What is your favourite car accessory?

[AnthonyH]

What is your favourite fiat car accessory and why?

Something you've added to your car for fun or functionality. It can be anything, sat nav, exhaust, speakers...but say why!

 

[varesecrazy]

What is your favourite fiat car accessory and why?

Something you've added to your car for fun or functionality. It can be anything, sat nav, exhaust, speakers...but say why!

I have a key with FIAT on it,
Using it for an hour cheers me up no end

 

[The Panda Nut]

The best thing about the Panda 4x4 is it has all the kit I want, with the exception of auto wipers and lights, so its only extras are cosmetic and a towbar, Do you count the 9 stuffed Pandas that ride around inside him? My favourite is his Steiffe Panda.

I managed to find some Chrome effect door mirror covers for my Bravo which I really liked with its dark blue paint.

All the Fiat accessories have been eBay sourced and all have been new and a fraction of the cost of the Accessori catalogue prices so thats what I like best about them.

 

[AnthonyH]

so its only extras are cosmetic and a towbar,

Did you put the tow bar on yourself? And how much was the equipment and parts?

 

[SB1500]

The short aerials for the Panda / 500 are really cool. Makes them look more Italian in a subtle way

 

[The Panda Nut]

Yes. I got a steal. Bar was £125 for a removable westfailia bar which is actally what Fiat sell for about 900. Clearly it was wrongly priced. Get the part number. Search Panda towbars and tgen check the mk 3 part numbers at lower prices than the mk 4 against your number. It worked for me. They are now around 300 on the net. Dedicated ekectrics were 126 from ECS in Scarborough. Both are the best quality available. Fitting is easy if a little confusing. No drilling and bumper can be cut with a stanley knife. The cut bumper is barely visible at all. Itsca very good tow car. WAY better than you could ever expect. The standard 4x4 bar does fit the Panda Cross.

The short aerials for the Panda / 500 are really cool. Makes them look more Italian in a subtle way

Ah that why mine look different. Or was it because the taller aerials kept tangling with the garage door...... ANd the price of these now, I think I should superglue them on!

 

[AnthonyH]

Yes. I got a steal. Bar was £125 for a removable westfailia bar which is actally what Fiat sell for about 900. Clearly it was wrongly priced. Get the part number. Search Panda towbars and tgen check the mk 3 part numbers at lower prices than the mk 4 against your number. It worked for me. They are now around 300 on the net. Dedicated ekectrics were 126 from ECS in Scarborough. Both are the best quality available. Fitting is easy if a little confusing. No drilling and bumper can be cut with a stanley knife. The cut bumper is barely visible at all. Itsca very good tow car. WAY better than you could ever expect. The standard 4x4 bar does fit the Panda Cross.

Ah that why mine look different. Or was it because the taller aerials kept tangling with the garage door...... ANd the price of these now, I think I should superglue them on!

I can see those removable tow bars on ebay for about £100, used not new. Its interesting to know that these are a thing, I couldn't have guessed these were even possible, and was assuming it'd need a tow bar to be welded on!

 

[The Panda Nut]

I can see those removable tow bars on ebay for about £100, used not new. Its interesting to know that these are a thing, I couldn't have guessed these were even possible, and was assuming it'd need a tow bar to be welded on!

The removable bit is pretty cunning in how it works. I still find it hard to believe its strong enough but its well tested. There are much cheaper bars from Poland that I would trust. I do believe you get what you pay for. Over the years I have seen two towbars collapse without peoper provocation. My brother in law ahs a chap bar flod under load of a small caravan, I had a supposed reputable make fitted to a Golf. I struck a waste bin when reversing and my tobar crumpled. Bad design I still think. I had it straightened and reinforced as I thought it should be and it was never a problem again. The main thing is decent engineering costs.

 

[varesecrazy]

My 1992 Tempra SW had a Brink detachable Swanneck

All of the FIAT Estates had a drop tailgate.. So it HAD TO Be detachable or you couldn't drop the bumper

 

[s130]

I can see those removable tow bars on ebay for about £100, used not new. Its interesting to know that these are a thing, I couldn't have guessed these were even possible, and was assuming it'd need a tow bar to be welded on!

Certainly on motor vehicles/cars tow basrs have always been bolt on. These days the vehicle manufacturers actually put all the required fixing points in as part of the vehicle chassis design. This is done not only for convenience but also to ensure the vehicle safety with a fitted towbar.

In earlier years the fitter would have to drill all the mounting holes and if done properly was usually a real pain to do as access to chassis rails and structural members was not always that easy. Cowboy fitters would cut corners and skip some of the difficult to do work.

I've fitted 4 tow bars over the years and had one fitted by a company. The 1st was on a Fiat Tempra and was a pig to fit due to having to drill horizontal holes in the rear chassis rails where right angle access was very restricted due to the rear exhaust box and spare wheel well.

2nd was on a Tipo SX. Not as bad as the Tempra.
3rd on my Croma 2005. Much easier as I seem to recall pretty much all the required holes/mounting points were in place
4th on my 500X. This was a doddel todo as the towbar, like most today, actually replaces the rear crash member and mounts/slide into the rear chassis rails.

