General The Good News and the Bad News

[steveras57]

Sounds good to me ! nice to see someone else keeping on top of things!.
However nice as it is dont think i,ll be getting a £900 exhaust any time soon! at my age a couple of £150 systems off of e-bay fitted myself! will probably see me( 66 )or the car( 88k) out! .
I have a reversing sensor on my merc 4x4 its called a tow -bar!!.

 

[GettinBetter]

.... a couple of £150 systems off of e-bay fitted myself!.....

Yep, thats exactly what I normally do. Except the last one I got off ebay was the wrong one (but close) and rather than sending it back, I cut it and rewelded it to fit, but I've had enough of wasting my valuable time on that crap. I am also 66 sometime next week, so hopefully this'll last me too. Plus if I ever get to finish renovating my camper, it fit on the back.

 

[steveras57]

great idea!! make a change from all them smart cars! ya see being lugged about!! me id stick me harley inside !!( if i could get a big enough camper) which unfortunately i could never afford!

 

[John202020]

at my age a couple of £150 systems off of e-bay fitted myself!

Bless my 07 Mazda 6, still using the original back boxes and front pipe

 

[GettinBetter]

... me id stick me harley inside !!

Ha ha well, if I thought I'd get away with it I'd take my Honda Magna as well. But just can't see me getting it on and off the back.

.... still using the original back boxes and front pipe

Lol, what does that even mean. I mean the black boxes bit interests me. Pray tell.

 

[Baglady1990]

Just had a good read through and I have to say .. we are cut from the same cloth!
Mine is a 2011 by Gucci! I had issues from the get go!
I’ve replaced so many parts in the first year of ownership.. once I got going I didn’t stop!
All suspension (koni) re built my callipers .. rubbers pistons pins … sprayed them gucci green as apparently that was an option originally

Replaced my drum brakes handbrake cables and handbrake (one with a cushioned leather handle)
Fitted the original fiat 500 factory alarm
Underbody rust protection
Rear beam gets done every spring
Upgraded all my bulbs to bright white and they look good!
Aftermarket rear lights
Tints on rear (limo) and legal for both front
Re designed my interior (was beige) now matte black with alcantara dash & door cards with chrome trim
7” touch screen pioneer with connects2 module for steering wheel buttons
Pioneer speakers all round with compact underseat sub
DAB shark fin antenna
Original b&m input works with new head unit
Designed my own stickers to replace b&m sticker
Led interior dome light with led foot well lights
Led boot light
Custom vents
Rear spoiler
Gucci green air box (engine) with red battery & fuse box cover
Custom engine tray (metal came from Romania) to protect the sump ect
New SS exhaust system with back box (fitted by me)
New alternator (brand new)
New aircon compressor new rad new fan new condenser and all original…
I run MES so I can keep an eye on things do proxis ect ect …..
I learn all the “fun” stuff from the chaps on here & YouTube
The only thing I have not changed yet is my starter motor…. But I have one from 500 itallia on standby
Front fog lights (although they are crap even with upgraded bulbs)
My battery is a varta silver dynamic … and my stop start has worked faultlessly for years
I do a maintenance charge periodically
How’s that for loving you 500!!?

 

[steveras57]

All very nice and tastefully done too! nothing wrong in spending yer pennies on something you love! just dont add the bills up to often! when i did that for my bikes i realised i could have had a nearly new range rover!

 

[Baglady1990]

All very nice and tastefully done too! nothing wrong in spending yer pennies on something you love! just dont add the bills up to often! when i did that for my bikes i realised i could have had a nearly new range rover!

Ahh but even if I had won the lottery this is the car I would have bought

 

[GettinBetter]

Just had a good read through and I have to say .. we are cut from the same cloth!
Mine is a 2011 by Gucci! I had issues from the get go!
I’ve replaced so many parts in the first year of ownership.. once I got going I didn’t stop!
All suspension (koni) re built my callipers .. rubbers pistons pins … sprayed them gucci green as apparently that was an option originally

Replaced my drum brakes handbrake cables and handbrake (one with a cushioned leather handle)
Fitted the original fiat 500 factory alarm
Underbody rust protection
Rear beam gets done every spring
Upgraded all my bulbs to bright white and they look good!
Aftermarket rear lights
Tints on rear (limo) and legal for both front
Re designed my interior (was beige) now matte black with alcantara dash & door cards with chrome trim
7” touch screen pioneer with connects2 module for steering wheel buttons
Pioneer speakers all round with compact underseat sub
DAB shark fin antenna
Original b&m input works with new head unit
Designed my own stickers to replace b&m sticker
Led interior dome light with led foot well lights
Led boot light
Custom vents
Rear spoiler
Gucci green air box (engine) with red battery & fuse box cover
Custom engine tray (metal came from Romania) to protect the sump ect
New SS exhaust system with back box (fitted by me)
New alternator (brand new)
New aircon compressor new rad new fan new condenser and all original…
I run MES so I can keep an eye on things do proxis ect ect …..
I learn all the “fun” stuff from the chaps on here & YouTube
The only thing I have not changed yet is my starter motor…. But I have one from 500 itallia on standby
Front fog lights (although they are crap even with upgraded bulbs)
My battery is a varta silver dynamic … and my stop start has worked faultlessly for years
I do a maintenance charge periodically
How’s that for loving you 500!!?

