[AutobotVanguard]

I think we make the same point actually.

You said that my Alfa isn't that good... She is!

The thing with Mk4 Golfs and E46 BMW's is that they don't rust anywhere nearly as badly as 156's do.

They also don't seem to chew through suspension parts like they are consumable items.

They are boring to look at in comparison though, and the 4 cylinder variants of both are boring to drive.


I did like 156's a lot (Had 4 of them) as they were good value and great to drive and I can cope with most of the oily bits myself, but the last 156 I had looked good on top but was very rusty underneath. Not what you would expect on a fairly modern 8 year old Alfa.

Yeah perhaps, but I wouldn't buy a Golf unless it was an R32, and then I'd buy a GTA or an Integrale or a Maserati Ghibli instead

Nick

 

[steveisfrowning]

I suppose I was generalising - but the numbers might be speaking for themselves.

Your car is particularly nice.

 

[surfwagon]

how many left 156s

Come on lads.

We know they're shonky in many respects.....and worth peanuts.

They'll appeal to a few, they'll outlive that appeal for many of that group of folk. There's only so much irritation that people can live with - and then there's the terminal issues like floorplan/sill corrosion.

Anyone on their 2nd suspension replacement on a car worth £500 is bound to think - why bother?

Let's face it, they're good, but they're not THAT good.

I think they are that good,soon 156s will soon be uncommon and a lot of versions will be rare then we will all give the 156 the credit it deserves.Back in the late 90s the 156 was the most stunning saloon available.There has never been a better looking estate than the 156 sportwagon

 

[AutobotVanguard]

I suppose I was generalising - but the numbers might be speaking for themselves.

Your car is particularly nice.

Thank you, she is a lady

 

[steveisfrowning]

I think they are that good,soon 156s will soon be uncommon and a lot of versions will be rare then we will all give the 156 the credit it deserves.Back in the late 90s the 156 was the most stunning saloon available.There has never been a better looking estate than the 156 sportwagon

true................but...............they're made from cheese.

 

[surfwagon]

how many left 156s

true................but...............they're made from cheese.

I have had several bmws VWs audis.The 156s is definitely better than all of them (perceived german quality)My wife drove through a flood with my old 10v sportwagon and hydrauliced the engine.I removed the injectors spun the engine over injectors back in all good.
I I recently found out from pud237 that engine had over 190000 miles on it and is still good.

 

[steveisfrowning]

I take it all back :cheese:

 

[Danny 156]

Mine is 11 years old and fairly clean underneath.Going to Hammerite it anyway just in case!An indie here told me that some of them were galvinised,or whatever rustproofing they used along the middle of the floorpan,but it didn't always extend to the edges and sills.Some were lucky and some weren't!I wonder is it something to do with where they were built or a different production line?

 

[David C]

I wonder is it something to do with where they were built or a different production line?

They were all built on the same production line in Naples with the exception of a short run of kits sent to be assembled in Thailand.

The problem is poor quality control in Naples...

 

[Pud237]

I I recently found out from pud237 that engine had over 190000 miles on it and is still good.

Yeah the engine was still going strong, we stripped it down and you wouldn't have thought it had done 190k, judging from the internals. Only a little bit of wear on the bearings, bores/rings were still fine, valves still fine etc. The 10v engines are as tough as old boots

Shame the rest of the car was about as rotton as the Titanic. When was it that you sold the car? I bought it from an English bloke in Nottingham who does a bit of car trading, but the name on the log book was Polish. I wonder what happened to it between you selling it and me buying it? I was going to make it my daily driver but it was far too far gone, but I didn't pay a lot of it and it had a 6 speed box fitted. I split the remains of the floor away from the main structural parts of the chassis with a pry bar, to find the rot had already gotten into the metal structure that the front seats bolt down onto, to the point where I didn't have to remove all the bolts to get the seats out of the car..

 

[steveisfrowning]

I suspect quite a few are in that state.

