Technical Front towing eye

[john53]

I've removed the outer cover of the towing eye on the front bumper of my wife's Fiat 500 Lounge (2012) but there isn't anything behind it to screw the towing hook into - its just a piece of solid black plastic (see attached pic). Surely there should be a threaded hole so I can screw the towing hook into it. Help

 

[jrkitching]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good to have you along.

I'm wondering if this car has ever been in a front end smash?

 

[AnthonyH]

Looks like its behind a plastic cover now, drill through it.

 

[john53]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good to have you along.

I'm wondering if this car has ever been in a front end smash?

I think you might well be right!!! It's not obvious that its been repaired but I'll take another look and possibly drill through it and hopefully, there will be something behind it to screw the towing eye into. Many thanks for your help...

 

[Ralf S.]

I would whip the bumper off to see what's going on. It looks like the plastic "blank" is part of the bumper moulding.. but the slight over-spray around the opening suggests there's been a repair... so my guess is that the bumper is not a Fiat one, rather just a replica part.

The Fiat part should have the Fiat OEM parts logo moulded into it (on the reverse) and you can age the part by finding the date panel with the months and years dots..


Ralf S.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Try putting your hand up behind the bumper, or a piece of wire bent at the end as a probe.

I was looking at a Panda in a breakers today and the threaded hole is in the cross beam. The hole is lined up with the chassis member.

From experience all there is behind the bumper is the styrene foam packing. Try stabbing the plastic and see if it will move up or down or side to side. It may be part of the bumper that has detached and moved.

 

[Jockstrap]

The OP has a 500.
Given the overspray I think Ralf S. advice for a look behind is good.

 

[jrkitching]

I think Ralf S. advice for a look behind is good.

I certainly wouldn't want to be drilling or cutting anything until I knew exactly what I was dealing with.

 

[John202020]

Or there maybe no lower crash bar and they've hidden the fact?

 

[The Panda Nut]

or crashbar is upside down. i.e. hole on the other side

 

[John202020]

or crashbar is upside down. i.e. hole on the other side

That would make more sense

 

[Jockstrap]

Doesn't really matter which way up. Flip the bumper and let's have a peek .

 

[vexorg]

Does the fixing for the towing eye go right through the crush part of the lower crash bar?
As in, is the tow point mirror for left hand drive, and they have it on the other side?

 

[A3jeroen]

Absolutely not. LHD has the towing eye in exactly the same place. There is however a diiference (in height) between FL and pre FL.

gr J

 

[john53]

Thanks for all the input guys - much appreciated. I have drilled through the black metal (not plastic as I originally suggested) behind the white towing eye cover and there is nothing there!! Its difficult to see from looking through the hole and from above from the engine bay - I'll try and take a picture through the hole and report back. Many thanks....

 

[vexorg]

Would have been safer taking the bumper off to look properly

 

[john53]

Would have been safer taking the bumper off to look properly

Yes, probably but I've no idea how to take it off and I've recently injured my leg quite badly so I went for the easy option

 

[John202020]

My guess bar on upside down ( like I did with the upper one and couldn't work out why the bumper wouldn't fully go back on ), if car running it can wait until,,, summer?
If you take out the 3 Torx bolts in the underneath there's just enough give to see in with a torch from behind?

 

[vexorg]

It still depend whether the screw part is in the front bar or further back in the subframe.

 

[John202020]

It still depend whether the screw part is in the front bar or further back in the subframe.

Its in the bar