Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 8V Dynamic Dualogic

Dualogic gearbox decided to go on limp mode on the motorway with no previous warnings. Not nice having to drive on 3rd geard trying to find a safe place to stop the car and reset the warning. Shortly after getting home, it went on limp mode again and wouldn't even start.

Like others above, I wish I had read more about the dualogic disaster.

Avoid at all costs, some reports note dualogic faults even shortly after 30k miles usage.

All I can say is DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

The only good things about the car in my opinion are that it looks alright and is pretty comfy inside....

However this is strongly outweighed by the fact that this is the MOST UNRELIABLE CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!

On 4 separate occasions the car has broken down, 3 of these being in the past month. Once when parked and twice in the middle of the road my car has suddenly jolted into neutral and refused to go into gear, displaying error messages "Check transmission", "Gear unavailable", and insanely beeping at me. This has twice left me stuck in the middle of the road in very busy traffic. Dangerous.

The first time this happened it went to the Fiat Dealer, who "couldn't find anything wrong". It appeared to somehow reset itself following being sat at the dealer waiting to be looked at for a few days. Unfortunately I had no choice but to cough up £50 for them looking at the car and take it home, knowing this would probably happen again.

Surprise surprise, 2 days later the same issue has occurred and the car is now back at the dealer (nowhere else locally would accept the type of car because of its gearbox). It has now been mentioned that the actuator may need replacing, possibly costing £2000+.

I have heard that this is a common fault with the dualogic gearbox (including the Fiat 500 and Alfa's) and have now seen lots of other posts in various forums citing the same problem. Apparently this is a "known fault" that Fiat seem to deny exists. Unfortunately I just wish that I had done more research prior to buying the car.

I am going to get rid of this car ASAP and write off the entire Fiat experience. I will never touch a Fiat again. PLEASE DON'T GET ONE. It's not worth the risk of ending up with a dodgy one and having to fork out loads of money. If you really must buy a Fiat though, just get a manual!! Maybe they aren't so bad.

although this is an auto, I find that it is better to drive in manual.Having said that my wife prefers to drive in the auto mode.Either way I am totally happy with my punto.I find it to be comfortable economical quite,and although not a ball of fire, it is all that I would require from my car.I would certainly buy another punto.

Bought dualogic for my wife.Took a little while to get used to the gearchange having done so I find the car economical well built and easy to drive.Good service from my local dealer.The only quite funny thing that had to be changed on my car was the gear knob due to the fact that the up and down symbles were the wrong way up.I would recommend this car to anyone.

Grande Punto Dualogic 1.4 8v of November 2006, 35.000km:

Good car, quite low fuel consumption when driving, here on Dutch highway carefully (circa 108 km/u) 1 li on 15.1 km (1:15,1) real. Engine is very silent and the car drives smooth. Also the gearbox works perfectly.

Big positive point is acceleration on highway, 80-120km/u in less then 16 seconds. Also the excellent seats (Sportsound) and good and luxury equipment .

Negative is that the hard undercarrigage. Also the steering is too light. No problems at all till now.

Fiat 1.4 TDI Dualogic, Fuel economy, easy to drive & comfortable.

The continuous stopping of the engine at intersections & roundabouts now fixed.(ECU problem) Loud thud from clutch, now fixed.( Adjustment) Gear change erratic, some times OK, When climbing hills in Auto, gear change/cruise control picks any gear between 4th to 6th, just runs up & down between 4-6th gear rapidly.

I think the Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 is a nice car, easy to drive gear box not a problem.

It's slow to pick up but who wants to be a boy racer?

Better than the Vauxhall I had, maybe smaller but runs better.

My Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 8V Dynamic Dualogic just lost power without warning and got me stuck in the middle of CTE right lane, had to switch off the engine and on again 2 times to get the gearbox to engage the gears again to move off), gear change is not smooth at all, pick up is so slow, any car out there can smoke you, aftermarket parts is limited and not many workshop know how to repair the car. Lousiest car I have ever driven. Dualogic? More like Nologic

I've had one new car in my life - this one. Wish I had never bothered. Awful dualogic gearbox that was beset with problems and Fiat dealers were useless. In 8 months had new gearbox, steering, doors, seals, engine mounts, radio and clutch. All in 5000 miles. Avoid this car at all costs!

Excellent small car, excellent diesel engine, low consumption, spacious, classic Italian design will last over many years, good handling.