Sometimes all it takes is a car breakdown to ruin a vacation. Sophie T. from Buscat (33 years old) is one of those unfortunate people who had to do without a car during the summer holidays. Indeed, his Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir 85 2019, showing only 30,300 km, suddenly stopped working in the middle of August last year… Our reader then towed her little Italian to the dealer closest to her vacation spot. Already annoyed by this malfunction, she was stunned when an expert in the field told her it was the Uni Air distribution system actuator that had just failed!
Inadequate punishment
If this problem occurs in time, Sophie has no doubt that Fiat will fix her car, which has just turned 3 years old, without having to pay a penny. However, she quickly learns that the estimate she is making 1625 euros, will be entirely at his expense. Unpleasantly surprised, Sophie asks the mechanic for an explanation. The latter simply answers him that it is his fault, because his 500 was not kept online. However, the inspection invoices confirm that the latter were carried out in accordance with the maintenance plan of the Transalpine manufacturer, and that, moreover, it never exceeded the time and kilometers indicated in it.
Our defense strategy
The legislation is very clear: the motorist can entrust the maintenance of his vehicle to a professional of his choice, provided that the manufacturer’s instructions are followed. So Sophie can’t be blamed for that. As for the breakdown of its 500, our experts predict a resource of 300,000 km for this actuator. Thus, the coverage scale indicates that such a fault should be covered 100% for up to 5 years or 60,000 km.
Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.