General Abarth Stolen

[Goudrons]

I know it's late but you can save your other cars anti theft devices/tools (mechanical ones) are good cheap options without doing modifications to the electrical system, the pedals lock,the steering wheel lock,the wheels lock, if you can use all of these at the same time it will make it a hard target for the burglar, he won't try to open the car because it will take a long time, people traveling away will find this a great idea, 4 wheels locks for each wheel and 3 pedal locks for the 3 pedals in case it's a manual car which can lock the steering wheel too, and three dedicated steering wheel locks (the baseball bat), it will be great if the car has an alarm and the place have cctv cams and I hope you reclaim your Abarth

there's a great option too, people leaving their homes and travel alot might park their car at a relatives house, my late father used to park his car at his family house before traveling abroad, there they were maintaining,cleaning and watching over it

I hope you retrieve your car as fast as possible

There are a few things that need to be considered here in the UK.

First off, if the car it locked up tight and they are intent on stealing it, they think nothing of breaking into your house for the keys.
I am a bit relieved my car went missing as it did, my mrs and I talked about this and both agreed either of us would have coped if we'd been burgled while asleep in bed, it's not far from the worse scenario we could imagine.
Even the thought of being burgled while away fills us with dread, our home is our castle and no fecker is welcome uninvited!

I have in the past parked up at work while I was away, mainly for easy access to mainline train stations, but my insurance do ask me where I regularly park my car in the day and at night.
I can only imagine the hassle explaining why my car was parked elsewhere for such a length of time when I already stated it's usually outside my address on the proposal.

The claims handler did actually confirm where is was parked in relation to my home on Google Earth!
They also knew I left it unattended for a week as I couldn't tell them/police when it actually went missing, just between certain dates.

As everything seems to be proceeding well with the insurance I am starting to realise things could have been a lot worse.

 

[Goudrons]

Looks like a settlement agreement has been made.

My insurance already authorized payment for some personal effects that were in the car when it was stolen, though that's not hit my bank yet.

Didn't need to haggle with the actual payout for the car, they asked me what I thought it was worth, I emailed them a Whatcar valuation (top end dealer price) and they're paying it.

It's all been pretty deflating and I was thinking of cheering myself up with another purchase but I am not too sure if another Abarth will fill the void of my old one.

I've had my eye on 695 Rivale that's in my dealers network.
Problem is, there's another one parked up a couple of streets away which puts me off a bit.

I also like the idea of a Comp with 180hp and the same network have a couple with delivery mileage at a reasonable price (for an Abarth).
Trouble is, I don't like the matt black trim on the outside, the door handles, badge surrounds and number plate plinth all look a bit cheap.

 

[typecastboy]

Get yourself a tracker on the next one. The thieves won’t be expecting that and normally park them up somewhere for a few days anyway allowing you time to find it.

 

[bilo999]

Looks like a settlement agreement has been made.

My insurance already authorized payment for some personal effects that were in the car when it was stolen, though that's not hit my bank yet.

Didn't need to haggle with the actual payout for the car, they asked me what I thought it was worth, I emailed them a Whatcar valuation (top end dealer price) and they're paying it.

It's all been pretty deflating and I was thinking of cheering myself up with another purchase but I am not too sure if another Abarth will fill the void of my old one.

I've had my eye on 695 Rivale that's in my dealers network.
Problem is, there's another one parked up a couple of streets away which puts me off a bit.

I also like the idea of a Comp with 180hp and the same network have a couple with delivery mileage at a reasonable price (for an Abarth).
Trouble is, I don't like the matt black trim on the outside, the door handles, badge surrounds and number plate plinth all look a bit cheap.

Sorry to hear about this - my sisters Abarth was stolen off the drive about 3 years ago - they broke into the house whilst all were at home to find the keys - agree - it was not nice for them.


They fell victim to part of an organised car theft group, Police were excellent and responded in 4 mins when it happened.


The group were caught about six months later and were stealing cars to order...…


My sisters order must have gone wrong as it was seen being pushed off a low loader on fire about four weeks after to was stolen...


She replaced it with a 595 comp

 

[Goudrons]

Insurance all done and dusted.

Swiftcover/Axa have been pretty good, all done via phone/email so no waiting for lots of papers in the post.

The settlement negotiation was very easy, they asked me what I thought it was worth and they pretty much agreed.

I expected to see £300 excess sliced off the payment (£250 of which was compulsory), but it looks like they worked that into the settlement, so that was a nice surprise, though they did "lose" the bank transfer to settle the finance for a few days due to a "glitch".

