Alfa Romeo 156 Bonnet Catch

On the 27th of December 2006 my father-in-law and I almost lost our lives thanks to a faulty Alfa 156 bonnet catch. After changing the battery in the morning, I drove up the A23 to collect family for a late Christmas lunch and ended up almost being killed by my Alfa 156.

At about 70mph in the outside lane, over taking a car on a busy morning, the bonnet flipped up smashed the windscreen and then bent around the roof of the car. The rear view mirror broke off in the force and my father-in-law & I were covered in a spray of glass.

I had no way of seeing where I was going, but amazingly I managed to steer through the traffic and pull over into the verge without crashing.

The car has been written off without a doubt. I'm definately lucky to be alive, and my father-in-law certainly feels that he had a luck escape too. I am so shocked that this is a known fault with Alfa 156's and that I NEVER recieved a notice from Alfa Romeo or my dealer I use for servicing.

Alfa Romeo need to be given a big kick up the arse.

The people at alfa156.net have kindly put together a cleaning and lubrication guide for Alfa Romeo 156. (PDF File - 3mbs)

Make sure you read it as your life depends on it!!!!!/alfa_romeo_156/_images

What Alfa Romeo must do about the Bonnet Catch Problem?

Alfa Romeo have known about this problem for several years now and are not admitting that accidents caused by the faulty catch is their liablity, but instead telling owners that it is their fault for not checking the bonnet has been closed properly. Even though it is a well documented manufacturing fault with them trying to recalling all Alfa Romeo 156 cars in 2005.

I've been a Alfa Romeo 156 owner since 2002 and never received a recall letter or any notification from Alfa Romeo.

In my case the bonnet seemed to close properly, but the safety catch had only half closed and driving at 70mphs it opened causing a near death crash - even the safety catch failed.

Alfa UK sold a total of 18,379 cars in 2003 and 2004 (http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/statistics/), I’m not sure of the amount of 147 and 156’s sold but I’d guess it is quite a large percentage.

Most of those cars are now on the secondhand market and their new owners will not have a clue they are driving around in potential death traps (and like me wouldn't know of the problem until it was too late). My guess is most of these Alfa’s will not be serviced by main dealers either so the problem will go unnoticed.

So what should Alfa Romeo do? They need to send letters out today via their dealers to all known Alfa Romeo 156 drivers. They should put together a national media campaign, TV and Press Ads. Tell the likes of Watch Dog, Top Gear, Vosa to warn people of the problem and get them to service the bonnet catch.

If they keep up the attitude they have today we are going to see more and more crashes and certainly some deaths on the road.

Alfa Romeo you have a duty to your drivers and other road uses to fix this problem before it is too late.

What Alfa Romeos 156’s & 147 are involved?

Apparently these are the chassis numbers for the Alfa Romeos that have the problem however my car was built in 1998:

147 - produced between September 2000 and October 2003 - chassis numbers between 3001296 and 3199283 and between 5001188 and 5115697

156 - produced between September 2000 and October 2003 - chassis numbers between 150357 and 247973

If you own one of these cars go to your nearest dealer straight away – but check you bonnet is closed first!!!!

Even if it seems shut the catch might be half open……

Salubrious Reliability awards won by Alfa Romeo

Some of the Salubrious Reliability awards won by Alfa Romeo taken from honestjohn.co.uk

FIAT/Alfa joint worst for breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001.

9th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey.

18th from Bottom in 144 car 2002 JD Power / What Car? Customer Satisfaction Survey of V and W reg cars.

Alfa Romeo had joint highest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index.

Joint fourth bottom in 2002 Which reliability survey of cars up to 2 years old; 74 cars surveyed.

Alfa Romeo 2nd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; 3rd least reliable cars 1997 - 1999.

Only 87% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey.

Alfa Romeo had fourth highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 155.10 v/s lowest 31.93).

98-2000 average for breakdowns and faults and poor for problems; 2001-2003 average for breakdowns and poor for problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.

7th from bottom out of 137 models in 2003 Top Gear survey.

156 8th bottom model and Alfa Romeo bottom marque in 2004 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Alfa Romeo 5th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £392.88 with high 39.55 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

Came 16th from bottom in 2005 JD Power/What Car Survey of 23,000 cars reg Sep 2002 to Aug 2003 with satisfaction score of 74.7%

Alfa Romeo 156 Review - Reliability and Cost

My Alfa Romeo 156 has cost me £21,900 to run in 4 years and I have nothing to show for it, apart from this blog, a few photos and a near death experience.

I’ve owned an Alfa Romeo 156 since 9/9/02 to 26/12/06 – approximately just over 4 years of troubled motoring. My total mileage was 32,000 miles.

