficult to replace bulbs in the front... Love em!

siralfalot

10-10-20 wrote:

Only problems are a knocking sound from the anti-roll-bar

probably a drop-link, if so then €36 for a new one and a few mins work with a spanner will cure that easily

wyk

Now ya understand why I've come here. The only thing I know of Alfa are they are gorgeous, with lovely interiors, and a lovely sound. The last Alfa I saw in person was on blocks.

It's good to hear the new breed are fairly reliable. I think I may just get me a 156.

Wes

siralfalot wrote:

jeese, the last Alfa to be sold new in the US was in 1995...............

cancan

Why would you move from texas and not bring your car with you tax free?

Anan1

cancan wrote:

Why would you move from texas and not bring your car with you tax free?

Because a US-spec '1500 lb compact' would be worth little more than the shipping costs here, i'd imagine.

wyk

My 6.9 liter diesel truck(about flat size) gets 11 MPG, weighs 7500 lbs, and it is uninsurable. All of which is moot, because it is unparkable as well in Ireland...
Here she is in front of my house in Texas, which is 2 stories detached, of course. I call her 'the little red monster':


I am quoted $3800 to ship it overseas as well...plus they asked I sign a form stating it won't hurt anyone -

but it started life white....

My 3.5 Liter Chevy Colorado(about HiLux size) gets 16 MPG, is American made, which places it a spot below a 1980's Afla Romeo as far as reliability go, but only without the looks to make up for it. I call it 'the POS Chevy truck that America can't make worth a damn to save their lives anymore nowadays':


$2200 to ship overseas.

Both will be sold, and I will be in need of something slightly practical...

Are we green?

Wes

cancan wrote:

Why would you move from texas and not bring your car with you tax free?

JohnCleary

Neve rowned an Alfa, and may never own one, but take this into consideration....

Chances are that all you'll hear on Internet Forums are BAD/HORROR STORIES. Think about it, you may hear 100 horror stories on the internet, but think about the thousands of happy stories that your average Joe Soap would have. People (Who don't use the net that often) generally only seek online advise when something bad happens.

I am only speaking from experience with my current car. I have a 320d which people complained of soft turbo's. All I heard online were bad stories, yet there's thousands of 320d's driving about trouble free!

Just something to consider. Happy motoring.

Owen

wyk wrote:

There's one of these pootling about Cork, the driver has a permenant smile on his face. I can understand why!

Anan1

ned78 wrote:

There's one of these pootling about Cork, the driver has a permenant smile on his face. I can understand why!

Because he's 'special'?

wyk

Didja mean from my photos, or from the forum?

1 out of every 5 trucks sold in the USA are sold in Texas. Nearly everyone owns a truck. I own two, and drive several others that are much, much larger. As I stated previously, if you have a small car here, you will eventually be killed by a large truck as it rolls right over you, the driver of the truck clutching a mobile or a bottle of budweiser...and none the wiser for having hit you.

I own trucks mostly so I have a good chance in a collision. Another reason is Texas has more unpaved roads than any other state in the US, and far more unpaved than paved. Then there's the fact trucks are dirt cheap here. I paid $13,700 USD for the Colorado and $32,000 USD for the Dually Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel.

Here's some cars I have owned previously:

1966 Ford Mustang, 1965 Mustang, 1969 Datsun 240Z, 1971 240Z, 1993 Civic, 1995 BMW M3(US spec, unfortunately), 1996 Cadillac Sedan Deville, which fell apart on me (LOVE that car for long rides, and I mean LONG as in 24 hours straight from Texas to California - a time I later beat by 30 mins in...) a 2003 Dodge Hemi with dual fuel tanks - so I only had to make one fuel stop in El Paso, TX.
I swilled an ungodly amount of Red Bull during that feat.

So I am not partial to any single type of vehicle. However, we haven't had Alfa's here in more than a decade, and it would be quite novel to own one until it bankrupts me.

Wes

astraboy

Wes, the Colorado is sold in a very similar variant in Ireland under the Izuzu brand. I'm sure you would pick up a commercial one cheap enough here. As for the Dodge Ram, Love those trucks! I'm in Boston at the moment and the Dullers are rare, but the crew cab ones with the 5.7 hemi are a regular sight. Class rumble off the V8 even when they idle. I'm also a Fan of the Chevy Avalanche and the F350, big trucks over here fit right in.

10-10-20

siralfalot wrote:

probably a drop-link, if so then €36 for a new one and a few mins work with a spanner will cure that easily

I wish. I replced these. I then noticed that the roll-bar was loose when not under tension. It's a pig of a job to do - have to drop the engine frame...!

