Technical Interior light fuse on this heap of tat?

[Pandabloke]

Does anyone know where I can find the fuse for interior lights? They've all packed up and I'm assuming it's the fuse.

Problem is, the handbook fuse section bears absolutely no resemblance to the car I own!? After an hour of frigging about in the dark, I can't even find mention of interior light fuses let alone which of the wrongly described fuse boxes it's supposed to be in. I'd be grateful of any assistance.

Honestly I've two years left on my ownership scheme and I'm counting the bloody days til I can get rid of this car. Never have I been so disappointed in owning a new product.

It rattles, groans, the economy is appalling, it drinks oil, I can't see the sodding speedo half the time, I can't turn those ridiculous DLR lights off, the clutch stinks half the time, the rear interior light switch does not believe it is a switch and assumes it is a pudding, and god knows what else. Essentially this car is a piece of very poor quality tat.

2013, 14,000 miles. It beggars belief. Please at least help me make the inside light up in the dark again. Like a normal car does.

Thanks all. An angry Panda.

 

[MJG]

Does anyone know where I can find the fuse for interior lights? They've all packed up and I'm assuming it's the fuse.

Problem is, the handbook fuse section bears absolutely no resemblance to the car I own!? After an hour of frigging about in the dark, I can't even find mention of interior light fuses let alone which of the wrongly described fuse boxes it's supposed to be in. I'd be grateful of any assistance.

Honestly I've two years left on my ownership scheme and I'm counting the bloody days til I can get rid of this car. Never have I been so disappointed in owning a new product.

It rattles, groans, the economy is appalling, it drinks oil, I can't see the sodding speedo half the time, I can't turn those ridiculous DLR lights off, the clutch stinks half the time, the rear interior light switch does not believe it is a switch and assumes it is a pudding, and god knows what else. Essentially this car is a piece of very poor quality tat.

2013, 14,000 miles. It beggars belief. Please at least help me make the inside light up in the dark again. Like a normal car does.

Thanks all. An angry Panda.

My manual refers to Fuse 36 in the Dashboard fuse box being for the radio and the rear courtesy lights.

It makes no mention of front courtesy lights. I am presuming the use of the term courtesy lights means interior. The manual I have found is peppered with errors.

PS - It's not FIAT's fault you cant turn the DRL's off BTW - that's down to European legislation.

 

[Pandabloke]

Hi MJG. My manual says the same thing. But I manually checked all the fuses in what I assume is the dashboard fuse box yesterday and they are all intact.

In the manual, as I read it, the dashboard fuse box is behind the little removable panel on the drivers side. It isn't you know....

I think I eventually found the dashboard fuse box behind the passenger lower glove box. A bit of a game getting access there too. I'm going to have another look this morning. I'll report back.

When I ordered the car, you could turn off the DRL's.......

 

[MJG]

Hi MJG. My manual says the same thing. But I manually checked all the fuses in what I assume is the dashboard fuse box yesterday and they are all intact.

In the manual, as I read it, the dashboard fuse box is behind the little removable panel on the drivers side. It isn't you know....

I think I eventually found the dashboard fuse box behind the passenger lower glove box. A bit of a game getting access there too. I'm going to have another look this morning. I'll report back.

When I ordered the car, you could turn off the DRL's.......

Indeed it's not clear - The hard copy of my manual initially refers to 3 fuse boxes.

1 - The engine compartment fuse box

2 - The dashboard fuse box - (which indeed is in the dash under the wheel)

3 - The luggage compartment fuse box

However there is a supplementary bit for RHD versions in the manual; where on page 278 it refers to a 'Dashboard junction box' - the associated text suggests it contains fuses too. (Un)helpfully it doesn't go on to say what if anything is protected by the fuses in there.

One of the many anomalies you will find in the manual.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

When I ordered the car, you could turn off the DRL's.......

But why would you want to make yourself less visible

 

[MJG]

But why would you want to make yourself less visible

I seem to recall it was to do with his use of the car and his wish to be able to park up discretely with the ignition on if needed for things like phone charging.

