Modern Vespa

I bought my LX150 new, she only has 250 miles and yet she has problems.

The gas light will not turn off. I can see that there's plenty of fuel when I open the tank yet the gauge reads empty. I was on my way to the dealer but she started to stall. I came back home and now she smells. Bear with me...

She is making that clicking noise and emitting that smoky smell like when cars overheat. Why would a brand new scooter have so much wrong?

What should I do next? Please help.

I know many scoots have problems with the gas gauge but that's when filling up and it only reads 3/4. Mine is filled close to rim and reads empty. And now I may be causing damage to engine! ARGHHH!

Go to the dealer, Mandy. I was in 3 times in my first week because the scooter was doing something I didn't understand. They expect it a little.

Call and ask them what you should do. You have Roadside Assistance as long as you're within your first year. At 250 miles, I'd say that you're probably fine.

Vespas often have a burning smell when new. I believe it's muffler paint heating up. Clicking sounds when the hot engine is turned off is also normal. You would hear the same sounds from your car (if you waited around after turning it off). The stalling isn't, call your dealer and have them look at it. The gas gauge should be repaired under warranty.

For your piece of mind learn to check the oil level: it should be in your owner's manual. Basically if your oil level is fine I wouldn't be too worried, but I would check about the stalling.

Regards
Harvey

My LX150 reads about 3/4 at fill up, and then drops down to E after a few miles. Just gotta roll with the gauge. You should take it in and get the light fixed though. That's the best way to know when to fill up. When it goes on steady, you've got about 30 miles left.

caress your vespa, beat the dealer

The burning smell is normal. It should go away soon. I've been told that it is the packing in the muffler.

All Vespa gas guages suck. Your sounds like it sucks worse - go get it fixed, but don't expect perfection.

The low fuel light MUST be fixed.... see above

The clicking? Engine cooling? Disk brake sound? Who knows, but it is probably normal.

When you take the Vespa back to the dealer for the gas guage repair, ask them to give you a proper new owner briefing. If they didn't tell you about the clicking and the smell, they probably didn't tell you some other stuff that really matters.

The stalling could be from overfilling the gas tank. If you filled close to the rim, you probably sloshed over into the evap system which will cause stalling and performance problems.