After several months of looking for the perfect car, I purchased my Alfa Romeo 156 on 9/9/02 with 27,500 miles on the clock; the car was in excellent condition, not even a stone chip from being driven too fast. It cost £7,495 with a warranty.

Six months later on 31/3/03 with 28,416 on the clock I had a service and was billed for £950.00 as the Alfa had some knocking from the front suspension and needed the top suspension arms replacing.

On 8/12/04 with 41,274 on the clock I had another service costing £549.19 and had the top suspension arm replaced again.

On 31/08/05 with 47,000 miles on the clock one of the spark plugs blew out of the engine whilst of the M27 driving to Southampton. A part of the spark plug dropped into the engine and chewed it up. £3,527.99 later and a new recon engine I was back on the road.

I’m now thinking why on earth did I buy an Alfa Romeo 156.

A few more trips to garages to get brakes, tyres, more suspension arms, a new key and exhaust replacement - I was a further £1,625.00 lighter.

The summer of 06 was the hottest on record with temperature reaching 32oC and guess what? my air con packed up. I went to Halfords to see if they could fix it – but it was terminal. We spent the summer overheating in my car. There was no way I was going to spend more money on this car – it was time to think about selling it. I had chucked so much money at it there was no way I was going to get it back.

The Alfa also started to fall apart from the day I got it – an ill fitting stereo, interior parts falling off, loud vibrations from the air heater when it was cold.

Then finally on the 27th December 2006, which just over 60,000 miles on the close I almost lost my life thanks to a faulty Alfa 156 Bonnet Catch – the car is a write off.

Here are the running costs of my Alfa Romeo 156, over 4 years driving a total of 32000 miles. The car was purchased in 09/02 with 27500 on the clock:

Depreciation £7495 (Purchase Price) – £0 (Value Now) = £7,495.00
28416 miles Service 3/4/03 = £950.00
41274 miles Service 13/12/04 = £546.19
47000 miles New Engine 31/08/05 = £3,527.99
Miscellaneous Servicing, MOT’s and Parts = £1,625.00
Fuel Cost 36000 miles @ 36 mile a gallon, £4 per gallon = £4,000.00
Car Insurance = £3,600.00
Car Tax = £660.00

Total Running Cost = £21,904.18

These cost don’t include:

Replacing the broken air conditioning unit
Replacing boot lock and badge
Fixing of loud fan noise from the internal heating system
Fixing the ill fitting stereo
Getting the fuse box cover remounted
Fixing the sticky petrol cap flap that wouldn't open
Loss of No Claims Bonus
Hire Car whilst I find a replacement

If we include them the cost would be more like £26,000 plus.

Copy of the Recall letter to Alfa Romeo 156 Drivers

Vehicle Safety Recall Notification
Alfa Romeo 156 (All Versions)
Bonnet Closure-Method and Maintenance

24 October 2005

Dear Customer

Alfa Romeo have received a very small number of reports of the bonnet accidently opening on the Alfa Romeo 156. To prevent similar occurrences, we must draw your attention to the need to follow precisely the instructions given in the Owner’s Handbook regarding correct closure of the bonnet whenever it is opened or the release mechanism operated for any reason

These instructions require that to close the bonnet, you must allow it to drop from a height of 20 centiemetres above the engine compartment. It is then necessary to check that it is fully closed by trying to lift it upwards. If it is still open, or simply engaged in the safety position it should be re-opened and the complete closing operation repeated, rather than just trying to press it down.

If the check shows that the bonnet is shut correctly, then the bonnet will not open during driving.

Moreover, to ensure that the bonnet closing mechanism continues to operate efficiently, especially in particularly aggressive environmental conditions (such as driving on roads which are heavily salted to prevent ice). It is necessary to strictly follow the maintenance programme enclosed with this letter and which you should insert in your Owner’s Handbook.

Finally you are requested to take your car to any Alfa Romeo Dealer, by Appointment, who will check the state of maintenance and efficiency of the bonnet closing mechanism and answer any questions you may have.

The check and any necessary maintenance will be carried out free of charge. A list of Dealers is enclosed for your reference.
If you no longer own or operate the vehicle would you please advice us of the name and address of the new owner using the detachable reply-paid card at the bottom of this letter.

The Safety Recall is being conducted in accordance with the Society of Motoring Manufactures and Trade Voluntary Code of Practice and is fully approved by the Vehicle & Operators Services Agency (formerly the Department of Transport). We apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully, Alfa Romeo UK

Orginal document can be found here.

What the Alfa Romeo 156 Manual says about the bonnet?

This what my Alfa Romeo 156 owner’s manual says about closing the bonnet

“To Close: - Lower the bonnet until approximately 20 centimetres from the engine compartment and then let it drop ensuring that it is fully closed and not just held in position by the safety hook.