What a fantastic list, and I have questions. Will edit and post later, as I'm in the middle of something.

 

[steveras57]

contentment is a very rare think! your very fortunate!!!

 

[GettinBetter]

More bad news.
I've been bleating on here about how I don't have any confidence in my 500 for a long trip. So today I'd had a spontaneous urge (actually it's been nagging me for months) to deliver a package some 100 miles away, needless to say, I never got any more than half a mile down the road before being unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the road at a busy junction. (I turned the engine off, because the temporary roadwork light were the 4-way type and I knew I had 5 or 6 mins to wait, and then it wouldn't start) I quickly put the hazzards on to let the bloody great queue of traffic behind know I was stuffed. I could do no more than sit there untill there was enough time for me to attempt to push it out of the way, into a carpark opposite, a fellow that had just passed me noticed my predicament and was kind enough to assist.

So, battery is three (barely) weeks old, vehicle is (recapping here) 2013 36k miles, & earth strap replaced. New battery managed to let S/S operate once, never worked again. On initial start after battery change my colleague checked the voltage so I never actually got to see it.

So I walked the ten mins to the high street, and bought another battery. I got back to the car and popped the battery in the boot, with the intention of walking back to my place picking up some tools, and going back, but on the off chance it may start, I tried the key, and it bloody did. Drove back to my place changed the battery, checked the residual drain while I was there (30mA on initial connection, for about 10 seconds dropping to 3mA, which I checked three times) so I'm assuming this is the ECU's initialising, then going to sleep untill called upon to do something?

Then planned to resume my trip. Got down the road to where I broke down before, this time S/S kicked in, and another two times enroute.
HOWEVER, after travelling one hundred miles or so to the outskirts of the town, S/S worked once more then the S/S not activated light comes on with the yellow triangle warning lamp!!!

Too scared to turn the engine off, I delivered the package, and drove straight back. Upon arrival back at home, I stuck a meter on the battery whilst the engine was running and touched the throttle to get a fast idle, but the voltage sat at 13.1V, and when I turned the engine off, it went down to 12.8.

Tomorrow I'm going to brave the cold, and fit that new alternator.

 

[Baglady1990]

More bad news.
I've been bleating on here about how I don't have any confidence in my 500 for a long trip. So today I'd had a spontaneous urge (actually it's been nagging me for months) to deliver a package some 100 miles away, needless to say, I never got any more than half a mile down the road before being unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the road at a busy junction. (I turned the engine off, because the temporary roadwork light were the 4-way type and I knew I had 5 or 6 mins to wait, and then it wouldn't start) I quickly put the hazzards on to let the bloody great queue of traffic behind know I was stuffed. I could do no more than sit there untill there was enough time for me to attempt to push it out of the way, into a carpark opposite, a fellow that had just passed me noticed my predicament and was kind enough to assist.

So, battery is three (barely) weeks old, vehicle is (recapping here) 2013 36k miles, & earth strap replaced. New battery managed to let S/S operate once, never worked again. On initial start after battery change my colleague checked the voltage so I never actually got to see it.

So I walked the ten mins to the high street, and bought another battery. I got back to the car and popped the battery in the boot, with the intention of walking back to my place picking up some tools, and going back, but on the off chance it may start, I tried the key, and it bloody did. Drove back to my place changed the battery, checked the residual drain while I was there (30mA on initial connection, for about 10 seconds dropping to 3mA, which I checked three times) so I'm assuming this is the ECU's initialising, then going to sleep untill called upon to do something?

Then planned to resume my trip. Got down the road to where I broke down before, this time S/S kicked in, and another two times enroute.
HOWEVER, after travelling one hundred miles or so to the outskirts of the town, S/S worked once more then the S/S not activated light comes on with the yellow triangle warning lamp!!!

Too scared to turn the engine off, I delivered the package, and drove straight back. Upon arrival back at home, I stuck a meter on the battery whilst the engine was running and touched the throttle to get a fast idle, but the voltage sat at 13.1V, and when I turned the engine off, it went down to 12.8.

Tomorrow I'm going to brave the cold, and fit that new alternator.

