I just bought a 2009 500C 1.2 Lounge. It has 56,000 miles on clock and had its last service at 45,000 miles in Dec 2013. As a newcomer I am a bit confused about when next service should be and which one it is. I am assuming about now as 18 months but which one. Or should I just wait for a message to pop up? I would be grateful for any advice.
Technical 70,000 mile service?
- Thread starter Jonsel
- Start date
Currently reading:
Technical 70,000 mile service?
ahmett
Prominent member
To be safe, if it hasn't been done so already, change the belts and water pump. Then just do a full fat service (spark plugs, oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter) and have a look at the brakes
ahmett
Prominent member
after like 4-5 years regardless of mileage and at most 90 k miles.
I don't know where you are based, but I'd suggest finding yourself a good tried and trusted Fiat independent specialist to do the work. Here's an example of costs for timing belt:
http://www.jcs-kegworth.co.uk/servicing/timing-belt-offers/
Edit: Have a really good look through your service paperwork for the car to try and determine whether or not the cambelt/waterpump etc have been changed. I'm guessing that on a 2009 car with only 56k on the clock, it's unlikely if the previous owner(s) have not had any form of dealer servicing after the first 3 years or had the presence of mind to have the car serviced correctly at a good indpendent garage. Lots of people get rid of their cars once major stuff starts cropping up and for some, well a cambelt and waterpump job is something they'll either risk not doing, and trust me, as another of my neighbours found out, that hardly ever ends well with a snapped belt and a written off engine on his old Renault Megane, or they'll flog it on and you have to hope the buying dealer or new owner sorts out. Not worth chancing for the couple of hundred odd quid it'll cost to get it done.
As for servicing, personally 12 months for me maximum or 12k at an absolute push. These extended manufacturer servicing regimes are utter garbage in my very humble opinion and this is coming from someone who drives 45k a year.
Last edited:
ahmett
Prominent member
i use bosch car service. give them a call see what they quote.
To be honest ahmett, Bosch service centres are just another national network of indpendent garages that will service any make of car you take to them. I've never personally used a dedicated Bosch service centre because there just aren't that many about where I live and in any case, I'd rather personally use a specialist independent garage that has lots of experience of dealing with just three or four marques of vehicle hence why for instance I only ever take my Saab to a Saab/Volvo specialist because they know those cars inside out.
As for getting a quote, agreed, no harm in doing that, but they won't in all honesty be much different I suspect to any other local indpendent garage. It's also sometimes definitely worth putting yourself out on occasion by if necessary, driving a lot of miles to a good garage if the price is right. Done it myself on many occasions, even stayed overnight in a cheap B&B before now and still saved an absolute packet.
ahmett
Prominent member
i dont go to fiat specialists. whats there to specialise with fiat? i use bosch car service because they use bosch (german spare parts) when they can. i do not want italian aftermarket spare parts from the likes of fiat or magnetti marelli.
from my experience bosch mechanics (especially the managers) are extremely well trained mechanics, trained by bosch themselves.
and their diagnostics are also top notch as they use bosch's in house system. since bosch makes a lot of the electronics for most cars, including fiat, bosch have a good advantage here, and after fiat themselves have the most comprehensive diagnostics for the car, at prices much cheaper than Fiat's billionaire rubbish.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2013
- Messages
- 189
- Points
- 87
WHAT?! My car is not only full of Fiat parts it was designed and built by them too...now you tell me. Oh no!
No, the timing belt tensioner will put a constant tension on the belt, whether it's new or old (and they don't stretch much, if at all, anyway).
The reason is that in a modern interference engine a timing belt failure will almost certainly cause catastrophic engine damage. The water pump seizing will cause timing belt failure, they have a habit of developing leaks and it's not unknown for water pumps to shed one or more impellor fins which isn't great for engine cooling.
Against this, £25 for a water pump that takes an extra four bolts to remove and some instant gasket to put back on whilst the timing belt is off and some new coolant that you should be changing anyway at the belt service is very cheap insurance.
ahmett
Prominent member
Yeah between german parts and italian i prefer german. My italian parts on the car have let me down quite a lot, thanks Fiat!
Magnetti Marelli are famous for making my lovely Dualogic Gearbox!
And my Fiat Original Brake pads were more than a joke = )
Fiat windscreen wipers? Don't even get me started.
So whenever I can, I use German parts. If i can't avoid it, I have to stay with the Italians.
Hi Jonsel,
Welcome to the forum.
With regard to the previous service history, do you have any documentation with the car to say what was done last time round? There is a chance that the timing belt may well have been changed in that last service in 2013 as it potentially falls within the 4 to 5 year limit for the timing belt (4 years for use in demanding conditions or 5 years in all other cases - this info is all in your service booklet).
