Off Topic Might be bye bye abarth

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Off Topic Might be bye bye abarth

I'm wondering if the OP's car has been in a minor (maybe) crash (hit from behind and pushed into the car in front) and bodged back together:

When I got the car after driving no more than a mile a warning message on dashboard telling me I had a rear break light out.
Crunched in a prang and not replaced?
When I looked under the bonnet of the car when I got home I realised the coolant was half empty.
Gone into something, split the rad and not been filled properly?
Front bumper has bigger gap on one side than other
Nothing says crash damage like dodgy panel gaps
Tracking of car was out
Hit something in front and knocked it out? Though with the roads at the moment it could be "wear and tear"
Sometimes won’t go in to gear - answer it okay.
Again, hit something in front and something not quite sitting right?
Nearside rear (Top) shock absorber has a slightly wornbush. Which I have replaced due to knocking noise. I supposed it would be wearand tear Item.
Hard to see how this would be impact related
Nearside rear road wheel with a slightly distorted bead on rim.
Unusual to have a rear wheel damaged by potholes, unless kerbing
After driving back from London I noticed that the rear parking sensors was beeping when I was ages away from any object and I noticed that the parking sensor was actually inside the bumper
Hit from the back and not properly put back?
Car went to clemo for fan scraping the radiator which couldn’t be solved as they didn’t know if it would be a warranty item which was a fair point.
Hit something in front, still a little skewed?
The front brake disks are rusty and don’t look like they have beenreplaced ever in the cars life.
Parked up for a long time waiting to be fixed?
I went round a corner on the way to work as I do Monday to Friday. Then I heard this big bang so I pulled over and noticed that the rear wheel has a huge flat spot on the alloy.
The big bang could have been you hitting a pothole I suppose
 
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I'm wondering if the OP's car has been in a minor (maybe) crash (hit from behind and pushed into the car in front) and bodged back together:

I could of course be wrong, but I'd put money on it.

Most parts on the car will be date stamped. One cross check for accident damage is to look at the stamps on those parts which are likely to have been replaced; rear light clusters, headlight units, radiator etc.

Number plates which don't match front & rear is another very easy check that anyone can do.

I've lost track of the cars I've walked away from because they just didn't look or feel 'proper'. Some of them were likely perfectly OK, but I'd rather play safe than sorry.

Unfortunately that probably won't help the OP to get any redress, unless it's been so badly repaired that it's dangerous.

Dannyfiatman, I truly hope I'm wrong, but sadly I suspect your naiviety in buying this car will soon be eclipsed by your naiviety in thinking that Trading Standards will be able to do anything to help you.
 
Nonsense, I would never buy, or continue to own a car I don't like. And just because something might be unreliable, doesn't mean I dislike it. If that were the case, Classic car owners would not exist!
 
I don't think either the 500 or the 500 Abarth can be classed unreliable.
More annoying are the niggles and common problems that Fiat seem unwilling to put right during the car's time in production. Just plain lazy. If a model has a particular relatively minor issue , it will still be made with the same issue five years down the line. Oh and dealers have never ever heard of any well known problems.
We have two Abarths in the family, one is now over 5 years old and has been very reliable.
 
I don't think either the 500 or the 500 Abarth can be classed unreliable.
More annoying are the niggles and common problems that Fiat seem unwilling to put right during the car's time in production. Just plain lazy. If a model has a particular relatively minor issue , it will still be made with the same issue five years down the line. Oh and dealers have never ever heard of any well known problems.
We have two Abarths in the family, one is now over 5 years old and has been very reliable.

Completely agree. Though I class the Abarth as the least reliable 500, it's hardly a turdheap
 
Been a while since I have posted but I have to add to this , I have owned my 500 for 3 years now and it has been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned . I haven't even had to do so much as change a lightbulb in that time , plus my car has a hard life zooming around Glasgow's city centre every day .

The worst car that I have owned for reliability has been an Audi A4 which was a nightmare from day 1 when I got it brand new . Yet in the motoring press Audi etc can do no wrong .

Maxi is right , take these surveys with a pinch of salt , your best bet is these forums and owners clubs if you want to know of potential reliability problems .
 
Lets not forget that modern cars are complex machines and that EVERY make or model can go wrong, regardless of the price of the car. I believe that the real difference is to be found how different car makers deal with the problems once they arise. Fiat is not great in that regard although, speaking from personal experience, I haven't had much chance to sample their custom as my car has been near faultless ;)
 
I don't think either the 500 or the 500 Abarth can be classed unreliable.
More annoying are the niggles and common problems that Fiat seem unwilling to put right during the car's time in production. Just plain lazy. If a model has a particular relatively minor issue , it will still be made with the same issue five years down the line. Oh and dealers have never ever heard of any well known problems.
We have two Abarths in the family, one is now over 5 years old and has been very reliable.

Reliable or unreliable, the drive shafts of all modern Fiat's are just horrible and very unreliable! (n)
 
Ive heard a few cases now where the driveshafts on the Abarth 500 need replacing at 60 to 70k, but that could be down to abuse I suppose.
 
Abarth now completely fixed thanks to the help from Clemo, Fiat in Keighley was not interested in the situation. I warn anyone buying from Fiat Keighley to have a good inspection of the car as they do not carry out and spot checks on the cars from used. I wouldn't even take a fiat their for a service as they can not even put the correct oil in a car or even fit the correct brakes. For an extra half an hour drive I would rather go to Clemo knowing it is a company I can trust.
 
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