Hi folks. I had originally posted this in the general 'Car Care' forum and received a helpful reply from Artermis. Just wondering if there are any 500 owners who have had the same issue?

I noticed a bit of a smell in my 500 recently and decided to investigate last weekend. There wasn't any sign in the front of the car but when I climbed in the back I noticed that a line of black mould spots had developed on one of my rear passenger seats. I then started feeling around and discovered that the carpet under the front seats was wet.

I called Fiat to see if had been recalled (it hasn't) and they said it is likely to be a big stripping job and can be fiddly to find the source. I called a local garage and they also said it can be fiddly but recommended I do some detective work online and also to try running water over the rear lights and then boot to see if water starts to flow into the car.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Any tips?

Thank you!

I'm just throwing this one out there, but could it be a split rear wash wipe hose that has leaked or is leaking? Is the roof lining dry? Any signs of staining or mould?

How long have you owned this vehicle/how old is it/how many miles?

There is a known issue regarding the sealing of the rear slam panel. Dealers are aware and should fix foc under warranty.

The other issue is the aircon drain tube behind the footrest panel in the drivers side footwell.

Squadrone Rosso said:

There is a known issue regarding the sealing of the rear slam panel. Dealers are aware and should fix foc under warranty.

The other issue is the aircon drain tube behind the footrest panel in the drivers side footwell.

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Have also heard of the slam bar sealing, the water runs through there right down the inside to the footwells.

Hi folks!

So I ended up leaving my car in to Fiat and £180 later they seem to have found the source and repaired it (fingers crossed!)

They realised through water testing that it was coming in through the rear bumper. They said it was likely that someone had bumped it in a carpark or something, even though there was no visible damage. They removed the rear bumper, drilled it out, fitted new rivots and sealed it.

Planning to put a dehumidifier in the car this weekend. Once it's dried out I'll get a good valet on the car to try to sort the seats (now stained) and freshen up the carpet.

Thanks for all your advice Hope the above will help someone out eventually (not that I want anyone to have a leak...)

Ah yes, I suspect the item changed was the air extraction vent covered by the bumper. It has rubber flaps to keep out dust and water. If it was damaged, you wouldn't notice because the bumper would return to its original shape, but the water would then run through the distorted/cracked vent into the spare wheel well and perhaps even the structure of the body itself. Removing the vent would require drilling out the rivets.

I had a water leak on my 2010 500 which was quite minor - I only noticed it when I had the carpets removed and could see a trickle of water at the edges of both front floors. The cause was the welded seams around the front suspension strut tops - both left and right sides! - visible under the bonnet. The seams had not been sealed correctly, but it was easy to do that.

-Alex

Really pleased for you that the issue seems to have been resolved, but sadly for you, an expensive one eh? I guess though in the long run, it's cheaper paying this now than having to possibly fork out loads of money later, as it would have just got worse over time.

designlady said:

Hi folks!

So I ended up leaving my car in to Fiat and £180 later they seem to have found the source and repaired it (fingers crossed!)

They realised through water testing that it was coming in through the rear bumper. They said it was likely that someone had bumped it in a carpark or something, even though there was no visible damage. They removed the rear bumper, drilled it out, fitted new rivots and sealed it.

Planning to put a dehumidifier in the car this weekend. Once it's dried out I'll get a good valet on the car to try to sort the seats (now stained) and freshen up the carpet.

Thanks for all your advice Hope the above will help someone out eventually (not that I want anyone to have a leak...)

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You dont say what year the car is? That's a known problem and more likely a manufacturing fault then someone bumping you, should be covered by warranty if eligible. Glad you got it sorted though