Technical Euro6 1.2 Throttle Response, Hill Start Issues & Watchdog report
- Thread starter auditt
- Start date
Currently reading:
Technical Euro6 1.2 Throttle Response, Hill Start Issues & Watchdog report
Totally different to my experience, I would never drop a clutch at 6000rpm on a test drive car let alone my own. It simply didn't need it and although I've no issue with a little wheelspin, that is just far too abusive a way to treat a car.
Good for you! That's the same approach I would take, you bought a car that should work, keep on hammering them to sort it and then send them a bill for your time.
You're spot on.
This issue should have been dealt with a long time ago, most certainly following last week's Watchdog feature. Instead, Fiat decided to ignore it and are faced with the situation they are in now. They have no-one else to blame but themselves.
Aside from sorting out all these problem cars, I hope Fiat (UK and head office) sit down and realise they have to sort themselves out - for the sake of ALL their customers, not just the 500 drivers who have these problems.
I'm grateful I don't have one of these awful cars, but as a fellow Fiat owner, I've felt embarrassed by the whole thing.
zarathustra
New member
Had a '64' plate 1.2 Lounge for about six weeks now. This is our third 500 & this unit has a FLAT SPOT beginning at about 1500rpm – JUST where you need a bit of grunt, especially (but not only) on hills. None of our previous 500s had this problem.
I hadn’t even heard about the Watchdog hoo-hah until I took the car to my dealer this morning for the ‘wiring’ recall whereupon, on noting the flat spot to the desk-jockey, he pretty-much accused me of only doing so because of said TV report – then called the flat spot a ‘characteristic of the engine’.
I had heard that Ford Ka 1.2s had a similar issue & Ford has 'fixed it' - but don't quote me on that; it's purely apocryphal in nature.
If this isn’t fixed/remapped/whatever, it will certainly be the last 500 – or even Fiat – my family buys.
I hadn’t even heard about the Watchdog hoo-hah until I took the car to my dealer this morning for the ‘wiring’ recall whereupon, on noting the flat spot to the desk-jockey, he pretty-much accused me of only doing so because of said TV report – then called the flat spot a ‘characteristic of the engine’.
I had heard that Ford Ka 1.2s had a similar issue & Ford has 'fixed it' - but don't quote me on that; it's purely apocryphal in nature.
If this isn’t fixed/remapped/whatever, it will certainly be the last 500 – or even Fiat – my family buys.
The only reason we've not had this up until now is the fact that Fiat haven't dropped the ball so badly up until now.
And I'm pleased, 306maxi, that you haven't need to rev to that point to get your car to move; you are obviously one of the lucky ones that isn't experiencing issues.
May I just add that we didn't just launch into a 6000rpm starting point to get the car to move; this was a gradual process and done with careful 'feel' for what the car required in order to have sufficient power to pull away. Myself, nor my partner, would never put any vehicle through any 'abuse' as you so put it and were both suitably shocked that it took this amount of revs to gain any sort of momentum on the incline.
May I just add that we didn't just launch into a 6000rpm starting point to get the car to move; this was a gradual process and done with careful 'feel' for what the car required in order to have sufficient power to pull away. Myself, nor my partner, would never put any vehicle through any 'abuse' as you so put it and were both suitably shocked that it took this amount of revs to gain any sort of momentum on the incline.
Last edited:
Of course, luckily my car is an older one, but the newer car I testdrove was much the same as mine and going up a steep hill.
For Fiat to claim that a car needing to be revved to 6k rpm is ok is just madness.....
For Fiat to claim that a car needing to be revved to 6k rpm is ok is just madness.....
I completely agree and hence we were so shocked that they took the stance that people needed to 'adapt their driving style' - I actually said to Fiat on the phone that to do this, we would have to probably get through lots of clutches in order to get the thing up hills.
Has there been anybody else that has now gone to their dealership, had some diagnostic checks run? What has been the outcome? What are they planning on doing next?
Has there been anybody else that has now gone to their dealership, had some diagnostic checks run? What has been the outcome? What are they planning on doing next?
Just buy one of these while they're still available...
http://www.skoda.co.uk/finance/finance-offers/fabia-9595/Pages/fabia-9595.aspx?gclid=CLXpvfyW-sECFcrMtAodMz8Alg
The only no-nonsense European car maker now that Fiat have lost their way and can't make the cars they are supposed to.
http://www.skoda.co.uk/finance/finance-offers/fabia-9595/Pages/fabia-9595.aspx?gclid=CLXpvfyW-sECFcrMtAodMz8Alg
The only no-nonsense European car maker now that Fiat have lost their way and can't make the cars they are supposed to.
Let's not overdo it, it's still only a proportion of cars that are affected.......
It was their 'script-reading' that really pushed my buttons and made me annoyed when I was on the phone to them. I even suggested that they imagined spending over £15k on this car for it to not work on hills and THEN be satisfied...and he paused before reiterating the 'driving style' text.
I really hope that we call now get recalled for a fix. It would be great to get some confidence back in the car, especially as I've only had it a month and a half.
How not to do customer service 
zarathustra
New member
I took mine in this morning but the machine "for the 2014 models had broken down & been sent back to Italy to be repaired".
Awaiting a telephone call when it's fixed & back in GB.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2014
- Messages
- 141
- Points
- 39
I still think the Euro 6 link is unproven, FIAT have said there are differences (between versions), but that would mean every single car produced would be affected, and that's not the case. Certainly, to reiterate. The 1.2 Panda I drove was fine, there was no characteristic that I felt I had to compensate for.
Even our own testing is flawed. - Define 'Hill' I could drive out now and find one that my 1600cc MX5 would need it's clutch slipping like billy-oh to get it moving. The best we have is the back to back video of the hill. Good work there may I add.
I'm glad disgruntled owners are now being taken care of, but I don't regard myself as 'one of the lucky ones' - I don't think the ratio is slewed in favour of bad cars. Anyway, I get the chance to test another 1.2 tomorrow. The one I've paid for...
Even our own testing is flawed. - Define 'Hill' I could drive out now and find one that my 1600cc MX5 would need it's clutch slipping like billy-oh to get it moving. The best we have is the back to back video of the hill. Good work there may I add.
I'm glad disgruntled owners are now being taken care of, but I don't regard myself as 'one of the lucky ones' - I don't think the ratio is slewed in favour of bad cars. Anyway, I get the chance to test another 1.2 tomorrow. The one I've paid for...
Just done the hillstart test.It was the same hill where my daughter used to work and we collected her in our Seicento on a regular basis along with a Fiesta.Its a residential street with loads of other parked cars.We never had any trouble setting off.Today was hopeless just like Watchdog it was scary as the car started to roll back and screamed up to the redline the revs felt out of control.Let the clutch out more and depress the throttle and the revs die off and you cant move,its really odd.I would not be able to use the car if I lived on this street.
I'm going to disconnect the clutch position sensor tonight to see if it makes any difference, as the power drops the moment you press the accelerator pedal if pulling away on the clutch.
