General new her and potential suspension problems

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General new her and potential suspension problems

rachfiat500

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Hello everyone !
well - top cut a long story short my little fiat is knocking like mad from the back end. A did a little research and got a bit of a shock at how bad the suspension design is for pre 10 models!

can anyone share their experiences ?
mine is a 58 model and its already had 2 front suspension arms at 20k!! ... I bought it with 29k and now has 36k.

i also briefly read that suspension can be upgraded? Has anyone done this to their own ? If so was it difficult or expensive ?

I'm taking my car to garage on sat but would love a little knowledge to take with me

many thanks !!
Rach
 
did a little research and got a bit of a shock at how bad the suspension design is for pre 10 models!

:confused:

There is actually nothing wrong with the suspension design, it just rides differently to the updated later ones, and most people prefer the ride from the latter.

Not sure where you got it being a bad design from?

Have you tried driving with the spare wheel removed incase its worked look and it / the tool are knocking about :confused:
 
:confused:

There is actually nothing wrong with the suspension design, it just rides differently to the updated later ones, and most people prefer the ride from the latter.

Not sure where you got it being a bad design from?

Have you tried driving with the spare wheel removed incase its worked look and it / the tool are knocking about :confused:

Knocking from rear suspension is usually worn shock absorber bushes / eyelet.
There are a lot of quality suspension packages available.
One of the best standard replacement shock absorbers is the B4 model from Bilstein.
The pre 2010 cars do not have rear anti roll bar, not much else changes. It's nothing to do with the knocking.
Best to get it checked out by the dealer or a good independent garage (my preferred option)
Hope this helps : )
 
Thank you very much :) i am taking him on Friday to get suspension looked at. I bought from a garage (fiat dealership) only in august and passed its mot etc so now a little gutted but don't want to ignore problems !
 
Thank you very much :) i am taking him on Friday to get suspension looked at. I bought from a garage (fiat dealership) only in august and passed its mot etc so now a little gutted but don't want to ignore problems !

I can understand you being gutted at having to fork out for repairs after you've had your car for less than a year. However, the rear shock absorbers are wear & tear items which are unlikely to be covered by any used car warranty (even folks who bought new have sometimes struggled to get FIAT to cough up for these, if outside the first 2 yrs of the warranty) & I'd be very surprised indeed if the garage you bought it from would contribute to the cost of the repair. An MOT only looks at the condition of the components at the time of the test (it will pass if something is on its last legs but still within service limits) & tbh the shocks would have to be pretty well worn to constitute a fail.

Given that you'll almost certainly be paying the bill for this, I can only echo what's already been said about taking it to an independent garage, rather than a FIAT main dealer.

A FIAT dealer's labour rates will likely be at least double those of an indie, and they'll fix it using the same crappy parts that failed in the first place.

An indie will use aftermarket parts that will certainly be cheaper and quite likely of better quality than the originals - the total bill should be less than half what you'd pay to a franchised dealer.
 
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Thank you very much :) i am taking him on Friday to get suspension looked at. I bought from a garage (fiat dealership) only in august and passed its mot etc so now a little gutted but don't want to ignore problems !
If bought from Fiat dealer did you not get a used car warranty? Maybe you bound investigate this option.
 
If bought from Fiat dealer did you not get a used car warranty? Maybe you bound investigate this option.

I'd be surprised if a used car warranty would cover worn shock absorbers. But it's worth reading the small print.

The risk of taking it back to FIAT is they may charge you a diagnostic fee, then call back later & say it's either not covered, or you need to pay a contribution... and then you'll likely end up paying more than you'd have paid outright if you took it to an indie.
 
At the rear there are only two things it could be,either the dampers or the mounting bracket for the handbrake cable, if it's the dampers it's pretty easy to see yourself. When i get back tonight I'll post a video. If it's the dampers then do not take it to fiat for the work, they will only use the same crappy parts. I had the same issue on both my panda 4x4 and 500. The 500 was done under warranty and the Panda had cheapish Bilstein b4's put on which will probably last the lifetime of the car.
 
hi guys! Thank you so much for all your replies :)

i had this warranty discussion with my bf last nigh and i agree with everyone - suspension is a 'wearing part' and its not worth the paper its printed on ... I struggled to get them to replace the usb in my car as it was broken... They would laugh at suspension problems.

i have it booked into my local garage for a suspension check over free of charge. I'm just wondering if this is something that happens often as i was shocked to read that my little fiat already had suspension arms ! I also have a ford probe and i replaced a wishbone on it last year and that's 20 year old ! .. My fiat is barely 5 ... I bought the fiat to save on commuting costs etc but if its going to cost an arm and a leg to keep replacing suspension parts in going to be forced to sell him (reluctantly).

ive read a lot if stories about people replacing stuff early on in the cars life and like i say- mine has had major stuff done to it when it only had 20k ..

i would also never take it to a fiat garage .. They would take my arm off ...and maybe a leg while they were at it however, if there is a chance of upgrading the suspension system as i read somewhere on here - if it wasn't too expensive i would look into it

:)
 
If you do end up having to get new shock absorbers it's worth changing all 4. This way the 'balance' of the car will be maintained as having worn shocks in the front and new ones on the rear may cause some handling issues (if pushed hard or in emergency manoeuvre)
Dealer will be more ££ (if no warranty) than good independent and you'll get more of the same rubbish quality shocks.
Don't get fobbed off with a 'no brand' make.
Bilstein B4 shocks (standard replacement, not fancy lowered or stiffened) are really excellent and you won't need to change them in another 30k miles.
 
