I'm leasing my Fiat 500 and I've only had it for just over a year.

Over the past couple of months I have noticed my coolant disappearing really quickly, and once it's nearing empty the heaters in my car don't work, the 'radiator temperature too high' comes on and turns back off a few times during a journey, particularly when I'm stuck in non-moving/very slow traffic.

My car is booked in tomorrow to get it checked out but I was wondering if anyone knew anything that could be wrong or has had a similar experience?

If so, how long will the fixing take? Do you think I will get it back within the day or will it be a while?

Please help, got a lot on this week that I won't be able to do without a car PLUS Arnold Clark have just informed me they don't give courtesy cars

KATIEC123 said:

I'm leasing my Fiat 500 and I've only had it for just over a year.

Over the past couple of months I have noticed my coolant disappearing really quickly, and once it's nearing empty the heaters in my car don't work, the 'radiator temperature too high' comes on and turns back off a few times during a journey, particularly when I'm stuck in non-moving/very slow traffic.

My car is booked in tomorrow to get it checked out but I was wondering if anyone knew anything that could be wrong or has had a similar experience?

If so, how long will the fixing take? Do you think I will get it back within the day or will it be a while?

Please help, got a lot on this week that I won't be able to do without a car PLUS Arnold Clark have just informed me they don't give courtesy cars

Click to expand...

hi Katie, and welcome to FF

ok, coolant loss means that there isn't enough to flow around the heater.. that's a "normal" sign of low coolant.. not an issue in itself - more of a "symptom"

the leak..,
probably a loose hose clip..minor dribble kind of leak..,

there have been instances of a plastic hose part breaking..,
so in some respects that's supect #1

Head Gasket Failure IS a possibility.. but unlikely..,

that's essentially "worse case scenario" and a major job - if paying main dealer rates,


Charlie
the plastic part that I suspect is - @£80 for the part and an hours labour

Well headgasket signals mostly comes with white smoke coming up from the exhaust system and engine that is not running smooth (white paste signs on the engine oil cap + dirty collant) . First you need to start from the easy things like checking if there's a problem with the hose clip that is well known on the 1.2 model with some problems, it might be the radiator too.
Do you have to fill the coolant up every day or everytime you drive the car?
Can you find coolant marks on the floor beneath the engine area?

Notice that if the car will heat to much the way to headgasket problem can be very short..and pricey!

Whoa folks, let's try to tailor our response to the needs of the OP.

This is a lease car under warranty - sorting it out is the dealer's responsibility. The OP is concerned about being left without a car and is asking how long the repair will likely take.

The answer is that it depends on what's wrong. If it's just a simple external leak, that should be fixable same day; if it's more serious and the HG has failed, then it's an engine stripdown and it could take a few days - perhaps more if the dealership has to wait for Fiat to authorise the repair.

That said, I'll comment on driving any car 'for a couple of months' when it's losing coolant to the point the heater is blowing cold and the overtemp warning is coming on . Hardly what I'd call good practice and quite likely to result in serious engine damage. Unexpected coolant loss should always be investigated promptly and the cause of the problem found and rectified before continuing to use the car. I've lost count of the number of engines I've seen ruined as a result of failing to do this.

KATIEC123 said:

I'm leasing my Fiat 500 and I've only had it for just over a year.

Over the past couple of months I have noticed my coolant disappearing really quickly, and once it's nearing empty the heaters in my car don't work, the 'radiator temperature too high' comes on and turns back off a few times during a journey, particularly when I'm stuck in non-moving/very slow traffic.

My car is booked in tomorrow to get it checked out but I was wondering if anyone knew anything that could be wrong or has had a similar experience?

If so, how long will the fixing take? Do you think I will get it back within the day or will it be a while?

Please help, got a lot on this week that I won't be able to do without a car PLUS Arnold Clark have just informed me they don't give courtesy cars

Click to expand...

perhaps you should go to a fiat dealer that does give courtesy cars.