General new 500s

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General new 500s

kbcalypso

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Dec 25, 2013
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hello, ive recently purchased a 500s, and have had a problem with it, my drive has a slight slope ans when i'm parked at the bottom and start to go up the car wont move and when it does it is struggling, ( yes i've checked its in first gear). the foot flat on floor and clutch pedal out. the revs seems to die. the other night i stopped at traffic lights on a hill and once again struggled to get going, ( nearly got rear ended by car behind). so i took it back to the dealers and a techie roadtested it and it happened to him so it was booked in for the next working day. i left the car with them and returning to collect the receptionist was giving me the keys back and saying the faults been reported to fiat, but it wasn't fixed, i refused to accept the car back, and if its not fixed then i will reject the car, the service manager found me another car to use till they fix mine as due to the xmas holidays they wern't sure when fiat will get back to them, this is my first fiat so i'm not happy and will get rid if the fault is not fixed, at the moment i'm driving a ds3 which is getting more mpg than the fiat which averaged 30mpg. so there is a problem somewhere.:(
 
The Fiat is new. How old is the DS3 a car with more miles on the clock will do better MPG. Unfortunately I can't help regarding the original issue.

There was something on here a month or two back though about someone in the US having an issue getting up a steep driver, but that went a bit off on one.
 
the fiat is a 1.2 with less then 350 0n the clock, its now back at the dealers, the ds3 they gave me has 375 on the clock, they are both petrol engines, the fiat is the first brand new car i have owned, ordered to my spec ie colour electroclass grey with elec/sunroof and a50/50split rear seat. no doubt it will be fixed, but it leaves a bad taste for me. the hills were not steep i was told it could be the fuel injection.
 
Sadly cars are most likely to break when new, hence why this is happened, usually the 1.2 is very reliable :)
 
It's probably something simple enough which can easily be sorted by your dealer so hang in there! After a few days of driving it you'll have forgotten all about it.
 
well after driving the ds3, i have decided the fiat is going, experience has taught me if something is wrong even when fixed then it keeps going wrong, so first thing when dealership is open i'm going to do a deal against anew ds3, it was my second venture with italian cars and will be my last, i used have a panda that was nothing but trouble, thought i would give them a second chance seems like nothings changed.
 
I'm sorry, you couldn't be more wrong. If this were some sort of common issue then I could understand, but it's not. The 500 is one of the most reliable superminis out there, the 1.2 is probably the most reliable engine as well......

Hey ho.
 
well after driving the ds3, i have decided the fiat is going, experience has taught me if something is wrong even when fixed then it keeps going wrong, so first thing when dealership is open i'm going to do a deal against anew ds3, it was my second venture with italian cars and will be my last, i used have a panda that was nothing but trouble, thought i would give them a second chance seems like nothings changed.

Interesting you had issues with a Panda. What year and spec and what were the issues? They're realativly trouble free so it does surprise me.

Best of luck with the DS3, although remember it is French, got a few friends who have them and seem to be more hit and miss than Fiat's those DS3's. Hopefully you'll get a goodun though :)
MadMan0 anything you advise to look out for with your DS3 woes?
 
...so first thing when dealership is open i'm going to do a deal against anew ds3.

Is the OP intending to swap the 500 for a DS3 with the same dealer? Sounds like a p*ss poor dealer to me. Also, I stand to be corrected here, but the dealer might argue that they've not had ample opportunity to fix the fault and refuse to take the car back...?

BJM
 
Perhaps the OP will trade in his Fiat for the Citroen...which I believe sounds a lot like the French word for 'lemon'. He or she will lose a chunk of money if it was traded. I'd suggest getting it looked at first then deciding- sounds like a knee- jerk reaction to what may be a simple issue.
 
Perhaps the OP will trade in his Fiat for the Citroen...which I believe sounds a lot like the French word for 'lemon'. He or she will lose a chunk of money if it was traded. I'd suggest getting it looked at first then deciding- sounds like a knee- jerk reaction to what may be a simple issue.
Tbh I don't think DS3's are particularly bad. Definitely a kneejerk reaction to what will almost certainly be something as small as a duff sensor.
 
