Hi All,

I am new to this forum but after a speight of expensive repairs i would like to know if other people out ther are experiencing expensive repairs on their fiat 500 or whether I am just unlucky...

I have a Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet that i purchased from new in 2008 I have done about 66K in it. In the last six months I have had a new exhaust, new alternator, and last week a new injector to fix a juddering and low power issue at low revs. This is on top of the standard servicing aswell....

On the way to the garage to get the injector fixed the warning lights started flashing on my dash board finally resting on the airbag, seatbelt and general warning light remaining on, with a message stating 'fuel cut off unavailable'

The specialist injector garage tried to reset this fault but it kept coming back and advised me to taken it to a main dealer, I did and they have advised me that the airbag ECU has developed a fault and needs to be replaced at a cost of around £500.

To think that I have already spent nearly 1.5K on this car in six months I really can't afford another 500quid. What I would like to know is if other 500 owners are experiencing high repair costs on cars of this age and therefore I just need to accept that these cars are going to get more expensive to maintain as it gets old.

I love the car and always have but the maintanence on the thing is bankrupting me!!

Many thanks for reading and I really look forward to hearing your valued thoughts

500 Driver said:

Hi All,

I am new to this forum but after a speight of expensive repairs i would like to know if other people out ther are experiencing expensive repairs on their fiat 500 or whether I am just unlucky...

I have a Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet that i purchased from new in 2008 I have done about 66K in it. In the last six months I have had a new exhaust, new alternator, and last week a new injector to fix a juddering and low power issue at low revs. This is on top of the standard servicing aswell....

On the way to the garage to get the injector fixed the warning lights started flashing on my dash board finally resting on the airbag, seatbelt and general warning light remaining on, with a message stating 'fuel cut off unavailable'

The specialist injector garage tried to reset this fault but it kept coming back and advised me to taken it to a main dealer, I did and they have advised me that the airbag ECU has developed a fault and needs to be replaced at a cost of around £500.

To think that I have already spent nearly 1.5K on this car in six months I really can't afford another 500quid. What I would like to know is if other 500 owners are experiencing high repair costs on cars of this age and therefore I just need to accept that these cars are going to get more expensive to maintain as it gets old.

I love the car and always have but the maintanence on the thing is bankrupting me!!

Many thanks for reading and I really look forward to hearing your valued thoughts

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, while you have more errors than usual, not completely unexpected. Your best bet is getting it fixed as cheaply as possible and avoiding the main dealers at all costs. Although I think you have already spent so much I doubt you will have many more faults so just stick with it and hope for the best!

500 Driver said:

What I would like to know is if other 500 owners are experiencing high repair costs on cars of this age and therefore I just need to accept that these cars are going to get more expensive to maintain as it gets old.

Click to expand...

This is the big unanswered question - how much will it cost to maintain a 500 once you're 6yrs/75000 miles in?

My view has always been that the 500 is built out of some of the cheapest components on the planet and that their long term durability may prove to be a costly issue for owners in the second half of the car's life. IMO it's a cheaply built car sold for premium car money, largely because it's fashionable.

To put this into some perspective, my last long term car (an old model KA) ran at least 9yrs/100000 miles on its original exhaust & battery (both were still going strong when I sold it). I can't see either the 500 or the Panda doing that. The only significant failures were a suspension bush (£25) and more seriously a new rack (£225) (even hydraulic PAS cars aren't immune from problems); everything else was just service parts. Some 500 owners (though thankfully not me) have spent more than that on 'not-covered by warranty' repairs in the first 3 years.

Any modern DPF equipped diesel of any marque is likely to cost significantly more to maintain than an equivalent petrol car once you're passed the 75000 mile mark due to the inherent lifespan of the emissions control parts. IMO the additional maintenance costs over a petrol will likely be significantly greater than any saving you might make in direct fuel cost. The upcoming changes in MOT DPF testing may prove to be a game changer for diesel ownership and prospective purchasers, particulary those buying recent used cars, should think very carefully indeed before committing.

Fashionability has somehow supported 500 residuals thus far (comparing the value of a 3yr old Panda & 500 is revealing), which is great for first purchasers but anyone buying a 4-5 yr old car at current prices could be buying into some very expensive motoring indeed.

