Tell me about- Alfa 156 v6
- Thread starter roughlad
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Caporegime
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is the engine reliable? plus gearbox and ecu?
to me those would be most pertinent as they would be the most expensive things to replace if they went wrong...?
to me those would be most pertinent as they would be the most expensive things to replace if they went wrong...?
Engines and boxes are reliable.
Lots of information including a buyers guide from Auto Italia magazine.
Lots of information including a buyers guide from Auto Italia magazine.
I used to have one. Fantastic cars. Would have another in a heartbeat.
Ok, so the good:
Amazing sound
Lovely looking engine (will pop the bonnet every chance you get )
Very reliable - More reliable than the 4s since no silly variable valve timing. Also, they had produced that engine for about 40 years at that point.
Not so good:
Terrible understeer in standard form.
MPG not great - Owners manual says about 18mpg urban.
cambelt change expensive - These NEED to be changed every 36,000 miles or 3 years.
Overall, I would say try one first. Biggest problem on the inside is the driving position. Typical Italian torture.
If you do end up owning one, make sure you check the oil regularly since they do drink a bit, check for rust (especially around the front and rear screens), and make sure the bonnet release moves freely. Last one is important since I had my bonnet open on the M1!
Still miss mine though and wish I had never sold it.
Ok, so the good:
Amazing sound
Lovely looking engine (will pop the bonnet every chance you get
)Very reliable - More reliable than the 4s since no silly variable valve timing. Also, they had produced that engine for about 40 years at that point.
Not so good:
Terrible understeer in standard form.
MPG not great - Owners manual says about 18mpg urban.
cambelt change expensive - These NEED to be changed every 36,000 miles or 3 years.
Overall, I would say try one first. Biggest problem on the inside is the driving position. Typical Italian torture.
If you do end up owning one, make sure you check the oil regularly since they do drink a bit, check for rust (especially around the front and rear screens), and make sure the bonnet release moves freely. Last one is important since I had my bonnet open on the M1!
Still miss mine though and wish I had never sold it.
The V6s have MAF sensors made from butter and fuel economy was terrible in mine - often into single figures, although I think mine had a bit of an issue!
I didnt find the driving position too bad, and the bonnet release is a recall job - make sure it's been done or get it done ASAP, it wont cost you.
I miss mine too, despite the quirks. Electrics were a nightmare
I didnt find the driving position too bad, and the bonnet release is a recall job - make sure it's been done or get it done ASAP, it wont cost you.
I miss mine too, despite the quirks. Electrics were a nightmare
True, the V6's have MAF problems, but it is not limited to the 6 cylinder 156's as the 4's had just as much grief
Fuel Economy was also terrible on mine, but it could have had something to do with the big supercharger I had bolted to it.
Never had any problems with my electrics, but I can definitely understand that other people did. The 156 was leaps aheads of the older Alfa's in this respect though.
And I know it is childish, but I did used to love it when people didn't realise there was a back door.
Fuel Economy was also terrible on mine, but it could have had something to do with the big supercharger I had bolted to it.
Never had any problems with my electrics, but I can definitely understand that other people did. The 156 was leaps aheads of the older Alfa's in this respect though.
And I know it is childish, but I did used to love it when people didn't realise there was a back door.
Soldato
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And I know it is childish, but I did used to love it when people didn't realise there was a back door.
Never gets old watching people freeze when they notice there's no door-handle.
The OP will be looking at the 2.5V6, the 3.2 is only in the GTA, and you don't get them for 3-4k.
Check the service history is OK. The MAFs (a Bosch unit) are bad, but finding an original sensor past 100,000 and still working fine is common. Single figure mpg would be indicative of a fault, or mad driving. Check for corrosion on the inner arches and make sure the heater works as you'd expect.
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Oh mine was definitely a fault - just one that nobody could find before I needed to get shot of it anyway
Soldato
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Normal driving; you should be able to pass 20.
I had one of these that I have now replaced, it was probably the most unreliable car in the universe.
