The 147 GTA’s Differential Problem: A Ticking Time Bomb

The differential – that crucial bit that helps deliver power to your wheels – is one of the 147 GTA’s most notorious weak points. To say these units fail regularly would be putting it mildly. The basic issue is simple enough: the parts inside just aren’t strong enough to handle the car’s power, even when you’re being relatively gentle with the throttle. If you live somewhere hot, you’re even more likely to run into trouble.

What makes this problem particularly nasty is there’s no warning when things go wrong. One minute you’re driving along happily, the next – bang – you’re looking at an expensive repair bill. Making matters worse, Alfa Romeo’s response to these failures was less than stellar. Many owners found themselves in lengthy battles with the company just to get warranty repairs approved, even though this was clearly a design flaw.

The real kick in the teeth is that replacing the broken diff with another standard unit is just delaying the inevitable – it’ll fail again sooner or later. The smart money goes on upgrading to what’s known as a Q2 torque-biasing differential. This beefed-up unit was developed specifically to solve these problems, and it’s become the go-to solution for owners who want to actually use their cars without constantly worrying about diff failure.

For more Alfa Romeo 147 problems and facts, check out our buyer’s guide here

Author

  • From his early days playing the original Gran Turismo and with his Hot Wheels car set, Ben has had a long interest in all things automotive. His first foray into the world of automotive journalism was way back in 2009 and since then he has only grown more interested in the industry. Ben also runs and heads up the video production side of Garage Dreams, focusing on small informative documentaries about some of the world's most legendary cars.

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