If it hasn't been, or if you can't tell with any certainty, then IMO it is probably worth ringing up a few Fiat dealers and getting a quote on the 72k service with a timing belt change.
Now I completely appreciate others will say don't bother paying the main dealer rates and use an independent garage etc, but your particular case it might be worthwhile to give you peace of mind.
One tip I would recommend with that last point is going to the Fiat website and searching for a dealer using the Dealer Locator. By default it will search for "Dealerships", i.e. the sales dealerships. Click on "Service Centre" and it will list all of the Fiat service/warranty dealerships nearby. From personal experience these service/warranty dealerships (a) often charge significantly less than the all-singing-all-dancing dealerships, and (b) you might find their customer service is better too as they can't rely on selling cars to make money.
Hope this helps anyway
ahmett
Prominent member
are you joking? peace of mind? why would you ever use Fiat for a timing belt change, would be 200 £ more expensive than doing it at a non fiat place! its not rocket science changing a timing belt!Hi Jonsel,
Welcome to the forum.
With regard to the previous service history, do you have any documentation with the car to say what was done last time round? There is a chance that the timing belt may well have been changed in that last service in 2013 as it potentially falls within the 4 to 5 year limit for the timing belt (4 years for use in demanding conditions or 5 years in all other cases - this info is all in your service booklet).
If it hasn't been, or if you can't tell with any certainty, then IMO it is probably worth ringing up a few Fiat dealers and getting a quote on the 72k service with a timing belt change.
Now I completely appreciate others will say don't bother paying the main dealer rates and use an independent garage etc, but your particular case it might be worthwhile to give you peace of mind.
One tip I would recommend with that last point is going to the Fiat website and searching for a dealer using the Dealer Locator. By default it will search for "Dealerships", i.e. the sales dealerships. Click on "Service Centre" and it will list all of the Fiat service/warranty dealerships nearby. From personal experience these service/warranty dealerships (a) often charge significantly less than the all-singing-all-dancing dealerships, and (b) you might find their customer service is better too as they can't rely on selling cars to make money.
Hope this helps anyway
STAY AWAY FROM FIAT DEALERS, ESPECIALLY IF OUT OF WARRANTY
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2013
- Messages
- 189
- Points
- 87
Or, as it is your car and your money, it's your choice, go where you like.
Not the most helpful post ahmett!
I know you don't personally want to give Fiat any more of your money, and I understand why.
In this particular case (and that is all I am basing my comment on), I feel it might be beneficial for the OP to at least consult a Fiat dealership.
I have no doubt that a local garage will be able to do the timing belt cheaper than a Fiat dealer. I never suggested otherwise.
ahmett
Prominent member
its just that i am sad many people use fiat dealers at crazy prices for normal servicing when there is absolutely no reason to do so. fiat dealers are for warranty repairs, thats about it.Not the most helpful post ahmett!
I know you don't personally want to give Fiat any more of your money, and I understand why.
In this particular case (and that is all I am basing my comment on), I feel it might be beneficial for the OP to at least consult a Fiat dealership.
I have no doubt that a local garage will be able to do the timing belt cheaper than a Fiat dealer. I never suggested otherwise.
Apologies for the mistake, was just a quote I took from a Haynes book.
I think you're being a bit harsh concerning Fiat dealerships ahmett. Yes, I agree, some aren't great, but some are and even offer good service and decent prices. I've decided to get our TA serviced by the same Fiat dealership that did our first one last year because I was happy with their customer service last year and their price was comparable to the Fiat independent specialist I've previously used.
I'm also very mindful that a trade in will more than likely be coming up in the next few months. Getting shot of our TA possibly back to the servicing dealership with a full Fiat service history, will go some way to negotiating a decent deal on a brand new car. The only reason I took our old 1.2 POP to an independent for its second year service under warranty prior to trading it in the last time, was because, well, it was a bog standard 1.2 Fiat engine. With the TA, I want to be sure it's going to get the service it should get whilst still under warranty and that the right service parts are used, and yes, that'll be FIAT parts! Granted I'll be paying a bit more at the Fiat dealership than if I took the car to a local independent garage, but the independent won't be getting our car back as a trade in later. Trust me though, once out of warranty, then indpendent all the way for me, unless like I've previously posted, some Fiat dealerships offer special service rates on cars over three years old, which do match independent garages on price.
Yes, yes, I know all about EU block exemption rules ya de dah, but sometimes, just sometimes, when you're trading in a two year old motor, a service record from your local garage down the road when your car is still under warranty, might not do you any favours come trade in time. Indeed as my former neighbour with his BMW 118d with the destroyed engine at just 68k miles (out of warranty) through timing chain failure (a known and documented issue) found out, they wouldn't entertain any form of recompense because, wait for it, it didn't have a full BMW service history. You pays your money and you takes your chances.
