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500 Constantly breaking down fiat
- Thread starter Cg123
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500 Constantly breaking down fiat
A LIST of issues..that have amounted to 600 ?
Sounds like a lot of this is neglect..where most people would have just bought a different vehicle.
I'm no mechanic so I can't tell you the exact problem but it was along the lines of the coil and something else burned out??? Meaning that the car was jugging ALOT the guy told me it was un drive able.
Yeah! A lot of people would've given up by now but when your a student with barely any money you can't afford to go and buy another car!
Hi and welcome
It sounds like the previous owners may not have taken great care of the little 500 unfortunately and it's fallen to you to try and keep it going.
Here's a link to a washer nozzle, should just be a push fit so easy to DIY.
Regarding servicing, it either needs doing at a particular mileage or yearly, whichever comes first. What type of service it needs is dependent on the age/mileage. The handbook should contain a service schedule so you can get a rough idea of what needs doing. The likelihood is that it's just an oil/filter change and visual inspection of brakes, etc.
If you're not looking to start getting into your own maintenance, let us know where in the world you are and maybe someone local can suggest a trustworthy garage
I fixed it!!!!!! All it took was plyers and a little bit of patience thank you
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Welcome to the world of Fix It Again Tomorrow........
This is the quote I got told the first time I had to get it fixed and it wasn't wrong!!!
I have looked underneath the wheel and you can see the light from there! However the panel was already gone and the light was just bare, I have tried pushing and weaving the light back into place but haven't yet done it so I will have to spend some time on it with some silicone and tape
I only had 3 months warranty or 3000 miles! Which is perfect for them when the big problem came 6 months after the purchase! The garage said that it wasn't something that I had done either or could have prevented!
MOT only due next march
Well I honestly hope he didn't just swap out a coil pack and then charged you a ridiculous sum to do it. A brand new coil pack is this price:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KA-FIAT-5...800594?hash=item3abdd2a052:g:gxoAAOSwWTRWyD8u
It would be interesting to know what it is they've charged you for exactly. It should be detailed on your invoice........
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I was referring to buying 'with your eyes open'
Either getting a big discount..and getting it serviced straight away.. with the discount cash..
Or buying a different ..better cared for .. example
My grandad deals with the paperwork side! Yeah I suppose he could have but he seems like a genuine guy however it is a fiat franchise! The 600 was spent on other things like the door handle and wing mirror but just this problem was supposed to be just over £500 but charged £485?? Cash
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My grandad knows an engine so actually had a look. I'm not just a ditsy student trying to get a car as fast as possible[emoji1] not all problems are visible
Unfortunately.
Burnt ECU terminals.caused by overworked coils. Brought on by worn out spark plugs
Are a common feature ..
STILL HERE after 20 years of this engine in the UK
FIATs are a cheap buy so some people just treat them as disposable..
Properly looked after the engines are actually pretty tough.
Burnt ECU terminals.caused by overworked coils. Brought on by worn out spark plugs
Are a common feature ..
STILL HERE after 20 years of this engine in the UK
FIATs are a cheap buy so some people just treat them as disposable..
Properly looked after the engines are actually pretty tough.
If you can look through the inner wheel arch to behind the light cluster, without removing any cover, its gone missing!
This is what should be there;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-...ug-71752114-/122538707153?hash=item1c87e048d1
I've lost several, now I drilled some holes in it and the inner wing trim and cable tied it in place(on the advice of a forum member) so it won't go missing again, you don't have to replace it but it does stop lots of crap being thrown at the rear of the light in winter from the wheel?
This is what should be there;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-...ug-71752114-/122538707153?hash=item1c87e048d1
I've lost several, now I drilled some holes in it and the inner wing trim and cable tied it in place(on the advice of a forum member) so it won't go missing again, you don't have to replace it but it does stop lots of crap being thrown at the rear of the light in winter from the wheel?
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- Joined
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- Messages
- 189
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As others have suspected perhaps the two owners prior to yourself didn't take very good care of this car. Can you confirm the mileage and service history?
To be honest, this wording and the title of the tread 'Constantly breaking down Fiat' is a little unfair to Fiat, the car suffered one breakdown issue (neglect and/or bad luck??) which I assume is now fixed albiet at a high cost.