BeardyGit

Hey Wes,

Check out the US based insurance broker 'Clements'. You need to tell them you're coming here on assignment for 12 months to get their overseas policy issued in the first place. They'll have an insurance policy issued by a local insurance company/broker here in Ireland, then once you're here a couple of months, you can call them and tell them you're going to have an extended stay here.....They won't load your policy or increase your premium at renewal. Don't tell them you've moved here for any more than 12 months in the first place though, or they won't issue the policy....I think it's the local insurance companies that refuse to lose their excessive premia to a US insurer, so they won't play ball with Clements if they know you'd be long stay initially....

Hope that makes sense and helps some. BTW, I know probably half a dozen Texans all insured with Clements this way - They all pay the same kind of premium - US$770 or thereabouts, fully comprehensive, on pretty much anything up a 3 litre BMW X5....

Cheers,

Gil

PS: We had a new Alfa GTV JTD diesel coupe this last weekend in Italy - Awesome car - I'd buy one if I had the lids to spend....

galwaytt

cjt156 wrote:

Alfa 156 electrics are by Bosch; so its obviously the Huns' fault...

....whereas the dash electrics in a TT are Italian...........and they're definately bogus...........

Mitch Connor

ned78 wrote:

There's one of these pootling about Cork, the driver has a permenant smile on his face. I can understand why!

There is one like it in Gorey - driver is a ****. Dangerously overtook myself and my bro, and 3 other cars, before hammering the brakes so he could cut another driver up and get back into lane before he hit a artic... idiot.

Sound out of it is unreal though - when it accelerated past us we though someone had actually crashed are we checking to see what had happened.

ciarsd

Gil_Dub wrote:

PS: We had a new Alfa GTV JTD diesel coupe this last weekend in Italy - Awesome car - I'd buy one if I had the lids to spend....

GT Gil? Interesting hire car - was it anymore expensive to hire out versus others in its class?

C_Breeze

red broken down alfa 156 on the m50 just before the red cow exit cauing a bit of a delay yesterday evening , :rolleyes:

10-10-20

SAAB broken down on the hard shoulder of the M50 the other day... turbo?
Who cares! All cars break down.

siralfalot

blue Audi A4 broken down on the M4 on Monday afternoon..............

as said, all cars break down

10-10-20 wrote:

I wish. I replced these. I then noticed that the roll-bar was loose when not under tension. It's a pig of a job to do - have to drop the engine frame...!

thats a pisser, it is a pig of a job alright, I replaced my front ARB with a 156 GTA spec ARB while I had the car torn apart for some major suspension and drivetrain upgrades and modifations, it made a massive differance to the handling, it goes like its on rails now

BeardyGit

ciarsd wrote:

GT Gil? Interesting hire car - was it anymore expensive to hire out versus others in its class?

You lot are going to think I'm taking the mickey with this one...but...They gave it to us as a 'free upgrade' from the Lancia Y we'd booked!!! Europecar charged us €109 for the 'Y' from Sunday morning 'til Tuesday morning with comprehensive insurance, no excess etc. We turned up to collect the nasty little Y at around 10:30am....I can only guess they'd run out of 3 door hatchbacks by then, or the guy fancied one of the women.... Feck it, who's complaining - Not me!

Couldn't get over how economical it was too - We did 470km on 24 litres, with the air-con keeping it down at 20 C the whole time.... If it wasn't for the mass depreciation on Alfa's, I'd almost consider finance to buy one - It was a real beauty of a car.

Marcus.Aurelius

Great thread guys. It's a piss-contest between alfa-ites. Nobody is diagreeing with you. Noboday cares if you love alfas, the rest of us know the score at this stage.

Alfas are sh*te, just like our american colleague indicated originally. And I know from Fleet experience that they are dreadful heaps.

10-10-20

^ flipping Beemer drivers eh? (You'd know their likes a mile away.)

GavMan

Just picked up my 156 tonight. I fecking love it

Hotwheels

Best of luck with it...Another good Alfa Forum

wyk

Poking around the web, i see there are a few chip and intake/exhaust upgrades for the JTD Alfa's, averaging 190 HP or so. Sounds like fun, assuming you can get used to shifting at 3500 RPM, or whatever the redline is in an Alfa diesel...

Wez

astraboy

maoleary wrote:

Great thread guys. It's a piss-contest between alfa-ites. Nobody is diagreeing with you. Noboday cares if you love alfas, the rest of us know the score at this stage.

Alfas are sh*te, just like our american colleague indicated originally. And I know from Fleet experience that they are dreadful heaps.

Maybe we should all go away and buy a 1.6 corolla so? Yes it'll last forever, but if we wanted the worlds most BORING car we would have asked. Alfa's need to be looked after, far more then a "drive it till it stops" toyota. If you are perpared to put up with more maintenance and weekly checks you would not need to perform on a regular saloon, the 156 would be a great car. Performance, styling and handling far better then the more mundane competitors. And as for fleet experience, would'nt most of them have had the arse driven out of them? No wonder they broke down!

ciarsd

wyk wrote:

Poking around the web, i see there are a few chip and intake/exhaust upgrades for the JTD Alfa's, averaging 190 HP or so. Sounds like fun, assuming you can get used to shifting at 3500 RPM, or whatever the redline is in an Alfa diesel...

