[cscarlsson]

Hi All,

I am looking at replacing my poorly 147 1.6ts with a GT JTDm 16v. I have started a new commute doing about 500 miles per week mostly motorway so it feels like the ideal choice to me.

I have read the following guides but I have a few extra questions if any of my erudite forumites can help.

Guides:
Alfa Romeo GT Buyer's Guide
The Alfa Romeo JTD engine

Questions:
1. Is the oil consumption on the diesel as heavy as the petrol engine which are designed for around 1ltr per 1000 miles?
2. I have seen people posting about heavy clutches on the Diesel, what is the usual cause of this?
3. I'm assuming that the top and bottom arms, drop links are as weak on the GT as the 147 and are best replaced with Poly, is this assumption correct?
4. One of the cars I am looking at has suede seats, they look weird yet strangely compelling, has anyone seen these before and if so are they specific to a special edition?

I'm sure I'll think of more but that's a start

Thanks

 

[_The_Editor_]

1. Not even close. Mine doesn't use any oil between oil changes, or at least nothing more than a few tens of millilitres. Dipstick is pretty much at max all the time, and I've never had to top up at 6k intervals.. This is normal for the JTDm.

2. Clutches are known to be heavy. Could be a bush needs some grease, could be the pedal needs a washer, could be the slave/master cylinder is shot, could be the release bearing is worn, could be the pressure plate is collapsing... Best bet is to get it checked out if you're concerned..

3. Yep exactly the same parts (147 and GT share a lot of the same suspension components) - polybushing the uppers works just as well. Droplinks can go with what you like but Birth/TRW/Original are usually recommended, or Meyle HD parts from Alfitsi are pretty popular. Lower arms you're safest to stick with Original/TRW, even the usually good Birth parts tend not to last as long.

4. Can't help with that I'm afraid!

 

[LittleGTV]

4. I always thought the suede seats where just a lower spec trim, I could be wrong though!!

 

[ken s]

Gt

I agree with all the Ed has said never had to top up my gt1.9 in 5 years. My clutch was a bit stiff had the top hat bushes done and a new slave cylinder no problem now.

 

[Raffinatoa]

Ditto what The Editor said. In the 4 years I've had mine I have never topped up oil and I drive >300 motorway miles per week. Excellent choice for motorway driving and it delivers approx 48 mpg. I too have never seen suede seats in the flesh only on adverts but thought this thread may be of use http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-andamp-gt/188853-alfa-gt-non-leather-seating-option.html. Apologies but as a Luddite I don't know how to highlight abridged thread titles.

 

[VO2Max]

Points 1-3, what the Ed. said.

Re: point 4, the 'suede' of which you speak is almost certainly 'Alfatex' which is actually a fabric faux suede. I think it came as an option on lots of Alfas - not my cup of tea TBH and because a bit of an acquired taste, can be an issue when it's time to sell the car.

 

[joeymannero]

Hi All,

I am looking at replacing my poorly 147 1.6ts with a GT JTDm 16v. I have started a new commute doing about 500 miles per week mostly motorway so it feels like the ideal choice to me.

I have read the following guides but I have a few extra questions if any of my erudite forumites can help.

Guides:
Alfa Romeo GT Buyer's Guide
The Alfa Romeo JTD engine

Questions:
1. Is the oil consumption on the diesel as heavy as the petrol engine which are designed for around 1ltr per 1000 miles?
2. I have seen people posting about heavy clutches on the Diesel, what is the usual cause of this?
3. I'm assuming that the top and bottom arms, drop links are as weak on the GT as the 147 and are best replaced with Poly, is this assumption correct?
4. One of the cars I am looking at has suede seats, they look weird yet strangely compelling, has anyone seen these before and if so are they specific to a special edition?

I'm sure I'll think of more but that's a start

Thanks

I have seen the suede seats and they do compel..they compel me to remove them,burn them and replace with leather...!

won't help resale at all and IMO just look wrong in a GT..wait for one with a leather interior..

things to look out for..

well i would want to see on the history.

clutch,flywheel,upper and lower wishbones,egr delete,swirl flap delete if a CF4 especially..some replaced sensors would be good ,maf especially as its expensive and they can fail with effects to MPG and performance, turbo should be whistle free and spooling no later than 2k with no limp mode or overboost symptoms and ideally you want one that has been replaced/refurbed if you are buying one above the 125k mark.

check windows step properly and that the door handles look and feel solid, wing mirrors must fold in and out as well, if it has rear parkers check them as well and you should also pay heed to difficult gear changes (top hat bushes) a heavy clutch (normal but not really bad) and high bite point as this could be clutch itself, or a cylinder, normally slave.

buy on condition and history rather than mileage and make sure it has had the belts done on time and that they are not overdue or nearly due.