 

[MikeyRules]

Did the rust proofing improve on the later ones like my 55 plate Sport, or are they all the same?

 

[surfwagon]

Hi Dan I bought the alfa from manheim auctions glasgow in march 2007 with 137000 miles my first alfa.I sold it on ebay in june 2010 with 171000 miles to an english guy definitely not polish.
I fitted the 6 speed box in february 09/air/con removed ocb 07.

 

[steveisfrowning]

Did the rust proofing improve on the later ones like my 55 plate Sport, or are they all the same?

Read a number of stories that suggest that there was a dodgy batch around 2004, which lacked much of the protection that earlier and later ones had.

As David C states, rubbish quality control.

 

[CroBaron]

I'm thinking of scraping mine too as mentioned there uneconomical to repair. But on the other hand if you can repair them it could save buying a new car!
Here's my list that needs doing :O
ARB bushes
Cambelt & Belts, water pump, variator
Upper wishbones
TPS

 

[surfwagon]

how many left 156s

I'm thinking of scraping mine too as mentioned there uneconomical to repair. But on the other hand if you can repair them it could save buying a new car!
Here's my list that needs doing :O
ARB bushes
Cambelt & Belts, water pump, variator
Upper wishbones
TPS

should be able to pick most of the parts up on ebay for sensible money

 

[Pud237]

Did the rust proofing improve on the later ones like my 55 plate Sport, or are they all the same?

The undersealing has always been hit & miss - probably more to do with whether it was Mario or Luigi on shift and whether your car was undersealed pre-lunchtime Chianti or post...

However those cars built after the late 2003-early 2004 factory refit have a modified section of rear floor where 4 holes are drilled and an extra plate with 4 captive threads is installed from the inside; this is then spot welded on the inside in a few places and is a major source of corrosion should water get into the car and be allowed to soak through the rear carpets. I've checked from below on a number of 2004 & 2005 156s and a lot of them have bubbling underneath intact factory underseal around where these 4 captive threads come through the floor. To be honest I can't see the point in this plate, unless it is simply for added strength but they only do it on one side. You could almost get away with taking the carpet up, drilling the spot-welds and lifting the plate out, then welding up the 4 holes where the captive threads come through (these aren't even secured with nuts, but perhaps were during assembly before the plate was spot welded from the inside). My brother's own 04-plate Sportwagon has at some point had a rear window broken as when we took up the carpets to weld the corroded floor we found broken glass under the rear seat base, and after getting the carpet up all the underlay was soaked through. If you ever get water in the car it will soak through the carpet and never dry out, and that moisture will get in around where the 4 holes are drilled and allow corrosion to get into the body. Its well worth getting underneath the car and inspecting to see if you can see bubbling underneath the underseal.

 

[Pud237]

Hi Dan I bought the alfa from manheim auctions glasgow in march 2007 with 137000 miles my first alfa.I sold it on ebay in june 2010 with 171000 miles to an english guy definitely not polish.
I fitted the 6 speed box in february 09/air/con removed ocb 07.

I can't remember when exactly I bought it but I picked it up with around 185k on the clock sometime in summer 2011. I didn't do much with it until early 2012 and I remember it having MOT til May 2012, I stripped it before the MOT ran out for sure. Judging by how rotten it was when I bought it, the MOT it received in May 2011 must definitely have been a dodgy one.

 

[GhostyDog]

Dan, you truly are becoming a font of all knowledge on 156s :respect:

 

[Gabster]

So... are we at the point where it's worth buying a 156 as a project ... paying £2-300 to get the welding sorted, buying good spares when we see them (rather than when we need them) and just bringing out the Alfa when it's sunny and the roads aren't salted? The car has timeless beauty, puts a smile on your face to drive - a guaranteed future classic. Seem to have reached the 'cars only worth £300 on Gumtree and it'll cost £400 to get it through MOT' period for 156's .... I'm no David Dickinson but I'm thinking it's bargain hunt time :0)