Hi everyone,
First of all let me just say what a great forum this is! You guys certainly helped me a lot through many of your posts in deciding to order my new 500 MJ 1.3 (just yesterday).

I 've gone through many threads in the forum regarding the MJ II model. Ι tend to conclude that older clutch noise problems and DPF issues have now been solved in the second generation diesel. Could any of you MJ II 95Hp owners, please confirm that?
Could you also give some estimate of your fuel consumption? I'm doing about 35000km per annum, so economy matters to me. Am I right to estimate 70mpg?
I have also ordered the 16" wheel option. Can anyone, driving on these, comment on ride comfort and noise?
Any other advice specific to Fiat 500, especially the diesel one, for things to check on delivery? Common faults or issues?
I'm so excited with this little gem! I hope the 2 months wait given by dealer go by fast!!!
Thanks a lot for all your help.

To give an idea of the MJ fuel consumption in 75bhp form, my long-term average is 64.5mpg roughly according to fuelly (this is running on 16" wheels with Eagle F1 tyres). DPF regens costs about 1 mpg on average, and 'book' is 67mpg.

I'd note, consumption is way better in warmer whether than colder, so you should do better than me on that front. But to get this economy top speed needs to be 60mph only.

Personally I found the car to noisy originally, hence my content in the guides section. But switching to the Eagle F1's made a considerable diference, and may have been enough for me on its own.

Hi,
Similar story to Pearce, I have the 08 mjet and am on 60mpg average on 15" standard wheels (although I do alot of country driving). The cars engine is noisier than the petrol but havnt run into any major issues at all, certainly not diesel specific. Had the common niggles of the boot micro switch failing and rear washer jet pipes coming out but not biggies). 70mpg average on the new one may be a little optimistic...

Hi,got my 08 plate m/jet about a month ago.Dpf light came on this week as needing attention.Spoke to the supplying garage and explained i have a 100 mile commute on a daily basis,this should suit the m/j engine.He advised me to take the car for a good run,go into 4th and take the car to 70mph,hey presto!dpf cleared and the car is back to it's best.Averaging,66 mpg with ease,my car run's on 16's,fair bit of road noise but look's the business,bar a couple of bulbs replaced the 500 is a really great car.Mine had the big amp fitted plus leather,so i can do the miles in comfort.Just washed our's,looks the business,good luck with your's,bb.

Thanks everyone.
All your answers are very reassuring, hence my big smile now, while I imagine myself in my diesel 500 driving around. Only problem is that the more I read about the advantages of the car the harder it is to wait for two more months till delivery. Nonetheless, please do keep posts coming in, it feels so nice reading about the car... Thanks again!:wave:

BTW, how often do you people change engine oil. Do you usually reach the 30000km mark?

1-year (c.21,000km) for me. First time round it was moaning about needing a change already by then, but not since.

I've got an 08 MultiJet (75bhp) with 25k on the clock and get about 55mpg according to Fuelly (90%+ city driving) That's on 15" alloys w/ Continental Sport Contact 2's, which I find pretty noisy and poor when cornering in the wet.

Just went through JamesL's posts on DPF issues (https://www.fiatforum.com/500/240374-red-flashing-oil-light.html). It looks more like his DPF counter wasn't being reset properly, however since I'll be doing 35000km's per year I'm still a little concerned with that. Two or three oil changes yearly, mean a premium of 300 euros or more per year. Plus the fact that you are compelled to always visit your Fiat dealer even after warranty is out, when you could change oil yourself. I've read about DPF software upgrade for the new cars? What has that changed? Is there any way to reset the DPF counter yourself? There are ways to reset the service indicator on many cars, for example, without a diagnostic unit. Or there are cheap diagnostic units which do that for you.
Come on guys and girls! I'm afraid that I need some psychological support here.:worship: Is ordering a MJ II a soft-headed decision? Should I have gone for a TwinAir engine?

Defkalion, having owned a diesel (albeit 75BHP) and a twin air, if I was in the situation you are in my choice would be to go for the diesel. The 95BHP one should certainly be better than the earlier models and I would imagine that with your driving scenario the DPF problem will be eliminated.

I would also imagine that Fiat will have incoprporated the clutch hydraulic damper to eliminate the clutch noise that some of us experienced or overcome the problem another way by now so that should not be of any concern.

Those two faults were the only things that spoiled the car for me.

Hi! I'm new here. My name is Angelo.
I test drove TA and saw an avg 40 mpg
So I'm ready to go for Mj 1.3

I'm doing 25000km so Mj seems promising. Are there any other hidden costs?

When driving TA I didn't like the vibrations below 2000 revs. Was it my idea? That was the reason I was pushing it and saw a poor mpg...

Any ideas?

