We sent the letter below to the head office of Alfa Romeo and only a couple of days ago received a reply. We had left a total of 8 phone messages for their Sales Manager - to which we never received a call back. I am in tears and quite shaken up while I write this but feel we have no other option. We are considering VCAT and legal proceedings.
We put every dollar we had in to buying this car and it has caused us immense stress within a month of buying it. Alfa have been so unpleasant to deal with and we are seeking to have the car bought back (initially we wanted the warranty extended as they didn't know what the problem was and they denied us this outright). It was brand new when bought. Reason is, it causes too much psychological stress when looking at it, driving it, anything to do with it, it is even causing problems in our marriage as we are both carrying the stress of a faulty car. We were patient for over a year with no help and we tried to sell it but when a person hears the choking they run a mile. We are being penalised with a car worth drastically below market value through no fault of our own and Alfa Australia are getting away with it until now. Please find letter my husband sent below....
"I am writing in relation to an Alfa Romeo 159 I purchased in January 2008 which was eventually delivered towards mid April 2008 after several headaches waiting for the car to arrive despite being told it would do so in February 2008. Approximately 2 months into owning the car, I found that it would often pause whilst in third gear and sometimes in other gears. This was quite irritating and unexpected of a brand new car. Nevertheless I thought that it was something that would pass and continued to drive the car in a normal fashion. Despite this, the car kept pausing and “coughing” in the ensuing months of 2008. At the end of 2008, whilst driving home from work the car began pausing and then suddenly came to a standstill and began “coughing” so severely to the extent that the car would hardly move at all whilst being in peak hour traffic in the middle of the Westgate freeway. Not only was this incident embarrassing and extremely dangerous, it was quite stressful trying to settle the car on the side of the road. I then turned the car off and on after 5 minutes and it was fine. My initial thoughts that it was something that would pass were out of the window at this stage and I took the car in for its 15,000km service at which time I informed the Lance Dixon service department of the problem.
After a few days I picked up the car after being serviced and was told it was running fine now. Not even 10 minutes after driving out of Lance Dixon Alfa and onto the freeway the car began to pause in the middle of the freeway suddenly and two cars almost collided into me. On this occasion it was far worse than the previously mentioned incident and the choking would not resolve despite me turning the car on and off. I managed to drive the car at about 5-10kms an hour off the freeway and back to Lance Dixon furious that the car was worse than it had ever been, all this after a full service!
The service department took the car and gave me back the rental car I had for the service. Some 4 weeks passed and they could not find the problem. Initially I was told it was a problem with the turbo charger, and finally they realised it was something to do with carbon clogging up the EGR valve. After 4 frustrating weeks I finally got the car back and was told they had cleaned the EGR and soaked it in lubricant and it was driving “like new again”.
After being extremely frustrated that the last 8 months of owning the car was clouded with non stop problems, I accepted that these things sometimes happen and was happy that the car was back to how it was in the first 2 months of owning it (when it was problem free) and expected that this would be the case from now on.
To my dismay, the problems started again after two weeks. Not only was the car pausing and stopping, it was now choking erratically every time I would start the car in the mornings, something that had not happened before! I barely had enough time to drive the car as I was getting married in January 2009 and spent some 2 months overseas on our honeymoon. Upon returning I was faced with the same problem, the car sounding like it was a 40 year old lawn mower every time I started it up in the morning and then pausing every so often whilst driving. I then informed Lance Dixon and took the car back. After a week of driving around the old 156 rental car, I was told that they had replaced the EGR valve it was fine now. I took the car home and the very next day it choked completely on the road to the extent that I could not drive the car. I turned it on and off and it drove normally again only to experience more pausing and “coughing” in the ensuing days. The choking start-up was there again and I informed Lance Dixon of same.
The same story followed as I left the car at Lance Dixon. Being the fourth time I had brought it back for the very same problem, Lance Dixon had the car for 3 weeks whilst the problem was thoroughly investigated. The injectors were sent off to a Diesel mechanic which came back clear. In the end, they told me that the DPF was not functioning as it should be which was resulting in excessive carbon build up. Nevertheless they informed me that they had cleaned all the carbon out and the car was running fine with the exception of a “slight” choke in the mornings which apparently could be resolved by me putting the keys in the car for 10 seconds before starting it up. This was apparently to “warm the globes” which would allow the diesel to burn immediately.
