Hi there, signed up today. I learnt to drive in a white FIAT Panda in Spain (a long time ago!) and recently bought myself a MKIII 09 plate 1.2 ECO Dynamic in Black. I want to look after it and keep things ticking over for as long as possible. I'd love to learn a few things from more experienced owners (I'm useless with the spanners but willing to have a go!) Thanks for reading!
Panda Joining the Club
- Thread starter Lorenzo P
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Panda Joining the Club
Hi and welcome 
If you're new to the 169 Panda, I'd recommend checking the following:
Inspect & treat for rust:
Clean battery earth strap connections (battery negative terminal and on body under battery) - weak earth can cause all sorts of issues, especially in winter months.
Monitor tyre wear.
Other than that, they're great little cars, tough, capable and reliable. I hope you enjoy it
If you're new to the 169 Panda, I'd recommend checking the following:
Inspect & treat for rust:
- rear axle spring pans
- rear sills (access to treat rust via rubber bung in rear wheel arch and base of b-pillar)
- rear bump stop turrets - prise off bump stop and inject rust treatment through hole
- coolant return pipe across front of engine
- engine sump pan
- mud trap behind front springs
- brakes (build-up of rust on sliding surfaces of front calipers & inside of rear drums)
- shock absorbers & springs
- exhaust bracket below cat
Clean battery earth strap connections (battery negative terminal and on body under battery) - weak earth can cause all sorts of issues, especially in winter months.
Monitor tyre wear.
Other than that, they're great little cars, tough, capable and reliable. I hope you enjoy it
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Great tips and I'll keep this saved. Not sure I have any of the skills or even know what a sump pan is but I'll do some googling and I've got a friendly mechanic that I use who can help also. Thanks again!Hi and welcome
If you're new to the 169 Panda, I'd recommend checking the following:
Inspect & treat for rust:
Check the 'duckbill' scuttle drains below the wipers are clear - they block easily. Check the condition of the wiring loom in this area - the loom tape disintegrates.
- rear axle spring pans
- rear sills (access to treat rust via rubber bung in rear wheel arch and base of b-pillar)
- rear bump stop turrets - prise off bump stop and inject rust treatment through hole
- coolant return pipe across front of engine
- engine sump pan
- mud trap behind front springs
- brakes (build-up of rust on sliding surfaces of front calipers & inside of rear drums)
- shock absorbers & springs
- exhaust bracket below cat
Clean battery earth strap connections (battery negative terminal and on body under battery) - weak earth can cause all sorts of issues, especially in winter months.
Monitor tyre wear.
Other than that, they're great little cars, tough, capable and reliable. I hope you enjoy it
Well, good news is you don't need to jack the car up to check anything - but you might need to crawl about a bit under both ends of the car to get a good look.
Here are the bits that can go rusty. Try to keep on top of it with wire brush, either rust treatment or smear with oil / grease.
I usually give mine a clean twice a year - once after winter to clear the muck off, then again before winter to protect them (which for me also coincides with MOT time so I can check there's nothing obviously going to fail, and gives the MOT tester the impression the car is cared for)
Oh, and there was this recent thread on treating the sills: https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/cavity-wax-in-sills.504004/
And on cleaning the mud trap in the front wheel arch: https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/built-in-obsolescence-rust.500646/#post-4684022
Here are the bits that can go rusty. Try to keep on top of it with wire brush, either rust treatment or smear with oil / grease.
I usually give mine a clean twice a year - once after winter to clear the muck off, then again before winter to protect them (which for me also coincides with MOT time so I can check there's nothing obviously going to fail, and gives the MOT tester the impression the car is cared for)
Oh, and there was this recent thread on treating the sills: https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/cavity-wax-in-sills.504004/
And on cleaning the mud trap in the front wheel arch: https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/built-in-obsolescence-rust.500646/#post-4684022
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