Cam belt cost - fiat multipla?

sr2.drinking famous grouse will sort all your ills.

They're so retro they are bordering on cool.
They do have a good reputation as well.
Cheers Stevo

wait a minute.

so you need special tools
a special mechanic who has worked on a multipla before
you're best to get it done at 1 particular workshop that is worth a drive to auckland
and its going to cost upto $1500 to get the cambelt done.

wow, i really want a multipla now.

this advise seems to go against the last over9000 threads that you've entered into.

Jazz this must be like Christmas for you.

haha, 1500 I think I will prefer my chain engine.

Yup he would marry one if he could.

The sight of them alone here induce vomiting.

yeah too much wild turkey alright sr2! lol
i wonder if OP has kids, and i wonder if they duck when they see someone they know.
i know i would if i would for some reason travel in one of those

Only had a couple, I'm a cheap drunk; but seriously, take one for a rest drive and you will be impressed. (You may need to have a paper bag over your head!).

toyota's 1kz engine takes about 45 minutes to do a cambelt on from getting off the couch to back on the couch, and requires no special tools or skills, parts are about $200

just as a comparison - these engines are found in 7 seater prados etc

That was not the point i was making.

I find it ironic that Jazz thinks it's perfectly normal for a Multipla to have a $1500 cam belt change, but harps on about the "expensive to maintain" Hiaces etc needing cambelts changed and more frequent services.

Toyota's 1KZalso uses around twice as much fuel yet is no where near as responsive. It is infamous for cracking heads at massive cost and you have to change the oil nearly three times as often.

The 1KZ is only considered a contender for those who can't do basic math and have never driven a Fiat Common Rail.

It never ceases to amaze me the people that complain about a cambelt change costing a few hundred more once every 5 years yet they will happily waste thousand of dollars on extra oil changes and twice the fuel usage over that time.

oh jazz you are so easy to wind up

I don't mind a good wind up, it just worries me that the OP might not realise what is bollocks and what is not!

Anyhow, actual quotes are coming in and its looking more favourable than the $1500 supposedly quoted to someone on here a while ago. which appears like it might have been BS.

dc72 I should have a price for you later this afternoon.

Thanks ashwattau,
Wishing I hadn't even mentioned the last quote mentioned on here now.

Too bad you said it, yeah they might be good to you but not everyone likes to be seen in one.

To answer some questions, yes I have kids, and no they wouldn't duck - they are too young to be worried by looks! I'm actually keen to have a car that when I go shopping I don't lose in the parking lot because there are ten identical cars there! Besides, the multipla appeals to my love of the quirky and the under dog, no way is it a boring looking car!
I actually haven't bought it yet.still in the process of getting to see it in person - just doing my homework so not caught out by any unexpected costs etc.

HI dc72, hopefully the Garage will be back to me by the close of business on price, I have sent through the tech documents so they can estimate time etc. I can tell you though that all up including genuine parts we should be looking at around $1000 or less.

There are a few options with parts which may save you some money as well.

But in the meantime until I get a final price on labour I think you will be quite safe if you budget on $1000 all up.

Ok, I guess budgeting for that every 5 years isn't too bad. Whats the oil change / service interval on the beasties!
(We've been told it's just had it's clutch and flywheel replaced so I'm guessing the only other possible major engine problems are fuel pump gearbox and radiator!)
How good is the running gear on them - shocks etc, will they need doing!
After spending SO much money on the old holden I'm keen on a less expensive beast!

Jazz You really have missed the optimum selling point for the Fugly Ugly. No one would ever steal one even with the keys left in the ignition.

Yup they wouldn't want to be seen in it, unless you like having people laugh at you.

Your quote right, call it $200 a year for timing belt service. Compare that to say a Mazda MPV with the small chain driven engine, assume you do the standard 15'000km a year most kiwis do and you are still a good $1100 a year better of with running costs.

Oil change interval believe it or not is 20'000km on the diesel Multipla from memory and it just uses a normal amount of oil etc so its about as cheap as you get servicing wise. It does take a good quality synthetic oil though and its important to use the correct thing, so don't expect to use a $20 pack from the warehouse. At a guess oil might be $80.

Overall they are super cheap to maintain. All you have to worry about is mechanicals as they are galvanised so never rust. Mine has needed a couple of wheel cylenders at $35 each which was really my fault for leaving it sitting, and some drive belts and tensioners and thats about it other than regular maintenance. Thats been during about 5 years of hard commercial use on one that had been given a hard time in Auckland before I got it and now has 200K on the clock.

Its pretty much impossible to say what if anything that one will need without seeing it. But in general all the big expensive stuff like engines, gearbox's etc is super reliable. That Diesel engine is the most well proven common rail diesel in the world and is used in everything from Alfa Romeo Coupe's, to light commercial vehicles and is even sold to Suzuki who put it in their Swifts and SX4's.

But I digress.
In general there are no known issues I can think of thats likely to afflict it especially at that milage. So long as you give it a proper service every year with good oil etc the odds of you having a great run are about as good as you get. Remember proper service means not just an oil change though so do pay attention to things like changing the radiator and brake fluid when applicable etc.

The only thing I find with them is the plastic interior bits do tend to wear if you leave the car in the sun all day every day and combine that with heavy use. Its not an issue in the scheme of things its just cosmetic. It is also easy to break the plastic tabs that hold the radio in, but again its no big deal and easy to fix. The only other notably expensive bit you may come accross with the Multipla is the accessory belt which is a special heavy duty one and is about $200 and is changed every 150'000km or so.

Obviously getting the car checked by a Fiat Garage in Wellington would be a good idea before purchase but unlike other vehicles I have owned that I could give you a big list of things to check there are no particularly weak points with the Multipla.

So in general just check all the normal things you would when looking at a car. If you need a list of general stuff to check let me know and I will make you one up.

Best of luck!

Just one other thing, with regard to the change of clutch. The clutch's on the Multipla are actually renowned for lasting a very long time, if you drive them properly.

There are a few people around (and I suspect the previous owner in this case) that just don't realise that the Multipla Diesel produces a huge amount of torque. If you do silly things like riding the clutch to control your speed when going slow, you will indeed manage to strip one to bits in a shorter time like they did.

So if inching foward in heavy traffic just let the clutch right out and idle along, the engine has more than enough power to push you along on the flat at idle in first gear. Its all just common sense really.

+1
Which you should be doing anyway, I never ride clutches with the car I'm using at the moment done 250,000km on the same clutch. I cringe when I see people who can't drive riding a clutch, or just allow for it and leave a big enough gap.