Many non 500 owners trading in 3yr old cars of other marques are lucky to get 35% of the initial purchase price back; the 500 has done far, far better than that.

IMO for those who are not of the DIY persuasion this is perhaps one car better bought new than used, and traded away before costly problems develop.

DIY owners will probably be OK, thanks in part to this forum, and the car's popularity should ensure a good supply of reasonably priced aftermarket parts which will likely be of better than OEM quality (why anyone would want to fit OEM parts when the first OEM one has failed prematurely is beyond me).

jrkitching said:

This is the big unanswered question - how much will it cost to maintain a 500 once you're 6yrs/75000 miles in?

My view has always been that the 500 is built out of some of the cheapest components on the planet and that their long term durability may prove to be a costly issue for owners in the second half of the car's life. IMO it's a cheaply built car sold for premium car money, largely because it's fashionable.

To put this into some perspective, my last long term car (an old model KA) ran at least 9yrs/100000 miles on its original exhaust & battery (both were still going strong when I sold it). I can't see either the 500 or the Panda doing that. The only significant failures were a suspension bush (£25) and more seriously a new rack (£225) (even hydraulic PAS cars aren't immune from problems); everything else was just service parts. Some 500 owners (though thankfully not me) have spent more than that on 'not-covered by warranty' repairs in the first 3 years.

Any modern DPF equipped diesel of any marque is likely to cost significantly more to maintain than an equivalent petrol car once you're passed the 75000 mile mark due to the inherent lifespan of the emissions control parts. IMO the additional maintenance costs over a petrol will likely be significantly greater than any saving you might make in direct fuel cost. The upcoming changes in MOT DPF testing may prove to be a game changer for diesel ownership and prospective purchasers, particulary those buying recent used cars, should think very carefully indeed before committing.

Fashionability has somehow supported 500 residuals thus far (comparing the value of a 3yr old Panda & 500 is revealing), which is great for first purchasers but anyone buying a 4-5 yr old car at current prices could be buying into some very expensive motoring indeed.

Many non 500 owners trading in 3yr old cars of other marques are lucky to get 35% of the initial purchase price back; the 500 has done far, far better than that.

IMO this is perhaps one car better bought new than used, and traded away before serious problems develop.

Click to expand...

You're scaring me jrkitching = )

ahmett said:

You're scaring me jrkitching = )

Click to expand...

Actually the history of your car suggests that the main components are strong where it matters; where I think most folks are going to get caught is when a FIAT main dealer takes several hundred pounds off them for replacing a bit of tailgate wiring, screenwash hoses or some similar thing which could have been fixed 'better than new' for peanuts.

Most modern cars are pretty strong mechanically and don't rust out like cars of old. But if someone's 8yr old diesel 500 needs £2000 of work to get an MOT then it's a marginal fix/scrap call, regardless of whether the root cause is a blocked DPF, blown engine or rusted chassis.

Main dealers get a big thumbs down from me for charging exorbitant amounts of money for diagnosis, often blaming the cost on the complexity of modern technology.

It's not the complexity of modern technology that's the problem, it's basic greed.

By way of contrast, my mobile packed up yesterday (somehow I knew dropping it into a cesspit was a bad idea yet still managed to do it :bang::bang::bang. The local guy said he'd need it for half an hour to dismantle it & check it over & it's a £35 fixed price to repair + parts if needed; no fix, no fee.

I gave him the phone, he fixed it, I gave him £35. It failed again this morning , I took it back, he gave me back the £35 without any fuss at all.

That's more like how the dealer experience should be.

But I still need a new phone & the problem is I have a 'must-have' app that absolutely will only run under Android 2.3 - anyone got an original S2 they don't use anymore?

I would expect Fiat to upgrade the 500s interior very soon as it is falling behind, and the new Citroen Cactus arriving here in the autumn will be a real competitor in the fashion and economy stakes, especially if it starts at around 12K, as mooted, and gives 91mpg combined (Diesel) . It is totally stunning.

There's no doubt that too many fairly new Fiat components fail because of poor quality, as I have learnt to my annoyance and cost, and I too wonder about the long term viability of Diesels now they have all that expensive emissions stuff bolted to them.

Ulpian said:

...and gives 91mpg combined...

Click to expand...

