Do you have data/facts to back this up? One quadrifoglio owned by C&D doesn’t make it true for all cars. I’ve never owned an Alfa but I’ve owned multiple Jeeps and everybody talks about how bad their reliability is but they were all universally more reliable than either of my BMW’s or Mercedes. Not to mention my 275k miles V6 GM sedan I drove with nothing but common maintenance (hoses/belt/alternator/brakes/etc). My 335i BMW was then worst car I’ve ever owned for reliability. Blew an engine, door lock actuators, turbos, and on and on… Things I never knew existed!
My point is, I don’t think Alfa Romeo is going to survive in the USA market but that doesn’t mean their cars have crap for reliability. Time and data will tell the tale…
At this point it’s just so baked in though surely? It’s the same as JLR. You know your $100K Range Rover will end up in the shop for a few days in the first year but it’s fine because they’ll give you a loaner RR to run around in so whatevs.
The difference with Alfa is when your $80k car needs work, they’ll loan you a Chrysler 300 (as they did with C&D) or a 500X or some other equally terrible FCA nonsense. People can put up with terrible reliability (to a point) but it’s how you handle it.
Yes, we’ve all owned cars that were far more and far less reliable than the average for the brand or the reputation for the brand. Statistics tell us about distribution over many trials, not about specific single outcomes.
As far as data goes: I suspect that any data I provide will somehow be inadequate to convince you. But there is always Google–the results aren’t hard to find.
Yes but how many of the Porsches IMS bearings, MB AMG headbolts, etc. failed in the first few months of ownership like alfa romeo?
I mean look at the early review of press car, I mean they had their first time press car fails during review. I mean how embarrassing is that? They should have ironed them out before putting the press in there, especially with their reputation for poor reliability.
I mean my Alfa Romeo Stelvio was bought back by FCA after only owning it for 6 months. It spent 60 days in the shop for numerous issues. They just rushed their development of their car, which they tried to tout over the competition.
They should have took their time on this rather than, push them out when they obviously weren’t ready.
I mean how terrible of situation is it when Lancia Ypsilon (1 ancient car) is outselling the whole Alfa Romeo brand in Europe (its home). Especially with the Giulia and Stelvio being relatively new. They do nothing to fix their terrible reputation for dealers, servicing their car and reliability.
I’ve been waiting for a windshield on my '17 Giulia for seven weeks now; both the dealer and Alfa have advised that there are no replacement windshields in country at the present time. Most of my myriad of issues have been software related which have been addressed by updates. The transmission could be better as it has a tendency to bang into gear at lower speeds which, again, I suspect is sofware related as they just can’t seem to get the algorithum right.
One thing that I must say is Alfa NA has been VERY receptive to staying involved, following up with the dealer and doing their best to rectify my issues. My car has slightly over 30k miles and has never stranded me but has, indeed, had more issues than I’d expect from a modern vehicle…
They definitely rushed the car to market. This was really stupid as the perception of Alfa from decades ago was they were a nightmare. Yeah let’s reinforce something bad.
Short version my opinions. Lots of issues when before in 2017 & 2018. Not nearly as many issues now. Lots of people reading about previous issues and projecting to current opinions of cars. I think now they probably have the same number of problems as Chrysler or Fiat, definitely a low bar. Their ability to deal with an issue once it comes up is way substandard.
7 weeks for a windshield is dumb. If you would have had a bmw, they would have just said “we had to order a new windshield, you can pick in up tomorrow afternoon. Would you like us to wash it after we are done?” You would have barely remembered it a month later.
I think that’s the main problem. Customer service goes a long way. When C&D or Consumer Reports told Alfa about their problems, they got a response from Alfa that was truly horrifying and embarrassing, IMHO (something about their buyers liking emotional, passionate cars, and that the companydidn’t want to be bothered w/ other types of buyers). Good luck w/ that attitude… The company will fail, and it will be well-earned.
Yeah I think they shot themselves in the foot, but now their futures uncertain since (RIP) Sergio was so passionate about Alfa and wanted them to be a force, but Mike Manley not so much.
I loved the way my Stelvio drove but I think the interior quality was sacrificed. And peoples excuses about “the drive being what its about” is weak. A car is only as good as the sum of its parts. It cant just do one thing good and make everything else mediocre (well im talking about mainstream sedans and suv’s not Exotic Super Cars). That’s why a Porsche Macan doesn’t just drive amazing but the interior and technology is up there with it.
But I do hope Alfa can find a way to succeed cause IMHO theyre great to look at. My Audi is how you say elegant but dull on the outside… Very German.
