Transmission problem

Question

2018 Fiat Pop 500

Hello!

I'm starting to have so many problems with this car, it is 6 yrs old and has a little over 50k miles, so there's no warranty on the car. While driving it, a dash lights came on, I immediately turned around and went back home, called the tow truck and had it towed to the dealership. The dealer said, there was a valve problem in the transmission, the cost to repair it was $3000. I reached out to Fiat corporate and applied for financial assistance, Fiat agreed to pay for the parts and I had to pay for the labor which is $807. After repairing the valve, there were other errors messages, and now the dealer says I need a new transmission which would cost $8400. The dealer asked Fiat for additional financial assistance, they denied the request. Now, I'm stuck with a car that needs a new transmission and I can't afford it.

I reached out to a few transmission shops to see how much a rebuilt transmission would cost, so far, the shops are telling me that a dealer unit would be needed to repair the transmission.

My questions is: if the dealer is the Fiat expert - how could they miss a valve problem vs the car needing a full transmission replacement?

I just don't know what to do with this car, I own it outright, didn't want to purchase another car during these inflated times, but I would love to sell it for some cash, but who would buy it with a bad transmission?

Has anyone experienced this problem or any suggestions, feedback?

Thanks

Mz Kiwi

Chuck Tobias · Accepted Answer

Posted by: @mzkiwi I'm starting to have so many problems with this car That's no surprise. They are terrible, as Scotty has said many times. Name a major system and you'll find it's prone to failure in that model. Posted by: @mzkiwi After repairing the valve, there were other errors messages, and now the dealer says I need a new transmission which would cost $8400. What are the error messages and codes? Why are you going to a dealer, which about is the most expensive and most likely to rip you off option for repairs? Posted by: @mzkiwi My questions is: if the dealer is the Fiat expert - how could they miss a valve problem vs the car needing a full transmission replacement? Because dealers treat their technicians so badly that the good ones rarely stay. This video is about one man's experiences working at a Subaru dealership but is applicable to all makes since they virtually all work the same way: "There is no skilled labor out there left at the dealerships to be able to fix your modern complex vehicle..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfevTLNjNIM Posted by: @mzkiwi but I would love to sell it for some cash, but who would buy it with a bad transmission?  A junkyard or other outfit that would sell off the remaining good parts. Posted by: @mzkiwi feedback?  Have a good independent transmission shop do an actual diagnosis of the transmission to determine the nature of the problem rather than assuming the dealer is correct. Dealers are parts changers and rarely if ever will do an in-depth diagnosis. You need a real expert to look at the thing. If the trans really is bad you'll probably have to eat the loss of selling that vehicle for parts. It is not worth spending $8400 for a rebuilt transmission even if you could afford it. A used transmission may well be as bad as the one that's in there now. One way or another you really need to get rid of that thing. It will eat you out of house and home. Also never buy another Fiat/Chrysler/Stellantis vehicle ever again.

Justin Shepherd · Answer

Unfortunately, you learned the hard way, the mocking acronym, "Fix It Again, Tony". Fiat themselves went under, shortly after they bought Chrysler, and they were absorbed by Peugeot, becoming Stellantis. Alpha Romeo is also under the Stellantis name. Scotty refers to them all the time as the 3 Stooges in auto manufacturing. Best get rid that thing ASAP, no transmission should go out after 50,000 miles.

Justin Shepherd · Answer

Posted by: @mzkiwi How reliable Is the 2016 Scion iA? https://www.findlaytoyotaflagstaff.net/used-Flagstaff-2016-Scion-iA-+-3MYDLBZV9GY131142 How reliable is 2015 Scion XB? https://www.chapmanvw.com/search?store=CAV&vehicleHighlight=VP2670&make=Scion&model=xB&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5cOwBhCiARIsAJ5njuYncq8VceRi3s6t2PYTA3UKAi1_e0V1lvOb5HgXWUlnnCBuJfvRSlAaAsnIEALw_wcB I live in Arizona, not in these cities, but I will drive there for a good deal. All a Scion is, it a sport-oriented Toyota. They don't make them anymore, but relatively few people were buying them, so that division went out of business. Sportscars don't really exist like they used to. Scions are excellent vehicles overall. Some are oil burners because Toyota didn't make an engine properly. I'm not real big on Toyotas myself, but I think Toyota had issues and they were corrected by your model years. Make sure a good mechanic checks it out before you buy, so you don't have problems again.