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First off, what brands of bearings are you using? Even a couple of the name brands have been noted to fail (front and rear) on the Fiat. Are you sourcing...
 

Ah, I've missed you Ted. Yeah, $145 is MSRP (dealer price). Around $16 to replace each unit. That's why people don't go to the dealer until they've checked...
 

OK, so you guys say Turbo coils won't work on the non-turbo. We know Alfa coils work on the turbo car... but they also work on the N/A models?
...
 

Go with Alfa coil pacs, expensive but smooth acceleration without hesitation = worth the price

https://500madness.com/start-shopping/pe...
 

Prices are all over the place for TPMS sensors and the quality varies. I wouldn't kick yourself too hard because you got the best ones out there, so youll...
 

Well...Welcome back Tedolph.

I got four new sensors as preventative maintenance with a four tire purchase at Costco. Paid Feb 2021 $43.89...
 

Only 11 weeks away to Ottawa Viva Italia Car Concorso and Italia Car Parade June 14 to 16
This is the only place to be on Fathers Day
...
 

These are the Gold winner for the 9th Italian Car Day event

Fernado Pasquale 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth
Alessandro Pellerito 1971...
 

Fiat X1/9: The Affordable Mid-Engine Sports Car That's Still Addictively Fun Today - autoevolution
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/fiat-x1-9...
 

Don't miss this event held in little Italy Montreal !!!...
 

This will be one of the largest gatherings of Italian Cars
Clubs form Toronto , Montreal and Ottawa will be attending ;

Toronto is...
 

Well, after 12 years and 90k miles, I also finally got the dreaded "Tire Pressure Monitoring System Unavailable" dashboard warning during startups....
 

I've checked the last few tanks, and the on-board measurement is consistently higher than what I calculate at the pump by 5-8%. Obviously it is not a...
 

Still getting about 42.5 mpg in mixed driving in my 2012 pop.

Only use the cheapest regular gas, not 91.

Tedolph
 

It should, Not sure if the others spoilers, need the roof pins....
 

Sure it will!...
 

nice idea!

but you should have had the sharp joins coming out the bottom of the rest..not the top
 

If you take the parts out of the equation, what's left is the installation and driving over curbs, which I don't think you are doing. It sounds like...

500 L reliability

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  • Rousse54
    Junior Member
    • Nov 2013
    • 18

    500 L reliability

    I am taking my first test ride of the Fiat 500 L this weekend. If I like what I see, and I think I will, I may be buying one. But I have never owned a Fiat before. I realize there is no reliability data on the 500 L since this is the first year of this model, but can anyone out there fill me in on the reliability in general of Fiat vehicles? Do you require lots of repairs? Are they dependable? When they do need repairs are the repairs expensive?
  • Robert Nixon

    #2
    You will probably get various answers, but keep in mind that the basic 500 has been made in Europe for several years before the North American version, and that FIAT has been around for over 100 years. That doesn't mean every car never has problems, but I think for an entirely new model and new dealers to return to the US that they have done a great job overall.

    My FIAT Abarth has 21,000+ miles, and I have had no issues.
    2013 Rosso Abarth with 68K miles, Koni yellow shocks, Madness springs, Neu-f rear sway bar, EBC Yellowstuff brake pads, DOT4 brake fluid, K&N air filter, autocross 17 inch Ciao Milano wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE71R, daily wheels stock 16 inch Dunlop DZ102. 2017 1st place HS Tidewater Sports Car Club: 2016-2015 1st Place TSCC GS class; 2014-2013: 2nd place in SCCA South Carolina Region G Stock.
    My Car blog: http://www.nms-racing.net/

    Comment

    • Wolfepaw
      Member
      • Aug 2013
      • 84

      #3
      Originally posted by Rousse54
      I am taking my first test ride of the Fiat 500 L this weekend. If I like what I see, and I think I will, I may be buying one. But I have never owned a Fiat before. I realize there is no reliability data on the 500 L since this is the first year of this model, but can anyone out there fill me in on the reliability in general of Fiat vehicles? Do you require lots of repairs? Are they dependable? When they do need repairs are the repairs expensive?
      20k on my 500 sport without a single issue, 9k on my 500L with nothing significant. First year vehicle with a few very minor hiccups, nothing that caused my car to stop working. That's my only personal experience with Fiats.

