If you are in the market for an Alfa Romeo 147, here are some Alfa Romeo 147 common problems that you should keep an eye out for. First check to see if the car has been in an accident, the common tell-tale signs are the panel gaps, trim around the doors and windows that may overlap, if they seem to be a poor fit, the car may have had a checked passed, other things to check would be the colour match, if one or more panels don’t seem to match up alarm bells should sound.
If you have decided to continue to purchase, accident or not here are some more pointers to look out for.
Despite common belief 147’s are fair reliable cars (if regularly serviced and cared for of course), but as with most cars, we need to be aware of several points before purchasing. Alfa Romeo 147 dashboard warning lights are the first place to look for a neglected 147, take a mental note of anything that looks out of the ordinary, so at a later date you have research the issue, most of the time these may be something minor, but this maybe something worth remembering.
Also, Alfa Romeo 147 common problems include the fact that the Alfa engines use a fair amount of oil, if you can check the oil (via dipstick) and there is little or no oil there, it may be time to walk away as this is a good sign of neglect, this could cause other issues such as engine oil pressure low light to display. Cam belts on 147’s need to be replaced every 70,000 mile mark, but Alfa Romeo has recently said this should be near 35,000 mile mark, so our advice is to get this done as soon as possible. Cam variator can cause the Alfa to rattle a little, especially on the 4 cylinder models, we advise changing this when you replace the cam belt, another thing to consider replacing is the water pump while working on the cam belt, these water pumps are not the most robust as the impeller normally cracks as they are made from weak plastic.
Remember the twin spark has 8 spark plugs and at £10 each and replacing every 55,000 miles can become a little pricey. If you get a chance to test drive your new 147, and you think it’s a little sluggish, it may be need an air flow meter, these can cost over £100.
All the Alfa Romeo models usually have good gearbox’s and clutches, but if you if you are suspect, remember a poor clutch will bite at the end of it release, as for the Alfa Romeo 147 clutch these are self-adjusting, so this will show the clutch is worn and will need replacing soon. Although the gearboxes are bullet proof, it would be worth checking to see that the gear change is sooth during test drive, any signs of clucking may be a warning sign.
This is our rundown of the Alfa Romeo 147 common problems, if you need any further advice please don’t hesitate to contact us.
If you have already purchased the Alfa Romeo 147 or plan to do so, maybe consider downloading our fully comprehensive Alfa Romeo 147 workshop manual, this will aid you with repair and servicing.
or no oil there, it may be time to walk away as this is a good sign of neglect, this could cause other issues such as engine oil pressure low light to display. Cam belts on 147’s need to be replaced every 70,000 mile mark, but Alfa Romeo has recently said this should be near 35,000 mile mark, so our advice is to get this done as soon as possible. Cam variator can cause the Alfa to rattle a little, especially on the 4 cylinder models, we advise changing this when you replace the cam belt, another thing to consider replacing is the water pump while working on the cam belt, these water pumps are not the most robust as the impeller normally cracks as they are made from weak plastic.