Fiat 500 Questions & Answers

my problem ended up being a loose wire. after changing the spark plugs, and what holds the spark plugs and a couple of other things it still came back to running really rough and losing power.

so did you get it solved in the end?

Knobby, did the dealer tell you the gearbox actuator failed because you were using 95 ron fuel?

That's correct. Not me but my sister the owner. Vehicle was serviced by these people the day before.

The vehicle was low on fuel when she collected it after service. The next morning it was problematic on startup.
Dealer asked her if she had fueled it last night which she had. Told her the 98 fuel was the cause of the problem. Suggested she flog the thing flatout and the problem may solve itself. He knew she had to fuel it up after pick up. A classic bullshit set up. She's a business woman not interested in mechanicals.

I have one for sale

Whilst not an Abarth, I had problems with starting my Fiat 500 1.4 sport when using 98 octane fuel. I stopped doing so when I worked it out and am now only using 95 Oct fuel and have not had any issues. Higher grade fuel made no difference to performance but just made the motor run smoother.

I have been running my 2013 500C 875cc Twinair on 98RON since new without the slightest hiccup.

Hi Srida.
Welcome to Australia! Service history and luck both play a big role in the future reliability of any car. Luck is the big factor!
We have had our Fiat 500 now for 14 months, have put 45,000km on it (now a total of 65,000), get it serviced every 15K, basically look after it and have had no problems. We did buy it with only 20K on the clock and it had full service histoty (from a dealer) in the books. We don't use a dealer for service, but it's still going really well.
I have had a Ford that almost sent me broke because it was such a pile of junk (although some people love them), have had a Nissan that was also crap, and a Mitsubishi that was sort-of ok.... we have a Chrysler that lots of people have had trouble with, but we are really happy with ours (over 400K), and also have a Toyota with over 500K and no problems!
So, it is often the luck of the draw.... however, based on our experience, you can't go too far wrong with a Fiat 500 1.4 petrol, or almost all Toyotas- Yaris, Corolla, Camry, etc. (but don't buy a "grey import").
Any diesel that is not properly maintained will always be a problem! Diesel fuel in Australia is not up to the standards of Europe (I'm not sure about India) and therefore can lead to lots of problems with injectors, pumps, EGR valves, distribution blocks, filters, etc., etc., etc. Based on experience, unless you're doing lots & lots of kms give it a wide berth.

This car is fantastic. The fit and finish is top level European. It doesn't have any niggles, as opposed to my 4x the price Audi S3 with two recall and one ongoing rattle.

Mine is the S, which sits under the Abarth, but has all the handling fun and road manners.
More enjoyable than my GTi Mk6 Golf.

Just be sure to get a manual. The auto, at least in the S and Lounge models, is a poor excuse of a box.

Thanks for the reply!

Our 1.4 has been brilliant to own. We have done 42,000km in 12 months (it now has 62,000km on the clock) and it has had zero problems. The service costs are very reasonable -around $160 with synthetic oil and oil filter. I fitted a K&N air filter so this doesn't need replacing.
There have been no niggles or anything.

I know that some people are cautious because it's Italian/FIAT but the bad old days are a long time ago. This 500 is mega reliable and fun! If I had the money I would also buy an Abarth.

Also I would agree with Fuming mad and say buy a manual if you can.

We paid about $600 including a service and a genuine Fiat belt for a 1.4 litre. I did buy the special tool kit from Amazon for about $150, the mechanic used this and can use it again next time . It was about 3 hours labour; first time that he had done ine on a Fiat. Continental say it's a 2.75 hours job.

I bought the Abarth in 2011 from Melbourne even though I am in Perth as you simply couldn't buy one here when they first came out. There was one small big with the clutch which I needed to get sorted out by the only deler in Perth at the time. They denied anything was wrong but "fixed the car anyway" and since then it has been an absolute dream. I get my car serviced at a local garage instead of the dealer mostly because I know trust him. I have 2 young boys who fit comfortably in the back and don't complain and I have also ferried adults around on small journeys. Nobody has complained yet since they all seem to enjoy the novelty of the car. I'm also considering buying a Sport and putting the Abarth in the shed. The car is fine for short journeys to the country - we did a 90 minute drive south last weekend with no issues at all, but I don't think it would be super omfortable for long journeys as it does bounce around a bit.

I recently bought the Gucci (1.4 auto), after taking a 500S for a test drive, while I was originally after the manual the dealer I went to for the test drive only had an auto in their S demo. After a decent drive I found the auto to be ok despite having read a few reviews that spoke about its quirkiness, the seats where also pretty comfortable and as I have a back problem that is a major consideration for me. On returning to the showroom I saw the white Gucci on the showroom floor and decided I wanted it. I've now done a little over 3000klms, including a drive of over 800k from the Sth Coast to Ballarat, the car proved to be very comfortable over such a long drive, (in one day), and an eager performer on the road. Road noise is surprising low, considering the low profile tyres, except on rough chip roads. The journey along the Hume highway however was very pleasant and I made good use of the excellent sound system. As I have not had any servicing done on the car as yet I cannot comment on the dealer, only to say they have been pretty good in regards to delivery and handover, time will tell. My only "complaint" is the economy, over the 800ks I did I averaged 7ltr/100klms, not a great result considering the size of the engine and the weight of the car.