Introduction and saying hello

[Dog78]

Hi everyone,thank you for letting join your forum.
I have just bought a 2014 500L Lounge.
I am pleasantly surprised with this car, i was looking for a car that would take my mountain bike inside.
I did have a Vw Golf Plus.
This 500L is much better than the Golf.
I only picked it up today, it's a bit quirky, in nice way.
I really like it, because it's different.
I have owned many cars in my life, but this my first Fiat.
I have have owned an Alfa Romeo and a Lancia, the Alfa was problematic, the Lancia was ridiculously thirsty, regardless they were memorable, perhaps not always nice memories, but i never would regret owning either.
I have an Italian track bike, an Aprilia.
I am a member of the Aprilia forums are based in the US and the UK, and i have to admit that the forums i belong to for my bikes have been invaluable.
The forums are always great for information and great place to make friends with people who own the same vehicles.
The only thing with my 500L the spare tyre well has water leaking into it, and i can't find anything about a cambelt in its history.
So i shall get the cambelt done and a service.
Would anyone have any idea where the water could be leaking from into the rear tyre well?
Unfortunately the car was a Cat N which only found on a car check.
But it has been repaired well, I could not find where it was repaired and as it was written off before the person i bought it from owned it.
The seller said he didn't know about it so i got for steal.
I didn't know that Cat N does not show up in the V5 logbook.
I somehow regret never buying a Fiat before today after driving this car today , but hey i got one now, and do love the car.
I can imagine the car gets pretty hot with the panoramic sunroof in the hotter weather?
I am mechanically minded and prepare my own track bikes, i done the cambelt on the Golf, but this 500L i will get done at the garage.
I look forward to meeting all the other members on this forum and hope my ownership of this Fiat will a nice one.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Richard.

 

[steveras57]

New people always welcome! many posts on water in the spare wheel well, but mainly "normal" 500,s not l,s hopefully some one with more knowledge will chip in, but you could always ask the question in the L specific forum as well!

 

[Dog78]

New people always welcome! many posts on water in the spare wheel well, but mainly "normal" 500,s not l,s hopefully some one with more knowledge will chip in, but you could always ask the question in the L specific forum as well!

Many thanks Steve for a warm welcome and advice.
There's a few things i will need to know, so i will ask on dedicated section for the 500L.
It's strange after driving that car home yesterday, I really felt that i had somehow overlooked the brand.
Tbh i was surprised how much this little car had in it .
It really feels Italian, bit like my bike, the Italian one always gets the most interest.
It is totally different work on than the Japanese bike.
The car feels same, i am very pleased that i bought it, be even happier when the cambelt has been replaced.
117k miles on the clock it is worry.
With no proof that i can find, i have suspicion that it has never been done, as it had a load of paperwork with it.
Steve how do find the 500L section please?
I tried yesterday but could not find all the different sections.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi
Click on the Blue Forum homepage icon

Mpv's will be towards the bottom of that LONG list

If it's a 1248cc diesel.. Or Twinair, it's a chain not a belt

Italian bikes, all good from me

 

[steveras57]

Many thanks Steve for a warm welcome and advice.
There's a few things i will need to know, so i will ask on dedicated section for the 500L.
It's strange after driving that car home yesterday, I really felt that i had somehow overlooked the brand.
Tbh i was surprised how much this little car had in it .
It really feels Italian, bit like my bike, the Italian one always gets the most interest.
It is totally different work on than the Japanese bike.
The car feels same, i am very pleased that i bought it, be even happier when the cambelt has been replaced.
117k miles on the clock it is worry.
With no proof that i can find, i have suspicion that it has never been done, as it had a load of paperwork with it.
Steve how do find the 500L section please?
I tried yesterday but could not find all the different sections.