I took the car away and the same problems have now occurred. The car is choking in the mornings at start-up even after I leave the keys in the car for 1 full minute! It also chokes at start-up whenever the car has been left off for more than an hour. The car sounds like it is being strangled and is extremely embarrassing in front of friends and even people at shopping centres that a car that we paid some $60,000 for sounds the way it does. It is extremely frustrating to the extent that you could not imagine!
In addition to this, it continues to pause or “cough” at times whilst driving, again when mostly in third gear. I am sick to death of this problem with this car! I have driven and experienced it as a new problem free car for some 2 months only in the last one and a half years, the remainder of the time it has been this same problem reoccurring again and again which the Lance Dixon service department cannot seem to resolve. In addition to this, I am paying for a personal loan for this car with interest for not only a car that does not run properly or as advertised, but for 2 months spent driving around in an old torn up 156 which is absolutely ridiculous! Are Alfa Australia willing to reimburse me the interest paid on my loan for these two months I have had to drive the 156 rental car?
I have been extremely patient, beyond the scope of any new car owner (one and a half years of patience to be exact) and have given Lance Dixon several chances to resolve the problem. I refuse to take the car back to Lance Dixon for repair only to drive away with the same problem as has been the case the last 4 times. I understand that they do not have a proper fix for the problem and every time I take the car there, the carbon is cleaned out but the underlying problem causing this alleged carbon build-up is NOT fixed! This results in me driving away problem free for less than a week before it all starts again.
I have been told that my problems are being caused by the DPF not functioning when I am partaking in a lot of city driving. Whilst this may be the case, this is not an excuse. If I was told at the time of purchase that this car was great, unless you plan on driving to and from the city in which case it would choke at start-up and pause whilst driving, I certainly would have been out the door!
If this underlying problem is one that cannot be resolved COMPLETELY by Alfa Australia, and one of your repairers, whether it be Lance Dixon or another dealer, cannot assure me that it will be resolved in full, once and for all, I demand that Alfa either refund my money, replace the car or buy it back off me. I am not going to be content with driving a car that chokes every time it is started and pauses whilst I am driving it, not when I have paid some $60,000 for this car! I am also sick and tired of driving to and from Lance Dixon picking up rental cars and dropping my 159 off, it is an absolute joke. I had heard all the bad stories about Alfa Romeo and still opted to trust your company that your new model cars would have resolved the problems of the past and went ahead with the purchase. How much of a mistake that was I will never forget. I will ensure that everyone I know and deal with will hear of this story and will never opt to purchase an Alfa Romeo again unless this situation is resolved to my satisfaction once and for all. This is not the mindset I intend to be in, but obviously you can understand how very frustrated I am.
I am writing to Alfa Romeo directly to demand resolution of this situation, this is my last resort before taking the matter to consumer affairs and beyond. I sincerely hope that your customer relations process is of the standard that a prestige car company would adhere to, and unlike that of the service and problems I have received with this car thus far.
Having said that, I bear no blame whatsoever on Lance Dixon Alfa as they have been kind, courteous and accommodating through these series of issues, and I can judge by their voice over the phone that they are honestly doing all they can but simply don’t know what to do to resolve the problem. For this I do not blame Lance Dixon Alfa as I have mentioned, they have been good to me. However someone needs to take the blame for the detriment I have suffered over the last one and a half years and I believe Alfa Australia or their importer should acknowledge and deal with this situation.
If there is a “fix” for the problem, I believe Alfa Romeo should immediately seek to have my car repaired and compensate me for the last one and a half years of distress by way of extending my new car warranty. If you truly believe in the quality of your cars, which I do not after the last one and a half years, then I am sure you would have no hesitation whatsoever in extending my new car warranty, unless of course you have no faith in your very own product.
I look forward to hearing how Alfa Romeo Australia will assist me in putting the last one and a half years of frustration behind me for this is a car that I truly want to own and drive, just not with this same frustrating problem."
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