Technical Top mount rust again.

[jrkitching]

Not letting those **** (choose expression here) near my car...

Good call.

**** = spanner wielding metal mangling neanderthals

 

[ahmett]

Good call.

**** = spanner wielding metal mangling neanderthals

You know, that's why I prefer indies because they let me wait there and check out the car personally while they are doing work! In Fiat main dealers they don't let you near the car during the service so they can do what they want and you can never prove they messed up!

 

[bgunn]

You know, that's why I prefer indies because they let me wait there and check out the car personally while they are doing work! In Fiat main dealers they don't let you near the car during the service so they can do what they want and you can never prove they messed up!

I like your sentiment, but I have a pathological hatred for anyone other than me working on my car. In retrospect, I was very foolish letting a FIAT dealership franchise near my car from day one.

In my experience, anyone deriving a living from working on cars (and I mean a normal living, working on 'normal' cars), will take every method there is possible to cut corners, take shortcuts, or generally bodge the job.

 

[ahmett]

I like your sentiment, but I have a pathological hatred for anyone other than me working on my car. In retrospect, I was very foolish letting a FIAT dealership franchise near my car from day one.

In my experience, anyone deriving a living from working on cars (and I mean a normal living, working on 'normal' cars), will take every method there is possible to cut corners, take shortcuts, or generally bodge the job.

Fair enough but I am no mechanic so I need to take my car somewhere, at least I can watch them at the indie! In fact (stupid me) the indie put about 200 ml less of oil than was needed to fill and I forgot to ask them to give me the last liter bottle that they used and since the 1.4 uses a decent amount of oil when loitering around 7000 rpm I will need some top up before the next oil change!

 

[bgunn]

Yup 51807101 for the 1.2/1.3/1.4 and 51876262 for the TA. ePER is very specific about saying that the first number is not for my car when I chuck the VIN in.

I'm guessing there's either a difference in the damper, or the geometry is different (although you'd have to move the top mount a fair distance to change anything - that's the 'benefit' of a Mac strutted car - was designed to be assembled more cheaply).

Quoting myself here but 51876262 is just over £21+vat from FIAT, so not actually a bad price. I've ordered two, and the top nut, and the nut underneath, ready for the swapover.

I'll document/picture the job for future reference on here.

 

[T14086]

Fiat main dealers they don't let you near the car during the service so they can do what they want and you can never prove they messed up!

Most main dealers have viewing windows/areas. The reason you shouldn't be near your car or in the workshop is health and safety....unless you have safety footwear, clothing, glasses and have personal liability insurance.

 

[RobinPJ]

Most main dealers have viewing windows/areas. The reason you shouldn't be near your car or in the workshop is health and safety....unless you have safety footwear, clothing, glasses and have personal liability insurance.

More like the mechanics don't want you getting under their feet. How many people have been harmed standing out of reach of a car, watching it being worked on? I would suggest none. You're about a billion times more likely to be hurt driving the car home once it has been fixed than you are standing and watching the work being done.

 

[ahmett]

Most main dealers have viewing windows/areas. The reason you shouldn't be near your car or in the workshop is health and safety....unless you have safety footwear, clothing, glasses and have personal liability insurance.

Yes in my first main dealer service from hell experience (when I feel they did the most damage to my car) I was shepherded to a viewing area about 50 meters away from the car. The car was too far away for me to see if they were breaking it or not = (

 

[T14086]

More like the mechanics don't want you getting under their feet. How many people have been harmed standing out of reach of a car, watching it being worked on? I would suggest none. You're about a billion times more likely to be hurt driving the car home once it has been fixed than you are standing and watching the work being done.

Absolutely not, I have seen many many accidents in the workshop including the public getting hurt. No company would willingly put the public at risk especially in today's blame culture.

The car was too far away for me to see if they were breaking it or not = (

Binoculars
Did the garage do a pre and post vehicle condition check?