Avas said:

Hi! I'm new here. My name is Angelo.

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Hi Angelo:wave:

How much cheaper is diesel fuel than petrol in Greece? The differential makes a big difference to comparative running costs.

Avas said:

Any ideas?

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For lowest total cost per mile: 1.2 petrol

For good performance / economy compromise: 1.3 mJet

For best performance: 1.4 Petrol

For most fun: TwinAir

(based on UK fuel prices)

Final caveat: There's no substitute for a test drive. Choosing the wrong engine can be a costly experience.

jrkitching said:

Hi Angelo:wave:

How much cheaper is diesel fuel than petrol in Greece? The differential makes a big difference to comparative running costs.



For lowest total cost per mile: 1.2 petrol

For good performance / economy compromise: 1.3 mJet

For best performance: 1.4 Petrol

For most fun: TwinAir

(based on UK fuel prices)

Final caveat: There's no substitute for a test drive. Choosing the wrong engine can be a costly experience.

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Regarding prices : diesel is cheaper 1.6 vs 1.45€ currently

Many buyers are reluctant to go for diesel due to the fact that lower quality diesel might destroy the common rail core

And when it comes to durability how a TA compares to the well tested Mj?

Thanks!

Avas said:

And when it comes to durability how a TA compares to the well test Mj?

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I'm sure FIAT will have done a lot of testing, but right now the long term durability of the production version of the TwinAir engine is unknown. The Mjet (in 95Hp form with DPF) hasn't been around all that long, either. Both have the potential for expensive repairs if they fail out of warranty.

TBH, if I had to choose between the two, I'd be hard pressed to make a decision. I'd probably have a beer or two, mull it over some, pick one, think about the potential for expensive repairs in 5 yrs time, change my mind, watch the watchdog DPF video again, go back to my original choice, prevaricate some more, and then buy something completely different.

jrkitching said:

I'm sure FIAT will have done a lot of testing, but right now the long term durability of the production version of the TwinAir engine is unknown. The Mjet (in 95Hp form with DPF) hasn't been around all that long, either. Both have the potential for expensive repairs if they fail out of warranty.

TBH, if I had to choose between the two, I'd be hard pressed to make a decision. I'd probably have a beer or two, mull it over some, pick one, think about the potential for expensive repairs in 5 yrs time, change my mind, watch the watchdog DPF video again, go back to my original choice, prevaricate some more, and then buy something completely different.

Click to expand...

doing it for weeks now. After all this will be my first "toy" since 2005...

Avas said:

doing it for weeks now. After all this will be my first "toy" since 2005...

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Take your time. You'll have to live with it for a lot longer than you'll spend choosing it (unless you're Grimwau)

After having test driven both cars I think that the Mj is the way to go (at least the way I went). Doing 35000km per year (mixed town and rural driving) the difference in cost for me would be about 350 euros estimating a 5lt/100km consumption for both cars. Having test driven both I believe that a 5lt/100 for the MJ and 6lt/100 for the TA is a more realistic approach. In the latter scenario the cost difference is around 900 euros!!! So for me MJ is a better solution. The TA is just 1 sec faster for 0-60, but the MJ has plenty of oomph due to the high torque and 1 sec doesn't do the trick for me.
In addition to this, TA is a totally new engine and I just couldn't predict how reliable it would be. The MJ II is a slightly altered version of the MJ I (75HP) and it is a diesel anyway, which by nature makes it more reliable IMO. Finally, let me say that I have owned a diesel car for 3.5 years now, and never ever had a single problem caused by poor quality diesel in Greece. I fill up at my local station (a Shell) with regular diesel (and it's one selling at the lower price band 1.44 per lt today). Please note that my current car (a 4x4) las a DPF as well. I hope that Fiat has fixed any MJ DPF issues, but in any case the 900 euro's difference cannot be matched even if I change oil 3 times a year.
...one more thought... after 3-4 years if I try to sell a car with 100000km on the clock, it would be much easier to persuade a prospective buyer for its engine capability to achieve 200000km more for a diesel, than for a petrol. Hence, in the long run a diesel is a better choice for me. But this is... for me.
Sorry for the long post, I hope it helps in making up your mind.

jrkitching said:

Choosing the wrong engine can be a costly experience.

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Hmm... Is this anyone we know I wonder.... :chin:

Got it! 500 lounge breakbeat with electric sunroof Mj ....

15 days to go. Clock is ticking

Congrats Avas. You just got the one and only MJ that was available for immediate delivery in Greece, my friend. Wish you many happy miles. (wouldn't mind a demo drive when you get it if you are anywhere near Athens). Maybe all us Greeks in this great forum could get out together sometime in the near future, with our 500's of course! What do you guys 'n girls think: Chrisilda, Ahmet etc?)