Of course now if you do that your DRL's immediately come on too. It wasn't anything to do with not wishing to remain as visible as possible whilst actually driving.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I seem to recall it was to do with his use of the car and his wish to be able to park up discretely with the ignition on if needed for things like phone charging.

Of course now if you do that your DRL's immediately come on too. It wasn't anything to do with not wishing to remain as visible as possible whilst actually driving.

Fair enough. Seems Fiat have just wired them into the ignition then rather than an engine running state which is typical of their lazy attitude

 

[JTD_Liam]

I think the DRLs on the 500L all have no option to switch off. On some 500s and other models you can switch them off but I assume because the 500L was bought out relatively close to DRLs becoming mandatory, Fiat chose to make them permanent. Kinda fair enough. I blame the EU - I'm clever enough to know when I need lights and when I don't but I suppose it keeps a team of people on highly inflated wages in a job in Brussels, so who are we to complain? ;-)

With regards to all the other problems, is the car on a finance agreement? If it is I would seriously write to the finance company listing all the issues with it, stating that as a previous Fiat owner you've been loyal to the brand and really didn't expect this from a brand new product, and as a result you would like to discuss rejecting the vehicle. I don't know quite where you stand in terms of how long you've had the car, but it's under a year as it's 63 plate looking at your pic? FGA Capital were thoroughly professional when I wrote to them re rejecting my MiTo, which i'd had for 4 months. As a result of involving them the car's actually been fixed as it was just one recurring fault with mine, but I'm sure they'd find a solution for you as well, if you're with FGA. They (and the dealer) seemed more capable of doing something than Alfa Customer Services (although they were always very polite) and they were leagues ahead of Fiat UK in Slough who were down right hopeless.

Give it a try, you've nothing to lose given this car seems worse than any other 500L's on here. Just make sure you push for a diesel as a replacement - the TwinAir engine seems the runt of the 500L range!

 

[Pandabloke]

Than you all so much for the very calm and sensible replies to the rantings of a madman! You're all very understanding, thank you. :worship:

DLR first. Early 500L did have an option to turn off the DLR's, apparently. I checked before I ordered one. Unfortunately this option has been removed. There used to be a video on YouTube on how to do it. The salesman was equally surprised when I told him I couldn't do it on mine. The option on the scrolling list has gone. Booooooo.

MEP, I want to be less visible when I am parked up. I am a mayoral chauffeur and often have many thousands of pounds worth of maces and ceremonial insignia in tha car. Obviously I am with it at all times, but I am often sitting in a dark hotel car park or similar and just to buzz the windows down or charge a phone, make a brew or power a DVD player, one has to have the ignition on. (I've since got round a lot of this by fitting a permanent live socket.) I don't want to draw attention to myself by having these blessed DLR lights on when I want to be sitting unobtrusively in the dark. And I am a big boy, I know when I need my lights on. Bloody EU......

Liam, the thing is, Fiat and my dealership have been very understanding and have and continue to assist me. The problem is, I shouldn't have these problems in the first place, really. Also my dealership is twenty+ miles away and it means taking half a day or more off every time there is a fault. I then have to hang around and spend four hours in Asda and PC World as the dealership charge for courtesy cars. (Well, they charge for insurance, which is the same thing, making a mockery of the word 'courtesy' in my opinion. I have complained numerous times about this, but to no avail.)

To be honest, I don't have much of a life to lead, but what I do have, I don't want to spend in Asda, PC World or even a Fiat dealership.

It all just drives me to distraction. I bought a new car so I wouldn't have to keep taking it in for things. Naive, or what, lol.

And Twin-Air? Wouldn't give you tuppence for it. Absolutely no advantage in day to day driving over the 1.4 in my experience. Yeah it revs nice, but mine does an average of 38mpg, it drinks oil (check yours, if you have one, you may be surprised at your levels) it doesn't seem to idle comfortably and it is often hesitant when pulling away compared to a proper engine. Also the stop/start has a mind of its own, not working for ages then cutting in during a traffic jam on the M3! Nothing to write home about, but a huge disappointment for a 'revolutionary' engine. About as revolutionary as an air cooled 126 engine, which, by the way, idle better, tow better (yes, really), pull away enthusiastically and as much fun to drive!