Start on the home page scroll down till you get to cars then find the 500 section the L is a sub section in there!
I have both jap and Italian bikes a Suzuki t 500 two stroke and a Guzzi Californian 850 t3

 

[Dog78]

Start on the home page scroll down till you get to cars then find the 500 section the L is a sub section in there!
I have both jap and Italian bikes a Suzuki t 500 two stroke and a Guzzi Californian 850 t3

Thanks Steve, i remember them well, both bikes which are worth loads of money now.
I see a lad up Loomies cafe sold his limited edition Ducati to buy a H2 kawasaki, i thought he meant a new turbo one, to my shock he bought the two stroke classic from the seventies for 17k.
You would remember them well, fast but the handling was dangerous .
I raced two strokes Yamaha TZ350 and a Bulltaco Tss 250, they are worth 40 to 50 k now, I sold it for £650 in the early eighties.
The T500 we used at the MGP on the IOM as practice bike to learn the circuit, i never raced there, i used mechanic for my late friend.
Nice bikes them 500 Daytona 500 twins.
I got a R1 2015 Crossplane, when that was mapped it had 199.8 hp at the back wheel.
It is heavily modified, I took to Spain last year for a track day.
The day we were flying out, my eye started to go dark in the corner, then i had a patch in my eye i couldn't see out of.
My mate said you are just tired as the flight was at 6am.
But it never went away, got back a found i had a stroke, luckily for me the plaque went into my not my brain.
We were going down that back straight hitting 188mph, lucky I didn't have another one especially down the straight, i would have ended up in the cafe .
Amazing who you meet in the forums.
Pleasure to meet you Steve
Pic of the beast

 

[Dog78]

Hi varesecrazy,thanks for your help, a pleasure to meet you too.
Mine is a 500L 1.6 diesel.
Finding things that i didn't see when i bought it, so will be needing help from this forum for sure.
I am glad i didn't pay the going price for it as it needs a little work.
It looks very straight, so where it was a Cat N.
I think it may have been in the back, and perhaps the light clusters are not put back properly.
I will have to investigate the problem then ask questions in the 500L section

 

[steveras57]

Thanks Steve, i remember them well, both bikes which are worth loads of money now.
I see a lad up Loomies cafe sold his limited edition Ducati to buy a H2 kawasaki, i thought he meant a new turbo one, to my shock he bought the two stroke classic from the seventies for 17k.
You would remember them well, fast but the handling was dangerous .
I raced two strokes Yamaha TZ350 and a Bulltaco Tss 250, they are worth 40 to 50 k now, I sold it for £650 in the early eighties.
The T500 we used at the MGP on the IOM as practice bike to learn the circuit, i never raced there, i used mechanic for my late friend.
Nice bikes them 500 Daytona 500 twins.
I got a R1 2015 Crossplane, when that was mapped it had 199.8 hp at the back wheel.
It is heavily modified, I took to Spain last year for a track day.
The day we were flying out, my eye started to go dark in the corner, then i had a patch in my eye i couldn't see out of.
My mate said you are just tired as the flight was at 6am.
But it never went away, got back a found i had a stroke, luckily for me the plaque went into my not my brain.
We were going down that back straight hitting 188mph, lucky I didn't have another one especially down the straight, i would have ended up in the cafe .
Amazing who you meet in the forums.
Pleasure to meet you Steve
Pic of the beast

All cool stuff but glad your ok? heres mine

 

[Dog78]

