Apologies for reviving an old chestnut - I've searched to forum and not really come up with a definitive answer.

First service was done after 12 months at about 10,000 miles. According to the handbook the 100HP should give me a count down to the next service. Nothing has shown up on the display but with 22000 miles approaching, 15 months on, I decided to have the service done. Totally reliable and competent local garage - thorough service as per book, cars feels noticeably livelier. But - despite their diagnostic equipment they can't reset the service indicator. Looking at the Service menu on the computer it says that there are 212 miles to go till the next due service.

Two questions.

Should the display have been giving me a count down?

Do I really have to take it to a Fiat dealer? I really don't trust either of the two local ones to service the car as thoroughly as the one I use - I've been taking cars to him for twenty years for all types of work and he's been faultless.

Recently done the same to my Eleganza, it has the same computer. It does, if you go into the service menu give you a count down.
When i had mine serviced, i went out straight away to see if the service notification had gone and it'd hadn't. I then went back in and they said they would refund me the cost of getting it reset, although your local garage may not do this.

My local FIAT dealer wanted £26 and a few penny's to do it for me!

Nathan126 said:

Recently done the same to my Eleganza, it has the same computer. It does, if you go into the service menu give you a count down.
When i had mine serviced, i went out straight away to see if the service notification had gone and it'd hadn't. I then went back in and they said they would refund me the cost of getting it reset, although your local garage may not do this.

My local FIAT dealer wanted £26 and a few penny's to do it for me!

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Thanks for that - I got the impression from the handbook that the display would throw up warnings on the display - like the cold road warning - as the mileage to the service reduced. I checked with the garage that they were sure they could reset the indicator and they were sure that they could, so we'll have to negotiate, I think, don't foresee any problem.

Our panda doesnt have the service warning but the Idea does.
It ran out this week on time and 200miles short, so almost spot on without planning it that way. I thought it would show continuously but it doesnt, just flashes at start up if you leave the ignition at stage 1. not sure if it will escalate the further it goes over.

I have a few diagnostic leads so downloaded fiatecuscan the other day. Not had chance to test it works and as far as i can make out i may have to buy the full version (50eur) to turn the lamp off. Even with this charge it could pay for itself quite quickly for me with 2 ageing fiats. there is also a support forum on the website which seems pretty good.

I checked the Fiatecuscan site that states the full version can reset the indicator on the 100HP. Also shows cost as 99.99 euros if I remember correctly. However, looking at their forum there are recent requests for this facility and two 'phone calls and an e-mail to the UK distributor have drawn a blank, so I assume it's not available - stress that this is only for 100HP.

Anyway - second service - 12,000 miles after first, which was done at 12 months rather than on mileage, 10,000 at the time - was done by Mid Devon Motors. All filters (inc pollen), plugs, engine flush plus oil change, complete strip-down of all brake calipers and greasing pads - 220 pounds including VAT at new rate, inc 80 pounds for bits. Then had the indicator reset by Sanders near Holsworthy - Fiat service centre - 14.10 inc VAT after they'd checked that the service had been done. Looking through the dash menu, the interval was down to 80-odd miles prior to reset so I'm surprised that no warning had come up. Sanders didn't seem to know if this was normal.

Mid Devon reckon their new electronics, which arrive shortly, are certain to be able to do the trick - I'll check and update.

Still haven't replaced any disc pads/discs or tyres, which were swapped front to back at about 12,000 miles.

If the system is anything like the Stilo's then it won't flash up with a warning until the mileage or time interval has been met or exceeded.

On the Stilo you get a countdown of miles and days by going into the menu and scrolling through to the 'Service' section, but it won't just flash up (as happens on some cars) to warn you you're approaching the limit.

My Stilo began warning me once the service interval was exceeded & continued to warn me by showing 'Service Due' everytime the ignition was switched on, until it was serviced & the counter reset, which was done by a main dealer.

JTD_Liam said:

If the system is anything like the Stilo's then it won't flash up with a warning until the mileage or time interval has been met or exceeded.

On the Stilo you get a countdown of miles and days by going into the menu and scrolling through to the 'Service' section, but it won't just flash up (as happens on some cars) to warn you you're approaching the limit.

My Stilo began warning me once the service interval was exceeded & continued to warn me by showing 'Service Due' everytime the ignition was switched on, until it was serviced & the counter reset, which was done by a main dealer.

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Thanks - that makes it the same as the 100HP - though the handbook describes an unprompted countdown. Sanders were a bit vague about the mechanism, saying something like - the "Fiat Examiner" system accesses the dashboard ECU via the body computer, which allows us to rest the indicator. It'll be interesting to see if the updated generic system at my favourite garage allows them to do the same.

My Panda Cross, 2 years and 4 months old, has always been serviced at Fiat dealers. I don't know if they have ever reset the service indicator, I suspect they have not. It came on at 18,000 miles. This matched my friend's experience with a petrol-engined Fiat 500.
I'm taking the car back to the dealer soon to have the clunk on the rear suspension checked out. I will ask for a reset of the service indicator and do not expect to be charged as I have taken the car in for service exactly according to Fiat's schedule.
This service indicator facility is a farce, isn't it really? On my car it only seems to show at 18,000 miles and does not take time intervals between services into account. Therefore is does nothing to ensure proper servicing of the car takes place and, I feel, is merely designed as an irritation to nag you into using Fiat dealers who will reset it for you. Only they don't!
In future, I'm sure I can live with a little spanner lit up on the dashboard all the time, when I service the car myself when it's outside it's warranty. With a bit of luck, with being lit all the time, the bulb for the little spanner will blow!

doctorchris said:

In future, I'm sure I can live with a little spanner lit up on the dashboard all the time, when I service the car myself when it's outside it's warranty. With a bit of luck, with being lit all the time, the bulb for the little spanner will blow!

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We [my Dad's workshop!] maintain my car and do not reset the service indicator. After a certain mileage, the 'spanner' will go out and not come back on again.

If the "approved" Fiat service outfit has its Examiner system linked to the car it would take about three seconds to set the indicator - to be fair to Sanders, they hadn't done the service and charged for (I assume) a quarter of an hour to do the reset. I quite agree with you about the futility of the whole thing, other than as a reminder, as it works solely on mileage, and its main purpose is as an encouragement to stick with an approved garage. My only query would be - if resetting the indicator is a part of the set maintenance schedule and your Fiat dealer's not doing it - what else are they not doing? If you took your car to another service centre, perhaps abroad, would a non-reset indicator give them a get-out on warranty work? I've never had that problem in the past, with a Strada Abarth 130TC, an Uno turbo ie, and Mrs b u's late lamented Panda MJ more recently as they've taken the written service record as proof of servicing.

Can be reset with an upto date Ethos Snap-on OBD reader should your back street garages have one like mine