I have a Fiat Panda and i really need help. last week my engine over heated (photo 2). Normally and since i bought the temperature gauge has always been midway (see pic 1) i went to a few people including two back street mechanics and one Fiat dealer. They all filled up the water bottle and said that would do it. however all of a sudden my car now starts on the "C" ( see pic 3) as this has never happened before this feels wrong to me, but am i right ? My mate at work had a look at this and said that the 3 others had filled the water too hight and when i looked he was right and it was to the top and the max line was well below. so i filled with the universal coolant and it seemed to do a little better. Today after I drove 2 miles and the dial move slowly from the "c" to about 25% with in 2 miles. what is concerning me is now when i now drive and i DO NOT have the heater on hot air vents through any vent in the car. It's unbearable. with two young kids in the car its not good.

I feel now that the thermostat is the problem. but im not a mechanic and im only going on what some people has said i may or may not be be.

Can you guys help me?????

I think your suspicions that the thermostat is to blame could well be accurate. I'll have a look on ePER and see how much a new thermostat is.

Matt100HP said:

I think your suspicions that the thermostat is to blame could well be accurate. I'll have a look on ePER and see how much a new thermostat is.

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I was quoted €10 would that be good?

You'll be pleased to know that a new thermostat is only £25 including VAT for a normal 1.1 or 1.2 Panda. Be thankful you don't have a 100HP, they're £55 !

I'm not sure how much labour would be to fit a new thermostat, maybe someone else on here could give you a decent estimate?

tonyheaney said:

I was quoted €10 would that be good?

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Yes, that's a great price considering Fiat sell them at £25! You must be able to buy 3rd party thermostats which do the same job. Sorry, I totally missed that you weren't from the UK, hence the price in GBP, d'oh .

Matt100HP said:

I think your suspicions that the thermostat is to blame could well be accurate. I'll have a look on ePER and see how much a new thermostat is.

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Matt100HP said:

Yes, that's a great price considering Fiat sell them at £25! You must be able to buy 3rd party thermostats which do the same job. Sorry, I totally missed that you weren't from the UK, hence the price in GBP, d'oh .

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FRingers crossed. I was told €10 for the thermostat and €22 for one hours service. what do you think??

That's a good price, get it done as soon as possible to prevent any engine damage.
Make sure the system is bled properly when hot, there's a bleed screw at the top of the rad, then one on the heater hose. Allow the coolant to bubble out until no more bubbles.

In the second pic, I see that your headlights are set low, on position 3. Were you carrying a lot of weight, so needed to lower them, or have you been wondering why you cannot see where you are going at night?

portland_bill said:

That's a good price, get it done as soon as possible to prevent any engine damage.
Make sure the system is bled properly when hot, there's a bleed screw at the top of the rad, then one on the heater hose. Allow the coolant to bubble out until no more bubbles.

In the second pic, I see that your headlights are set low, on position 3. Were you carrying a lot of weight, so needed to lower them, or have you been wondering why you cannot see where you are going at night?

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thanks for the advice also i lowered the number 3 to 0. is that the correct number?

That's correct. Normal position is 0, puts the headlamps at their highest. Each number lowers the lamps a bit. Find it in your handbook, but take no notice of the advise regarding loading. If you load it and the back sits down, pointing the lights too high, just increment one point at a time until they are in their usual place. If you get to 3 and they are still too high, you've got too much weight in the car, or too far back, so move or lose something.

...you mean the mother in law has to walk home?..

gr J

A3jeroen said:

...you mean the mother in law has to walk home?..



gr J

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That ain't too far off the mark with some cars!

I have a two-seater with a space saver.
When you have to change the wheel, the alloy doesn't fit in the boot, so the thoughtful manufacturers give you a nice zippered sleeve to put your dirty alloy in.
Problem is - the alloy will only fit on the passenger seat.
Choice: Leave alloy at the roadside, or abandon passenger.

Matt100HP said:

You'll be pleased to know that a new thermostat is only £25 including VAT for a normal 1.1 or 1.2 Panda. Be thankful you don't have a 100HP, they're £55 !

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That what the dealer told you? Think that'll be the 100HP tax

When I last checked the 1.4 16v is the same as the 8v FIRE engines, so should be the same part and same price. At least on my 1.4 16v Stilo it was, and thats the same lump as in the 100hp. Was about £20-25 all in with the gasket.

Most Easterly Pandas said:

That what the dealer told you? Think that'll be the 100HP tax

When I last checked the 1.4 16v is the same as the 8v FIRE engines, so should be the same part and same price. At least on my 1.4 16v Stilo it was, and thats the same lump as in the 100hp. Was about £20-25 all in with the gasket.

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Nah, that's what ePER said it was. It doesn't surprise me at all that it's the exact same part as the other Pandas use, but you pay more for it if you tell them it's for a 100HP .

For relatively cheap cars (in the grand scheme of things), parts for the 100HP can be horrendously expensive. Not helped by the fact that there are basically none in any breakers yards...ever.

Oh well, it's all made better by the "100HP wave" you get whenever you see another one out and about haha !