Opinions Welcome Fiat 500

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

HyundaiGuy

Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
445
Location
Orlando, FL
Hi All,

First, I need to figure out how to switch my screen name.

I bought a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman from my in laws. After living with it for a while, I became scared of it as far as living with it long term.

My reasons:

1, Carbon build up due to DI engine design. Causes CEL between 30-40K miles. Cost to remedy- $600-700. Until the next time.

2. Will need brakes on alternating axles every 25-30K miles.

3. Cost to replace an automatic transmission? $7000 for the part only and that is for a rebuilt unit- I'm not kidding.

I decided to get rid of it while still under warranty before it became a money pit.

My wife and I bought Fiat 500 Sports 2 days apart- she traded her Hyundai Accent. While the Fiat doesn't do anything "the best" we have ever driven, the balance is brilliant. This may already be my favorite car ever, beating my beloved 1989 BMW 325is, which I sold at 250K miles, still running great.

So two questions regarding the Fiats:

1. Run the FF until the oil change light comes on or 6 months whichever comes first, or drain early? My 500 is driven 120 miles a day on the highway and has 900 miles on it. Hers is city driven and has 300 miles on it.

2. Of the following oil choices, which would you choose? The oil must meet Fiat/Chrysler certiification, and the only approved weight is 5W30, regardless of climate. I want to keep my car until 250-300K (7-10 years) then will take her car at that point (it should have approximately 50-60K on it) and drive that one to 250-300K.

The required OCI for warranty is 6 months regardless of mileage or when the oil change light comes on- either 4K or 8K miles depending on usage. Not sure what I will get yet- she will hit the 6 months first.

The choices are:

1. PU- Factory Fill for the 500 Abarth (but that model uses 5W40)

2. Pennzoil PP- Can get it anywhere, and costs less.

3. Royal Purple- Meets Fiat/Chrysler specs and is not a hydrocracked Type III

Any options have missed? QSUD maybe? Please do not suggest Mobil 1 as I cannot find any documentation that it says it meets Fiat/Chrysler spec.
 
Last edited:
Not sure what engine is in yours but the new TwinAir engine has been havingots of total engine failures recently.

None covered by the warranty as they have all been caused by low oil level.

Apparently the little two cylinder Twin Air engine is a bit of an oil user, add the fact a lot have been sold to the kind of city driver who only opens the bonnet to put in screw wash and you have a perfect storm.

I like the Fiat 500, some say it is a little "twee" or over styled.

But I just like it, the interior is also nice.

Not roomy but nice for a city runaround.

I wouldn't have the semi auto though, has proved somewhat unreliable in the Fiat and Alfa vehicles it has been put in.
 
Done some checking it seems you have the 1.4 multiair engine.

As I said above keep an eye on the oil levels, especially the one used mostly in the city until you can be reassured that it doesn't have the oil usage issue that has affected the UK TwinAir engines.

The most popular Fiat 500 in the UK appear to be the 1.2 engined petrol models followed by the 1.3 diesel.

I think the TwinAir has sold well since it was released, mainly due to having no road tax liability and is free of the Central London Congestion Charge.

Enjoy your new car.

A much nicer car than the Chrysler based on the same platform.
 
@ bigjl- The 2 cylinder model isn't available in the US. This is the 4 cylinder 1.4L MultiAir engine

@Pablo- Our 500 Sports had an MSRP of $19450 including destination. This includes the auto climate control option and upgraded audio option. We paid $17450 which was $1500 in rebates- $1000 factory and $500 USAA and a $500 dealer discount. The Abarth starts at $22,700 MSRP with destination. The Abarth was FAST, but the suspension is very stiff and the turbo was a concern as far as long term reliability. They also make a detuned Abarth, called the 500T ($20,200 with destination, looks exactly like the Sport with the addition of smoked headlight,foglight, and taillight lenses)- 135 bhp as opposed to 160 but is still turbocharged. The reason why there was a 2 day difference between the purchases is because I completely discounted the 101 bhp Sport. She drove it on a whim, loved it and bought it. I drove it after she bought it and loved it. Fast? No, but quicker than the specs would suggest. Fun? You bet!

Pablo, please PM me with Amsoil recommendations. I've not tried Amsoil, but am definitely not opposed to it.
 
Last edited:
I had a 500 as a rental for 15 days last year. The guy handing me the keys actually apologized for sticking me with it lol. It was a little odd at first, but only a day later and I was having a blast in the thing!

The handling was predictable, if not super sporty, and the engine had plenty of pep considering how freaking tiny it is. Suffice to say I'd never own one (for more practical reasons), but would consider one for my wife, and would DEFINITELY look forward to having one as a rental again!

I'm looking forward to test-driving the Abarth, too.

If you change your member name, maybe consider something less limiting this time?
13.gif
 
Last edited:
A car built by BMW, or a car built by Fix It Again. BMW has never pulled out of the US leaving owners scratching for parts.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
A car built by BMW, or a car built by Fix It Again. BMW has never pulled out of the US leaving owners scratching for parts.


Bowel Movement Wagon vs. Fix It Again Tony

Film at 11:00.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
A car built by BMW, or a car built by Fix It Again. BMW has never pulled out of the US leaving owners scratching for parts.