I hear Citroen also have a bridge for sale...

Thanks jrkitching for a really useful post

This is infact what i suspected, I would still be interested to hear what other people are experiencing though.

Interestingly the Injector specialist said that the in injectors in the Fiat were good quality Bosch, and they were suprised that one had failed. I am more annoyed about the electronics. I suspect that the airbag ECU is OK and that there is another thing causing the fault there. However I am still tempted to sadly trade the car in soon as I can't risk any more expensive outlays...

Many thanks

Mat

500 Driver said:

However I am still tempted to sadly trade the car in soon as I can't risk any more expensive outlays...

Click to expand...

Sometimes it's better to cut your losses and run...

I wouldn't be surprised if modern diesel residuals generally take a big hit this year once the new MOT regs begin to bite.

Timing is everything.

jrkitching said:

Sometimes it's better to cut your losses and run...

I wouldn't be surprised if modern diesel residuals generally take a big hit this year once the new MOT regs begin to bite.

Timing is everything.

Click to expand...

Yes you are right! The only thing worrying me about my car is the gearbox. The clutch isn't the biggest issue, its 350 euros to fix and I will eventually get it done. Its the gearbox + the dualogic system. With hindsight, I should have just gotten a manual. The rule is, the less complex a car is, the better. So that's why diesels are going to be a big hassle now.

ahmett said:

The rule is, the less complex a car is, the better.

Click to expand...

The less complex a car is, the less there is to go wrong and the cheaper it will be to maintain.

But the less complex a car is, the less fun & useful toys there are to enjoy and the more boring your daily drive will be.

And thinking about this a bit more, my first mini had no PAS, Servo Brakes, Heater, Radio, Power Windows, Central Locking, Engine Management System, Airbags, Fuel Injection, Emissions Control Equipment and much more stuff we all take for granted now, and it went wrong a LOT.

I'd seriously miss being able to play music off a flash drive. And I still seriously miss the heated front screen from my old KA.

It's true. No matter how complicated cars are now they are much more reliable than they were forty years ago. They are in fact better in every way.

But perhaps nothing rides as comfortably as the old French cars did .

Re the airbag module, mine sometimes gives that message when the car hasn't been driven for a while and the battery is a bit soft.

Regarding reliability and ownership costs, maybe the answer is a £5995 Dacia. Hardly any goodies to go wrong, but modern reliable mechanicals.

306maxi said:

Re the airbag module, mine sometimes gives that message when the car hasn't been driven for a while and the battery is a bit soft.

Click to expand...

I'm wondering if a few more of the OPs issues are due to the battery failing also.

OP has your 500 got its origional battery still

500 Driver said:

Interestingly the Injector specialist said that the in injectors in the Fiat were good quality Bosch, and they were suprised that one had failed. I am more annoyed about the electronics. I suspect that the airbag ECU is OK and that there is another thing causing the fault there. However I am still tempted to sadly trade the car in soon as I can't risk any more expensive outlays...

Many thanks

Mat

Click to expand...

You won't be the first or last 1.3 Multijet owner to have injector problems - it has been reported on here more than once before, I believe in the Panda and Qubo sections, where it is also fitted. That engine is fitted in one output or another to lots of different models (including Vauxhall, Ford and I think, Suzuki) so I guess you will see failures, but I do believe it has a few more suspect areas than Fiats other diesel engines. On the comment about Bosch i'm probably less surprised its failed if it's a Bosch component, than if it were an Italian component - the only engine related failure in my Stilo JTD was a Crank Sensor, which I believe is also a Bosch component - German engineering is largely German marketing these days it seems

You'd probably be better off taking advantage of the strong residual values and trading it in. If you like the 500 then trade it against a new petrol version - they're far less likely to give engine problems and in the case of the 1.2, are a lot more simple.

JTD_Liam said:

German engineering is largely German marketing these days it seems

Click to expand...

Who here is actually willing to pay for German engineering? Have a look at the cost of Made in Germany tools, like $2000 torque wrenches, when you can get a Chinese one for under $200.

How about good old Polish engineering? Seems to be ok....

Theres's good reason why half the UK's classic cars are restored in Poland.

A Facebook friend is having his Mk2 Escort restored in the Czech republic for the same reason