Merging at Rose Hill with a TwinAir or MultiAir that hesitates
The A297 St Helier Avenue and the A217 dual carriageways leading off the Rose Hill roundabout are faster than most local roads, and merging onto them from the queue by Rosehill Court needs the engine to respond when you ask. A Fiat 500 TwinAir or a 500X or Punto with the 1.4 MultiAir that hesitates, misfires or drops into limp mode at that moment is more than an annoyance. It is a reason to book the car in straight away.
The MultiAir system opens the inlet valves using engine oil, controlled by solenoids in a single unit on top of the engine. When the oil is low, old or the wrong specification, that unit can misbehave, causing rough running, misfires and engine warning lights. We scan the engine, check oil level and condition, look at the MultiAir unit's fault data and test the solenoids. Sometimes an oil change and reset improves it; sometimes the unit needs replacing. You get a written quote either way.
The rest of Rosehill's driving is gentler: short runs on the St Helier estate, shopping at the parades near the former Gaumont, and a lot of traffic around St Helier Hospital. That low-speed use is fine for a Fiat but tough on a Dualogic clutch, and on 1.2 Fire engines the belt's age limit is easily missed. Both are checked at every service we carry out. Where a Dualogic is fitted, we check fluid level and operation and road test the gear changes before handing the car back.
We are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, which helps hospital staff working shifts. Every repair carries a 3-month workmanship warranty. The drive is quick, down Wrythe Lane past the hospital and on to Hackbridge, about 2.5 miles. If the engine is in limp mode, collection and delivery can be arranged rather than tackling the dual carriageways.

