Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket OBD reset tool available for the 500. The reason for asking is that I have just had the warning light and message appear that the oil needs changing, at only 3200mls.

I figure that if this happens regularly then it will be cheaper for me over the next 3 years to change the oil myself as long as I can reset the light.

Does this sound feasible?

Grim, did not realise you had only done 3200 miles. Surely there must be an error somewhere demanding an oil change in such a short space of time?

It does seem to soon to need an oil change, especially as there has been very little time spent in traffic and also as this mileage has been covered during the summer so no real cold starts and the car is always driven straight away, not left idling whilst it warms up. The car is also garaged at nights so ambient temperature is always higher than outdoors as no chill factor.

I would like to know if the decision is made by the on board computer after evaluating your driving style (a la BMW) and if so, has the ecodrive software influenced the data as now, I am hardly revving the engine at all and maybe the lighter friction is preventing the oil from reaching the temperatures necessary to alleviate emulsifying or evaporate any moisture in the oil.

Maybe one of the techs or someone in the trade can cast some light on how the data is gathered and in the meantime I am turning ecodrive OFF, just in case.

i amybe wrong but doesnt the ECU monitor the oil quality and as such would extinguish the light on oil change?
though i would say on that mileage its an error TBH

custard said:

i amybe wrong but doesnt the ECU monitor the oil quality and as such would extinguish the light on oil change?
though i would say on that mileage its an error TBH

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Custard (who may or may not be best lol) this is what I would really like to know, mechanical or electronic detection of oil quality.

When the dealer told me that they would't be able to book me in until December I asked if I could do the oil change myself. I was told I could but wouldn't be able to reset the warning without the special tool.

When I was finishing my stint in the motor trade these tools were becoming more prevalent and Mr Snap On was coining it in selling aftermarket versions. I think it was a way for the manufacturers to keep a hold onto customers after their warranty period was up.

grimwau said:

I am turning ecodrive OFF, just in case.

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Quoting myself, I must be sad.:tosser: but .... does anyone know how to turn it off?

I'm sure that I read that once it was installed then the option to turn on & off was available in the menu system.
Sat out in the car for 10 minutes scrolling through the options but nothing there for ecodrive.

'oil degredation index' can only be reset by examiner.

T14086 said:

'oil degredation index' can only be reset by examiner.

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Thanks Mr T, I was hoping that something like this would work


always best to get it it straight from someone with inside knowledge. Seems that any money I am saving on fuel will be going on oil instead.

grimwau said:

Custard (who may or may not be best lol) this is what I would really like to know, mechanical or electronic detection of oil quality.

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It's all based upon how many DPF regeneration cycles have been performed, which is down to driving style and the conditions the engine is operating under.

As the particulate filter "blocks-up" with use it gets to the stage where the engine ECU decides it needs clearing-out. It does this by running the exhaust system extra hot by injecting excess fuel on the exhaust stroke. This, however, causes some fuel to collect in the oil causing a slight deterioration. The more regeneration cycles needed, the more it deteriorates, until the ECU decides it's time to recommend an oil change.

Drive the car gently- it soots-up more and needs 'purging' more.
Drive the car harder- this burns-off particulates normally and so the filter needs purging less.

Check with your Dealer- I'm fairly certain there's been a recent ECU update for the DPF parameters.

As I thought, driving too gently is not always beneficial to the well being of the car so I've binned the ecodrive and will drive normally. To be honest I was getting similar MPG figures anyway.

As I said in another thread, I have had the DPF warning light come on once and so gave it a good, faster drive and it soon went out and AFAIK has never returned.

This is obviously only a problem with the diesels, thanks for the heads up about the software update, I have asked that when they have the car in for the warranty work in December to check and see if there are any available.

grimwau said:

Thanks Mr T, I was hoping that something like this would work


always best to get it it straight from someone with inside knowledge. Seems that any money I am saving on fuel will be going on oil instead.

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Afraid not, handy tool to have non the less...and becoming cheaper by the week

I had my oil and filter change done at a garage in Peterborough, and the mechanic gave me some bull about his reset tool being broken. This was the second oil change (1.3 multijet diesel, lounge). The first being 6000 miles, and this one at 13000. I phoned the Fiat dealer (Stoneacre Peterborough) who wanted £25 to switch the light off. They told me it needed to be hooked up to a computer and would take at least half an hour. I guess that with the oil change already having costed me £57 and the £25 to turn the light off, I would have been better going directly to the dealer. Does anyone know how much they charge for an oil and filter change?
Fiat certainly have a racket going on with the light thing. I notice that the warranty says that servicing can be carried out at any VAT registered garage - but they seem to have a monopoly on resetting the servicing lights. There must be something in the Unfair Contracts Act to prevent this. Will certainly run it past my solicitor!

