Technical Diary of my 1.2 sport cat c repair

[typecastboy]

Car is still in the bodyshop. Been there a week today. Haven't had any calls so I think no news is good news. I'm confident my brilliant bodyshop will make a cracking job of it.

I've only gone and bought another one while it's away. I've bought a 60 plate 1.2 Lounge in white. No damage, never been written off, but I got it for an absolute steal. Needs a good clean, seats need cleaning and I'm putting some stripes down the side, then it's going up for sale. Hopefully before Christmas.

Haven't had a chance to do anything yet, picked it up last Friday. Am off work Wednesday, Thursday this week, so hopefully should be up for sale on Monday. Hopefully I'll have the other one back by then. Still a few jobs to do on that.

 

[typecastboy]

So, I got the car back on Friday from the bodyshop!

What an absolutely amazing job they have made of it. You would never know. The white donor door and grey donor bumper have been transformed into the lovely blue of the rest of the car and the devastating dents in the door shut and side of the car have gone. It looks just amazing.

Bit dusty inside with rub down dust but just needs a good hoover.

Bought a full set of front seats and seat backs for the back (not that I need those), exactly the same as what's in the car, so I've just valeted them and they have come up like new. They are now drying in my conservatory.

 

[typecastboy]

Changed the drivers seat today for the newly cleaned ones that I got yesterday. Two electrical connectors underneath at the front and 4 Allen bolts to undo. It's so nice and to see a complete seat.

Unfortunately MultiECUscan won't reset the airbag Ecu codes which is very annoying. Luckily I have another ECU that I got with the airbag kit. Was going to change it this afternoon but it started getting dark, so a job for another day.

 

[typecastboy]

Here's the old seat taken out of the car and the car with no seat. Even though I hoovered it thoroughly yesterday, you can still see some of the rubbing down dust that was under the seat.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Lovely leopard print car mats

 

[Noxide]

How much were the new seats? Me likey.

 

[typecastboy]

I got the two front and the two rear backs only for £99 on eBay and it was 3 miles up the road. Right result

 

[typecastboy]

Lovely leopard print car mats

Aren't they just! I inherited those from the last owner

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Maybe the car sacrificed it's self just to escape the previous owner

 

[typecastboy]

Maybe the car sacrificed it's self just to escape the previous owner

I wrote a letter to the previous owner asking if she had any documentation and the spare key. Said I was willing to pay. Left my phone number, email and postal address. Didn't hear from her!

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I wrote a letter to the previous owner asking if she had any documentation and the spare key. Said I was willing to pay. Left my phone number, email and postal address. Didn't hear from her!

I was fairly lucky with out CAT-D Panda, previous owner had some docs in the car, sent them back in an A4 Jiffy bag with a smaller prepaid jiffy in it and her docs, asking if she had the spare key and would send it back.

A week later we had it, and she also wrote me a letter telling my how the accident happened and that she was shocked the car wasn't crushed as she thought it dangerous as it drove itself when the crash happened (I think she hit the wrong pedal as its an auto).

 

[typecastboy]

I was fairly lucky with out CAT-D Panda, previous owner had some docs in the car, sent them back in an A4 Jiffy bag with a smaller prepaid jiffy in it and her docs, asking if she had the spare key and would send it back.

A week later we had it, and she also wrote me a letter telling my how the accident happened and that she was shocked the car wasn't crushed as she thought it dangerous as it drove itself when the crash happened (I think she hit the wrong pedal as its an auto).

Ha ha, it drove itself. I like it.

That was very handy, I think maybe the green eyed monster came into play with mine.

 

[typecastboy]

Forgot to post this picture before. This is my donor door in white and my donor bumper in Grey.

 

[typecastboy]

Brakes are done now, only jobs left are to change the airbag ECU, take the steering wheel off and refit as its slightly off centre which is annoying as I have to take the airbag off which was a right pain. Then try to figure out why the start/stop and heated rear window seem to be connected and are not working. Checked the hatch cables and they are fine.

I'm going to take the heater control panel off again. I'm wondering if I have damaged something behind when I took the dash out. I might invest in a new heater control panel see if that does it.

Then it's all done. I've even finished the wheels off today with some chrome and blue Printed with fiat tyre dust caps.

Car is looking fab!

 

[portland_bill]

Steering wheel is on a master spline, so if offset, either the track rods are unequal length and need adjusting, or something in the suspension is bent or misaligned. Sadly a bit more work needed, although, no need to disturb the airbag.

 

[typecastboy]

Steering wheel is on a master spline, so if offset, either the track rods are unequal length and need adjusting, or something in the suspension is bent or misaligned. Sadly a bit more work needed, although, no need to disturb the airbag.

No, the steering wheel was fine when I took it off when I changed the dash. When I refitted it, I thought the wheels were straight but they weren't so now the steering wheel is at about 1 o'clock, so it's just a matter of taking it off and refitting thankfully.

Just that damn airbag has got to come off again.

 

[portland_bill]

It should still be on a master spline, meaning it should only fit in one place. From doing teh panda steering unit earlier this year, wheel to column, top to bottom column, bottom column to rack, are all master-splined, so should not allow alternative positions.

 

[typecastboy]

It actually says in Haynes manual "make sure wheels are straight". You can put it on wonky. As I said, it was straight when I took it off, but moving stuff around and doing the nut up must have moved it a bit. It was lining up the marks on the coil spring that made me move it a bit I think.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I'm with portland_bill on this, certainly on most of the modern Fiat range the steering wheel can only be put on in one place. So either the 500 is the odd one out, or as mentioned its a tracking / track rod issue!

 

[typecastboy]

Appreciate what you say, but it must be different then. Nothing changed from when I took the steering wheel off to when I put it back, apart from me moving the wheels slightly.