As with all towbars the bumper removal an often cutting, internal trim stripping for the electrics, and then properly making the required connections and twin power feeds from the engine bay take some time and patience.

 

[AnthonyH]

I think I was living in a time gone by, maybe the dark ages I can remember paying to have a tow bar welded to an old Toyota Starlet, and using it to pull a caravan. I paid about £300 for tow bar and electrics, all worked just fine.

I presume the holes for a tow bar exist for the Grande Punto but haven't looked.

 

[The Panda Nut]

As stated above, all holes should be there since about 1990. You can get fitting instructions from many suppliers from the internet. The bar MUST have its CE marks and the load plate ot it is illegal. Police do run checks and while I have nver been pulled, I have passed through towbar checking days. My outfits have all been totally above board and we were waved through on both occasions as both car and caravan were newish. Fines for such things being wrong are very bad news.
If you but a second hand bar you must check the bolts and nuts are all there. They should match in pairs. Anything that is odd looking do not use it. Iwouldnt recommend a second hand bar unless you take it off yourself. You can see where it fits, and check that its plated and that all the fittings are removed. Some bars, like the Panda, have some very heavy washers used to reinforce the nuts and bolts. You must ensure these are fitted in the right place, the right way round and secured to the correct torque. You also need to replace spring lock washers before fitting so some experience is important. Some torque figur
to remove the exhaust (Bravo) or at least drop it from the mountings to get access to fixings and in some cases exisitng bolts are removed and high strength ones put back.
If its you first time fitting a towbar I would advise a new one so you have new fixings and the correct instructions. My latest bar on the Panda Cross I used a dedicated electrics kit. These ares are amazingly low!
Although the holes are all there you may still neede much easier and only require rear fog lamp, reversing light and earth wires to be joined in various ways to the car. All the other wires are plug and play so worth a few quid. Finally if the towbar maker is not clear, steer well clear.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I think I was living in a time gone by, maybe the dark ages I can remember paying to have a tow bar welded to an old Toyota Starlet, and using it to pull a caravan. I paid about £300 for tow bar and electrics, all worked just fine.

I presume the holes for a tow bar exist for the Grande Punto but haven't looked.

Thing is, they are not marked, could be the hole already used for something else and might be behind rubber plugs in some very odd places. Worst job on Panda was removing over an inch deep layer of body sealant back to the metal.
Quite often there are choices and these are not obvious as more than one is seemingly in the right place.

 

[s130]

Also important but not well known is that if you have an unbraked trailer < 750kg fully loaded (all trailers/caravans 750kg and above MUST have braking) then you must have a sencondary coupling. The numbe of small trailers at the tips I see with no secondary coupling is staggering and blinking dangerous.

Amazon product ASIN B07P2LL1XZ
or any other reputable make, e.g. from Towsure. Don't risk using an unbranded / no UK/EU named product.

 

[AndyRKett]

Also important but not well known is that if you have an unbraked trailer < 750kg fully loaded (all trailers/caravans 750kg and above MUST have braking) then you must have a sencondary coupling. The numbe of small trailers at the tips I see with no secondary coupling is staggering and blinking dangerous.


or any other reputable make, e.g. from Towsure. Don't risk using an unbranded / no UK/EU named product.

I’m not sure what you’ve done with that link. It doesn’t bring anything (products)up but it does show a postcode in Swindon as a delivery address

 

[s130]

I’m not sure what you’ve done with that link. It doesn’t bring anything (products)up but it does show a postcode in Swindon as a delivery address

Me neither. Have hopefully corrected?

 

[vexorg]

Has to be heated seats

 

[The Panda Nut]

Also important but not well known is that if you have an unbraked trailer < 750kg fully loaded (all trailers/caravans 750kg and above MUST have braking) then you must have a sencondary coupling. The numbe of small trailers at the tips I see with no secondary coupling is staggering and blinking dangerous.

Amazon product ASIN B07P2LL1XZ
or any other reputable make, e.g. from Towsure. Don't risk using an unbranded / no UK/EU named product.

Good point well made and I am one of them. I shall fit a restraint straight away and also investigate some brakes it would feel better having brakes in any event. My trailer was fully refurbed in 2020 so I hope its in good order but its spec goes back to the 80's so an upgrade is called for.

 

[FiatMatt94]

I suppose with mine it would have to be the genuine Fiat squircle decals as I've never seen another panda with them so it's unique & also I fitted a DAB stereo with better speakers which are the same diameter as the originals as I didn't want to be cutting or drilling holes anywhere

 

[porta]

I think I was living in a time gone by, maybe the dark ages I can remember paying to have a tow bar welded to an old Toyota Starlet, and using it to pull a caravan. I paid about £300 for tow bar and electrics, all worked just fine.

I presume the holes for a tow bar exist for the Grande Punto but haven't looked.

Even going back to 124, 126, 127, 128, etc etc they were bolt on, you had to drill through box sections and floor put spacers, washers and bracketry on but we never welded a towbar on!