So I just bought a 2008 fiat 500 1.3 diesel a few weeks ago, love the car, great to drive

But I was coming home in it on Sunday when there was quite a big plume of smoke shot out of the exhaust, and when I pulled up home around 3 or 4 minutes later smoke was pouring out of the wheel arch and underneath and smelled like burning oil or fuel , so I tried to research what this was and it seemed to point towards the dpf regeneration

But driving it today and yesterday I was about a mile into my trips and could smell burning oil again and my temperature gauge went upto half way (usually stays around a quarter until I have driven a while)

Is this because it is still burning the fuel off it used in the regeneration and is this expected, also within 3 weeks I have a broken door handle and my boot catch does not work, anyone recommend anywhere in County Durham to take it to get these bits fixed?

Thanks for reading

Hi and welcome to the forum.

How many miles does the car have on the clock?
What service history do you have with the vehicle? Cambelt/waterpump, any evidence they've been changed? Fuel filter, air filter etc. I admit, I've never seen the Fiat 1.3 diesel unit, my experience with Fiat diesels extends to my Saab 1.9, which is fitted with the Fiat designed/built engine and so much of what you will read below relates to what I experience with my own car.

It's really quite important that modern diesel engines fitted with DPF are run properly, i.e. extended periods of motorway driving at revs which allow the DPF to regen properly. If the vehicle has spent much of its time pottering around town, it won't do much good to it at all. You could if you have one near you, get onto the motorway and go for a proper run in the car in a gear that allows the DPF to get sufficiently hot to force a regen. When I say 'proper run', I mean for 30 minutes minimum. The problem with the DPF and a partial regen, is that on some cars, diesel can get dumped into the engine contaminating the oil causing the oil level to rise and the risk of engine failure.

It is important that the oil and filter on diesel engines is changed regularly. Some will have you believe that isn't true, but I run a 1.9 diesel and the oil gets changed in that every 5k without fail and the fuel filter every 12 months. If you pull the dipstick on my car, the engine oil is never even black, the most it gets is a very dark brown. I have never had a DPF issue on the vehicle and I regularly give it a good 'blast' on the motorway.

Don't be tempted to have the DPF removed or cored out. If discovered during MOT, the car will fail the MOT.

EGR valve, common issue on diesels for sooting up. On some cars (like mine ) dead easy to remove/clean. You should check the manifold air pressure sensor too, most likely it will clogged up.

You could also of course have a problem with an injector(s), again, depending on how many miles the car has done will depend on the likelihood of any issues. A leak back test on the injectors will show up any faults.

You might baulk at the idea, but if the car hasn't had the benefit of a Fiat dealership service for a very long time, you could consider it. I'll probably get slapped for that suggestion, but you'll get full diagnostics thrown in and any safety/recall work done. Some dealerships do do reduced service rates for cars over 3 years old, so can be competitive with indpendent garages.

As for the door handle and boot switch, replacements easily obtainable from ebay, you'll just have to fit.

it only has 60k on the clock, I might take it down the motor way, since it attempted the regeneration I have probs only done 6th 10 miles in it last two days, it does have full service history with it which was re assuring , I have th A1 on my doorstop so will get it down there for a decent run out this weekend

Very good advice from Frupi above.

Boot switch and door handle are common issues- the former is either a dodgy switch or could be the wires in the rubber tube between the body and the boot lid (up by one of the hinges) snapping. Probably worth checking that (peel back the rubber carefully) before replacing the switch assembly.

I'd also advise checking the engine oil level regularly (frupi touched on this above)- we've had one or two 1.3 diesels in the past get hit by alarmingly rising oil level (though I think there was a software fix that massively helped out with this) and it does have potentially massive consequences (the engine can get into a condition known as "diesel runaway"- the engine starts running on its own oil and massively overspeeds; the only hope then is to put it in top gear, handbrake on and footbrake on hard and drop the clutch to stall it or dump a CO2 extinguisher into/near the air intake and stall it as above).

I didn't see frupi mention it, but buy a bottle of DPF cleaner and add it to your fuel tank. On my TDi it was necessary to do so every tank, and change the oil every 5K miles, and the fuel filter regularly....

Sutherby said:

it only has 60k on the clock

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At that mileage, it may be getting due for a DPF replacement, particularly if the previous owner(s) haven't been meticulous about servicing or have used it for short runs.

This used to be a £1000+ repair (and likely still will be if a franchised dealer gets their hands on it), but the good news is that aftermarket DPF prices are falling - this is really not that much more expensive than some standard exhaust components, and significantly cheaper than an aftermarket replacement cat for a petrol 500.

zanes said:

......I'd also advise checking the engine oil level regularly (frupi touched on this above)- we've had one or two 1.3 diesels in the past get hit by alarmingly rising oil level (though I think there was a software fix that massively helped out with this) and it does have potentially massive consequences (the engine can get into a condition known as "diesel runaway"- the engine starts running on its own oil and massively overspeeds..........

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Yes, referring to the bold type, there have been a few manufacturers out there that introduced a software fix to try and prevent what zanes has mentioned. This is another good reason for the occasional franchised dealership service, they will download and apply stuff like this that some independent garages either won't or can't do.

UFI said:

I didn't see frupi mention it, but buy a bottle of DPF cleaner and add it to your fuel tank. On my TDi it was necessary to do so every tank, and change the oil every 5K miles, and the fuel filter regularly....

