ALFA Romeo test drive 156 2003 - 2005 sedan

Alfa Romeo 156 (1998-2003)

For love or calculation? ONLY FOR LOVE! If the car is only a means of transportation for you, do not even look towards Alfa Romeo 156.
Amazing beauty car! Probably, in many ways, due to its unique appearance, the Alfa Romeo 156 model immediately after its debut in the fall of 1997 received the 1998 car title in Europe. But beauty requires sacrifice, and Alfa is no exception. The maintenance of this machine will cost more than the content of the closest competitors-BMW 3-ER, Audi A4 or Honda Accord.
But there is another side of the 156th. Emotions! The creation of the designer Walter de Silva is music in metal. And what is the interior: the scales of devices in separate wells, a sports three-spoke steering wheel, comfortable bucket of seats ... The Italian style is supplemented by truly German quality of manufacture.
The burden of fame. It is one thing to look at a beautiful car, it’s completely different - to ride it. Alfa does not have moldings and protective strips on bumpers, so it is very easy to scratch the 156th during parking. The rear seat is cramped, too close for the car of such sizes. The trunk also does not affect with volume, and, most interestingly, it is smaller on the station wagon! A small road clearance does not allow the use of alpha as even a half -house car. In general, continuous shortcomings from the point of view of the user-co-reader.
Alfa Romeo 156 has a pronounced hundred thousandth syndrome. Why do you think most of the mileage presented on the market ranges around this mark? Because to five zero on the ALFA speedometer begins to demand very serious investments. In the near future, you need to grind the suspension, brakes and make a large one with the replacement of technological fluids, candles and timing belt. In this case, it is easier to get rid of the car by shifting the burden of liability to the buyer. But do not be discouraged. After these investments, you can safely ride without much expenses of another 60-70 thousand kilometers.
GOLDEN MEAN. What is a real Alfa? First of all, the motor. It is better to dwell on a two -liter gasoline from the entire range of gasoline engines. The youngest 1.6 and 1.8 are not able to enjoy active driving, and the sixes are too voracious and road roads.
The diesel 156s are not sold and are not sold, but copies from Germany and France are sometimes found. The diesel are good - are very moderate in the consumption of fuel and have excellent dynamics. This is the merit of the fuel system of Common Rail and turbocharged. However, our fuel and technical complexity of the engines can negate all the savings. For example, a pouring nozzle may well lead to a hydraulic engine! Therefore, the diesel 156 is better to search only with a guaranteed small mileage and good credit history.
Four -cylinder gasoline engines are equipped with Twin Spark with the Twin Spark - two candles on the cylinder. The system is good, there are no words. But one candle costs $ 27, and for a 4-cylinder engine they need 8. Our gasoline can ditch candles after 40 thousand km, so it is better to refuel at proven gas stations.
All gasoline engines are characterized by a high oil consumption. Fans of driving at high speeds have the right to wait for the consumption to a liter of oil per 1000 km. This is not considered a defect, rather a rule.
There is no fuel filter in the fuel system of gasoline motors. This is a design feature, and it is not worth changing it, inserting plastic non -native into the highway. Such a filter, even from Bosch, can easily burst, there have already been cases.
Motors are reliable, without a characteristic bouquet of childhood diseases. But there are nuances. By about 100 thousand kilometers, the thermostat fails, misinforming the engine temperature sensor. He, in turn, gives incorrect information to the injection system. The symptom of this phenomenon is the unstable work of the motor. Even on the instrument panel, a light bulb should light up with the image of the nozzle. Together with the thermostat ($ 50 + $ 30 for work), it is worth changing the temperature sensor ($ 25). From our poor-quality gasoline, lambda zond is out of order. The high cost of the part ($ 115) is redeemed by a penny cost of work on its installation - $ 10.
On a two -liter motor, a balancing shaft oilcaps usually flow to 100 thousand km. After replacing them ($ 7 per part and $ 115 for work), you can forget about the problem for a long time.
The bones are rattling. On the 156th model, several types of transmissions are set. Mechanical problems do not deliver, automatic ZF transmissions, provided that the oil is replaced timely, also do not require much attention. But the hybrid of mechanics and machine gun - Selespeed - can cause questions. The principle of operation at first glance is simple: this is an ordinary mechanical gearbox, but with an electronic control unit that switches the transmission using hydraulic drives. So, the hydrociclapans of this system quickly fail, and the entire block as a whole is subject to replacement. Therefore, before buying a car until 2002, the release (then this knot was finalized) with a box of this type, try to find out whether you have changed the block or not.
The unique handling of the 156th is the merit of a multi-link front suspension. But the improvement of controllability increased the cost of repairs. The first racks of the pine stability stabilizer are the first to surrender. They go from 20 to 40 thousand km and cost you $ 26 for the part and $ 28 for the replacement work. The following in the list are front suspension levers that do not live more than 60 thousand km. The upper costs $ 50, the lower - $ 180. The work will cost $ 36 and $ 42, respectively. And a little later, by 70--80 thousand, shock absorbers ($ 120 + $ 40) are being baked. On 6-cylinder engines, the parts of the suspension are tired faster, since the weight of the car is greater.
The rear suspension is the design is proven and well -established. Only you need to change every 30-40 thousand km of mileage for the silent blocks of levers ($ 26 per part and $ 17.5 for work). It is worth remembering that in the front suspension only convergence is regulated - the collapse is installed at the factory. During an accident or a strong blow to the suspension, the collapse is strayed. It can be restored either by stretching the body at the stand or by repairing the shock absorber rack: craftsmen change the holes of the fasteners and after that regulate the collapse.
Another hundred thousandth problem is the hub bearings, which by this time have been developing their resource ($ 85 per part plus $ 43 per installation).
Mama Mia! Oddly enough, the owner of the 156th owner can completely trust the electronic systems. This is one of the few Italian cars where electronics are working normally. It happens that fuses are burned out, otherwise - all O.K. By the way, the heating system fuse is located in the glove compartment.
When buying a used car, you need to beware of drowned. These machines are already found on the market, and there you can get used to electric problems in full. At the branded station, specialists can easily distinguish a normal car from a swimmer, so before buying a complete diagnosis is recommended.
A heat -loving Italian with a gasoline engine can in severe frosts and not start the first time. Sometimes only after two or three attempts the engines come to life. This climatic defect is also eliminated at a branded service station - you will simply reprogram an injection control unit.
In the current repair, it is better to use original spare parts, because the difference in the price between an non -original and proprietary detail is most often very insignificant. There is one but - the original body parts are expensive: the front wing costs $ 210, the hood is $ 440. Taiwanese bodybuilding, which is found in the markets, is much cheaper, but it is not worth using it for yourself. Details often require fitting in place, and they rust quickly.
Text Dmitry Novitsky, drawing Alexander Krasnov
 