That's beautiful, have you got either.
My mate had one the Motor Guzzi California.
I wouldn't even like to guess what they are worth, especially when i saw a NSU Quickly for 900 quid and it was bits in a box.
Yes i am OK now, that retinal stroke was 26th of April, according to the consultant i would need to be on an operating table in two to three hours.
But because you don't have any pain nerves in your retina, so when your sight is getting compromised, it's too late because it is dying by then. Had i gone to A&E I would have probably died from natural causes before i got seen .
I tried to get a doctor's appointment 4 days before as i was having chest pains.
But i couldn't get past the rottweiler receptionists. 111 rang them but never saw a doctor just a nurse who gave me an ecg and checked my blood pressure.
Said it was all fine, but it wasn't, my cholesterol was nearly near 7, the consultant said all the signs were there and could have been prevented.
I blame it on the Covid injections, my mate in a wheelchair as he had a stroke, most of the ones had the injections with heart problems and arthritis.
Wish i had never had them, I only had 3, refused the last one.
While we were all dying and staying in and social distancing, what a joke that was, i was scaffolding then, as there was no furlough for the building trade, how could we social distance, and we got get there in the same van and come home in it.
On a lighter note, i had a great time on track, the sight did break concentration at times.
But the airbag leathers were great.
I was talking to a lad there who was with his dad both were riding.
His dad's exhaust came off went under his back wheel, high siding him, he landed on the sand inside the track.
While he was laying there with a broken arm waiting for the ambulance, he got bitten by a Viper, on about bad luck . It's right in the desert 4.5 k ft.
above sea level.
I reckon he landed on it.
I didn't even know there were poisonous things out there, scorpions long centipedes.
Hence after that i packed my stuff into my kit bag every night, the last thing you need is a scorpion in your leathers or in your boot when you go down the straight at nearly under 190 mph.
Keep them bikes if you still have them, money has gone up so much i wouldn't be surprised if they ain't worth more than both of mine.

 

[steveras57]

That's beautiful, have you got either.
My mate had one the Motor Guzzi California.
I wouldn't even like to guess what they are worth, especially when i saw a NSU Quickly for 900 quid and it was bits in a box.
Yes i am OK now, that retinal stroke was 26th of April, according to the consultant i would need to be on an operating table in two to three hours.
But because you don't have any pain nerves in your retina, so when your sight is getting compromised, it's too late because it is dying by then. Had i gone to A&E I would have probably died from natural causes before i got seen .
I tried to get a doctor's appointment 4 days before as i was having chest pains.
But i couldn't get past the rottweiler receptionists. 111 rang them but never saw a doctor just a nurse who gave me an ecg and checked my blood pressure.
Said it was all fine, but it wasn't, my cholesterol was nearly near 7, the consultant said all the signs were there and could have been prevented.
I blame it on the Covid injections, my mate in a wheelchair as he had a stroke, most of the ones had the injections with heart problems and arthritis.
Wish i had never had them, I only had 3, refused the last one.
While we were all dying and staying in and social distancing, what a joke that was, i was scaffolding then, as there was no furlough for the building trade, how could we social distance, and we got get there in the same van and come home in it.
On a lighter note, i had a great time on track, the sight did break concentration at times.
But the airbag leathers were great.
I was talking to a lad there who was with his dad both were riding.
His dad's exhaust came off went under his back wheel, high siding him, he landed on the sand inside the track.
While he was laying there with a broken arm waiting for the ambulance, he got bitten by a Viper, on about bad luck . It's right in the desert 4.5 k ft.
above sea level.
I reckon he landed on it.
I didn't even know there were poisonous things out there, scorpions long centipedes.
Hence after that i packed my stuff into my kit bag every night, the last thing you need is a scorpion in your leathers or in your boot when you go down the straight at nearly under 190 mph.
Keep them bikes if you still have them, money has gone up so much i wouldn't be surprised if they ain't worth more than both of mine.

Oh yea there keepers! mirror your thoughts on doctors and receptionists! your pal has the same kinda luck as me! I am diabetic and had a macular bleed in one eye in January! caught it early and now having treatment which is going well( an injection into the eye once a month!) keep smiling eh""" take care!.