oil coolers and unions are another common fault and generally need looking at on earlier high mileage examples but TBH the corrosion issue seems to be down to whether Guiseppe and Franco could be bothered to underseal the car properly on that day...so inspect regardless.

check your upper and lower turbo hoses and small vac hoses visually but expect to replace if over 75k miles without having been done.

lift the boot and floor carpets and check for damp and rust as some time the front scuttle can block leading to water ingress into the passenger foot well.

do all these inspections plus a good look at the paperwork and you should be able to get a good one with no nasty surprises waiting for you...also if you have an elm 327 and torque app pro or even better a laptop and multiscan its worth reading the codes for peace of mind.


best of luck:thumbup:

Joe

 

[scottyf]

I'd much rather have one with decent mechanicals and clutch with Faux suede seats than one with Leather and a poor service history.

Clutch and DMF can set someone back four figures.
Seats might cost a quarter of that to replace ;-)

 

[cscarlsson]

Big Thanks everyone for your responses, the one I'm looking at right now has Leather, full service history and has had the following done:
Last serviced 2,000 miles ago
12 Months MOT.
New clutch and flywheel fitted and still under guarantee
Water pump and cam belt changed recently, i'll check the mileage.
A new high performance battery fitted.
EGR valve replaced.
Mileage around 97000 on an 06 plate

I'll upgrade the vacuum hoses with silicon replacements .
The mechanic I use is ex Alfa and drives an immaculate 159 Diesel. He has a rolling road and has said he will do an ECU upgrade to 180Bhp that will also up the MPG to around 60-65.

I'll make a big list of all the things to check and make my decision based on that. I'm being pretty cautious because I'm shelling out way more than my usual limit of £800 for a car, my 147 cost me a mere £650 and then stole my heart and cost me a small fortune, I still love it though.

I will avoid the 'suede', I have only seen one so far with that interior so it's not as if there is a limited choice of them at the moment. I'll let you know how it goes

 

[_The_Editor_]

Big Thanks everyone for your responses, the one I'm looking at right now has Leather, full service history and has had the following done:
Last serviced 2,000 miles ago
12 Months MOT.
New clutch and flywheel fitted and still under guarantee
Water pump and cam belt changed recently, i'll check the mileage.
A new high performance battery fitted.
EGR valve replaced.
Mileage around 97000 on an 06 plate

I'll upgrade the vacuum hoses with silicon replacements .
The mechanic I use is ex Alfa and drives an immaculate 159 Diesel. He has a rolling road and has said he will do an ECU upgrade to 180Bhp that will also up the MPG to around 60-65.

I'll make a big list of all the things to check and make my decision based on that. I'm being pretty cautious because I'm shelling out way more than my usual limit of £800 for a car, my 147 cost me a mere £650 and then stole my heart and cost me a small fortune, I still love it though.

I will avoid the 'suede', I have only seen one so far with that interior so it's not as if there is a limited choice of them at the moment. I'll let you know how it goes

Sounds like a winner if it all checks out!

But don't go believing you'll get 60-65 mpg.. Just won't happen...

Dashboard display might be telling you 60+, but if you work it out with fuel receipts/odometer it'll be closer to 50.

 

[halftone]

I quite like Alcantara! (Alfatex) - warmer in winter, cooler in summer than leather.

Beware swirl flaps on a CF4, which an 06 will be. They are a hand grenade if still present.

 

[ferret-ears]

I've owned a diesel, and a Gt with Alfatex and have to say the diesels are fantastic machines, delivering great performance and economy, you really cant go wrong (mine was a 2004 and used NO oil)
My current car came with the Alfatex which I swapped with red leather purely for aesthetic reasons, although it does help enormously @ re-sale time. The Alfatex isn't popular but during the months that I used the car with it fitted I grew very fond of it. I would recommend the suede if you want to do track days as its like sitting in Velcro, whereas the leather I find myself sliding down (submarining) on long journeys and although the side bolsters do their job in the corners the suede fabric totally holds you, plus it feels lovely. So don't be put off that most people don't like the faux suede, it really is very nice in use.:thumbup:

 

[tony4hop]

......... So don't be put off that most people don't like the faux suede, it really is very nice in use.:thumbup:

Good advice - I had it in my 156 S/W and liked it so much I purposely waited a long time to find (my current) 159 with it.

I'm a couple of months away from purchasing a GT and the most important factors in buying will be history/condition etc but if I have a choice between leather/suede I'll be picking suede. Not everybody's choice, but then again neither are Alfa's!

(And yes I've had cars with leather before).

Also I wouldn't be put of with resale - surely buying a GT on an 06 means it's a keeper?

 

[cscarlsson]

Sounds like a winner if it all checks out!

