JulieP said:

I have a mechanic looking tonight at the wishbone does this look ok https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Genuine-OEM-Fiat-500-Front-Left-Control-Arm-Wishbone-51857021-/363273120424?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

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I think it looks expensive for one suspension arm. Especially if you're on a tight budget with other car bills piling up.

The Original Birth parts I linked to above from Shop4Parts are good quality and nearly half the price here: https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=...pts=1100&term=Fiat_500_1.2_8v_Suspension_Arms

And I think @dac69er gets his at around £40 for a pair and finds they last well.

I agree with Baglady & jrk. Buy cheaper & get both done at the same time.

It'll cost you much more in labour to do one at a time. Once the garage has your car up in the air with the bumper off it's only an extra 10min or so to replace the other arm.

Plus one worn bush might mean your tracking can't be accurately set and cause further wear on your tyres.

JulieP said:

But worries about buying off eBay.

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I know what you mean - such sites have a mix of genuine businesses and dodgy dealers.

Best way is to cross-reference the vendor's name & see if they're genuine.

A lot of independent retailers have an eBay presence, and I think it's good to support them over the big chains.

That posting you linked to seems to be this outfit: https://www.sandicliffe.co.uk/
So yes, as jrk says they seem to be a genuine business.

Plus, eBay have good buyer protection in case you don't get what you ordered. I've never had a problem.

Personally, I'm happy to use eBay for non-critical car bits & bobs. For steering, suspension & brake components? You need to know you're getting genuine quality parts.

Would you recommend a particular suspension arm?

Thanks I’ve looked back and I can’t see the link for the birth one don’t suppose you can re-link it for me thank you

rmjbn1 said:

The Birth Original I linked to from Shop4 Parts are good quality and nearly half the price.

I agree with Baglady & jrk. Buy cheaper & get both done at the same time.

It'll cost you much more in labour to do one at a time. Plus one worn bush might mean your tracking can't be accurately set and cause further wear on your tyres.

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Yup, all the above, but, if buying on line go separately into the vendor's shop site and see what else is being offered. If it's all motor trade related tools and parts for cars you're probably on a winner. If it's just one or two car parts and then stuff like household cleaners, lawn weed killer and ladies scarfs etc - ie, non car related stuff - I'd be looking elsewhere. Be constantly aware there is a very big business in counterfeit parts for cars these days so don't be tempted by dodgy looking stuff. Not so long ago there were a lot of counterfeit spark plugs around which you really couldn't tell by looking at them! In fact how you can tell if something is dodgy I don't know, personally I just buy from "trusted sources" I've built up over the years. I've had a number of Original Birth branded items from S4p over the last two or three years. When I ordered the first one - the metal water pump pipe for our Panda - I was very nervous about what I might get as I'd never heard of the brand and anyway, it sounds a bit amateurish, but the local main dealer was wanting really "silly" money so I went with S4p. In the event it was of excellent quality and I've had several more Original Birth branded parts from them all of which have been of good quality and saved me quite a bit of money, Becky's thermostat being the latest purchase, which came with a gasket as part of the kit which doesn't happen with the genuine Fiat one where you have to buy the gasket separately. I'd strongly recommend S4p to you and encourage you to ring them if in doubt about anything. I've found they fall over themselves to try to help and often have parts in stock which are not on the website.

If you can scrape enough money together to do both arms that is definitely the best option. If both the old arms are the same age, even though the "other" one looks serviceable at this time you can bet your boots that the rubber will have aged and, very likely, partially separated from the metal and will not be behaving as the new bush does. Also, if the same age, the chances are good that it will fail soon, you won't know that until you begin to notice the front tyres wearing strangely - often rapid wear on the inside shoulder which you won't notice unless you either stick your head under the car or notice it when the car is parked on full lock (which I always try not to do in deference to the steering rack and CV boots).

JulieP said:

Thanks I’ve looked back and I can’t see the link for the birth one don’t suppose you can re-link it for me thank you

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Could be this here? https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=...pts=1100&term=Fiat_500_1.2_8v_Suspension_Arms but give them a ring with your reg no and Vin to hand for definite confirmation

PS get a new pinch bolt and nut while you're at it as the old one will likely be damaged - either corroded or bent or partially stripped or stretched or ?

Birth Arms: https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=...pts=1100&term=Fiat_500_1.2_8v_Suspension_Arms

As above, buy Birth but buy birth.. (my Geordie impression.. Ahhhh Ahhhh)

Birth aren't too bad, in my experience. They're not as good as Lemforder but on the other hand, if they last you 3 years then you can worry about replacing them again later on, when you might have won the lottery or no longer have the car...

While your mechanic is fitting new arms, get him to have a look at the cam-belt. It could have been changed but not recorded anywhere. The date of manufacture won't be on the belt any more - they tend to get rubbed off.. but the tensioner will have a date stamp on it.. usually a circle with a number of dots around it.

The year is the number in the centre and the number of dots is the month it was made (7 dots = July.. etc.) If your tensioner has anything bigger than "12" in the centre then the tensioner is not the factory one. The tensioner (and belt) were probably replaced about 6-9 months after the tensioner was made.

Once you have your new arms on and new tyres fitted (front and back, or back ones only) then get your tracking done. Some tyre places will do you a discounted tracking if you buy the tyres there, so I'd get a quote for the whole thing.

Don't track the tyres before you replace the arms.. since fitting the new arms will alter the tracking.



Ralf S.

Ok Thankyou. Should I look up lemforder? However the car is 2012 so I guess it’s questionable how long I will be keeping it. I am going to change when I can afford to as I don’t want to go down the finance route. I’ve been thinking fiat doblo Berlin go/ something bigger for my menagerie. But for now I have to keep the fiat. I’ll pass on the timing info to the mechanic later.

JulieP said:

Would you recommend a particular suspension arm?

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We went for Lemforder arms on the basis we are keeping the car until scrap so worth the expense, you need to decide whether you're going to keep the car for say another 4 years or just about 2? once a certain number of items have been replaced then you have cheap motoring again for several more years, I spent roughly £1500 on parts/cosmetic parts when we bought the car 6 years ago for the last 5 nothing much has needed replacing now 12 years old, only the rear beam that's just been done being the parts replaced and a broken coil spring(new only 5 years ago)

I know it can be disheartening when lots of issues come together - they always seem to!

But I think some of the best advice I've read on this thread was from Jock to take the RAC mechanic's advice with a pinch of salt.

Certainly regarding the tappets - some of these engines can be a little rattly on first start-up, but if it goes away it's nothing to worry about.

Just because one mechanic suggests a load of work needs doing doesn't necessarily make it so. After all, they may be advised to 'upsell' other work & services.

Sadly it's not unknown for garages to scare women in to having extra work carried out. My sister was convinced her perfectly healthy Punto was only fit for the scrap heap after a visit to KwikFit for a service.

If your wishbone bush really needed replacing it would have shown up on the recent MoT. That's what it's for - they test steering, suspension and brake components pretty thoroughly to make sure your car is roadworthy.

In your place, I would budget around £200 to be prepared to replace both wishbones next MoT if it needs it.

On reflection, I agree with John202020 above, do the door handles if you can before they get worse.

And if Ralph S's excellent advice regarding the timing belt proves it is old, then budget to replace it when you can.