The OP claimed it's their first fiat but then goes on about a Panda?

Little things happen from time to time and if you don't have patience to deal with them then catch public transport.

Your issue is odd, the dealer sounds positive in getting you a vehicle at short notice, and I think a little time and you'll be back on the road.

Switching to another vehicle so rapidly doesn't show signs or regard for the overall scale of the issue.
 
The OP claimed it's their first fiat but then goes on about a Panda?

Little things happen from time to time and if you don't have patience to deal with them then catch public transport.

Your issue is odd, the dealer sounds positive in getting you a vehicle at short notice, and I think a little time and you'll be back on the road.

Switching to another vehicle so rapidly doesn't show signs or regard for the overall scale of the issue.



Adzee, if you stick around here for long enough you'll notice that there are quite a few people around like this. Sadly the 500 can attract a lot of people who aren't really car people and when what is probably a simple issue crops up, they can do rash things like swapping cars on a whim.


Then on the other hand you have people like Grimwau who have had a couple of cars which have had more major issues and who have persevered with them and been more reasonable.....
 
I've owned both French and Italian cars over the years, yes they can be a little temperamental, I remember my Alfa's wipers would occasionally switch on whenever I hit the horn. It's the price you pay for something charming and perhaps eccentric. Otherwise buy a Mazda 2 for boring humdrum reliability and a very bland drive.
 
I'm on my 3rd fiat, first punto sx mk1, then a 1.2 500 Sport, now a twinair 500S. None have let me down, even the old puntos head gasket went and it still drove ok! Unfortunately with every new car there is a chance it could be faulty! I've sent my last 2 new cars back for warranty issues, but after research, they happen in all cars do it hasn't put me off fiat or the 500s!
 
Interesting you had issues with a Panda. What year and spec and what were the issues? They're realativly trouble free so it does surprise me.

Best of luck with the DS3, although remember it is French, got a few friends who have them and seem to be more hit and miss than Fiat's those DS3's. Hopefully you'll get a goodun though :)

MadMan0 anything you advise to look out for with your DS3 woes?


The THP engines often blowup between 4,000 and 7,000 miles. (covered under warrenty)
Some DS3's (not all) suffer from corrosion from under the paint work - Paint chips easily.
Belbone alloys corrode and are are not covered by warrenty even if un-kurbed.

Muiltimedia system does not play all mp3/4 devices very well (Try yours in the showroom first!)

Windscreens tend to crack in the centre near the bottom edge. (Make sure you have windscreen cover)

Leather seats are great but start to sag quickly.

Avg mpg for EHdi is 55mpg... thp about the same.

Disc brakes tend to warp by 9,000 miles for all model except the DS3 Racing.

If buying second hand then lissen for knocking noises from the engine or feel for loss of power on the test drive - both could mean the engine is on it's way out. - ensure service intervals have been met to have the engine replaced under warranty.

......
Normal "odd" noises include a bubbling sound after turning off the engine - something to do with the coolant pump still spinning?
- electircal whyning sound after unlocking the car and opening the door - no idea why.


.....
Otherwise they are nice cars. the diesel engine is Very quiet in the cabin compared to others. 110 or 115 are the diesels to go for. Dsport ride is Very firm for speed bumps and often lightly grounds out on thin bumps but great for motorway driving at speed.


Hope this helps.
If you have any questions then feel free to message me or post with a mention or quote - so that i get a notifaction:D

Sorry for the bad spelling:eek:
Link to DS3 club - my username is the same on here too(y)
http://www.ds3club.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?17-DS3-Technical
 
If your looking for a new small (ish) car like the DS3 rather than the Fiat 500 or Punto then the Ford Fiesta ST is a good shout with heated seats(y) I think you can get these for about the same price on finance as the DS3 Dsport Plus spec. (looks fab in performance blue:cool:) And the fiesta also has less road noise than the DS3.

Don't know anything else about this car though as i've never owned one; only had a ride in one.

Also! - to add to my above post, the DS3 HDI has turbo lag of about 1.5 seconds. so you may find you need to be on the gas for a bit before you drop the clutch! (caught me out on test drive almost resulting in a crash - car didn't move off onto the roundabout quick enough)
 
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