But don't go believing you'll get 60-65 mpg.. Just won't happen...

Dashboard display might be telling you 60+, but if you work it out with fuel receipts/odometer it'll be closer to 50.

Well it's still better than the 35 my 1.6ts gives me so no drama

 

[cscarlsson]

Good advice - I had it in my 156 S/W and liked it so much I purposely waited a long time to find (my current) 159 with it.

I'm a couple of months away from purchasing a GT and the most important factors in buying will be history/condition etc but if I have a choice between leather/suede I'll be picking suede. Not everybody's choice, but then again neither are Alfa's!

(And yes I've had cars with leather before).

Also I wouldn't be put of with resale - surely buying a GT on an 06 means it's a keeper?

Whichever one I end up with I will keep until it's death, or a massive injection of cash allowing me to buy a P90D :devious:

The condition of this particular one seems excellent but until I actually start poking around it I won't know for sure.

 

[cscarlsson]

I quite like Alcantara! (Alfatex) - warmer in winter, cooler in summer than leather.

Beware swirl flaps on a CF4, which an 06 will be. They are a hand grenade if still present.

Interesting, I'll get my mechanic to check that.

A guy I used to work with had the swirl flaps on his 6-Series go whilst on honeymoon in Paris, cost him a shed load of money to get the car home and fixed. Interestingly, it would have cost him another £2000 to get it fixed in Paris, sometimes these things don't make any sense at all. He'd only owned the car for three months, he wasn't the happiest bunny to say the least.

 

[Mav666]

This is just really a repeat of whats been said before but what the heck...

**EDIT** And having read peoples replies now I've just repeated what everyone else has said

1. Is the oil consumption on the diesel as heavy as the petrol engine which are designed for around 1ltr per 1000 miles?
You'll save money just on engine oil buying a JTDm, I came from a JTD 156 to the GT, and hardly had to top up with either between oil changes

2. I have seen people posting about heavy clutches on the Diesel, what is the usual cause of this?
It's been said but they are heavy, not cripplingly so, I find the GT heavier than the 156 was, mine is a bit notchy at times so I'll be looking at it in the summer, but clutch life isn't bad, depending on the year it's not a bad idea now to be looking for one that's already had a replacement

3. I'm assuming that the top and bottom arms, drop links are as weak on the GT as the 147 and are best replaced with Poly, is this assumption correct?
Yep exactly the same, weak spot across the 147/156/GT had to do the 156 before I sold it and had the GT 6 months and already planning on doing it lol

4. One of the cars I am looking at has suede seats, they look weird yet strangely compelling, has anyone seen these before and if so are they specific to a special edition?
Alcantara if you want the posh name lol, but yes on other model ranges, specifically thinking 159 they were part of the Turismo trim level, durable so I hear but I've had leather both of mine, Veloce trim on the 156 and Blackline on the GT

I'm sure its been mentioned but check when the belts and water pump were last done, super important on this engine, just as it is in every 1.9 Vectra, Saab or Fiat

 

[CarlR]

Interesting, I'll get my mechanic to check that.

A guy I used to work with had the swirl flaps on his 6-Series go whilst on honeymoon in Paris, cost him a shed load of money to get the car home and fixed. Interestingly, it would have cost him another £2000 to get it fixed in Paris, sometimes these things don't make any sense at all. He'd only owned the car for three months, he wasn't the happiest bunny to say the least.

6 series? as in BMW 6 series? That can't be right German cars never break down

 

[cscarlsson]

6 series? as in BMW 6 series? That can't be right German cars never break down

Exactly right, apart from the fact they don't break down LOL!!!

 

[cscarlsson]

So I finally picked up my new alfa today, a gorgeous black 2007 GT JTDm Diesel Blackline, theres a couple of body niggles but nothing serious, got back from Yeovil (220m) on a quarter of a tank, that's before the remap as well so I have high hopes for this car

Tomorrow I'm doing Air Filter, Cabin Filters, Fuel Filter, Oil change and small bore turbo hoses. All planned maintenance as I bought car knowing it is due a service. Happier doing it all myself than having someone being paid the minimum and putting poor quality parts in. Got Mahle across the board for filters and Shell Helix Ultra Oil. Now it will be 5k oil changes, that's every 8-10 weeks for me.

Swirl flaps I'm investigating to see how hard they are to get out may be a job that gets done when it's in for remap, EGR I'm looking at a blanking plate, but I did read that if you clean the valve regularly it should be fine.

Thanks once again to all of you for your advice, I'm chuffed to bits with the GT and got to know her better on the 220 mile journey from Yeovil to home in Connah's Quay today. There's a bit of wind noise but that's only to be expected with frameless glass.

Peace and Love
Jason