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ive read a lot if stories about people replacing stuff early on in the cars life and like i say- mine has had major stuff done to it when it only had 20k ..

My personal take on this is that the 500 is a car better bought new than secondhand - the combination of sky-high residuals & a significant number of relatively expensive items that are likely to need replacing between 3-6 yrs mean folks buying a 3yr old car & trading in at 6yrs old could end up paying more in total than those buying new & trading in after 3.

It's an odds-on certainty that used car buyers keeping for 3yrs will have to fork out for a set of tyres, front pads & discs, an exhaust, a battery (expensive on a S/S car), top mounts, wishbones & rear dampers - all of which should make it through the first 3yr on a new car (well they have on mine ;)).
 
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that last post worried me! someone else mentioned those shock absorbers so ive made.a.note of the name and ive also.sent it to my bf... I'm just shocked at how much these cars need so soon .. My car needs new brakes and pads .... Hopefully not for its next mot though ... The dealer were meant to change them but that's what they do don't they - they tell porky pies .. I had alsorts of trouble getting this car but i learnt my lesson ... As for the suspension in genuinely concerned.. I love it to pieces despite its hard ride etc but if it is going to cost me a lot ill just have to bite bullet and find something more reliable .. Think ill end up going back to my trusty old ford probe! .. Then when i can afford it by a.brand new fiat ;) > i bought second hand because i wanted a diesel .. I didn't want petrol as i cover 40 miles a day easy.

<p>fingers crossed for Friday really .. Suppose i could have taken the wheels off and have a look at the bushes myself but at least the garage will have it up on the ramps and i could get to have a nosey myself ;)

apologies for all the grammar etc errors - I'm replying via my phone and now and again press wrong keys !
 
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that last post worried me! someone else mentioned those shock absorbers so ive made.a.note of the name and ive also.sent it to my bf... I'm just shocked at how much these cars need so soon .. My car needs new brakes and pads .... Hopefully not for its next mot though ... The dealer were meant to change them but that's what they do don't they - they tell porky pies .. I had alsorts of trouble getting this car but i learnt my lesson ... As for the suspension in genuinely concerned.. I love it to pieces despite its hard ride etc but if it is going to cost me a lot ill just have to bite bullet and find something more reliable .. Think ill end up going back to my trusty old ford probe! .. Then when i can afford it by a.brand new fiat ;) > i bought second hand because i wanted a diesel .. I didn't want petrol as i cover 40 miles a day easy.

<p>fingers crossed for Friday really .. Suppose i could have taken the wheels off and have a look at the bushes myself but at least the garage will have it up on the ramps and i could get to have a nosey myself ;)

apologies for all the grammar etc errors - I'm replying via my phone and now and again press wrong keys !

Just fix the issues that crop up, and don't bother going to the dealership to do so, and it'll be fine.
 
Ill wait and see .. Ive been down this route before with my 206 convertible and would hate a repeat!

maybe buying new is th best way to go after all
 
Many people spend lots of money and fix their cars only to go "Damn this unreliable thing" and sell it, just when it's at its most reliable.
been there done that! I bought an audi a2 as a first car (used with 45k on the clock) and in 1.5 years of owning it had changed all 4 tires, new waterpump + timing belt, new discs and pads and normal service twice! Car was perfect but sold it at 70k as I left England and didn't want to take it to Greece as it was approaching 9 years old before it cost too much but I miss the car and I believe it could have easily lasted a few more years without major problems. It was a good learning experience at least, I still believe all first cars should be second hand.
 
i bought second hand because i wanted a diesel .. I didn't want petrol as i cover 40 miles a day easy.

A 1.2 petrol 500 will have a lower overall running cost than a diesel under just about any imaginable scenario. There's not that much difference in real-world economy & by the time you've factored in the extra cost of the fuel, any savings will be dwarfed by the extra cost & maintenance requirements of the diesel. The diesel will, however, have better performance & is more at home when cruising on the motorway.

I don't want to frighten you further, but there have been some other posts here from folks who've had to replace the injectors at around 70,000-80,000 miles. FIAT regard the injectors as consumable items - and the last chap to post on this subject was looking at around £2000 to replace a set of 4. The timing chain will need replacement at about the same mileage - budget around £400-£500 if you use an independent garage. If it breaks in service, your engine will likely be scrap.
 
I'm not too concerned about the higher mileage as got a few years to go yet :) but the injectors are scary. I'm not really sure what to do. I'm even thinking of buying a new petrol fiat ? ... I just don't know now ....
 
i.e for timing maintenance etc .. I'm a stickler for servicing and maintaining the car at its recommended maintenance schedules ... I'm not a typical woman like that .. I like taking care of my cars especially when used for commuting.

just don't want it to cost me a bomb... When i spent 7.5k on it .... I may as well like i say have stayed with my 2.0 litre ford probe.. 20 year old and still going strong ..
 
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