This caused me to pay another months payment, which FCA are in the process of paying back to me, seems I get some interest back on this payment, so I'm up £30 on that!

They also coughed up for a few personal effects I had in the car, dashcam, sunglasses, Kylie CD's and the likes.

As I got a handsome Privilege contribution when I bought it, when I work everything out, it cost me very little over the 15 or so months I owned it.

Roughly, the invoice was 19500 with 3500 contribution which left 16000.
The insurance overall paid just short of 15000, so it cost me just over a grand.

I have shelved plans to replace it for a while.
Got some plans I want to sort out before I consider another.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I am sorry to hear your sad tale and hope I don't ever have to deal with anything similar. It is one big consideration when deciding whether to buy or lease! MY thoughts about the criminals are unprintable.

Just got it with the hint.

...... the Dacia Sandero has arrived!

I hope you get back in your chosen car before too long. I know I feel vulnerable with the Panda because the insurance rating actually states the security is off the bottom of the scale. I am going to do some modifications to make it undriveable except by me. I am sure the post will provide valuable guidance to others similarly afflicted.

All the very best in the replacement process. I think car buying is the most unpleasant possible experience and shall probably lease the next one!

 

[Goudrons]

Just got it with the hint.

...... the Dacia Sandero has arrived!

I hope you get back in your chosen car before too long.

I might have been a bit down on the Sandero Stepway at first, but I'm starting to get on with Larry a bit more.

The 0.9 TCe engine doesn't have much torque low down, typical small turbo engine really, though it is pretty economical, you don't struggle to see high 40's and even 50 mpg on a steady trip, get it on boost and it's quite zingy, almost cartoon like.


There's a touch of body roll in corners, pretty much similar to the Panda 4x4, but it just doesn't understeer.
It tracks around corners better than you expect, far better than the seats can cope with, nearly ended up in the passenger footwell a few times, upside down!

Steering is weightier than the Panda, at slow speed it can feel a bit too heavy, though the assistance soon kicks in after an initial tug on the wheel.

There's some nice touches, nice wide opening doors, big boot, gas struts on the bonnet so no prop, clever remotely sited slide in air filter, they've even moved the cabin filter cover to account for RHD, so it's in the passenger footwell, unlike the Panda.

It all looks really easy to work on and service, obviously a nod to it's cheap build and running costs.

There's a bit of road feedback through the steering wheel over bumps, but I find it a lot more comfortable than my old Panda 4x4 TA.

Bad bits, well they aren't really that many.
There's no left foot rest, though my foot just fits in the gap between the clutch pedal and the transmission tunnel.

The gear lever is a little sloppy and notchy and the clutch is so light there's little feel to it, but you do get used to it.

The heater fan is pretty noisy on settings 3 and 4.

I put a towbar on it and the body looked well protected with undersealed underneath, though like the Panda some of the bolt on suspension parts looked poorly painted.

I reckon it'll give me 3 years will little cost and I'll still be able to move it on for a good price, they seem to hold on to their value well, probably due to Dacia not discounting them.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I was impressed when I tried one too. A cut above what I was expecting and quite good enough as decent basic transport. I usually find you have to drive something a few thousand miles before you really get the measure, and when familiar you can deal with most things. If the badge snobs want to dismiss Dacia, more fool them! I had 8 Renaults and found them decent enough. Do watch out on the front brakes that they don't stick. Clios have a habit of sticky calipers and the back sides of the discs rust as a result. I feel they need service attention a lot more regularly than they should. At least discs for them are cheap as chips. It annoying that one side of the disc stays nice and shiny when the other doesn't....

 

[Rocco Reviews]

The lock/key arrangement is like all the rest of the 500's.

One remote central locking key and one plain spare key.

I thought they came with 2 keyless entry keys (you don’t need to put the key in the door to unlock it).

 

[Goudrons]

I thought they came with 2 keyless entry keys (you don’t need to put the key in the door to unlock it).

I'm pretty sure they came with one remote and one normal spare key.
Not sure what they come with these days.

Having trouble with one of my Clio keys (though it's not a key but a chunk of plastic)

I swapped the Dacia for a new Clio RS Line 130 EDC back in March and it only came with one programmed key, the other needed registering to the car via some Renault digital register. Seem Renault had shut down operations due to the plague before the dealer had the chance to register the other key.

The skeleton key blade inside opens the door (after popping off bits of plastic trim both on the car and the fob) and if I place the fob on the centre console it starts the car, but all the other remote functions aren't working.

