500 Cabrio: We found this broken part in the boot (middle, near the lock) when opening it.
Colour is fairly but not exactly similar to the roof and spoiler (see avatar photo). Size is around 1 inch in length.
Checking all the openings around the roof edges in various opening positions (as far as possible without dismantling it) did not show any missing pieces. I also took the felt cover off the boot lid and the "shelf" in the rear, nothing seems to be amiss.
Fiat dealer said they don´t know the part.
Since the car is relatively new and we opened the roof only a couple of times recently in the first early warm days of spring, we still suspect it may come from the innards of the roof and mechanics, since we have no idea how else it should have made its way into the boot. Roof is operating ok, though.

Any ideas on this ?

Looks like some sort of end cap perhaps off one of the rails/frame for the roof mechanism

Hard to tell what size it is but I'd hazard a fairly confident guess it's not part of the car, let alone part of the roof. Certainly like nothing I've seen on our cabrio's in five years. Does it have the FIAT name or any numbers on it?

It looks like a clamp for a bar or rod. My guess would be holding the roof. Either number 3 or 4 in the pic below.

Stick your head in the boot and look up with a torch, you should find another like it, hopefully not broken.

If the car is nearly new, this is warranty. The garage needs to idenify the part, and replace it, for free. If it is supposed to be securing the roof, the others will now be under more stress. You don't need the back end of the roof flapping in the breeze.

Thanks for all the ideas. I did another excursion into the interiors of the boot, removed both the top and the bottom cover of the shelf that holds the roof motor. Nothing that looks anything like the part, nothing seems to be amiss. Any gaps of the roof undercurtain I could lift and peek in, same there. No obvious missing parts.

I'm inclined to believe it might have come from somewhere else.

Btw, what is the big black "handle" for that sits on the shelf ? I thought it somehow holds the rear windscreen when folded, but I lowered and raised the roof, it does not need the thing. Is it for the rear wind guard ?

Gina500 said:

Btw, what is the big black "handle" for that sits on the shelf ? I thought it somehow holds the rear windscreen when folded, but I lowered and raised the roof, it does not need the thing. Is it for the rear wind guard ?

Click to expand...

It does support the wind guard but I believe the 'handle' is meant to stop the rear glass from slicing someone's head off in the event of a collision... could be mistaken.

In my car it's proved a very handy place to mount the rear dashcam..