Lancia Ypsilon
Simple 1.2L naturally aspirated engine of the FIRE family without hydraulic tappets — valve clearance must be checked manually every 40,000 km. Considered long-lived and robust with regular maintenance; the FIRE 8V is a non-interference engine and suffers no engine damage on timing belt failure. The head gasket is the well-known Achilles heel from around 100,000 km.
Charm without muscle
44 kW barely gets by in city traffic; on the open road there's nothing in reserve.
Engine Weaknesses 3
Known weak point of the 1.2 FIRE 8V: head gasket typically fails between 90,000 and 190,000 km. White smoke, bubbling in the expansion tank and coolant loss without oil/coolant mixing are classic signs.
Symptoms: White smoke from the exhaust, pressure build-up in the cooling system, bubbling in the expansion tank, coolant loss without visible leakage
The 8V FIRE has no hydraulic tappets — valve clearance must be checked and set manually every 40,000 km. Neglecting this causes ticking and accelerated wear on the valve train.
Symptoms: Metallic ticking from the valve train especially when cold, louder under load, usually disappears after warm-up
With age, the fuel pump delivers only around 2 bar instead of the required 3 bar. This leads to power loss and starting difficulties. A known phenomenon on older FIRE engines from around 120,000 km.
Symptoms: Poor starting behaviour, power loss especially under load, engine judder on acceleration
Vehicle Weaknesses 9
EPS control unit or electric motor faulty — steering becomes extremely heavy. Frequently from 80,000 km. Replacement of the steering module costs 600–1,200 €.
Brake lines rust preferentially at the plastic retaining clips on the underbody. On older vehicles the entire brake system including wheel cylinders must be checked for corrosion.
Door lock actuators fail individually — door can no longer be locked/unlocked by remote or interior button. Driver's door most commonly affected.
Plastic window regulator guide breaks — window drops into the door or jams. Typical Fiat/Lancia defect on the range.
The front control arm rubber bushings wear prematurely and become sloppy. Anti-roll bar bushings also tend to crack. Typical knocking when going over bumps.
Shock absorbers tend to develop leaks from around 100,000 km. Vehicles at MOT are frequently flagged for worn dampers. Aftermarket parts are available.
From around 8 years of age, the sump tends to rust through. The subframe and exhaust manifold are also corrosion-prone. Lack of cavity sealing promotes salt damage.
Blower resistor burns out — fan only runs on the highest setting or not at all. A cheap wear part, but frequently affected on this model.
The plastic headlight lenses yellow heavily due to UV exposure. This impairs light output and leads to MOT failures.
