Hi guys just wondering about the Fiat 500s engines.I want my 500 to last FOREVER!!!!!!!!So just with regards to the engines life span which engine would last the longest the 1.2 or 1.4?I do about 15 000 Miles a year.I dont care about the performance



Im not too keen on the TwinAir engine because anything with a turbo is a headache in my book I dont want to down that road again.

Change the oil every 3000 miles and service it regularly and it will last 100,000's of miles.
Even if you change the oil every 20,000 miles it should last.

RUI said:

Change the oil every 3000 miles and service it regularly and it will last 100,000's of miles.
Even if you change the oil every 20,000 miles it should last.

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3000 is a bit over the top IMO, especially with fully synthetic oils. I would suggest twice a year (7500 miles), or 3 times a year (5000 miles) max for that mileage.

inoicangp said:

Im not too keen on the TwinAir engine because anything with a turbo is a headache in my book I dont want to down that road again.

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Is that true? I know the turbo can fail (especially if it isn't looked after), but what about the rest of the engine?

My 2001 punto 8v 60hp is 200000km, a lot more than 100000miles and the engine is perfect without any extraordinary intervention (only a radiator fan and 2 thermostats). I change the oil every year because i travel about 10-13000km a year. Every month i inspect oil and water levels, never push the engine when cold and the rest is only love and petrol

1.2 well proven should do 120k easily, i have one in a Cinq Sporting track car and it is bomb proof

1.4 is an evolution and a bit more complex but no reason to suggest it has any weaknesses

i had a 1.4 and would get another no hesitation, the 1.2 is underpowered in the 500

Ok thanks guys very much I think I'm going to settle for the 1.2 because the 1.4 plant is a bit noisy (just my opinion) neway the 1.4 is not gona get you to your destination much faster.I guess if your looking for performance you should be looking at a completely different car or the abarth.

inoicangp said:

Ok thanks guys very much I think I'm going to settle for the 1.2 because the 1.4 plant is a bit noisy (just my opinion) neway the 1.4 is not gona get you to your destination much faster.I guess if your looking for performance you should be looking at a completely different car or the abarth.

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I think the 1.2 will be better for you. I prefer the 1.2. It is a little slow, but it's great fun and easy to drive. The 1.4 needs more revs, and the 1.2 is a lot more flexible. My other concern with the 1.4 is if the timing belt snaps then it's going to be very expensive, but on the 1.2 it won't do any damage so you should just need a new belt.

I'm looking at either the TwinAir or the 1.2, I'm not interested in the 1.4.

inoicangp said:

Hi guys just wondering about the Fiat 500s engines.I want my 500 to last FOREVER!!!!!!!!So just with regards to the engines life span which engine would last the longest the 1.2 or 1.4?I do about 15 000 Miles a year.I dont care about the performance



Im not too keen on the TwinAir engine because anything with a turbo is a headache in my book I dont want to down that road again.

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Why? The wifes Scooby is a 1994 one and has 211k miles on the turbo and it's absolutely fine. It's on its second engine because a mechanic didn't fit some inspection plate or something and the engine lunched itself when it went through a puddle but that's not the cars fault. That's an old school turbo too. I'd expect a newer turbo to be going when the car has turned to rust.

if you want the car to last "forever" then get the 1.2, it's a proven unit and has been in production since the dark ages so is likely to be the most reliable of the current lineup.

306maxi said:

Why? The wifes Scooby is a 1994 one and has 211k miles on the turbo and it's absolutely fine. It's on its second engine because a mechanic didn't fit some inspection plate or something and the engine lunched itself when it went through a puddle but that's not the cars fault. That's an old school turbo too. I'd expect a newer turbo to be going when the car has turned to rust.

if you want the car to last "forever" then get the 1.2, it's a proven unit and has been in production since the dark ages so is likely to be the most reliable of the current lineup.

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I think your just lucky man I'm not sure if you owned the Scooby since new but I'm sure the turbo needs to be changed every 70 000 miles or so.I have an Audi 1.8T turbo had to be changed around at 60 and again at a 100 and its a costly affair.That's just my own experience but I've got mates aswell who just hate the maintenance on there turbo cars.

inoicangp said:

I think your just lucky man I'm not sure if you owned the Scooby since new but I'm sure the turbo needs to be changed every 70 000 miles or so.I have an Audi 1.8T turbo had to be changed around at 60 and again at a 100 and its a costly affair.That's just my own experience but I've got mates aswell who just hate the maintenance on there turbo cars.

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Yes but Audi's aren't actually that reliable..... bearing in mind that the wifes car was part of the first generation of turbo Subaru's it's done well but it's not a common fault.

inoicangp said:

I think your just lucky man I'm not sure if you owned the Scooby since new but I'm sure the turbo needs to be changed every 70 000 miles or so.I have an Audi 1.8T turbo had to be changed around at 60 and again at a 100 and its a costly affair.That's just my own experience but I've got mates aswell who just hate the maintenance on there turbo cars.

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That's not normal. I had a Rover 600ti that went to 198,000 miles when I sold it, with nothing more than maintenance.