Look, you've got me ranting again!

 

[Pandabloke]

I've purchased chocolate. All is well in the world again.

 

[Pandabloke]

Oh, and the b****** ******g courtesy lights have decided they are going work again with out any intervention from me! As I purchased said chocolate.

I can only imagine that a courtesy light plunger switch or similar got stuck down or something. I know that if you leave the doors or glovebox etc. open for sometime, the courtesys (courtesies?) run home to mama and turn themselves off and refuse to play again for a short period, even manually. This I imagine is a battery saving action. Very wise. But if one of my plungers (ooh er missus) gets stuck in (ooh, matron) and doesn't pop out (stop it now......) my courtesy lights may never come back on?

Anyway, they work again. For now. I flicked them on and off triumphantly in Tesco car park to celebrate. I then saw the error of my ways, as the good people of Dover probably thought I was dogging......

 

[ivan of kent]

ref DRLs, have just checked my handbook to make sure i was not talking out my a**e 63 reg 500l DRL are on Uconnect (radio) under SETTINGS. hope it helps?

 

[MJG]

ref DRLs, have just checked my handbook to make sure i was not talking out my a**e 63 reg 500l DRL are on Uconnect (radio) under SETTINGS. hope it helps?

Unfortunately at some point that feature was removed, ours is a 63 reg. too like the OP's and we can't switch ours off either, not that I would want to I should add.

 

[Jazzist]

Just for balance, my TA 500L has never drank any oil and returns around 50MPG even when full to the roof with camping stuff and 3 people and tackling mountain passes on the continent. There has been a slight smell whilst trying to push on fully loaded up a miles long pass incline, though probably caused by lack of cooling due to stopping half way up instead of pushing on. Sent from a high altitude forest campsite in Germany

Having said the above if I had envisaged this sort of use before buying I probably would have been better from a practical standpoint with something like a Passat Estate or Mazda 6 estate etc. The 500L seems to be doing the job fine though but the boot is small.. So I'm looking at a 500kg or 750kg rated camping trailer that will probably only actually end up weighing, say, 300kg so should be fine. Even an estate would be an arse vs a trailer for camping stuff anyway I suppose. I could get better performance (BHP and torque) with similar economy from a 2l diesel estate though. Having said that the TA warms up in a mile and has therefore been ideal for the very short journies that have been its main use in the first year. Swings and roundabouts... It's a really cool looking car and does do the job... And iirc it won out on value at the given mine (lounge with some extras) had much more kit than anything at the price.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Unfortunately at some point that feature was removed, ours is a 63 reg. too like the OP's and we can't switch ours off either, not that I would want to I should add.

Just an idea, although deactivated on the dash, it may well be something that can be changed using a registered version of MES - something someone might want to look into?

 

[MJG]

Just an idea, although deactivated on the dash, it may well be something that can be changed using a registered version of MES - something someone might want to look into?

I suppose it depends on how badly somebody wants to de-activate an essential safety feature

MES??

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

I suppose it depends on how badly somebody wants to de-activate an essential safety feature

MES??

Multi ECU Scan

 

[Jazzist]

Remove the DRL bulbs?

 

[MJG]

Remove the DRL bulbs?

They double up as sidelights for parking (they are twin filament ) so you would lose your side lights (and generate a bulb warning error of course).

 

[Pandabloke]

DLR. Not an essential safety feature, as your little smiley face gave away, I think.

No use whatsoever unless you are the sort that don't put your lights on in the rain or at dusk. I've always seen other cars in the day time, whether they were a Volvo or not.........

I just hate things that are unecessary and out of my control. Yep, as someone said they are the sidelights too.

It ain't the end of the world, it just cheeses me off and is an inconvenience and a safety hazard in my line of work.