If the bonnet does not close properly do not push it down but open it again and repeat the above procedure.

Always check that the bonnet is closed properly to avoid it opening while the car is travelling”

As you can see there is no mention on maintenance. Before my crash I changed the battery of my car and closed the bonnet from 3 feet. The bonnets are very heavy on the Alfa and it closed in the normal position. I gave it a quick push up and down and it seemed fine.

Unbeknown to me the catch and safety catch had only half closed and any major force, such as driving at 70mphs would open it. The rest is quite self explanatory...

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

If you own an Alfa 156 or 147 you should be aware the bonnet safety catch allows the bonnet to flip up at high speed if you don't maintained it correctly. There have been several accidents since Christmas 2007.

Its not a fault or a design flaw - it's actual your fault if it happens to you because you should have maintained it correctly; well thats what Alfa will tell you. Read More

There is no doubt that Alfa has just designed on of the best looking sports cars in Alfa Romeos history – The Alfa 8C is definitely the Alfa Romeo everyone has been waiting for.

Hopefully the build quality and reliability of the Alfa 8C will be better than their past cars which have been dogged with recalls, manufacturing faults, poor build quality, poor residual value, expensive running costs, extremely poor customer service and care.

Alfa Romeo are currently washing their hands of bonnet catch problem that has caused an untold amount of high speed crashes, writing off the customer’s cars. Alfa Romeo has known about the problem for years and are blaming the customers for the crashes. I hope they don't treat their Alfa Romeo 8C customers as badly has they treat their other customers.

If Alfa Romeo are going to be taken seriously with their latest Alfa 8C Competizione then they have to sort their act out; improve their quality, customer service and support. Until then I’d recommend you look elsewhere for your new sports car - its not worth the heart ache owning an Alfa Romeo will bring you.

The first Alfa Romeo 8C was built in 1930 and was one of the ultimate thoroughbred racing cars of the time.

The latest Alfa Romeo 8C was launched in Paris last year and is set for a production run of 500 cars. The engine is an 8 cylinder 4.7, 450bhp with a maximum rpm of 7500. It does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. I wouldn't like to see the bonnet flying up at high speed on this Alfa!!!!

If you still think its worth putting your lives in Alfa Romeos hands then here are some interesting links on the new Alfa Romeo 8C:

Alfa Romeo 8C - Offical site
Alfa 8C Competizione to be built? - Channel 4
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Paris Motor Show - AutoBlog
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione - The Video on You Tube
Alfa Romeo 8C 1983 Classic Car - Wikipedia
Alfa 8C Competizione - Evo
Alfa 8C to become Le Mans racer - Channel 4
Alfa 8C Competizione - Top Gear 12 Sexiest Car
Alfa 8C Competizione - Auto Express Part 1
Alfa 8C Competizione - Auto Express Part 2
Alfa 8C Competizione - What Car? Star car of 2007
Alfa 8C Competizione - What Car? Alfa Video

Alfa Romeo 159 Review

If you own an Alfa 156 or 147 you should be aware the bonnet safety catch allows the bonnet to flip up at high speed if you don't maintained it correctly. There have been several accidents since Christmas 2007.

It's not a fault or a design flaw - it actual your fault if it happens to you because you should have maintained it correctly; well thats what Alfa will tell you. Read More

Alfa Romeo 159 was launched last year – and it’s been herald as the car that is going to lift Alfa Romeo out of the mess they are currently in.

The Alfa Romeo 159 has replaced the Alfa Romeo 156 and prices start from £19995 to £28250. However hire contract hire rates, and poor residual value limits its appeal. And if it’s anything like my Alfa Romeo 156 it will be the most unreliable car you have ever owned.

There is no doubt that the Alfa 159 looks fanatic, but looks aren’t everything. Alfa Romeo has been dogged with reliability problems; fault bonnet catch, suspensions; leaks etc, the Alfa 156 has had around 11 official recalls.

So if you are still interest in buying an Alfa Romeo 159 here are some links to reviews and other sites of interest.

Alfa Romeo 159 - Reviews

Jeremy Clarkson Review on the Alfa Romeo 159 – Times Online
Road Test Alfa Romeo 159 - Channel 4
Driven Alfa Romeo 159 SportsWagon - Channel 4
Photo Gallery Alfa Romeo 159 - Channel 4
Honest John Alfa Romeo 159 Road Test - Honest John
Alfa Romeo 159 Range - Yahoo
The Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Car Pages
The Alfa Romeo 159 Offical Site - Offical Site
Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTS Turismo - Auto Express
Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Review - Car Pages
Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Review - What Car
Which? Alfa Romeo 159 - Which?