 

[ahmett]

Absolutely not, I have seen many many accidents in the workshop including the public getting hurt. No company would willingly put the public at risk especially in today's blame culture.



Binoculars
Did the garage do a pre and post vehicle condition check?

No not at all. They were a dealer that was closing down (I didn't know at the time) within a month or 2 so they couldn't have cared less = ' (. Oh well, lesson learnt!

Another Fiat main dealer took over the workshop and sacked half the workers.

 

[Bhindi]

Just brought a set of covers off ebay, through the link, and very pleased with them. Nice that they are so cheap.

 

[deepee121]

Hi All

Forgive my ignorance and impatience as i will find out when we go to collect her car from the dealers at the end of the month....curiosity got hold.

It is clear that Fiat know about this issue, hence suppliying the parts....do they come as standard on new 500's now?

Thankyou in advance

 

[The Twins]

Hi All

Forgive my ignorance and impatience as i will find out when we go to collect her car from the dealers at the end of the month....curiosity got hold.

It is clear that Fiat know about this issue, hence suppliying the parts....do they come as standard on new 500's now?

Thankyou in advance

Yes, they know. They will give you the bits for free or fit them if you ask them too. That was my experience with Platts Stafford.

 

[The Twins]

Not letting those **** (choose expression here) near my car, you should see the state of the sump plug; I suspect the workshop trainee had a go and decided to round off every single corner of said bolt. So I had to abandon the planned oil change on account of needing a decent surface drive socket (and a new sump plug).

I'm getting more and more paranoid about letting anyone near my car with a jack/spanner etc...
Despite my specific request to use the dedicated jack points (the bulges with holes, you know the ones) and not to use a 'spikey' jack head my car came back with gouged and dented jack points. I really hate that!! Must be OCD : /

 

[BigKev]

I have not had any problems with my top mounts rusting but that probably because my car is in a garage most of the time and I don't drive it in the rain if I can help it (only because I hate having a dirty car)

But I know people were having some problems and spending £15 on parts from a cinquecento to stop them from rusting, well now Fiat have made a part specifically for the 500 and they only cost £5.99 inc delivery.

it looks like they just clip on the top nut.

You can buy them on ebay from the link below or I guess you can go into your dealer but knowing them they will charge you more that the fiat dealer is selling them on ebay for.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281027121865?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648

Unfortunately these caps are useless. I fitted them to my wife's car after cleaning and greasing but the water still gets in and then stays there stagnating. I've taken them off now, better to just keep them greased and open so at least water can evaporate.

 

[306maxi]

I still don't get the fuss, you will have to replace your top mounts multiple times before the rust ever became an issue...

 

[arorat]

I still don't get the fuss, you will have to replace your top mounts multiple times before the rust ever became an issue...

ok another stupid question time... I thought Mount was the actual chassis part where the shocks are attached to with that visible bolt ?

 

[jrkitching]

I still don't get the fuss, you will have to replace your top mounts multiple times before the rust ever became an issue...

You might, if you ever needed to get those nuts undone without airtools. Mine were bad enough when I removed them to grease the threads when the car was barely a week old.

And if all you're replacing are the top mounts, remember you'll be reusing the nuts & threads. Provided the dampers & springs hold up, those nuts have to last the life of the car.

 

[306maxi]

You might, if you ever needed to get those nuts undone without airtools. Mine were bad enough when I removed them to grease the threads when the car was barely a week old.

And if all you're replacing are the top mounts, remember you'll be reusing the nuts & threads. Provided the dampers & springs hold up, those nuts have to last the life of the car.

Let's be honest, the vast majority of people aren't going to be undoing the nut themselves. Me included!

 

[306maxi]

ok another stupid question time... I thought Mount was the actual chassis part where the shocks are attached to with that visible bolt ?

Nope, this is a top mount. It's actually upside down in the photo You can even see the bit where they've ground the Fiat logo off the part so it can be sold at a fraction of the price The top mount sits between the strut and the body of the car.