The V6 engine is as reliable as any other engine out there, it has no inherent problems. Cambelts do not need to be changed every 3 years or 36k, this is the interval from a twinspark engine. The official service interval for these still applies at 5 years or 70k, although most places seem to recommend between 4-5 years and 50k. The price seems to run at around £550 (the parts are almost £300 and its a 5.5 hr labour job apparently).
The gearbox is as reliable as any other gearbox, which is good, and the 6 speed is a nice box to use. A clutch change is around £500, because it is a long long labour job.
The main problem I had with this car is suspension related, the front is a double wishbone set up and the official parts are fairly expensive (plus the amount of time for doing the lower ones makes labour expensive as well). I tried aftermarket units on mine from 2 recommended suppliers and they just don't last at all.
Electrics are all made by Bosch, which is not as fantastic as it sounds. Like many Bosch cars of the same era they do suffer from MAF failures and the replacement MAF is £140. However, you can buy a MAF for a Vauxhall for £50 and swap the sensors over in the housings because they are the same and you are being charged £90 for a bit of plastic tubing.
They also seem to suffer a bit with airbag faults - There are connectors in the seats that can get caught when you adjust them, airbag light will then come on and need to be reset.
I would get around 24mpg just ambling round town, and maybe 28-29 mpg on the motorway.
The V6 engine is as reliable as any other engine out there, it has no inherent problems. Cambelts do not need to be changed every 3 years or 36k, this is the interval from a twinspark engine. The official service interval for these still applies at 5 years or 70k, although most places seem to recommend between 4-5 years and 50k. The price seems to run at around £550 (the parts are almost £300 and its a 5.5 hr labour job apparently).
The gearbox is as reliable as any other gearbox, which is good, and the 6 speed is a nice box to use. A clutch change is around £500, because it is a long long labour job.
The main problem I had with this car is suspension related, the front is a double wishbone set up and the official parts are fairly expensive (plus the amount of time for doing the lower ones makes labour expensive as well). I tried aftermarket units on mine from 2 recommended suppliers and they just don't last at all.
Electrics are all made by Bosch, which is not as fantastic as it sounds. Like many Bosch cars of the same era they do suffer from MAF failures and the replacement MAF is £140. However, you can buy a MAF for a Vauxhall for £50 and swap the sensors over in the housings because they are the same and you are being charged £90 for a bit of plastic tubing.
They also seem to suffer a bit with airbag faults - There are connectors in the seats that can get caught when you adjust them, airbag light will then come on and need to be reset.
I would get around 24mpg just ambling round town, and maybe 28-29 mpg on the motorway.
Soldato
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I recently bought one before xmas and I love it to bits. I've given it a full service including cambelt etc and also changed the maf as the running was a bit off.
I think it's a great car for home tinkerers but like most cars I can see it being very expensive quickly if you got a garage to do any work needed.
The main things to watch are the cambelt being done and also if its got the old waterpump with a plastic propellor.
I think it's a great car for home tinkerers but like most cars I can see it being very expensive quickly if you got a garage to do any work needed.
The main things to watch are the cambelt being done and also if its got the old waterpump with a plastic propellor.
Alfa's official position is that the cambelt should be changed 72,000 miles, but owners have found this to be optimistic.
The general consensus is to change it every 36,000 miles or 3 years.
For more info (including horror stories of belt failure), head over to http://forum.alfa156.net
Yes Alfa issued a service bulletin reducing the belt interval on the twinspark engines, this does not include V6 engines.
As I said most places recommend 4-5 years for a v6 and no more than 50,000 miles, which is still less than the official interval.
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Soldato
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The 2.5 V6 is fine on the original service schedule, the alteration applies to the Twin Spark, there was a spate of failures at around 60k, so they moved them from 72k to 36k.
The GTA is the one where the schedule can be optimistic if driven hard a lot of the time.
The GTA is the one where the schedule can be optimistic if driven hard a lot of the time.