So.... having driven Benny for nearly 55 thousand miles, I started having an "issue" with the rear wiper; whereby it would start wiping for a few sweeps on engine start. A quick search on here found I wasnt the only one, but it wasn't a common issue.
The diagnosis was frayed cables where the hatch hinged.
So this weekend I got in there to discover this..

I did not expect this level of damage. The wiper feed wire is the broken thin green one btw.
Looks like I need to break out the wiring and replace a whole shed load!

So, if you havent already checked yours, do it as soon as you can. It may be worthwhile doing something preventative........
Cheers all.
Tony.

Illustrates clearly why Fiat choose not to cover wiring in the 3rd year of the warranty. They know it's lifespan.

It really is shoddy, isn't it?

OrangeSport said:

It really is shoddy, isn't it?

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Yes it is.

Both the wiring itself, and FIAT's attitude to dealing with warranty claims for it.

There is a FIAT service notice about it, I'm sure I quoted it somewhere. They do a repair 'kit' of a rear loom section that you can graft on.

It is not the only car to suffer from this, and sadly won't be the last. The placement of the wiring to the hatch is just not right in that it's causing it to bend and flex so much every time the hatch is opened. It really needs to travel over a much longer radius - look in the hatch of a Mk1 Focus, or something like an 8L (Mk1) Audi A3 to see what I'm getting at.

When mine goes, I'll modify it in such a way as to not happen again.

I think what's probably happened here is that something nicked the insulation when the wiring was installed - maybe a sharp steel edge - and the insulation has split from that point. Or, cold temperatures have made the insulation less flexible - and the thinner wire has simply broken off because there weren't as many copper strands.

The wiring conduit seems to demand the wiring to be more flexible than it actually is. Generally-speaking, wiring with more strands is more flexible. High-quality speaker wiring is a good option. The joins you make must be outside the flexed area, since soldering or crimping makes the wiring hard and inflexible.

We had this problem on Tipo tailgate wiring a long time ago (and Uno central locking wires going into the doors) so it seems to be one of those unsolved problems.

-Alex

It's not the flexibility of the wiring that's the issue (although you could get silicone insulated wire, but the copper will still work harden and break). It's the fact that the wiring is being bent by the action of the tailgate.

The loom exit from the body needs to be significantly more offset from the entry to the tailgate, so that the wiring follows a more generous curve, and is then only subject to a gentle twist (if sufficient slack is allowed within the wiring length), rather than being repeatedly bent through 160 odd degrees over a 100mm section every time the tailgate is opened.

Phew, took a while, but I found it:

For future reference, the bulletin numbers are as follows:

For the hatchback 55.06.12 (5505 1 801 TB) and the parts required are:

Tailgate wiring repair kit - 51925658
Rear washer pipe repair kit - 51922436
Red thermal solder sleeves - 11105485 x4
Neutral thermal solder sleeves - 11105380 x6
Blue thermal solder sleeves - 11105582 x2
Yellow thermal solder sleeves - 11105681 x2

(all of the thermal sleeves come in packs of 20, so it might just be easier to lap join the cables with solder and use heat shrink if you're doing the job yourself - the colours are for different sized cable)

For the cabrio 55.07.12 (5505 1 791 TB) and the parts required are:

Passenger compartment wiring repair kit - 51928297
Cable tie - 14560187 x 2
Neutral thermal solder sleeves - 11105380 x5
Blue thermal solder sleeves - 11105582 x2

(again, the thermal sleeves come in packs of 20, so if you're not repairing cars for a living, you probably just want to lap join the cables with solder)

Hope this is of help to someone..

Many thanks to you bgunn for this.

Murano16v said:

Illustrates clearly why Fiat choose not to cover wiring in the 3rd year of the warranty. They know it's lifespan.

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It's not covered in any of the warranty I believe, same def applies to Alfas.

Most Easterly Pandas said:

It's not covered in any of the warranty I believe, same def applies to Alfas.

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What any wiring?

Murano16v said:

What any wiring?

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Yep. I was a tad surprised when the Alfa dealer told me. Said the reason is as its not a moving part (per say) it shouldn't need to be warranted as it can't go wrong. I then turned it around and said if it can't go wrong then why isn't it covered, for owners piece of mind, while you know it won't even be something claimed against if it's so infaluable. Salesman went silent.

Yup. Wasn't covered under my third year warranty. Quick trip to indy specialist and all sorted plus some vouchers from Fiat CS. Two years on so far so good.......

That is quite naff.

Benny the Bee said:

View attachment 117614

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I have the same issue Boot warning came on and I ordered a new lock which didnt fix it. Looked at the wiring in the boot lid and found a broken wire.It looks like it has been repaired before. I am about to solder it back together. There are other wires in the loom with damage as well.It really needs the whole loom pulling out of the boot lid and everything being re protected properly. I have a new boot lock if any one needs one!!

Adrian Bravo said:

That is quite naff.

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Do you mean the quality of my photography?

Very glad this forum exists! I would have been stumped by my wiper doing the same - 4 or 5 wipes on ignition, no self-park.
I pulled out the gaiter on the hatch loom and found this:


I set the other half on it with a soldering iron, some heatshrink tubing and some insulation tape and it was fixed pretty quickly.

Maisie said:

Very glad this forum exists! I would have been stumped by my wiper doing the same - 4 or 5 wipes on ignition, no self-park.
I pulled out the gaiter on the hatch loom and found this:

I set the other half on it with a soldering iron, some heatshrink tubing and some insulation tape and it was fixed pretty quickly.

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Good on you for finding a DIY fix.

IMO Fiat should fix these free (along with door handles) whatever the age of the car. These are inherent design defects, pure & simple.