First major fault

Been happy with my facelift 166 3.2 Ti for just over 3 months now, but yesterday, on pulling out of a layby onto a dual carriageway, lost drive, as I put it into third.

After £250 + VAT to get it back to my garage (Bedford back to east London), looks like a planet gear has gone AWOL in the diff, and it looks to have holed the gearbox housing too

Is this common? I wasn't ragging it ( didn't go passed 5K rpm, ASR is on, and STR off) and had no warning noises/knocks/whines.

Typically the warranty expired the day before...

Mind you, seems as good excuse as any to Q2 it, but is that going to make the weakest point somewhere even more expensive?

eeek - that's not good....i seem to remember there's been an issue with GTA boxes giving up the ghost and perhaps the 3.2 166 has the same box/problems?

Yes Niall is right, many instances with 3.2's in GTA's. First time I have heard about a 166 though but I guess that is because they are much rarer. Q2 diff is the fix. Good luck!

Lots of info here

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-...own-diffs.html (3.2 V6 Blown Diffs)

Welcome to the see-through gearbox club

feck me thats a chasm, not a hole

I'd still make a claim on the warranty. The fault must have been there during warranty. Don't accept the first 'NO' to the claim. Argue like stink with supplying dealer. Between them and the warranty company they 'should' sort you out. You must report it straight away

Yes it is common, happened to me on 3.0 164. Oddly it quite often happens at low speed, ours was at 10 mph in a multi storey car park.

They are supposed to have fitted a stronger shaft to the 3.2 trannies, but it obviously does not cure the fault, which must be caused by the shaft locking up momentarily as its nearly always a clean 'snap' in the planet wheel shaft at one end next to a planet wheel. Its either a design fault or the bits are not strong enough.

I'm not sure why a Q2 would cure it, but if it does its a must have I would guess.

Also join the AA or Green Flag. Ours went at midnight in Cambridge. The car was back on my front lawn by 3 AM, 80 miles away, no charge other than membership with relay option.

Good Luck

AlfaLincs

Originally Posted by earlyriser

After £250 + VAT to get it back to my garage (Bedford back to east London)

How much?! . That's why I always have recovery membership. Pity, as you would have already saved £200 towards the repair costs...

I use Britannia Rescue and I can get my car back from anywhere in mainland Europe to my requested destination in the UK without charge. If it cost almost £300 to get it back a relatively small distance within the UK, just imagine how much it would cost from Germany to the UK .