General Winter greyB

[greyB]

Hello B owners. I bought me gunmetal grey B with 125k on the clock this July form Germany, and the wacky Finn I am, this will be my all year car.

The car runs well, and there´s no rust, so I am just enjoying the driving which is just fantastic.

Below is a list what´s done so far, and whats to do top most. There was no service history with the car, so this forum has been a superb! Thanks for all!


10.8.10, 125350km: Oil change (shell 5W-40W, 4 liters, 25€)

10.8.10, 125350km: Transmission oil change (Redline synthetic 2 liters 35€)

10.8.10, 125350km: Rust prevention: Enclosure seal coat (Dinitrol "box" spray)

10.8.10, 125350km: Rust prevention: Underseal coat (Dinitrol black spray)

10.8.10, 125350km: Rust prevention: All visible/accessible bolts lubricated under the car (Rust remover & WD-40))

20.8.10, 125400km: Petrol filter (Bosch original, 14,50€)

22.8.10, 125400km: Spark plugs (NGK BKR6EKC 8,50€ / piece)

23.8.10, 125400km: Belt & Variator changed, 120k check at Fiat dealer Service
in Olari Autokeskus Fiat-Alfa-Romeo center, Espoo, Finland (850€)

26.8.10 125500km: All seals siliconed. Added new seal into boot edges.

1.9.10 125850km; Break fluid changed & breakes bleeded (spongy breaks are gone)

1.9.10 125850km; Inner wheel arches zinked & massed with Dinitrol (no rust anywhere!)

1.9.10 125850km; Boot and bood lid edges zinked (1mm spots of beginning rust on the bood lid egdes)

8.9.10 125900km; New heater resistor for cockpit fan (for fan to work
in blower settings 1-2-3-4, and not just 4).

10.9.10 125900km; Airbag fault light cause found at Fiat centre: Crash sensore is faulty. Ordered used part from barchettaparts.com 10.9.10 for the Fiat center to replace.

22.9.10: 126050km. New parts (Fiat centre Olari, Espoo, Finland):
- Radius arm on the passgr side
- Rear wishbones
- Rear springs
- Rear shock absorbers
- Rear bearing to the passgr side
- HC2 & nox etc OK.


To do:

1.10.10: Replace Airbag sensore (Fiat centre Konala, Helsinki, Finland):

Winter tyres

Buy new battery
Buy outdoor cover
Replace exhaust rubbers
Fix slight sump leak
Break pads
Thermostat?
Clutch renewal as there is a Whirring steel-like / bearing noise.
Front springs shocks

 

[greyB]

As I´ll be using B in the winter as well, is it possible to fit a more powerful battery?

Midwinter temps here in Finland will be -20C, and I go to work at 5 a.m. so all extra tricks are welcome.

Oh yeah, we have no garage...

 

[F4usT]

hi and welcome... well, you should cover it if no garage, of if you have place to create some awning just with roof it will help a lot. barch doesn't like to be exposed to bad weather, especially if have leaking windows as most have (soaked floor and seats). i have 60Ah battery, no problem in winter (-10°)

you said you siliconed all seals? some specified silicon?

 

[desert rat]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like the grey B has found a good home

Apparently placing a matchstick under your door handles helps you get into the car when the button freezes up.

Also the handbrake cable has a tendency to freeze so leaving handbrake off and putting car into gear prevents foul language at 5am in the winter

Avoid putting roof down if rear window is frozen as they crack.....

 

[greyB]

Hi Faust, yeah car cover will be used...I will try that 60Ah battery, the standard is 55Ah.

Silicone for the rubber seals I use is just an ordinary stick application that you can buy here at nearly anywhere. It is commonly used to keep the rubber flexible and not crackin in the freezing temps. Here´s a pict: korrek.fi/app/product/view/-/id/189

 

[greyB]

Hello desert rat. Thanks for the tips...Handbrake will not be used in the winter, and seldom in summer.

I´ll try to post some picts of the car.

 

[patches]

Congratulations on your purchase. If you can find one at a reasonable price, invest in a hardtop. It makes it much more civilised in the winter although I don't have a spare room in the warm months!