 

[Dog78]

Thanks Steve, it's hard to explain to people when you have sight loss, it is something you sort of take for granted till something like that happens, my brother is a Diabetic and so is my friend, but both of them don't take the diet seriously, my friend has lost his sight in one eye, but he was drinking not taking his medicine .
I see what you have on a poster on the wall in the Southampton Emergency Eye Hospital.
I try to explain it the two above but they don't listen.
Fitness has never been a problem for me, after COVID-19 my joints especially with my hands the thumbs were getting so bad i didn't know if i could not ride the bike. My track buddy whom i go to Spain with, he had Covid just after me and his thumbs were so bad his wife had to do his shoe lassies laces up.
He's had to sell his Aprilia as he could not ride it because of his thumbs.
That's the trouble, they can stem things getting worse or slow it down.
But you have to comply with what is asked of you as in diet, medication and exercise.
Now i got a little car with the Micky mouse face ,I can get out on the mountain bike and see my thumbs will take it.
I awaiting an X ray on my left hand, that car be ideal for the bike.
I haven't tried it yet .
them capless entry is hard to understand, see you have this quirkiness on the Aprilia, where you have to put the ignition on for 15 seconds then take the key out the first time and only the second time can you start it, this is after a battery reconnection, or it eat a full battery in an four hours.
I bought some DPF cleaner to put in the tank but you have to put that funnel in, it is not explained at all that well.
All they had to say was only way to access the fuel tank with funnel or filling up nozzle.
I am sure i will get some help on here.
I wish you the best of luck with treatments and i hope progress keeps going and you any further damage.
I have to get fit again, as i am off to IOM my brother lives there,and I like walking there, so the little Fiat is going to play a big role into my recovery.
Best wishes and always believe in yourself, doctors can i so much, you need your part too.
Thank for your both of you, i made my first post we see what happens.
Never give up, i had all my bloods OK in 3 weeks, cholesterol level of 2.2 triglycerides down to 2.6 I'm blood pressure back to normal with medicines but i exercised as much i could.
Take care Steve .

 

[steveras57]

Thanks Steve, it's hard to explain to people when you have sight loss, it is something you sort of take for granted till something like that happens, my brother is a Diabetic and so is my friend, but both of them don't take the diet seriously, my friend has lost his sight in one eye, but he was drinking not taking his medicine .
I see what you have on a poster on the wall in the Southampton Emergency Eye Hospital.
I try to explain it the two above but they don't listen.
Fitness has never been a problem for me, after COVID-19 my joints especially with my hands the thumbs were getting so bad i didn't know if i could not ride the bike. My track buddy whom i go to Spain with, he had Covid just after me and his thumbs were so bad his wife had to do his shoe lassies laces up.
He's had to sell his Aprilia as he could not ride it because of his thumbs.
That's the trouble, they can stem things getting worse or slow it down.
But you have to comply with what is asked of you as in diet, medication and exercise.
Now i got a little car with the Micky mouse face ,I can get out on the mountain bike and see my thumbs will take it.
I awaiting an X ray on my left hand, that car be ideal for the bike.
I haven't tried it yet .
them capless entry is hard to understand, see you have this quirkiness on the Aprilia, where you have to put the ignition on for 15 seconds then take the key out the first time and only the second time can you start it, this is after a battery reconnection, or it eat a full battery in an four hours.
I bought some DPF cleaner to put in the tank but you have to put that funnel in, it is not explained at all that well.
All they had to say was only way to access the fuel tank with funnel or filling up nozzle.
I am sure i will get some help on here.
I wish you the best of luck with treatments and i hope progress keeps going and you any further damage.
I have to get fit again, as i am off to IOM my brother lives there,and I like walking there, so the little Fiat is going to play a big role into my recovery.
Best wishes and always believe in yourself, doctors can i so much, you need your part too.
Thank for your both of you, i made my first post we see what happens.
Never give up, i had all my bloods OK in 3 weeks, cholesterol level of 2.2 triglycerides down to 2.6 I'm blood pressure back to normal with medicines but i exercised as much i could.
Take care Steve .

The older we get we break down more than the cars and bikes i reckon!!!always grateful for what we have got!! you stay well bud!