Not at all- many aftermarket Diagnostic tools can reset oil degradation lamps (Snap-On, MAC, etc), so it's hardly a monopoly on Fiat's part. It's upto the non-franchise garages to spend the money on decent diagnostic equipment and training (but they won't, hence why they're cheaper).

The ECU has to know if the oil has been changed, otherwise serious engine wear and damage will occur. Unfortunately there are dubious people out there who would happily 'cheat' the system if they could and continue to drive/sell a DPF-equipped vehicle with knackered oil, with dire consequences. At least if they've shelled-out a substantial sum in computer equipment and annual subscriptions, they're much more likely to do it right.

D4nny8oy said:

Not at all- many aftermarket Diagnostic tools can reset oil degradation lamps (Snap-On, MAC, etc), so it's hardly a monopoly on Fiat's part. It's upto the non-franchise garages to spend the money on decent diagnostic equipment and training (but they won't, hence why they're cheaper).

The ECU has to know if the oil has been changed, otherwise serious engine wear and damage will occur. Unfortunately there are dubious people out there who would happily 'cheat' the system if they could and continue to drive/sell a DPF-equipped vehicle with knackered oil, with dire consequences. At least if they've shelled-out a substantial sum in computer equipment and annual subscriptions, they're much more likely to do it right.

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Sadly a lot of people just don't give a **** and just want the light off.

I'm quite happy to have my oil and filter change done at my Fiat dealer albeit at a cost of £97.50 a time.

I just wish I didn't need it doing so often.

Checked oil level this morning and currently the level is 6mm above maximum on the dipstick, only 800 miles since the last change at which point the DET and I both checked it at exactly on the maximum level.

D4nny8oy said:

Drive the car gently- it soots-up more and needs 'purging' more.
Drive the car harder- this burns-off particulates normally and so the filter needs purging less.

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Can't get my head around this one as yet so have patience please:bang:

In the 'old days' when the local bus accelerated too hard too much diesel went thro the system and black smoke came out - add a DPF and no smoke but presumably a quickly clogging DPF - or have I missed something

krossi said:

Fiat certainly have a racket going on with the light thing. I notice that the warranty says that servicing can be carried out at any VAT registered garage - but they seem to have a monopoly on resetting the servicing lights. There must be something in the Unfair Contracts Act to prevent this. Will certainly run it past my solicitor!

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1) why not go to dealer in first place,more than often they work out cheaper
2) diesels need dpf's to pass the up and coming emission legislation.
3) fiat dont have a good racket going, most manufactures do this and for a variety of good reasons. I hope you mention to your solicitor dont charge you more than £25 and dont forget to mention to him/her the monopoly BT have, the councils have etc

nec said:

Can't get my head around this one as yet so have patience please:bang:

In the 'old days' when the local bus accelerated too hard too much diesel went thro the system and black smoke came out - add a DPF and no smoke but presumably a quickly clogging DPF - or have I missed something

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Dannys explanation seemed perfectly good to me, why not search the forum for more info.

nec said:

Can't get my head around this one as yet so have patience please:bang:

In the 'old days' when the local bus accelerated too hard too much diesel went thro the system and black smoke came out - add a DPF and no smoke but presumably a quickly clogging DPF - or have I missed something

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Where did you dig that up? I don't remember typing that, or am I getting old?

The soot isn't diesel getting dumped in- it's all the carbon/particulates built-up by pootling about finally getting blasted out when the throttle gets a decent prod. Drive a diesel "economically" and it billows smoke when it finally gets a thrash- anyone who's followed a taxi will have noticed (usually a Mondeo). This is where DPF's come-in by collecting the particulates, then re-burning them to get rid.

My dear colleague and DET uses his disease-al soot as a deterant to tailgater's- annoy him and suffer the darkness of an "environmentally friendly", low CO2, low tax car. PMSL

D4nny8oy said:

My dear colleague and DET uses his disease-al soot as a deterant to tailgater's- annoy him and suffer the darkness of an "environmentally friendly", low CO2, low tax car. PMSL

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That was the best thing about my 406 which had one of the old school non-hdi turbo diesel engines with no DPF

Tailgate me and I'd chuck it into 5th and floor it and the car behind instantly got enveloped in a cloud of acrid smoke and coated in diesel crap