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Good advice, but personally, I'd just use decent fuel in the first place. I'm a huge fan of Shell Nitro Diesel. Yes, more expensive at the pump but the benefits far outweigh the extra £3.50 a tank it costs me to fill up. Cleaner EGR, so less servicing required on that, cleaner MAP and throttle body housing. A good increase in mpg (over 50 miles extra per tank, so you can see I'm getting the extra I pay at the pump back anyway) and a much sharper throttle response. Plus, I joined the Shell Driver's club, so I get money back every quarter. For me, it's a win win and I don't need to spend £14 on a bottle of DPF cleaner.

thanks for all of the replies car seems to be behaving properly now, give it a good run out this afternoon, think I will use premium fuel, a few people seemed to mention this,

But already have another problem, my central locking has stopped working, key fob works, lights flash but nothing happens

A quick search points to the wiring loom in the tail gate, can anyone recommend a garage in County Durham that could fix all of these issues cheaply and properly

The garage I bought it from wants to know nothing about it, even though I've only had it 3 weeks

So you've bought a car from a garage that doesn't even honour any form of warranty in the first few weeks or months of ownership? What's that all about? If the car has faults, and certainly anything relating to a broken rear hatch wiring loom, which is a known fault on these cars because a specific hatch wiring loom repair kit has been devised, then the garage should be fixing this for you. Central locking too, what's that all about? Take it back to them and if they won't fix it, speak to Trading Standards.

The problem is though, you've bought a 7 year old car and sadly it sounds as though it's already got problems that will be ongoing and costly to fix. Definitely not what you want to hear. I also really do hope that the 60k on the clock is genuine and that someone hasn't shoved a second hand pod in the car. On our 2013 TA, we've already had to have a replacement instrument cluster put in under warranty, though Fiat are able to ensure that the correct odometer reading is reflected on the new pod.

With the electrical issues, if the garage are definitely not going to play, your only option is to find a decent auto electrician, but whatever, it's going to cost you. As a matter of interest, how much did you pay for the car?

Sutherby said:

thanks for all of the replies car seems to be behaving properly now, give it a good run out this afternoon, think I will use premium fuel, a few people seemed to mention this,

But already have another problem, my central locking has stopped working, key fob works, lights flash but nothing happens

A quick search points to the wiring loom in the tail gate, can anyone recommend a garage in County Durham that could fix all of these issues cheaply and properly

The garage I bought it from wants to know nothing about it, even though I've only had it 3 weeks

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well i suggest the garage you bought it from sort it out! dont take no from an answer!

have left them an email, when I bought the cat there was absolutely none of these problems, think I have been a little unlucky, plus I hope the boot amd central locking is connected and door handle I might have pulled a little hard on it :/. Engine seems very good, doesn't miss a beat amd I can forgive everything with the current average MPG,

I think the milage is genuine , has full service history with the car and majority are reputable garages in the a region

Not being used to "mid aged" cars (the only one's I've bought recently have been new or 50+ years old) I'm not sure where the OP stands on some of this with the selling garage.

Could it be argued (assuming the faults were genuinely not present at time of sale) that these faults would be "reasonably" acceptable or "expected"* on a seven year old car, and as such the garage has only a "goodwill" responsibility?

Fundamentally, you've got electrical gremlins and a worn out exhaust. Not unreasonable at 7 years old?

*Not official terminology obviously, but you get my drift.

zanes said:

Not being used to "mid aged" cars (the only one's I've bought recently have been new or 50+ years old) I'm not sure where the OP stands on some of this with the selling garage.

Could it be argued (assuming the faults were genuinely not present at time of sale) that these faults would be "reasonably" acceptable or "expected"* on a seven year old car, and as such the garage has only a "goodwill" responsibility?

Fundamentally, you've got electrical gremlins and a worn out exhaust. Not unreasonable at 7 years old?

*Not official terminology obviously, but you get my drift.

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I'd agree; in the absence of a written warranty covering the failed items, I don't believe you'd have any legal case against the supplying dealer.

IMO the real problem is that used 500's are massively overvalued. A 1.3 Mjet Panda of similar age & mileage would make somewhere between £2000 - £2500; the equivalent 500 has a book value of double that, despite having more inherent weaknesses than the Panda. The price premium attached to 500's likely sets unrealistic expectations of quality, and particularly so on used examples.

Failure of the hatch wiring, door handles & DPF could all be reasonably expected on a 500 of that age & mileage; indeed, some might say it's surprising these faults haven't developed sooner.

Has it got a DPF definitely on a 2008 model??

frupi said:

Good advice, but personally, I'd just use decent fuel in the first place... For me, it's a win win and I don't need to spend £14 on a bottle of DPF cleaner.

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We don't have a choice of grades when it comes to diesel (unless you count bio diesel). DPF cleaner is available in 5l drums from your local truck/ tractor supply, works out to less than $5 per fill and easily pays for itself in MPG by not ever going into regens, but yes, if you're not doing regens you don't need DPF cleaner

UFI said:

We don't have a choice of grades when it comes to diesel (unless you count bio diesel). DPF cleaner is available in 5l drums from your local truck/ tractor supply, works out to less than $5 per fill and easily pays for itself in MPG by not ever going into regens, but yes, if you're not doing regens you don't need DPF cleaner

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Slightly confused by what I've highlighted? The point I'm making is, my car does regen, perfectly properly as it is supposed to and still does so even using Shell Nitro diesel. I don't need to use a dedicated DPF cleaner. I've just shoved 12 gallons of Nitro diesel into my Saab this afternoon. I just don't understand those people who think it's all placebic and is a con. I can absolutely state the stuff works. I've used normal everyday supermarket diesel and in my very humble opinion, it's crap, causes my EGR to soot up in no time and stuffs the MAP sensor in short order too. The problem with folk when it comes to more expensive fuel is, they can only ever see past what goes out of their wallet at fill up. They can't see past the long term benefits, such as increased mpg, a cleaner more efficient engine etc. If you use something like Shell Nitro all the time such as I do, you find you can't justify going back to the run of the mill diesel being dished out of a grocery store pump.