 

[varesecrazy]

The thing with thumb joints is weird isn't it, the O. H. has had both thumbs really painful for 18 months now,
drives with palms of her hands..

We moved from your kind of area to the Welsh "Southern Uplands", and have pretty good access to Medical thankfully
So at least we get seen even if there are no "Quick Fixes"

 

[Dog78]

Hi varesecrazy, that's 3 people i know that has this hand problem.​

I have the upmost sympathy for her, it won't be long before i will be doing the same.
Just proves it is more common than i thought
It's strange the doctor didn't bat an eyelid when i told her about my thumbs after covid it's coming to a year for me.
I have a suspicion that it maybe Carpal tunnel syndrome.
As it is arthritis linked and covid does cause Arthritis.
Lovely part of the world to live where you are, nice countryside. A bit of room to breathe.
I hope the doctors can do something for her as well as me and my friend.
At least I got a car now, so i can book an appointment. I didn't want to leave the present, surgery, as the ones in town you never get an appointment. Hence my stroke.
We will be coming to some good weather soon and I will take the car to my mate's body shop and get him to take all the trim out and see if we can find out where the water is coming in.
I have asked in the 500L section, but no replies as of yet.
The first thing to do is the Cambelt done, i don't like the idea of sitting on a time bomb.
If it has been done never mind as you can't tell when.
But it has receipts from new so i would have thought they would kept the one for the Cambelt as it would be something you would keep.
It's worth it for the piece of mind.
I really didn't realise how much these cars are followed, very nice surprise

 

[steveras57]

Hi varesecrazy, that's 3 people i know that has this hand problem.​

I have the upmost sympathy for her, it won't be long before i will be doing the same.
Just proves it is more common than i thought
It's strange the doctor didn't bat an eyelid when i told her about my thumbs after covid it's coming to a year for me.
I have a suspicion that it maybe Carpal tunnel syndrome.
As it is arthritis linked and covid does cause Arthritis.
Lovely part of the world to live where you are, nice countryside. A bit of room to breathe.
I hope the doctors can do something for her as well as me and my friend.
At least I got a car now, so i can book an appointment. I didn't want to leave the present, surgery, as the ones in town you never get an appointment. Hence my stroke.
We will be coming to some good weather soon and I will take the car to my mate's body shop and get him to take all the trim out and see if we can find out where the water is coming in.
I have asked in the 500L section, but no replies as of yet.
The first thing to do is the Cambelt done, i don't like the idea of sitting on a time bomb.
If it has been done never mind as you can't tell when.
But it has receipts from new so i would have thought they would kept the one for the Cambelt as it would be something you would keep.
It's worth it for the piece of mind.
I really didn't realise how much these cars are followed, very nice surprise

Having an Italian wife ( and two daughters!) i can tell you that the cars and women are about the same when alls well and the love is flowing its great! a lot of the rest of the time its like having nettles in yer underpants!

 

[Dog78]

Expensive and temperamental, but when everything is fine, there's nothing so rewarding Steve .
Lot of maintenance and need constant attention, that Aprilia I left for about 4 years with out starting and now have all apart again.
It's probably thinking i will teach you taking that R1 to Spain and not spending time on me . I shouldn't have no left it really. I took of some parts to get a bike going for a friend never even got paid for it, like that Irish lad said to me, no favour goes unpunished.
That 500 didn't even give me break, engine light on it already.
Looks like the map sensor .

 

[steveras57]

Expensive and temperamental, but when everything is fine, there's nothing so rewarding Steve .
Lot of maintenance and need constant attention, that Aprilia I left for about 4 years with out starting and now have all apart again.
It's probably thinking i will teach you taking that R1 to Spain and not spending time on me . I shouldn't have no left it really. I took of some parts to get a bike going for a friend never even got paid for it, like that Irish lad said to me, no favour goes unpunished.
That 500 didn't even give me break, engine light on it already.
Looks like the map sensor .

Zen!