Fiat Doblo l with mileage: the body is capable of much, but the engine control unit is not

Fiat Doblo in the minds of many is associated exclusively with commercial activities. In vain, because it could be an interesting family car for five or even seven seats. However, as a workhorse, he was also not bad. Especially when it was new. And how are things with the first Double today? Is there still hope or have they already outlived their usefulness? Now let’s talk about the body, interior and electrical system, and in the second part of the review about engines, transmission and chassis. Well, let’s start, as always, with some general information about the technology and its history. 

Technique

Small practical cars are highly valued in Italy, and what could be more practical than minivans? According to many, nothing, but because Fiat has been producing such cars for a long time. 

The appearance of the Fiat Doblo typ 223 in 2000 was marked by the use of a new body concept that came from the French. Instead of using the front of a conventional passenger car as its predecessors (like the Fiat Fiorino) did, the new model has an almost entirely own body. With the Fiat Palio / Uno platform, this is only due to the structures of the front suspension and engine shield, the front spars and the floor of the front “passenger" section. The rest of the body is unique. It has a much more upright seating position, taller cargo and passenger compartments, and sliding side doors. As a result, the internal volume of the cargo compartment was increased to three cubic meters. 

Buyers could choose a glazed or blank cargo compartment, as well as the presence or absence of a left sliding door. Third-party companies quickly mastered the production of options with a high ceiling and even with an extension. These Doblo versions are also on the market.

Technically, everything in Doblo is quite simple and boring. Its body is completely steel, the arrangement of units is transverse in a line. Front suspension – MacPherson struts, rear – dependent spring with a rigid beam. Doblo engines are only four-cylinder gearboxes, only with manual transmission. In turn, all versions of the Doblo have ABS, and later cars even have ESP as standard. 

Timeline

September 2000 The model was presented at the Paris Motor Show.

Autumn 2000. For the European market, the production of the model began in Turkey at the Fiat Tofas plant.

January 2001 Doblo sales start in Europe. Engines – gasoline 1.2 l with a capacity of 65 hp, 1.6 l CNG (92 hp) and diesel 1.9 D and 1.9 JTD with a capacity of 63 and 105 hp, respectively. All engines are paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Body options include a two-seat cargo variant without rear glazing, a five-seat passenger variant, and various passenger and cargo options. The body can be four- or five-door with one or two doors on the left side for passenger and cargo options.

2002 Start of machine production in Brazil, North Korea and Vietnam.

Spring 2004 A seven-seat passenger body version is offered.

December 2005 Restyling of the model. External changes include new optics, bumpers, grille. The range of engines has been revised: a 1.4-liter gasoline engine (8 valves, 76 hp) has become the base engine, a 1.6-liter gas engine with a capacity of 92 hp has remained, a new 1.3 has appeared in versions for 75 and 84 -liter turbodiesel hp, as well as a 1.9-liter turbodiesel in versions with 105 and 120 hp. Also announced are electric versions for the Italian domestic market with three types of batteries: lithium, lithium titanate and lead acid.

April 20, 2007 Assembly began at the Sollers plant in Naberezhnye Chelny.

January 2010 End of production of the first generation at the Tofas plant. Assembly from car kits at the Sóllers plant continues until the middle of the year. In Brazil, the launch of this generation of Doblo continued until 2021.

Body

External panels

The external condition of the Doblo body depends more on loads and maintenance than on the age of the car. Even the first copies still look in very good external condition, while cars of 2007-2010 years of production, after intensive use, may have holes in the thresholds and many small foci of corrosion. 

The main disadvantages of the model are the body sills and the lower parts of the door panels. Sufficiently delicate coloring and a small layer of anti-gravity in the lower part of the body do not save well from chips, and a large load on the thresholds and clogged drains of all doors create a favorable environment for the development of corrosion. If the owners started minor paint defects, did not control the drainage and simply overloaded the car, all this will be perfectly visible from the outside. Fortunately, the metal here is well galvanized and gives time to eliminate defects. This is even easily associated with not very high-quality repairs.

Most cars do not have serious body damage, and frankly rotten specimens are very rare. But vigilance, of course, is worth showing, especially when looking at the thresholds: they are quite expensive to digest, and "outsourced" bypass technologies are used to their fullest. There is also putty in places of "defects" on the bottom and epoxy filling on the arches. In general, keep an eye on the thresholds when inspecting.

It is difficult to hide the flaws of the door. Hiding roller defects at the bottom of the door is more expensive than replacing the entire panel, so they usually don’t bother with “cosmetics”. At best, they will cover the rust a little with anti-gravity. 