Let us know how you get on …. Getting the alternator out is a bugger! I only managed it because I already had the aircon compressor out! Obviously easier if you don’t have aircon

 

[steveras57]

WOW! BIT OF A SAGA! and very frustrating for you! does make you suspect the alternator dont it!!.
Just so as you know your not alone with this kinda trouble , i will recount the story i had with my Mercedes 4x4 a year or so ago!.
Symptoms as follows!
With a FULLY charged 100ah battery she would start ok and run well enough on (short) trips around 5-10 miles
this would last for around a week or so then the car would suddenly only turn over VERY slowly sometime if lucky it MIGHT fire up but more often than not all the warning lights on the dash would just dim down and starter would not turn , then just clicking from the solinoid!.
At no time during the time it was starting and running did any warning lights show on the dash!.
Therefore my thoughts were either a duff battery and /or a parasitic drain on the system!
Tested the battery and it seamed ok if a little low in cca capacity so RELUCTANTLY spent cira £100 on a new battery which i fitted(bloody heavy and awkward!) and THE SYMPTOMS WERE STILL EXACTLKY THE SAME! (cuss cuss).
so went on a mission to try to find the parasitic drain!-(three weeks of testing recording! poaking! prodding! and head scratching ! and NOTHING couldnt find one!.
A chance conversation with a neighbour brought up the subject "HAVE YOU CHECKED THE ALTERNATOR ?is producing enough voltage? Must be say I the warning light goes out at tick-over!! Check it anyway says he! so i did and NO F**KING OUTPUT WHAT SO EVER!!!.
BUT THE BLINKING WARNING LIGHT WAS GOING OUT AS IF THERE WAS CHARGING GOING TO THE BATTERY!
So another £100 see a new alternator supplied and once fitted(again more awkward than it should be!!!) and BINGO! steady 13.8 volts at tickover and 14.2 when over 2k rpm!.
So what did i get from all this then?
A) just cause the warning lamp goes out dont mean the batteries being charged!!!!
b) electrics can be a Mind F**k!
c) a spare £100 quid battery i didnt need!!
d) never assume anything!!!
e) I can be a KN**WIT at times!
All of which hopefully makes your situation just a little more bearable!
Stay well! you ARE getting there!

 

[steveras57]

Let us know how you get on …. Getting the alternator out is a bugger! I only managed it because I already had the aircon compressor out! Obviously easier if you don’t have aircon

Bit cramped in the engine bay aint it! big hands & a small space = mucho! frustrato! when doing the job- dont rush, take loads of breaks, have a thermos of good strong tea by your side!, and warn your wife/ partner/ or friends to LEAVE YOU ALONE !!! until your done.
Surprising how irritating a friendly" how are you getting on then love!" can be when your covered in engine and your knuckles are bleeding!
aint it great to work on your own car for that job well done feeling!!!!.

 

[vexorg]

Cramped alternator, you've never seen the vectra v6 alternator!!
At the rear bottom of the the engine. Exhaust behind it, subframe below it, steering rack to the side, driveshaft to the front.....

 

[steveras57]

sounds very similar to by old saab v6

 

[Baglady1990]

Bit cramped in the engine bay aint it! big hands & a small space = mucho! frustrato! when doing the job- dont rush, take loads of breaks, have a thermos of good strong tea by your side!, and warn your wife/ partner/ or friends to LEAVE YOU ALONE !!! until your done.
Surprising how irritating a friendly" how are you getting on then love!" can be when your covered in engine and your knuckles are bleeding!
aint it great to work on your own car for that job well done feeling!!!!.

I’ve got small hands being a woman but still I can still remember the work! And it being super hard work!
Getting bolts undone that at the time we’re 8 years old!
I got messed about by mechanics so decided to “get involved” but yeah it’s a good feeling when you save on labour costs and you know you done a great job!!
Learned a lot and I’m confident in doing future work!
I even service my car myself! And although I do a few more miles than I used to .. as now I’m single and live further away than my parent I still change the oil ect every six months…. Keeps her sweet

 

[steveras57]

great that your "hands on" so to speak! shame about the distance! its a good idea to keep a mechanical parent in your tool box! as my daughter knows all to well.IMHO people dont change there oil &filter often enough!!! in my view its much cheaper than big ends & labour!.

 

[Baglady1990]

great that your "hands on" so to speak! shame about the distance! its a good idea to keep a mechanical parent in your tool box! as my daughter knows all to well.IMHO people dont change there oil &filter often enough!!! in my view its much cheaper than big ends & labour!.

I never intended as such (hands on) I just wanted to drive her … keep her clean & enjoy ohhhhh how little I knew it was basically the case …. Learn or loose so I chose learn.
The bruises the cuts the stress!!! All worth it for the pride & sense of achievement when you complete….
I think personally I was just really unlucky when I bought my car…. But 2 years on from all that work…. And 4 years of owning her it has definitely paid off!
I almost completed my timing belt too….. water pump no problem I just got confused trying to get the belt tight …. Panicked and the next day I had to call a mechanic next time

 

[steveras57]

AHH panic! the destroyer of reason!