Technical Euro6 1.2 Throttle Response, Hill Start Issues & Watchdog report

[FinFerNan]

Just been under the bonnet checking levels etc. now the cold weathers arriving. While I was there had a quick look at the ECU.

This answers the question of how to tell a euro 6 car.

last 5 digits on the top line of the ECU label (just above the bar code) say EURO6

I've taken some photo's not very good I'm afraid so you'll have to take my word for it.

Or you could just ask the dealer

 

[306maxi]

Or you could just ask the dealer

Or you could give people the ability to check for themselves which is far better.

 

[wellfan]

Or you could just ask the dealer

If anything like my dealer, waste of fecking time as worse than useless. Let me see for myself, dentists mirror or whatever. If my dealer told me my car was black, I would expect it to be white. Sorry, rant over.

 

[Mick F]

Or you could give people the ability to check for themselves which is far better.

........ but where is the ECU with the labels on?

Is there a photo of what is what under the bonnet?

TTFN
Mick.

 

[306maxi]

there is no issue with the twinair so no need to check, but the sticker is on the ECU as mentioned above

 

[Mick F]

Yes, I know there is no issue with the Twinair, I said so before.
Where is the ECU so people can check the labels?

I haven't got a clue (other than under the bonnet somewhere) where Rosa's ECU is, so why should anyone else know where to look?

It's all very well stating that the info is on the ECU, but where is the ECU?

Regards,
Mick.

 

[Mercky]

Irrelevant here but the ECU is behind the battery in a TA, mine has no labels that I can see but one of the large cables connected to it has a ribbon type label that says 'twin air turbo E6'

 

[Mick F]

Thank you Mercky.
Yes, I've seen that unit, and tomorrow in daylight, I'll give it an eye-balling.

This forum is wonderful. I'm really really really happy to have found it, but sometimes some of the info is a little too in depth for a newbie to a 500 to cope with.

I'm very tech-savvy, so all I need is the right info put in the right way and I'll be firing on all (both TA) cylinders.

No doubt some readers here will have found this forum via search engines as a result of publicity regarding the 1.2 Euro6 problems, so they may be newbies to all this too. It's all very well stating that the info is written on the ECU, but some folk may not know where the ECU is or what ECU stands for.

Thanks to all,
Mick

 

[muttleysdad]

Thank you Mercky.
Yes, I've seen that unit, and tomorrow in daylight, I'll give it an eye-balling.

This forum is wonderful. I'm really really really happy to have found it, but sometimes some of the info is a little too in depth for a newbie to a 500 to cope with.

I'm very tech-savvy, so all I need is the right info put in the right way and I'll be firing on all (both TA) cylinders.

No doubt some readers here will have found this forum via search engines as a result of publicity regarding the 1.2 Euro6 problems, so they may be newbies to all this too. It's all very well stating that the info is written on the ECU, but some folk may not know where the ECU is or what ECU stands for.

Thanks to all,
Mick

Sorry, I sometimes forget not everybody is a petrol head, The ECU (electronic control unit) is usually a silver metal box with lots of plugs and wires coming from it. Usually somewhere near the battery, on the 1.2 it's tucked between the battery and the engine. I'm glad Mercky was able to help as I have no idea where it is on the twin air.

 

[FinFerNan]

Or you could give people the ability to check for themselves which is far better.

Good point, and on the whole I agree. But I think it's always good to have options.

 

[FinFerNan]

And talking of options. To save you messing about under your bonnet, just go to the VCA website, put your car details in and it tells you the Euro Standard for you car.

http://http://carfueldata.direct.gov.uk/new-vehicle-tax.aspx?t=23ude39

Simples!

 

[jrkitching]

And talking of options. To save you messing about under your bonnet, just go to the VCA website, put your car details in and it tells you the Euro Standard for you car.

http://http://carfueldata.direct.gov.uk/new-vehicle-tax.aspx?t=23ude39

Simples!

No, that's not a good option - you need to know what's actually fitted to your car, not what the paperwork says should be fitted.

Mistakes can and have happened.

But the ECU label is a brilliant find and, barring Fiat mislabeling that component, definitely takes us forward in sorting the Euro 5's from the Euro 6's. It's also confirmation (though we were pretty sure anyway) that the Euro6 ECU is different from the Euro5 one.

Out of interest, Maxi, does the ECU label on yours say Eu4 or Eu5?

 

[FinFerNan]

Blimey, you are paraniod arn't you ha ha.

No, fair point it would be more sensible to check what's actually on the motor. But no harm in knowing what SHOULD be fitted eh?

