Lawrencefulham
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I have a Fiat 500, 3 years old and door handle came off in my hand this morning! Fiat want to charge me £180 for replacing it, this feels like extortion!!
Door Handle fell off!!
- Thread starter Lawrencefulham
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Door Handle fell off!!
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Moved from the 500L section.
ahmett
Prominent member
Here you go. One of the most common issues of the Fiat 500. I know this is a long read, but will solve all your problems! Should cost you no more than 50 GBP to get someone to replace including labor.I have a Fiat 500, 3 years old and door handle came off in my hand this morning! Fiat want to charge me £180 for replacing it, this feels like extortion!!
Mind you, did you try getting fiat to fix it through warranty? Thats what i would be doing, threatening to call Fiat UK and actually calling them and complaining what a joke it is that the door handles always break (send them this forum link). You might get lucky and have Fiat UK to intervene and fix it for free.
Failing that you can just do it yourself.
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/220731-drivers-side-door-handle-hanging-off-18.html
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I have a Fiat 500, 3 years old and door handle came off in my hand this morning! Fiat want to charge me £180 for replacing it, this feels like extortion!!
Hello and welcome to the forum :wave:.
Sorry to hear that your door handle has fallen off.
It's a common issue and a known weakness on the 500 - the hinge corrodes, sticks and then breaks off. The repair kit (though not the complete handle) is cheap; you can fit it yourself if you're comfortable about taking off the door card.
Just looking at the number of these that are sold on ebay is indicative of the scale of the problem; I doubt many 500's will make it to the end of their natural lives without this part needing replacement.
Fiat want to charge me £180 for replacing it, this feels like extortion!!
That's because it is. IMO it's an inherently defective design which is doomed to fail and Fiat should fix all 500 door handle breakages in the first six years free under warranty.
Fortunately there's a better way - buy just the hinge, and fit it yourself or pay an independent garage to do so. If you lubricate the replacement hinge before fitting, it'll last much longer. Personally I'd use one of the dry graphite lubes used for locks.
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ahmett
Prominent member
I use wd-40 because its so easy to find. I spray it before i get the car washed ideally. Is that any good jrkitching?Hello and welcome to the forum :wave:.
Sorry to hear that your door handle has fallen off.
It's a common issue and a known weakness on the 500 - the hinge corrodes, sticks and then breaks off. The repair kit (though not the complete handle) is cheap; you can fit it yourself if you're comfortable about taking off the door card.
Just looking at the number of these that are sold on ebay is indicative of the scale of the problem; I doubt many 500's will make it to the end of their natural lives without this part needing replacement.
That's because it is. IMO it's an inherently defective design which is doomed to fail and Fiat should fix all 500 door handle breakages in the first six years free under warranty.
Fortunately there's a better way - buy just the hinge, and fit it yourself or pay an independent garage to do so. If you lubricate the replacement hinge before fitting, it'll last much longer. Personally I'd use one of the dry graphite lubes used for locks.
This post contains affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
It's better than nothing, though only just.
Three main problems:
1. WD40 attacks natural rubber & some plastics.
2. Contrary to popular belief, WD40 isn't a lubricant & soon evaporates.
3. WD40 leaves a greasy residue which attracts dust & grit.
Part of the problem is down to the amount of salt used on the roads in the UK - the type of material from which the hinge is made is particularly vulnerable to salt corrosion. In Greece, I'd expect that's much less of a problem.
ahmett
Prominent member
Yes in Greece it rains much less also so corrosion is much less of an issue.
Rain is a major cause of corrosion
.It's raining here just now
.Cold, too.
Going to have to put the central heating on soon
.That will have a corrosive effect on my bank balance
.
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Use spray silicone as a lubricant. And yes, the door handles break, so ask Fiat at least for a contribution to the cost, and certainly make a fuss.
