Alfa Romeo 164 Register.com

I have always used the same mechanic for all my cars except my Lease ones that go main dealer under warranty. My mechanic has been looking after my 164 TS and doing some extensive parts replacement. I have been collecting the parts in Italy and Greece to make things easier for him. But I am looking to get the gearbox stripped down and rebuilt at some point and my guy really can’t fit that in with his busy garage as he is only one man with a small workshop.

So I have contacted three very well known Alfa independent specialists in the UK and they all have basically more or less refused to work on the 164. The excuses are a mixture of, the car is too old , we can’t get the parts, we have no experience on working on a TS engine in a 164, or simply don’t want to get involved.

Is it any wonder hardly any 164s survive when specialists refuse to work on them. I though they would have loved to help keep such a rare Alfa on the road but I was wrong.

I’m guessing others on here have had similar issues?

I guess you're right, as unfortunate as it is. Car is getting old, they are well aware that parts are scarce and it's going to sit on their lot for a long time, taking up space they can otherwise use for "drive thu" services.

Not to mention that by now most mechanics don't have the know-how on the older Alfas, hard to find someone who can properly maintain the 164, and the 24V Busso (timing, belts increasingly more difficult), not to mention anything specific to the 164 (ABS, airbags, electrics overall, Viscomatic - you're pretty much on your own).

I'm lucky to have access to a local Alfa specialist shop here, and they do not shy away from older cars, they have lots of experience and are ex-Alfa mechanics. Sad thing though is that this will probably not go on forever.

I'm kind of thinking it's high time for Alfa to ramp up their historic division, in a similar way e.g. Mercedes has done. It would be cool to have an OEM restoration shop, at lest as a possibility (even if that means we couldn't afford it )

Really appreciate this forum though, if not, many wouldn't be running anymore for sure