General Fiat 500L reliability - better info

[mkaresh]

I wanted more up-to-date car reliability information that made the differences between cars clearer. So a few years ago I started getting people together to make this possible. TrueDelta now updates actual repair frequencies, not just dots, four times a year, to track cars closely as they age.

We've had excellent participation by Fiat 500 owners. I've love to have reliability stats for the 500L as well--just a matter of getting enough owners involved!

Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, following the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, participants receive full access to all results, not just those for the 500L, for free. I'll share results for the 500L in this thread after each update (once we have them).

http://www.truedelta.com/join

 

[fused]

I registered and then went on a search. The web site kept bringing up the wrong model or even brand...
I'm an IT guy, I believe that I know how to use a simple web site, this one seems to have some problems.
Just sayin...

 

[mkaresh]

I registered and then went on a search. The web site kept bringing up the wrong model or even brand...
I'm an IT guy, I believe that I know how to use a simple web site, this one seems to have some problems.
Just sayin...

First I've heard of this. Can you provide a specific example? If there's a bug, we can (and would like to) fix it.

 

[fused]

It seems to be working now...
Maybe, its the first time someone enters into a new category? I added Fiat 500L since it was requested on this site by yourself... Always glad to help.

 

[mkaresh]

Thanks for trying, and for signing up.

There are multiple ways to get to any particular page. You might have tried a different path that I also haven't tested recently. If you come across the same error again, please contact me through the site with what you clicked on where.

 

[mkaresh]

Ten owners signed up so far. A decent start, but we'll need at least 25 responses to provide reasonably precise stats.

To help get the 500L included:

www.truedelta.com/join

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi,
I've had a look at the site and it looks very good,

however as a UK resident I find it strange that UK spec cars( Ireland-land rover) are posting in a US results survey..surely this cannot be an ideal..??,

as we all know the US Fiat 500's are quite different to the European versions !
Charlie

 

[Ulpian]

I think the reason lies in the fact that the 500L is unusual and interesting in America, and people there are a bit excited by the novelty. Rightly so. American road tests I've seen on YouTube have been much more comprehensive than anything our journos offer.

Here it is just another Fiat and I detect no great excitement, not even from owners posting here. Saying that, there do seem to be a few more about than and I think they are selling. And as you say, the American versions are different - better I'd say, they have more powerful engines and that makes them a good drive. Here we are lumbered with underpowered motors, although the 1.6 Diesel 120 is available in Italy and doubtless elsewhere, and will likely arrive here soon. As usual we get the proper engine last, but at what cost?

For most British buyers the 500L is simply an alternative to a host of similar segment cars, in the US it has far fewer direct competitors and is consequently unusual.

 

[mkaresh]

Hi,
I've had a look at the site and it looks very good,

however as a UK resident I find it strange that UK spec cars( Ireland-land rover) are posting in a US results survey..surely this cannot be an ideal..??,

as we all know the US Fiat 500's are quite different to the European versions !
Charlie

Correct, it's not ideal. If the sample included a significant number of UK and European 500s or failures were unique to one version or the other we'd split them.

It's less complicated with the 500L, as aside from the powertrain (which usually isn't a problem area for the first few years) they're similar and come out of the same Serbian factory.

 

[mkaresh]

I think the reason lies in the fact that the 500L is unusual and interesting in America, and people there are a bit excited by the novelty. Rightly so.

Quite true that we have no other vehicles quite like the 500L here. I always include a comparison vehicle in my reviews, and when I reviewed the 500L the closest match was a Kia Soul. We don't have any other C-segment MPVs except for the Ford C-MAX, and the Ford is only offered here as a hybrid.

 

[mkaresh]

Nineteen now signed up, and we should have at least a preliminary stat in May. It could be close, so even a few more responses could be very helpful.

To sign up to help:

www.truedelta.com/join

 

[mkaresh]

Now 26 signed up, and we should have an initial reliability stat for the car next month. Currently we're just a single response short.

The initial stat will be asterisked. With a few more participants we could eliminate that asterisk (and the imprecise stat it indicates) with the following update.

To help make this happen:

www.truedelta.com/join

 

[mkaresh]

Our reliability stats for the 500L now include owner experiences through March 31, 2014, making them nearly a year ahead of other sources.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 500L: 18, low, small sample size

Thank you, once again, everyone who has been helping. Next update in August.

For a deeper dive, including the stats for other cars and repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Fiat 500L reliability ratings and comparisons

 

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the 500L to include owner experiences through June 30, 2014.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 500L: 38, moderate

Next updates in November and in February. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

For repair descriptions, the stats of other cars, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Fiat 500L reliability ratings and comparisons

 

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the 500L to include owner experiences through September 30, 2014.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 500L: 41, moderate

To view the repairs behind these numbers, check the stats for other cars, and sign up to help improve this information (next update in February):

Fiat 500L reliability ratings and comparisons

 

[Terje79]

This is tricky.
After reading this forum and other, I have concluded that European cars are better in terms of reliability than cars in the USA.
What do you think?

 

[MJG]

This is tricky.
After reading this forum and other, I have concluded that European cars are better in terms of reliability than cars in the USA.
What do you think?

Purely based on what I read on here (and other sites) I would say yes. The 500L as sold in the US does unfortunately seem to have a disproportionate number of issues, primarily it would seem due to the fitment of a different auto transmission.


Allegedly the transmission issue is now resolved but in choosing to go down the route of a 'proper' auto transmission rather than a robotised manual version that we get here they seem to have scored a bit of an own goal.

 

[GiuseppesMama]

You won't like the results at the end of 2015. My car has been in the shop 6 times since the new year and as of today is sitting at the dealership dead until they can figure out how to fix triggering the anti theft device and having it immobilized on them. Even FIAT has no fix at the moment

 

[mkaresh]

The difference could be more with the owners than the cars. Americans tend to be more sensitive about relatively minor problems. With the survey we try to avoid this issue by requesting that all repairs be reported, not just those considered serious (the wording of someone else's survey).

The 2014 500L had the DCT. No conventional manual until the 2015.

Additional participants would be very helpful, especially for the 2015.

www.truedelta.com/join

 

[mkaresh]

We've updated our reliability stats for the 500L to include owner experiences through September 30, 2015. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 500L: 54, moderate

We'll have further updates in February and in May. Additional participants are needed to provide precise stats for all model years.

For the details, including repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Fiat 500L reliability ratings and comparisons