General Retrofit Fog Lights

[Troubles with 500c]

Good to know. Unfortunately, I’ve ordered the parts from AUTODOC already.

They can be a little slow compared to Amazon, but they tend to have a good selection and the prices are keen.

 

[Coppermunky]

Final update.

Drove down to Halfords to get some bulbs and their unhelpful computer didn’t have which type are the correct ones.

Decided that now it’s stopped raining I’d go home and wriggle under the car and remove one of the bulbs. But before I do that I thought I’d give the lights one more go.

They work! Can only presume change took place after starting the car properly, rather than just switching the ignition on.

Key points from this;

Turned out to be very cheap and easy to do. £25 for the cables and £45 for the MES software.

Unsurprisingly, Fiat are unlikely to build cars with different looms. The main loom is going to be standard and the various options will link to that. Wife’s car is a 2010 and connection was present.

Auto Electrician did not have the correct software even though he argued he did.

Fiat Dealership, this was a 5 minute job your mechanic should have been able to take care of. Instead they spent longer arguing the ECU would need to be changed to accomplish this, rather than just trying it. Only plus side was they didn’t charge me the £70 standard fee.

Thank you to all those that have helped me with this thread and those that have posted previously on MES software.

Looking at having a crack at this myself, got the housing and the lamps, now just have to hope the wiring is there. How long would you say this takes start to finish?

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Bumper swap and plug in cables about an hour.

Learning and setting up the MES was another hour.

 

[Coppermunky]

Bumper swap and plug in cables about an hour.

Learning and setting up the MES was another hour.

Awesome, thank you

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Your welcome, the MES part was probably the most confusing.

I actually changed the fog light button to a 2 light version which was unnecessary.

The final step about starting the car fully for the fog light changes to take effect is worth remembering. No idea if this is always the case, but for me the dash light started working, but not the actual foglights, until I started the car.

 

[Coppermunky]

Your welcome, the MES part was probably the most confusing.

I actually changed the fog light button to a 2 light version which was unnecessary.

The final step about starting the car fully for the fog light changes to take effect is worth remembering. No idea if this is always the case, but for me the dash light started working, but not the actual foglights, until I started the car.

Thanks again, really useful information. I’ll let you know how it goes, however, first priority is now getting the front suspension sorted….oh joy

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Thanks again, really useful information. I’ll let you know how it goes, however, first priority is now getting the front suspension sorted….oh joy

Oh yes, the rear is easy. The front is a pita. Just cut the top nuts off if they’re rusted away like mine were.

Now the tops are covered in grease with some plastic covers you can pickup off eBay.

So far it seems to have kept the rust away.

 

[varesecrazy]

Thanks again, really useful information. I’ll let you know how it goes, however, first priority is now getting the front suspension sorted….oh joy

Top tip with the front struts..

Use an impact gun

It'll rattle off those 18mm hex nuts easily

AND saves grief with the Droplinks too
( no need for a spanner in the slot)

 

[John202020]

Thanks again, really useful information. I’ll let you know how it goes, however, first priority is now getting the front suspension sorted….oh joy

Don' skimp, if you're keeping the car some time replace EVERYTHING on the front suspension, see my post re the bumper here https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/500-2015-lower-front-grill-refitting.498979/
note the lower control arm pinch point can be tricky to separate

Front shock absorber replacement

I had to replace our 2009 front shocks due to corrosion, this is how I did it, hopefully if you do this it will help you? What you may require, normal DIY workshop tools including odds and evens in spanners and sockets. Shock absorbers, drop...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Couldn’t agree more. Just replace the lot.

 

[Coppermunky]

Thanks to all of you for your advice, really appreciate it. Planning to keep it for as long I can, still getting used to it tbh, previous car was a Volvo S60 T5 R-Design. Power and handling are a little different haha.

Recently had to replace an alloy as a lovely pothole murdered the front nearside that Lepsons couldn't fix. Seems i'm chucking cash at this to no end

 

[jrkitching]

Seems i'm chucking cash at this to no end

That's sadly often the case once cars reach a certain age. There's a point in a car's lifecycle where running an older car costs more than the depreciation would be on a newer one.

The rapidly increasing cost of both new and secondhand cars has moved the goalposts somewhat, but there comes a point in any car's life when it's no longer economically the cheapest option to continue to run it. For any given owner, this point will be determined to a large extent by how much work they can do for themselves. For those who always take their car to a garage, it's sometimes better for them to sell the car on to someone who can do their own repairs than to keep pouring cash into it.

I take the view that for a car in daily use, once it reaches a certain age, the best policy is to spend as little as is necessary to keep it safe and reliable. Having the judgement to keep what's perhaps less than pristine, but still serviceable, is the key to running an older car on a budget.

I've said before that if you want a car to look and feel like new, the cheapest way to achieve this is to go and buy a new car.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

The exhaust was a doddle and yep I bought spare hangers (how long am I going to keep this car ).

I found the DRL bulb holders are destroyed by heat. Water ingress hasn’t been an issue.

Might try fitting canbus friendly led bulbs when I replace them next.