I also can't set some media/nav profile functions to the key either.
Hopefully now the dealers are now open again I can get it sorted.

 

[Rocco Reviews]

I'm pretty sure they came with one remote and one normal spare key.

Not sure what they come with these days.



Having trouble with one of my Clio keys (though it's not a key but a chunk of plastic)



I swapped the Dacia for a new Clio RS Line 130 EDC back in March and it only came with one programmed key, the other needed registering to the car via some Renault digital register. Seem Renault had shut down operations due to the plague before the dealer had the chance to register the other key.



The skeleton key blade inside opens the door (after popping off bits of plastic trim both on the car and the fob) and if I place the fob on the centre console it starts the car, but all the other remote functions aren't working.



I also can't set some media/nav profile functions to the key either.

Hopefully now the dealers are now open again I can get it sorted.

I’m in the US so the new FIATS here have 2 remote keys. When my mom bought her car used it came with one (never expect more than one key when buying a used car).

 

[Goudrons]

I’m in the US

Then we're talking apples and oranges.

The US version of the Abarth is a somewhat different car the the European version.

Fiat reworked some of the structure (bigger A pillars), trim, running gear and used a different engine (Multiair rather than the T-Jet) for the US version.
Even the wipers are different as US law requires a larger swept area.

I seem to think they also offered a different auto version there, where we got offered the dreaded single clutch automated manual, I think they used the 6 speed auto from the Mini Cooper in the US.

Oh, and they fitted the "objects in the mirror..." stickers to the mirrors.

 

[Rocco Reviews]

I seem to think they also offered a different auto version there, where we got offered the dreaded single clutch automated manual, I think they used the 6 speed auto from the Mini Cooper in the US.

What’s wrong with single clutch automatic? If every automatic car used an automated single clutch gearbox they are technically “saving the manuals”. It feels like a manual transmission so enthusiasts will like it, and you don’t have to push a clutch in traffic. My moms 500 Pop has the AISIN Automatic and it is a little slow to downshift and it’s not very fuel efficient.

 

[Eklipze3k]

The way the mechanism is automated is terrible, is prone to breaking, and is usually expensive to fix. It's why the Dualogic gearbox thread is one of the most posted on and most viewed threads on the forum.

 

[Goudrons]

What’s wrong with single clutch automatic? If every automatic car used an automated single clutch gearbox they are technically “saving the manuals”.

If all cars had Fiats Dualogic single clutch automated manual, we'd all be walking.
It's not very nice to drive and it breaks, a lot.
Though to be fair, it's not just Fiats version, they are all pretty rotten to drive.


If you have time on your hands, try popping "dualogic" into the forms search box.
Here's one, though there are many more
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/425006-one-only-dualogic-failure-thread.html

 

[chris3234]

What’s wrong with single clutch automatic? If every automatic car used an automated single clutch gearbox they are technically “saving the manuals”. It feels like a manual transmission so enthusiasts will like it, and you don’t have to push a clutch in traffic. My moms 500 Pop has the AISIN Automatic and it is a little slow to downshift and it’s not very fuel efficient.

They are expensive to repair vag have nots of issues with there day boxes not quite the same as a dual logic as they are dual clutch but still computer controlled and expensive to repair

 

[Rocco Reviews]

If all cars had Fiats Dualogic single clutch automated manual, we'd all be walking.
It's not very nice to drive and it breaks, a lot.
Though to be fair, it's not just Fiats version, they are all pretty rotten to drive.


If you have time on your hands, try popping "dualogic" into the forms search box.
Here's one, though there are many more
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/425006-one-only-dualogic-failure-thread.html

The 5 spd manual in the US had problems with the clutch finger plate from 2011-2016 always failed. And auto was known for being stuck in neutral when the shifter was in park. It’s a lose lose situation.

 

[Rocco Reviews]

They are expensive to repair vag have nots of issues with there day boxes not quite the same as a dual logic as they are dual clutch but still computer controlled and expensive to repair

Why is it called dualogic if it’s a single clutch?

 

[chris3234]

Why is it called dualogic if it’s a single clutch?

No Idea it's a manual gearbox with a robot placed ontop to operate the clutch arm and shift gear like a person would



The same system is used by Alfa called selespeed and also by some older Ferraris prior to there split from fiat

 

[Rocco Reviews]

No Idea it's a manual gearbox with a robot placed ontop to operate the clutch arm and shift gear like a person would







The same system is used by Alfa called selespeed and also by some older Ferraris prior to there split from fiat

It doesn’t sound like logic to me.