General That damn door handle hinge!

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General That damn door handle hinge!

What is it? some kind of a disease with the 500's? in what year and modle it happens the most?
 
Mostly the door handle "kingpin" gets weakened by rust. An improved version with part number 51964555 was introduced in 2013.
 
What are the symptoms of the hinge rusting?
Is it possible to predict when/if it's going to happen?
Is it always one handle or can it be either?

Thanks,
Mick.
 
Not on either of mine. One minute it is fine, next minute "snap". I believe it's more prevalent on the drivers, but only as that's the most used handle.
im lucky so far in that in Greece maybe the weather is kinder so it doesn't happen as much. I felt the passenger hinge being harder to open so greased it up properly. Now I apply WD-40 on both hinges from time to time to keep them lubed up. So I am so far ok on the 2010.
 
You have a lot less rain and damp than us in England
No one listens to me! The Fiat 500 was designed for the streets of Rome, not rainy and damp UK. Of course the door handle will break in that awful climate! If you want a car made for a miserable climate, buy German! = ))) Us Mediterraneans don't know what miserable climates mean, we are happy people down here, so please do not take our Mediterranean cars (Fiat 500) and break them 'up north where its always cloudy'! = )))

That's like torture! Why break a car like that knowing it is not meant for it?!
 
I was looking at ours yesterday, and they seemed fine.
They were free, easy to move, and no sign of any hesitancy or roughness.

Is this normal, or can you "feel" the roughness as the hinge begins to rust?

If I hadn't ever read this thread or been informed about this weakness of design, I would say ours are as good as new.

Regards,
Mick.
 
Ours just snapped Mick, no warning. Unless you're anal enough to regularly check them/lubricate where necessary, you won't really know when they're gonna go, they'll just break, well the hinge bit anyway.

Still, said it before and I'll say it again, never owned a car where the poxy door handle/hinge breaking off was an issue, just poor design imo and something that shouldn't ever happen on any car, especially from a safety perspective. Imagine a pumping addrenalin fuelled fire and rescue person trying to rip your door open to get you out in an emergency and then finding him/herself flat on their ass because 'da door 'andle come off Guv' :(
 
Imagine a pumping addrenalin fuelled fire and rescue person trying to rip your door open to get you out in an emergency and then finding him/herself flat on their ass because 'da door 'andle come off Guv' :(

That's an important angle I hadn't considered before, and raises the issue from the level of being an annoyance to being a serious safety concern. An accident is quite likely to cause a door to jam or stiffen, which will put more stress on the hinge when someone tries to open it, thereby making failure more likely. In such a situation, hinge failure could cost someone their life.
 
That's an important angle I hadn't considered before, and raises the issue from the level of being an annoyance to being a serious safety concern. An accident is quite likely to cause a door to jam or stiffen, which will put more stress on the hinge when someone tries to open it, thereby making failure more likely. In such a situation, hinge failure could cost someone their life.
That is a very good point, never thought of that one. However, the Water Fairies would smash the window and open the door from the inside, but it certainly is feasible that this could cost valuable seconds at an RTC.

I've taken annual leave tomorrow as I have a host of jobs on both 500s to do. Put the new hinge on Blondie, and then Bluey needs the steering wheel taking off and putting back on with the wheels straight, sorting out my heater control panel where the Start/Stop and heated rear window button don't work and then hopefully at long last changing the airbag ECU.

Oh yes, and with my previous locking brakes. They are not perfect, I can feel sometimes that when I come to a stop at traffic lights you can feel that they are just very slightly locking still. If I put my foot under the pedal and pull it up, they seem to release. Although I've de-gunked the reaction frames, I'm going to fit a new set of pads and see what happens. If they are still like it, I'm going to put new calipers on. I think it's them that are sticking, but want to try with new pads first.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the hinge. My hinge was free and working properly, 10 minutes later I went back out, opened the door and snap.
 
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Ours just snapped Mick, no warning. Unless you're anal enough to regularly check them/lubricate where necessary, you won't really know when they're gonna go, they'll just break, well the hinge bit anyway.
Having read a few posts on this, and also the excellent guide by Marcoventuri https://www.fiatforum.com/500-guides/316198-broken-door-handle-articulator-hinge-repair.html I haven't seen any pictures of the breakage or pictures of what actually breaks.

What specifically is the problem with the door handle hinge?

Are there any photographs on the forum?
Have I missed them?
Where and how can they be lubricated and what with?
Prevention is obviously better than cure.

It looks like I have to put the door handles on my list for checking along with the hatch wiring loom. (y)

Thanks,
Mick.
 
What specifically is the problem with the door handle hinge?

The hinge is rather flimsy, made from a material that corrodes easily, and they are assembled in the factory without any protective coating or lubrication.

By far the best way to lubricate them is to take the handles off, which means removing the door cards. If they break, you'll have to do this anyway. Then any decent quality grease with good water & corrosion resistance will suffice. This should also be done whenever a new hinge is fitted or it'll soon go the same way as the original.

If you're going to lubricate them in situ, I'd suggest a silicone spray through a straw to help you get the lubricant where it's needed - something like this. WD40 is a poor choice as it will both attract dust and attack any rubber-based seals in and around the handle.

Fiat could have prevented this from happening either by making the hinges out of better materials, or by lubricating the hinges in the factory.
 
The hinge is rather flimsy, made from a material that corrodes easily, and they are assembled in the factory without any protective coating or lubrication.

By far the best way to lubricate them is to take the handles off, which means removing the door cards. If they break, you'll have to do this anyway. Then any decent quality grease with good water & corrosion resistance will suffice. This should also be done whenever a new hinge is fitted or it'll soon go the same way as the original.

If you're going to lubricate them in situ, I'd suggest a silicone spray through a straw to help you get the lubricant where it's needed - something like this. WD40 is a poor choice as it will both attract dust and attack any rubber-based seals in and around the handle.

Fiat could have prevented this from happening either by making the hinges out of better materials, or by lubricating the hinges in the factory.
JR Kitching I use WD40 to lube it and so far so good. The rubber based seals around the handle are thinner but are still fine after 5 years of spraying every 2-3 months or so. I am more worried about the door handle falling off than the rubber seals to be honest! And I use both door hinges at least twice everyday.
 
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