The cost of additional equipment
Rubber mats, 4 pcs. $ 120 ($ 15)
Set of spoilers $ 260--355
Cast drives 16, 4 pcs. $ 1038 ($ 600)
Salon finish set with wood (steering wheel, front panel, door handles) $ 619
Metal thresholds $ 239
Pedal overlays $ 198 ($ 50)
Stretching for a hood $ 130 ($ 100)
The cost is for Alfa Romeo 156 2.0
Mileage (km) cost
3 thousand free
15 thousand $ 46
30 thousand, 90 thousand $ 135
45 thousand, 75 thousand, 105 thousand $ 55
60 thousand, 120 thousand $ 230
The cost of spare parts with work for Alfa Romeo 156 2.0*
Brake wheels (front) $ 110 ($ 40) $ 26
Brake pads (front) $ 50 ($ 23) $ 22
Brake pads (rear) $ 50 ($ 23) $ 35
Tip of steering traction $ 44 ($ 35) $ 10
Steering rack $ 1050 $ 122
Shock absorbers (front) $ 120 ($ 85) $ 40
Spark plug $ 27 ($ 4)
 
Engine temperature sensor $ 25 ($ 19)
 
Oil filter $ 12 ($ 9.5)
 
Air filter $ 15 ($ 9.6)

 

Source: "Autopilot"