yes mention this forum and take a print out if you must. then call and ask fiat uk if you can have this upgrade too as you have this problem = )Yes I think you're right. I have to give them the opportunity of showing me what they feel is the issue (which I admit right now feels very much like my driving but I'll try not to dwell on that).
I will arrange to meet him and I will take him to the hill I tested the vehicle on.
I'm unclear what I should do after that, though. Should I insist that they get this 'flying doctor' in from Fiat? Get the ECU changed?
Last week I posted that my car was going in to see the 'flying doctor' from Fiat UK.
My car, a 1.2 pop had the widely reported problem; poor throttle response, engine increasing rpm when clutch lifted and in gear, engine changing rpm when trying to hold car on a hill making hill starts dangerous, lag in throttle response when trying to move off quickly.
Well the 'flying doctor' from Fiat UK came, recognised the fault, (yes the service manager called it a fault!) and they changed the ECU for, (I was told) the latest one with the latest software.
The change to the performance has been dramatic. I took the car to my usual test hills and it performed like a normal car.
I suspect due to the sheer amount of people with the issue, it will take a while for the ECU'S to be out there in significant numbers.
They need to consult with Toyota. They must be the world leader in selling faulty/dangerous vehicles
Care to back this up??
Toyota are world ahead of most manufactures, in that they'll recall anything they want, even when not a safety issue. Don't confuse them with other manufactures who will refuse to recall dangerous cars until they're forced to, or who lie about the faults to try and play them down.
Hi all,
I’ll try and answer the queries and supply the latest info I have;
First of all my wife has driven the car again and to use her words, “it’s like I’ve got Bertie back” – she obviously called her last 500 Pop Bertie. So it’s still working fine, like a normal car should.
My dealer is Springfield Fiat/Citroen/Suzuki in Gateshead Tyne and Wear.
I asked the dealer about the work the flying Engineer did – they said he was a bit cagey when pressed for details only saying that he thought a software upgrade might be coming in January and was not forthcoming about what was causing the problem.
The new ECU part no. will have to wait until I get some daylight on it, but it looks nothing like the one in your photo’s jrkitching, mine is situated in almost the same position but mounted on a bracket which obscures the part no. and is long and thin with the connectors in line on top, not side by side.
Update: I’ve had Fiat UK customer service on the phone asking if everything was OK now. I said I was pleased the fault had been rectified at last, and pressed him on what was causing the fault and what the cure was.
I was told the problem was specific to cars without the Electronic Stability Control (ESP) system. So base model Pop? And that again he thought it would be cured by an update in the new year or when cars naturally came in for a service – unless they had complained and received a case number. So press your dealers there is a cure out there!
Mmm makes you think eh? ESP (stability control system) including ASR/MSR and Hill Holder. A system designed to do what? Take control of the revs/brakes!
“ASR to limit wheel spin during acceleration, MSR to modulate brake torque while changing down, and a sophisticated ESP to control stability through bends. Vehicles fitted with ESP also benefit from hydraulic brake assistance and a unique Hill Holder function to facilitate smooth hill starts. ESP is standard equipment on 1.4 litre versions, and a remarkably low cost option on 1.2 and 1.3 MultiJet versions.”
What if the car thought you had these functions when you didn’t? Would it change the revs to compensate for a disparity between the drivers input and non-existent sensor inputs? Causing a loss of power just where you need it, on launch. Just a bit of idle conjecture (the formation of judgments or opinions on the basis of incomplete or inconclusive information).
Will we ever know?
Featured on Watchdog again tonight.
...a software upgrade might be coming in January ..
I was told the problem was specific to cars without the Electronic Stability Control (ESP) system.
The new ECU part no. will have to wait until I get some daylight on it, but it looks nothing like the one in your photo’s jrkitching, mine is situated in almost the same position but mounted on a bracket which obscures the part no. and is long and thin with the connectors in line on top, not side by side.
Our 500 has an 'ASR' button on the dash. Is this the ESP?
So if the cars that don't suffer from the software problem are the ones that have ESP and therefore ASR which apparently stops wheel spin how should we now view Maxi's scientific road test?
After all he climbed the hill with a rather impressive screeching wheel spin so presumably didn't have ESP/ASR but said the car didn't have any hill start issues. Confusing? I wonder who is correct. Fiat or Maxi?