 

[F4usT]

exactly what Patches says... hardtop could be best invest. it's really difference, it's warmer have rear screen heater, it's quieter and looks better... and it's more leak proof than soft top... my seals in softtop were in really bad condition, there is a hole that smaller dog could escape through... if i decide to buy new seals, there is no proof it will not leak, also 15 years of opening/closing roof probably whole mechanism is twisted...

if you'll have problems with leaking, there are guides on this forum how to adjust windows to sit perfectly on seals. few hour job, and wait for next rain.

me and leaking again... it's annoying when is hard raining and drops are falling on your foot. or drop hung on seal and wait until you turn steering wheel and hit you direct in the eye... bullseye

 

[Darman]

WOW.. congrats... well here in Dubai we dont have to worry about cool or cold weather.

Just a lot of sand and heat.. its has it own set of problems... all manageable

The Winter is when we open the top... October thru February the best convertible driving weather... that's when you really enjoy the B... sunny and 20 every day.

 

[F4usT]

Just a lot of sand and heat.. its has it own set of problems... all manageable

sticker on car "eat my dust" at your place have a real meaning

 

[desert rat]

WOW.. congrats... well here in Dubai we dont have to worry about cool or cold weather.

Just a lot of sand and heat.. its has it own set of problems... all manageable

The Winter is when we open the top... October thru February the best convertible driving weather... that's when you really enjoy the B... sunny and 20 every day.

Hard top is still nice for the summer though.....

It makes quite a difference keeping the car cooler inside and the heated rear screen helps with the himidity but for the other 10 months of the year it's a pain to store it

 

[Darman]

Hard top is still nice for the summer though.....

It makes quite a difference keeping the car cooler inside and the heated rear screen helps with the himidity but for the other 10 months of the year it's a pain to store it

Well i have seen several Bs on the site with Hard tops, I think they look amazing so maybe i will get one some time in February/march in time for the HEAT!! .. anyway I bought my B just to use on weekend so not planning to make it a daily driver... i have a few other cars...

Thx D-Rats

 

[greyB]

If you can find one at a reasonable price, invest in a hardtop. It makes it much more civilised in the winter although I don't have a spare room in the warm months!

Quite, hardtop would be nice, its just the cost that is the problem now. Maybe next year I´ll buy one from the continent. By the way: Some say this winter will be the coldest in 100 years, so it´ll be a testing time to see how the B acts.

 

[Darman]

Never have to worry about winters over here in Dubai.... so basically the hard top would be something to keep us cool in the sizzling summer months... but you can survive without it..

 

[greyB]

Got the reasonably priced used airbag ecu (aka, sensore, crash sensor) from barchetta parts.com promptly thanks to Henk.

So today 1.10.10 the Airbag sensore was replaced at Fiat centre Konala, Helsinki, Finland:
- Found out that the sensore had packed in due to water in the gearshift column, inside the car, under the plastic floor cover.
- Also the airbag wiring was shorted because of friction caused by that water.
- They dried it out, replaced the wiring, and now could enter the airbag fault data:
- Seat belt pretensioners needs to be replaced (delivery time 2 weeks min.
as airfreight is prohibited these being ignitable, ie. explosives, so they
must be shippind by truck/sea). And I wonder how many 00€s these cost. Ouch.

Two reasons why I want the Airbag light off:
1. I want the airbag / seatbelts to work if I am involved in a crash
2. The MoT in our belowed Santa Claus-Nokia wonderland should fail if the airbag light doesn´t come on in the oil/battery/safety check mode prior to starting the car.
I.e. the airbag light has to be lit when you turn the key to the MAR position.

Well, replacing the seatbelt pretendioners should bring my Airbag story to a happy ending.

Oh, and my wife still loves his near-penniless man who "has a nice car that can never be driven". Then again, she has near new Fiesta, whilst I commute in a bicycle at the moment... But she may start raising eyebrowses when I have to inform that I need to buy studded winter tyres at a 450€ minimum...

 

[barchetta_97]

Nice to see other Finnish b owners here!
Hope you get that ab light sorted out.

 

[greyB]

Nice to see other Finnish b owners here!
Hope you get that ab light sorted out.

Ditto! Well, with patience & money it is coming to. Ordered the seat belt pretensioner charge today from Fiat, should arrive in 3 weeks. Will also look for the actual seatbelt as its a bit saggy on the drivers side.

Happy steerings!

 

[HP]

Looks nice, good luck with it

 

[Bravo16VSpoonz]

is it something of a rare site to see a barchetta in finland ?

 

[F4usT]

i can feel pain in my hand every time when i see that crane. buy hydraulic one, it's not expensive and you will not regret. like this one