Age and stress leave their marks on the rest of the body. Small chips and even small pockets of corrosion can often be found on the windshield frame, in the area of ​​​​door handles, on the arches, and of course on the front of the hood (especially if the car is “road”)). For vehicles in rainy regions, look at the bottom of the front fender. There is a not very successful “mud pocket”, and if the wing has not been cleaned behind the lockers, then this will be visible from the condition of the edges of the arches and the edge of the wing itself. You can see this place with the open door. 

Do not be too lazy to bend the glass seals of the side and rear sliding doors, under which old cars often have unpleasant corrosion. And special attention should be paid to the mounting area of ​​the “rail” of sliding doors, on which dirt accumulates and around which many small defects usually appear. Inspect the installation sites of the door stops – here the metal of the door often breaks at the attachment point.

It must be said that for Fiat Doblo commercial vehicles it is very well preserved. But the liveliest specimens are always the passenger versions, which never “started up” and were serviced directly by the owners. And pay attention to the race – you should not expect a miracle from cars with a mileage of half a million kilometers.

Bottom

The body structure here is extremely simple and therefore well preserved and just as easy to repair. From below, first of all, it is worth examining the thresholds and jacks. 

The sill may have characteristic fatigue cracks in the center and rear, as well as gaps in the reinforcement weld. Internal corrosion of the outer sill panel manifests itself mainly in the form of perforation, which runs almost along the junction with the amplifier from below. Dirt accumulates there, and if the thresholds are not treated with anticorrosive, then a characteristic type of damage can be found even on cars of the last years of production. 

Another source of potential door sill issues are recessed side door rails. Before inspection, it is very convenient to rinse it with a Karcher – dirt accumulates there, and holes easily form under it.

Be careful when inspecting power elements. Traces of cracks at the junction of the engine shield and floor rails and corrosion damage to the seams of the supporting structure in the area of ​​​​the attachment points of the rear suspension spring ladders are characteristic signs of severe overload. Sometimes the car was loaded with a ton or more, although the body was not designed for such a load. And he corny cracked from such an overload, after which corrosion can generally kill the power structure. By the way, carefully inspect the rear door opening and its seams – here, too, traces of overloads during operation are sometimes visible. And on the floors of the case there may be traces from the sudden loading of the charger.

The rear body floors are surprisingly well preserved. But the fuel tank located here is a headache for all owners of retro cars. It is made of steel and rots both on the sides (at the entry points of the filler neck) and on top, in the cracks around the fuel pump niche. The original tank is expensive, so the remnants of epoxy are a clear reason to think about the quality of car maintenance and the amount of the discount when buying it.

Inspection of the body from the inside should begin with the glasses of the front suspension. If the machine has not been subjected to impacts and has not been operated with primer overload, then the seams must be in perfect condition, and the holes for the frame fastening bolts must not have any signs of corrosion. Dirt accumulates very well in the niche between the fender and the body pillar, but the protection of the seams here is done with high quality. Water and dirt from the glass drain into a pocket between the fender and the body pillar, but the condition of the cavity in the mirror is clearly visible from above (although it is best to check this by removing the fender liner). The procedure for cleaning this cavity should be carried out regularly, and if the sealant is damaged, then it is worth sandblasting, priming and sealing everything.

Unfortunately, light surface corrosion constantly occurs on the inside of the arch. But thanks to galvanization, there is no big problem with this. 

The front panel of the radiators is quite intensively oxidized. It is clear that this is not scary, but there is a reason to lower the price. Also, if a car of recent years has a similar defect, you should carefully study its history. The hood panel can rust at the seams from the inside, so pay attention to the seams in front and on the side of the hinges. 

In the central part of the niche above the engine, dirt does not accumulate very intensively, but sometimes under the plastic of this niche there are still cars with whole “sunbeds”.

The Doblo oven is prone to leaks, so be sure to check the floors: the smell of antifreeze and worn carpets are quite common. Well, based on the condition of the area near the driver’s seat box, we can draw conclusions about the condition of the body floors as a whole. And do not be too lazy to remove the door seal at least at the bottom of the opening; there may be surprises. 

Body equipment

Don’t forget that the Doblo is essentially a very economical car, and you shouldn’t demand build quality and durability from a small thing like a German premium car. However, the simplicity of the design makes life much easier, despite the presence of noticeable drawbacks. For example, the rear swing door lock is just an extremely annoying element. Here the handle shaft shaft turns sour and the tongue can close in the wrong direction, and aluminum corrosion ultimately kills its body.