      Comment

      • ScorpionSkins.com
        Senior Member
        • May 2012
        • 829

        #4
        12,000 miles on my Abarth. I've encountered suspension issues and tire defect so far. The service department where I purchased my vehicle has been an absolute displeasure to deal with. I've been chasing around Pirelli and Fiat Corporate to correct my tire issue for some time now with no resolution currently followed through with.

        I love this car, but so far am very displeased with the dealership experience I've had and the run-around I'm receiving in replacing my defective tires.

        Make sure your local service department/dealership is a good one. I have faith in Fiat as a brand and the quality of the technology (MultiAir engine) offered on these vehicles, but am less than impressed with (what I assume is) the Chrysler influenced attitude of the current North American network.
        Last edited by ScorpionSkins.com; 11-16-2013, 07:18 PM.
        ScorpionSkins.com

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        • Fazzster
          Member
          • Feb 2012
          • 76

          #5
          Going on 6K miles with zero issues. This is our family hauler (5 of us) and we couldn't be happier. The L is a great value and fabulous driver. You will not be disappointed.

          Comment

          • jerwgar
            Junior Member
            • Aug 2013
            • 11

            #6
            Had to replace Transmission, mixed feelings

            Had to replace the transmission on my 500l after 3 months, took two months for them to do it. Few resets and glitches with infotainment gps. Still get engine check light when I try to start, but stop turning key before it really starts, sometimes that will cause the key to get stuck and car not to start for a few minutes. Have some brake squeaking. Looking to do a buy back, and buy the same car again since I love how it drives, looks, just hoping I got one of those first ones with the bad tranny and not quiet all put together. Been over a month with no answer, Fiat is now trying to help but can't get repair info from dealer for two weeks. Fiat parts suck, they didn't have extra parts ready for US rollout so had to be ordered from Europe, and than no specialty installation tool that was supposed to be sent to them, so 3.5 more weeks just for the tool, that was supposed to take 3-4 days. My experience doesn't seem that common, except difficulty of getting parts.

            Comment

            • Marty
              Junior Member
              • Feb 2014
              • 3

              #7
              I love Fiats, especially the classics. Have had quite a few. Now I just purchased a new 500L and after 3 months, the PCM, battery, etc have gone bad. As you would guess, I am not happy!
              Also, I have concerns about the Euro DDC transmission and how it shifts.
              The car fits all my needs, so we are hoping for the best.

              Comment

              • Tweak
                Rest In Peace
                • Nov 2012
                • 11934

                #8
                Originally posted by Marty
                I love Fiats, especially the classics. Have had quite a few. Now I just purchased a new 500L and after 3 months, the PCM, battery, etc have gone bad. As you would guess, I am not happy!
                Also, I have concerns about the Euro DDC transmission and how it shifts.
                The car fits all my needs, so we are hoping for the best.
                Welcome to the forum.

                Hope your issues are resolved and you can enjoy your new 500L!
                Show us your pride in your ride & win free prizes by entering (and winning) Ride of the Month!

                Comment

                • Curious
                  Senior Member
                  • Apr 2013
                  • 229

                  #9
                  As Robert Nixon correctly pointed out the 500 has been sold overseas for quite some time now. So they should have all the bugs worked out on that one by now. As far as the 500L is concerned don't forget that a new car comes with a new car warranty. So you will not have any repair costs until the warranty runs out and you can always get an extended warranty. And don't forget that Fiat now owns Chrysler. So you've got a major manufacturing conglomerate backing up this car. Fiat left America for 27 years. They have a lot of reputation to loose if they fail here or if they even think of leaving the USA again. I think they are back for good and that they will make problems right if they want to survive.

                  There's just too much at stake for them not to fix the bugs. Buy the car. You won't regret it. I love my 500L. It 's got sooooo many standard features in a $22,000 car. Well worth the money.

                  Finally you would be pleased to read about it getting the highest crash safety ratings possible, a nice peace of mind when driving. I chose wisely. Many in this forum also did. You should too.
                  Last edited by Curious; 02-06-2014, 08:28 PM.

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