My interest in what the £600 was for is based upon the fact I also own a 2013 500 in 1.2 flavour since new. It luckily has been 100% reliable so far but am fully aware I will need to spend money on it within the next 12 months or so...cars are never cheap!
With the help from this forum I am aware of potential faults in the near future and can prevent and look out for (and budget for) them. It also helps with regular maintenance advice, such as timing belt (job in early 2018 for mine), getting people's recommendations and experiences so as not to pay over the odds.
BTW, as a preventative measure I put a new Bosch S/S AGM battery in yesterday (£120 delivered!!!), modern batteries can fail suddenly and I didn't care for my wife becoming stranded plus having to pay inflated prices for a new battery from the breakdown company.
To be honest, this wording and the title of the tread 'Constantly breaking down Fiat' is a little unfair to Fiat, the car suffered one breakdown issue (neglect and/or bad luck??) which I assume is now fixed albiet at a high cost.
My interest in what the £600 was for is based upon the fact I also own a 2013 500 in 1.2 flavour since new. It luckily has been 100% reliable so far but am fully aware I will need to spend money on it within the next 12 months or so...cars are never cheap!
With the help from this forum I am aware of potential faults in the near future and can prevent and look out for (and budget for) them. It also helps with regular maintenance advice, such as timing belt (job in early 2018 for mine), getting people's recommendations and experiences so as not to pay over the odds.
BTW, as a preventative measure I put a new Bosch S/S AGM battery in yesterday (£120 delivered!!!), modern batteries can fail suddenly and I didn't care for my wife becoming stranded plus having to pay inflated prices for a new battery from the breakdown company.
Having owned two Fiat 500's, one from only 4 months old with just 825 miles on the clock and the other pre-reg errr, sort of brand new, a year old sat in the dealership compound kind of way! I can honestly say that both cars were the most problematic vehicles from a reliability perspective, that I've owned in 31 years of car ownership.
Don't get me wrong, me and the wife loved driving both cars, but as has been documented by so many owners on this forum, we got sick of door handles breaking off, constant niggling electrical faults, flashing instrument pods, climate control flaps breaking, boot micro switches packing up, a Stop/Start system that just worked when it felt like it, yes we all know what they are! This is all in stark contrast to the Hyundai i10 1.2 we have owned from new for the last two years. Not a single mechanical, electrical or bodywork fault from day one. Might look a bit boring compared to a 500, but at least it's reliable!
It's a bit of a crying shame really, if both the 500's we owned weren't beset with so many problems, we'd still have one or both of them now. I just feel a bit of a twit buying the second car after the first one, but I guess you sort of get hooked on a nice looking little motor.
Don't get me wrong, me and the wife loved driving both cars, but as has been documented by so many owners on this forum, we got sick of door handles breaking off, constant niggling electrical faults, flashing instrument pods, climate control flaps breaking, boot micro switches packing up, a Stop/Start system that just worked when it felt like it, yes we all know what they are! This is all in stark contrast to the Hyundai i10 1.2 we have owned from new for the last two years. Not a single mechanical, electrical or bodywork fault from day one. Might look a bit boring compared to a 500, but at least it's reliable!
It's a bit of a crying shame really, if both the 500's we owned weren't beset with so many problems, we'd still have one or both of them now. I just feel a bit of a twit buying the second car after the first one, but I guess you sort of get hooked on a nice looking little motor.
I think the 500's life span is about 8 years, without a caring owner who'll put in time and money to keep it going after this time? lets face it how many 10/11 plate cars do you see? never mind the 57-10 plate cars that have vanished? Ours is 59 plate.
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Have you fixed this yet?
If you can't fix it or you need a new one.....non genuine
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-500-...544063&hash=item1c87c4e96d:g:0NAAAOSw8d5ZS4VC
or genuine Fiat:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-F...931206?hash=item2817f9af86:g:hKwAAOSwYGFUr9QX
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Its not the first time I've seen that light pushed into the bumper, on here, so something must must be a weak point? if its the bumper side fixings that's a much bigger issue, if the tabs have broken off the light cluster, they're usually made from ABS which can be glued with the right type of glue, takes longer to fix but cheaper. Typecastboy may be able to help re the way its attached?
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