Sorry, but I didn't ask for opinions based on brands of cars.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.
grin.gif
 
Last edited:
Wrong, Pablo.
BMW stands for Big Money Wasted, as an old buddy and former owner used to be fond of saying.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
A car built by BMW, or a car built by Fix It Again. BMW has never pulled out of the US leaving owners scratching for parts.


A lot of seven series owners probably wish they'd not bought a car built by BMW and the Mini is in the bottom tenth of the list for reliability as well.
There is no cheaper used V-12 than a BMW, with good reason.
BMW only leaves owners scratching for the money to buy the parts, and parts for old Fiats have never been hard to source in this country.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
A car built by BMW, or a car built by Fix It Again. BMW has never pulled out of the US leaving owners scratching for parts.


A lot of seven series owners probably wish they'd not bought a car built by BMW and the Mini is in the bottom tenth of the list for reliability as well.
There is no cheaper used V-12 than a BMW, with good reason.
BMW only leaves owners scratching for the money to buy the parts, and parts for old Fiats have never been hard to source in this country.


+1

While I LOVED my '89 325is, my ex wife had a '92 735iL. One day she came home and said the steering was off. The PS container on this car was the size of a new roll of toilet paper. I never understood why. I checked it, and it was darn near empty. I filled it up and turned the wheel in an attempt to bleed the system in case it had air in it. I checked it after that and the level had dropped again.

I looked everywhere under the hood for a leak and saw none. Scratching my head, I walked away from the car so I could think. Then I saw a puddle of something by the rear left tire. I reached down it and rubbed the fluid between my fingers and felt it. It was PS fluid-at the rear tire. what the heck, over?

Turns out the car had a self leveling rear suspension that used PS fluid and the rear shocks were shot. $2000 to fix at an independent garage. Don't mention the head gasket or transmission replacement- please.

She insisted on the 7 in the divorce. I wasn't arguing- I was afraid she would want my 3 Series. Good riddance to both of them.
 
Last edited:
My e36 is a great old car.
33K over the last three summers with nary a hint of trouble.
Our old 733i is an electrical nightmare.
The sevens were always complicated and troublesome cars.
The threes, at least the e30 and e36 models, seem to be pretty reliable machines, even as they age.
 
Maybe a good decision ditching the Mini. The Cooper S my friend owned had its transmission fail way too early, too. I can't remember how much it cost, but the $7000 you quoted did not surprise me.

I learned how to work on cars through owning Fiats. 2 X1/9's and 3 Spiders. They handled great and looked great. My Spiders required a lot of maintenance, and were prone to rust. My 1985 X1/9 was pretty dependable aside from multiple water pump failures. I doubt the 500 is any less dependable than today's average car, seeing how the X1/9 improved over time.

Good luck with your 500!
 
I've driven mostly turbocharged Fiats most of my life. I would not be concerned with the turbo TBH. The turbos tend to be pretty reliable (Garrett or IHI). A turbo at the end of the day is cheap and easy to fit anyway, not like a transmission. And the Fiat automated manual gearboxes were very trial and error when introduced in the late 90's but they are getting better. I hope it lasts the intended mileage.

All Fiats tend to use more oil than most other cars so keep an eye on it. I would not be concerned going up a grade if you needed to lower oil consumption.

Count yourself lucky the dealer does not insist on using the recommended Selenia oil as it is super expensive and nothing special. I would use Pennzoil in your position if it is Fiat approved.
 
Originally Posted By: supercity
I've driven mostly turbocharged Fiats most of my life. I would not be concerned with the turbo TBH. The turbos tend to be pretty reliable (Garrett or IHI). A turbo at the end of the day is cheap and easy to fit anyway, not like a transmission. And the Fiat automated manual gearboxes were very trial and error when introduced in the late 90's but they are getting better. I hope it lasts the intended mileage.

All Fiats tend to use more oil than most other cars so keep an eye on it. I would not be concerned going up a grade if you needed to lower oil consumption.

Count yourself lucky the dealer does not insist on using the recommended Selenia oil as it is super expensive and nothing special. I would use Pennzoil in your position if it is Fiat approved.


Thanks for the heads up- you are the second person to tell me to keep an eye out for possible oil consumption. I have checked my car twice so far (at each fill up) and it seems fine. I will check her car today.

Both of the 500s are 5 speed manuals, so I expect long life from both of them.
 
Quote:

There is no cheaper used V-12 than a BMW, with good reason.


I am not in the market for one but I suspect a Jaguar could be had cheaper than a BMW :) Would you like to qualify your statement?
 
120 miles a day for 6 months? That' over 20,000 miles!
That's a lot of miles, esp for a first oil change.
No way would I do that!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
Oil Turned Dark in 40 miles.
Replies
18
Views
928
subyski
A
Real life experience with the oil life monitor system.
Replies
17
Views
939
joekingcorvette
O
Waste of oil or not?
Replies
7
Views
1K
JohnnyJohnson
M
Which oil for breaking in 2024 F250 7.3?
3 4 5
Replies
80
Views
3K
Randy_R
M
Yaris 2sz-fe oil is smelling gasoline
2
Replies
29
Views
3K
medunko
Back
Top