Help!!

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Help!!

oliviasmith98

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Hey guys,

So I bought a 69 plate Fiat 500 lounge a few weeks ago, I should really pay more attention but this morning I noticed these triangle shaped dents. They are symmetrical so there are two on the drivers side and two on the passenger side. Is this normal or has someone damaged my car? Please see the photo attached.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi.

Are these indentations along the door sill, below the doors?

If so these are normal and generally more visible on lighter coloured cars, so nothing to worry about. They are not visible on the S or Abarth’s cos of the side skirts.

I’m not sure what they are for (perhaps visual reminders as to where the car should be jacked up), but I’m certain a resident expert will be along shortly to confirm.
 
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Adjustments.JPG

Here’s a picture of a random car on Autotrader showing, I think the same dents.
 
Hey guys,

So I bought a 69 plate Fiat 500 lounge a few weeks ago, I should really pay more attention but this morning I noticed these triangle shaped dents. They are symmetrical so there are two on the drivers side and two on the passenger side. Is this normal or has someone damaged my car? Please see the photo attached.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi :wave:

How are you finding the car ?


With a 69plate.. Im guessing you got a paper owners manual :)

Yes its a visual aid as to the region the basic wheelchanging jack should be deployed ;)

With some of the manuals detail.. asking here may be the better option :)

Charlie
 
Almost all cars have some sort of mark or clearly reinforced area where to Jack the car, does the car come with a spare as a lot of new cars don't, often there's no Jack either.
I guess you're a new driver or may not have ever changed a wheel, no disrespect intended.
 
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Hi,

Yes as stated the triangles are an 'aid' and only an aid to where the jacking points are. That said it does not quite make it clear then exactly how the jack should be positioned to the underbody and clearly on my car on one side it was done sloppily and deformed the lip on the under sill/rocker.

At the front just further inboard of the triangle is the chassis mount and I much prefer to use this with a small bottle jack and at the rear I just use the spring pan/beam.

It comes from the old classic days when we used to watch the jack go up and the car not move as sills had rotted through:eek::cry:...... and then some jacks that stuck upright above the sill and if you forgot you would bang your door skin and dent it.:bang:

As mentioned with the side sill skirt covers you don't see them.

Farrah
 
Hey guys...

Hi and welcome to the forum. :wave:

So I bought a 69 plate Fiat 500 lounge a few weeks ago, I should really pay more attention but this morning I noticed these triangle shaped dents.

Don't worry, they just indicate the sill jacking points. That said, you'd be well advised never to use them - the 500 can't safely be jacked on the sills, anywhere, end of.

This post explains it all in more detail.

Our car had this damage when we bought it

That's a good example of sill damage caused by jacking.

I've seen as bad on new cars in franchised dealer showrooms, done in the workshop during the PDI.

I think that most Southern Europeans have a different attitude toward superficial panel damage. If you want a good example, go visit Gibraltar; you'll almost never see an undamaged car. I'll swear the dealers there go round new cars with a hammer and put a few dings in, just to get you started.

So Italians probably just think it's normal for the sills to distort a bit when you jack up the car :bang:.
 
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To be fair, the triangular marks depicting where the factory jack should fit "cause damage to the body" because they are the jacking points where the factory jack should fit but people, including mechanics and tyre fitters etc. assume that they can stick even a crowbar there to lift it and that won't cause any problems.

The factory jack has a profiled saddle that fits *over* the welded seam and applies even pressure to the reinforced floor and sill sections either side of it. Fiat describe it all in the little book that comes with the car.. even with little pictures. I'm not sure they can do anything more for anyone who thinks that using a trolley jack on the seam itself, or a bottle jack on the floor panel only etc.. is "near enough" and not going to deform it.

My advice if you or anyone working on your car doesn't know how to jack a car up, is to take it to someone who does.



Ralf S.
 
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