Sliding doors wear out the guide mechanism and the bottom lock. The mechanism must be kept clean and regularly lubricated, and for this, the old grease must be washed out with sand. The plastic bushings of the lower lock are consumables, with intensive use they need to be changed every 40-50 thousand kilometers. Of the little things, I also note the need to protect the contacts of the central lock.

The front door locks are a little more reliable, but here the limiter fails.

From 200-250 thousand km, the windshield wiper trapezoid wears out, and with prolonged downtime it turns sour. It’s good that Kalina’s repair kit saves here.

Headlights — a separate headache. We have a rarity before restyling, but they don’t even have second-hand optics. And the owners, meanwhile, complain about the already crumbling plastic and the general wear and tear of such headlights. On cars after 2006, with high mileage, the headlights turn yellow, burn out and are easily overwritten, but new ones can be bought very cheaply. 

The quality of Turkish plastic is a separate issue. In summer, everything is in order with him, but in winter he becomes very brittle, and this applies not only to bumpers, but also to the skin, all plastic lining under the hood and under the bumper, door handles and everything else. The availability of new parts is gradually deteriorating, and this must be remembered.

Vibrations in the side mirrors on diesel versions are common, and the overall vibration load of SUVs is largely to blame. 

The door seals of ten-year-old cars are already hissing at high speeds, and the driver’s door is often still warped from worn hinges. The glass guide often wears out, so the glass begins to vibrate, and the whistle at high speed cannot be eliminated even by replacing the seal.

On the passenger side, the seal dries out and even cracks, and slide glass seals are usually consumed (unless the windows are blocked).  

Salon 

At one time, Doblo was highly appreciated for the quality of the cabin. The ergonomics here are really good, but even after Vesta or Logan II, everything will look gray and dull. Accept the fact that even the cheapest cars of those days have much more interesting interiors and better materials. However, there are no complaints about the durability of the Doblo interior. Here, everything can be washed almost out of a hose, the lever buttons are very durable, and the steering wheels and seats are kept in decent shape up to more than two hundred thousand kilometers quite adequately. 

Almost all breakdowns occur from rough handling of the car and as a result of high mileage. So don’t be surprised by broken drawer latches, warped visors, shaking mirrors, broken door lock cables, broken shift covers. In general, everything here is very well done, and in case of a breakdown it is easy and cheap to change.

The main complaint concerns the smooth radiator of the stove. He, like many other Fiats, seizes with a rare change of antifreeze and heats the driver’s side poorly. And if the antifreeze has not been changed at all, then it may leak. Connecting to the radiator is also not the best: steel pipes in the engine compartment rust, rubber pipes crack and leak. In general, do not be surprised if the entire line of the engine compartment is replaced with silicone tubes – this is not a collective farm, but a serious improvement in design. 

The fan motor is rather weak, but cleaning and lubrication greatly prolong its life.

Electrician

The simplest electrics have one serious weak point and several frivolous ones that appear with high mileage. But here, simplicity and ease of repair come to the rescue. There are practically no difficult and expensive breaking items. The exception is the engine control unit.

The failure of engine control units for all gasoline engines is the most unpleasant thing that can happen to an electrician. The problem is almost the same as on a Saab with a Trionic 8 or an Opel Vectra C/Astra H. The control unit is attached to the engine and is exposed to temperatures and vibrations. As a result, soldering failures, failure of several of the least resistant microcircuits, and, in addition, corrosion of the contact group due to water ingress are possible (Saab gets antifreeze there, but these are details). In general, the block is protected, since a new one costs 80 thousand conventional units, and this is a third of the price of a completely live machine. It is transferred to a cooler place, an air duct is arranged, contacts are protected from water upon purchase.

The rest of the electrics are made roughly, but firmly. Its main problems are the wear of generators and radiator fans for 150-200 thousand mileage, not very tight connectors in the cabin and engine compartment. In general, all this is solved simply by the planned replacement of these elements and the maintenance of all contacts and connectors with special lubricants at least once every two years. All elements are conveniently located, with heavy maintenance there are no problems. Well, all worn out things that are difficult to restore are still sold. So you can still buy a set of ignition switch contacts or power window control units.

Subtotal

We can say that if the car was not heavily overloaded and at least periodically serviced, serious problems with the body, interior and electrical system are not expected. Of the expensive breakdowns, only a computer failure is possible, so diagnostics upon purchase is simply necessary.

In the second part, we will tell you what you can expect from the engines, gearboxes and chassis of this Fiat Doblo. The car, although strong, is no longer new, so you can find something interesting there.