Wez

3500RPM is roughly where the power literally dies and time to pull another gear!

Angel Tuning, amongst a few others, are very popular for JTDm engine tuning. I've not bothered, I'm happy enough with it from factory, as intended.

Another relatively cheap, but excellent upgrade (GTA & JTDm gearbox only), is the Q2 LSD. No mods needed, direct swap - parts cost €350ish then add labour. :cool:

siralfalot

astraboy wrote:

Maybe we should all go away and buy a 1.6 corolla so? Yes it'll last forever, but if we wanted the worlds most BORING car we would have asked. Alfa's need to be looked after, far more then a "drive it till it stops" toyota. If you are perpared to put up with more maintenance and weekly checks you would not need to perform on a regular saloon, the 156 would be a great car. Performance, styling and handling far better then the more mundane competitors. And as for fleet experience, would'nt most of them have had the arse driven out of them? No wonder they broke down!

couldn't have put it better myself, some people just like to have something a bit more involving, I know personally I couldn't deal with corolla ownership, and the uber reliability and boredom that comes with it, I guess at the end of the day, peoples choice in cars reflect their personality somewhat.

ciarsd wrote:

3500RPM is roughly where the power literally dies and time to pull another gear!

Angel Tuning, amongst a few others, are very popular for JTDm engine tuning. I've not bothered, I'm happy enough with it from factory, as intended.

Another relatively cheap, but excellent upgrade (GTA & JTDm gearbox only), is the Q2 LSD. No mods needed, direct swap - parts cost €350ish then add labour. :cool:

in the 2.4jtd the power drops off at 4200rpm, and in a diesel 700rpm is a lot, 3000rpm in fifth (edited: why did i say third? ) is 100mph.
I for one can vouce for the effectiveness of the Q2 limited slip differential, for such a simple modification it transforms the car, giving grip where once there was understeer.

I know its no "supercar" as some diesel drivers (Golf TDI drivers especially) seem to think their cars are, but it is relatively quick.

wyk

Cool. I was hoping the diesel tech would make the drive a tad mroe itneresting. And as I said before, having a diesle car is a bit of a novelty. One that handles fair and looks good would be a lovely bonus.

My Dodge Cummins Dually has a chip in it. That alone has increased the torque by quite a bit. I don't know of the european cars, but here in the states, most larger trucks basically have detuned heavy truck engines in them. They have a smaller block, smaller turbo, but are very similar to their bigger brethren otherwise. So putting in a chip that changes how much juice can be sent into the chambers and when, make a HUGE difference here since the injectors are nearly identical, if not indentical in an ISB and ISC motor. An ISC Cummins produces up to 1350 ft lbs of torque in a medium duty 6-13 ton rated truck. The ISB version in my Dodge produces 600 ft lbs from the factory. Toss in a chip and suddenly yer seeing 800-1000 ft lbs easily.

Yup, it is an absolute monster. Diesel tech has come a LONG ways.

Wez

siralfalot wrote:

couldn't have put it better myself, some people just like to have something a bit more involving, I know personally I couldn't deal with corolla ownership, and the uber reliability and boredom that comes with it, I guess at the end of the day, peoples choice in cars reflect their personality somewhat.



in the 2.4jtd the power drops off at 4200rpm, and in a diesel 700rpm is a lot, 3000rpm in third is 100mph.
I for one can vouce for the effectiveness of the Q2 limited slip differential, for such a simple modification it transforms the car, giving grip where once there was understeer.

I know its no "supercar" as some diesel drivers (Golf TDI drivers especially) seem to think their cars are, but it is relatively quick.

666bxg

Just to add my experience..... (hope its not too late!)

Brother in law bought a brand new 156 selespeed. Timing belt broke after 30,000km (yes kilometres) requiring an engine rebuild. Usual faults with air con and electrics too....

astraboy

From what I've read the timing belt is a big issue with them, they need to be changed every 35,000 miles. Like I said, if you want rock solid reliability then buy a corolla.

Lex Luthor

I have my 156 7.5 yrs from new and has only failed to start twice and both occasions was due to my kids leaving the interior light on

Change the timing belt/variator every 36,000-40,000 miles which will set you back about €600, keep an eye on the suspension and change the bits when they start to wear and you should have great driving....I have and plan to keep it for another 7.5ys. Up to 87,000 miles now and I've only ever had to replace the rear stub axles bushes once and the rest of the suspension that was checked recently is good for another 20-30k.

Thinking of treating it to a nice Cadamuro facelift in the near distance future

If you do buy one, just make sure it has a service history