It is with great remorse I will be parting with my TI Sport. Absolutely have loved the car, but now the dealer and mechanical issues are overwhelming. Let me explain..
Purchased the Alfa in October 2017 from my dealer in Sacramento, California (closed 1 1/2 years later); nearest dealer 130 miles away (more dealers closing). No local FCA dealer (Dodge/Jeep, Fiat etc) will service the Alfa.
Developed a "combustion chamber" cylinder 4 issue (mis-fire on cylinder, limp mode) they can't figure out and had to consult with "Engineering" (not sure what that means) Two weeks at the Berkeley, Ca dealer...no resolution. Said...Oh it could be a coolant line on the turbo...really? Or they said a "sticking valve".
Bottom line, I bought a 2021 Ford EDGE ST which kicks ass and I have a dealer 5 miles from my house.
I will miss this forum, the Stelvio is a great vehicle.
Cylinder scoring is definitely possible since you have a loss of compression. If that's the case you should get a brand new engine out of this under warranty (assuming you aren't over the four year time limit, although with only 36K miles, even if that was the case, I would hope Alfa would do a "goodwill" replacement).
yeah, messed up rings would be a big deal, I was hoping it was just something similar to the multi air misfunctioning and not opening the intake valves appropriately.
I also live in Sacramento - bummed that the Alfa dealer here closed! I just got a 2018 Stelvio Ti from alfa stevens creek. I guess Berkley is our nearest dealer? So if I need to do anything under warranty I would have to go there?
That sucks. I hope they gave you a loaner. Unfortunately sometimes the only solution is to have your lawyer send the dealer and Alfa corporate a letter if the car is still under warranty. They dont like that.
Depending on "when" the 2018 was purchased, and depending on what state the OP lives in, it may be way too late to try to use Lemon Law on this Stelvio.
A large number of states limit Lemon Law action to the first 2 years of ownership, for the original purchaser.
Have not posted on this topic since April. Absolutely incredible......Alfa dealer in Berkeley, CA has had my 2018 Ti Sport since MARCH 25!!!. They went back and forth with Alfa corporate engineering and the insurance company. Tore the engine down and found out the ring on cylinder 4 broke apart, wasted the cylinder, the turbo, and the catalytic converter.
Still not ready, the say mid to late August. Can't believe it.
Silver lining...thank god I bought an extended warranty....dealer said parts/labor would have been 20K plus (blue book is ~ 27K)
It helps when you are a tech and can show the independent shop how to use what they have to work on an Alfa.....it's just an FCA vehicle, but alot of places get scared by the name.
It's the same engine as a Jeep Cherokee/Wrangler, same transmission as any one of a dozen cars from as many brands... Really not as crazy as shops think.
But yeah... I fully acknowledge your point as valid.... It just shouldn't be.
Finally done 7 months later...they replace entire engine, turbo, and catalytic converter. Nightmare, did not want to deal with the vehicle any longer....sold it to the dealer for 23K (paid (47K) 5 years old 33K miles.
Finally done 7 months later...they replace entire engine, turbo, and catalytic converter. Nightmare, did not want to deal with the vehicle any longer....sold it to the dealer for 23K (paid (47K) 5 years old 33K miles.
This is a long and involved thread, so maybe this has already been addressed and I missed it -- but I am curious, as I'm sure others are too, as to the driving style on the Stelvio that had the compression problem -- was it frequently redlined, driven in dynamic mode all the time, etc. I am wondering if this issue is something that is already in the DNA of the engine when it leaves the factory, or can it be induced or brought on by driving style? I have a 2018 Stelvio which is by far the coolest car I've ever owned, and I am approaching the mileage of the one discussed above (about 31k now.) Just wondering if a similar fate could be in my near future. While I have fun driving mine, my driving style would best be described as on the more conservative side; I bought my Stelvio used about 10 months and 10 k miles ago, but I have no idea how it was driven for the 21k miles it got before I acquired it. Thanks for any insights --
You can't really blame a piston ring that breaks on anything the owner of the vehicle could have contributed to, with the sole exceptions of oil changes, running the car low on oil, and any possible aftermarket tuning that may have caused the fueling to be WAY off.
Otherwise, a broken piston ring is just a badly manufacturered part with an unexpected weakness, and should be considered bad luck, and nothing more than that.
Just like the select few people who have had failed headgaskets in their engines.
There is NOTHING the owner could have done, short of pop off their valve cover, and loosened some cylinder head bolts, but, seriously, who does that?
Wrong oil/cheap oil/dirty oil causing Low Speed Pre-Ignition, or LSPI.
That is the only thing an owner could do easily. Use the wrong type of oil, like maybe conventional non-synthetic.
One member posted the oil thier dealer used one time and it didn't meet ANY of the requirement even in the 2018 manual also... Something like that could conceivably do it.
Which is why even at a dealership you should verify what oil they use. Don't deviate, meet or exceed all requirements.
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