 

[wellfan]

Blimey, you are paraniod arn't you ha ha.
QUOTE]
Years and rears of dealing with dealers has left me not paranoid, just wise to the fact that many of them are worse than useless.

 

[FinFerNan]

Years and rears of dealing with dealers has left me not paranoid, just wise to the fact that many of them are worse than useless.

Well I've only been driving for 38 years, and I have lost count of the cars I've owned.......... so what would I know?

But I will say that in my experience Fiat and Alfa dealers have been pretty good in comparision. But I guess I've been lucky.

My first brand new car was a Fiat. It was a 1981 127 1050 Super I bought from Carstins in Balsall Common (Nr Coventry) After all these years, and I've owned new Audis/Mercs etc, Carstins are still one of the best dealers I have ever dealt with.

I've had two Alfa's - one of the dealers would get into your list Wellfan . The other - Sturgess of Leicester were pretty decent, but not 1st class. Shame I couldn't say the same about the MiTo I bought off them though

My Panda will be used as my 2nd car, and it was VERY cheap (just £89 a month on a PCP) So maybe my perspective is not the same as some others, but my point is still valid and I speak as I find. To date the dealer I bought the Panda from has been courteous, professional and not at all dismissive. It's early days of course, and I reckon I've enough experience not to judge on first impressions - either way.

 

[ab4444]

That is a great bit of work, now everybody can check and see if it only affects Euro 6 as that will either rule it out or at least point to it as a issue

Unless your car is sitting in a dealership car park.

 

[ab4444]

Update: as of today (just shy of 1 week), I have still heard nothing from the dealership.

Yesterday I sent via Recorded Delivery a 5 page letter to the MD of the dealership and sent a copy (again via Recorded Delivery) to the finance company.

I have asked them to confirm in writing receipt of my car keys and I have given them 3 weeks to get their DET Senior Technician to work with Fiat to find the fault with my car.

Haven't thought any further past this yet. But I hope that this latest action on my part demonstrates that I am being fair and giving them suitable time to identify the problem that I still ascertain exists. If they follow through on my requests and engage Fiat with suitable testing and STILL find nothing wrong with the car then I have no idea what I will do. Any ideas?!

 

[Gixxer375]

Hi all,
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. It moved off on the hill at my command, at the speed and revs I wanted and I can now stop the car on the hill by depressing the clutch and hold it with the clutch at the biting point and move away smoothly by lifting the clutch and increasing the revs - just like a normal car!

I know some of you will want details of the ECU (part number, serial number etc.) but it is raining and it's dark outside so please be patient I'll get them asap.
I'll keep on checking it in-case today was a fluke and they've changed my petrol for rocket fuel or something, but it seems OK so far.

I hope this brings a little light to this very dark episode with Fiat.

 

[ab4444]

Gixxer375 this is a fantastic update and thank you for updating the forum. It's great that your dealership actually engaged with Fiat and got someone to look at your vehicle and it seems 'mend' it!

I do wonder how Fiat are going to be able to cope with the sheer volume of cars that have been reported as faulty - will they issue these new ECUs to all dealerships that have complaining customers I wonder?

Did you have any trouble with your dealership when you initially highlighted the problems to them? And do you know HOW this flying doctor from Fiat was brought in - did the dealership arrange this directly with Fiat or did you have to get this organised?

 

[Gixxer375]

Gixxer375 this is a fantastic update and thank you for updating the forum. It's great that your dealership actually engaged with Fiat and got someone to look at your vehicle and it seems 'mend' it!

I do wonder how Fiat are going to be able to cope with the sheer volume of cars that have been reported as faulty - will they issue these new ECUs to all dealerships that have complaining customers I wonder?

Did you have any trouble with your dealership when you initially highlighted the problems to them? And do you know HOW this flying doctor from Fiat was brought in - did the dealership arrange this directly with Fiat or did you have to get this organised?

I initially had a hard time with the dealer, I received the usual 'nothing wrong with the car, modify your driving technique bull' but I persevered (complained loudly), I even seriously looked into replacing the car with the twin air or the older Euro5 1.2, got quotes and arranged test drives.

Then when Watchdog covered this I went back to complaining again this time with Fiat UK as well as the dealer.
I must say the Expert Technician at the dealer was a no B.S. kind of guy and he opened a case again and reported the problem back to Fiat UK.
I don't know why they decided to send the Engineer out to look at my car, but it may have been a combination of my pestering the dealer, Fiat UK and complaining on a few Fiat posts on Facebook - when I did this they asked me if I had a case number, which I gave them.