Hello people! Recently replace the tired W202 C200 with a 57 plate 500 1.3 diesel Lounge with AC and pan roof in a baby blue colour with 62k on the clock and two female owners.

We affectionately named him Silvio to add some manliness!

Previous Fiat experience was falling in love with a Supermirafiori when I was 6 years old and a couple of year ago driving a friends 500 twin air loaded with 4 adults on a 300 mile round trip! I am 6 foot 1 so it was not comfy at all as the rear passengers were tall too! When my wife fell in love with the 500 I had my doubts, but after driving it with no passengers in the back what a difference!

The car itself had a few small issues, namely a cracked front tyre, first thing I change. The car has budget tyres on and recently refurbished 16" alloys in white :-( as soon as the tyres wear I will be refinished them in anthracite and getting some good rubber on them.

The exhaust tip was badly corroded, and wet and dry plus auto sol quickly corrected that. Not sure how long the exhaust will last as the DPF and pipes look a bit rusty and when I shake the exhaust I can hear a squeak. Not yet had time to get underneath properly as work gets in the way! If gone I will design a new exhaust including DPF for it if needed. I have an acquaintance who owns an exhaust shop so it should not be too painful. Last MOT at Hanfords did not mentioned it.

Faded Italian 500 stripe across the car. What a PITA! It came out in 1cm square and all my previous de-stickering techniques were to no avail! A good go with tar remover and a swift polish and you can barely make out the shade difference. I will MOP the car when I get 5.

The most worrying is that some inexperienced person decided in the past to use the sills as jacking points! Only the two front were affected but we can live with that, specially seen that is quite a common mistake.

The white interior also needs a looking after, again another job for when I have 5.

The rear tailgate needed some WD40 on the plastic flap and now it works!

AC top up ( I know it is a sealed system and should not lose gas ) and for now it works great.

Rear tailgate shocks corroded.

Faded rear badge.

I can't complain as I got the car for £ 3820 pounds plus my old car which to me and according to eBay was only worth a couple of hundred quid!!!

Other than that I look forward to interacting with all of you and wish you all well!

500Silvio said:

Hello people! Recently replace the tired W202 C200 with a 57 plate 500 1.3 diesel Lounge with AC and pan roof in a baby blue colour with 62k on the clock and two female owners.

We affectionately named him Silvio to add some manliness!

The most worrying is that some inexperienced person decided in the past to use the sills as jacking points! Only the two front were affected but we can live with that, specially seen that is quite a common mistake.

The white interior also needs a looking after, again another job for when I have 5.

Other than that I look forward to interacting with all of you and wish you all well!

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Welcome to the forum Silvio!

The pale blue really fits the 500 don't you think?

I've been looking for a product to clean the interior lining, especially the headlining fabric for a while. I love the ivory interior, it makes the car a pleasant place to be and is such a change from the ubiquitous grey but my car's a cabrio and after only two years there are grubby marks on the fabric where it folds. The local auto shop recommended 'Autoglym Interior Shampoo' but I haven't tried it yet.

I can understand an inexperienced person getting the jacking points wrong, I've used the supplied jack just once to practice and it's a right royal pain. Five minutes winding that ridiculous little handle, scraping your knuckles on the ground all to lift the body of the car while the wheel stays in firm contact with the ground until the last couple of inches, manipulating the heavy wheel (16" alloy) off and. worse, on again and I've decided that if I get caught with a flat out on the road I'll call roadside assistance. At home I'll use my old ute's scissor jack under the suspension - it has a proper handle and raises the wheel directly without tilting the car half on its side. It also came with two folding chocks which are never supplied these days.

I've never named any of my cars, not even the 500, even though it has more character than most of the rest put together. I think I worry more about what such a name says about me than the car! Similarly I don't ascribe a sex to it - it's neither he nor she That's not to say I don't anthroporphize it in my own mind however.

Hope you have many happy years as a 500 owner.

Thanks for the warm welcome piccolo!

Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your 500! And the work on it!

500Silvio said:

Faded rear badge.

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Faded rear badge is fairly common. Mine's bubbling under the top layer!

Piccolo Nero e Bella said:

I think I worry more about what such a name says about me than the car! Similarly I don't ascribe a sex to it - it's neither he nor she

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I chose the name of mine off of a list of top baby names for that year! Apparently its a strange formula, used by the age of the car, gender you want, age you get it, etc. That way it picks a name for you if you're stuck! I got "Lily" which is a bit common, so I tweaked it and got Lilith. Which I really like! My friend just called his teabag.

As for gender, I was always told cars, boats, etc are female! Although my gran swears if it groans when it sets off, it's a male!

He definitely snorts! I am looking forward to sorting all the little bits as time and funds allow!