What did you do to your Fiat 500 today?

[Tramonto]

I like them. I also like your strip on the back. That is the first time I have seen that.

[Rocco Reviews...]

I like them. I also like your strip on the back. That is the first time I have seen that.

I've seen that stripe twice on kbb.com, on a 2015 FIAT 500c Lounge, but it was a stock image, so I looked on the accessories catalog for 2014 and 2015 and it's not there. I even checked my accessories catalog for the 2017 model, and it's still not there. But I do know that it exists somewhere. In fact, all of the stock images for the 2015 FIAT 500c have that stripe. So my mom's 500 must be the only 2014 500 Hatchback with that stripe, and it's definitely the only 500 of any year with that stripe in California.

[Rocco Reviews...]

Nice looking wheel covers! Be safe out there!

Thanks! We are about 80 miles away from the fires, so we'll be safe. There's no good way to describe the weather right now. It's not all sunshine out here! We're now on the hunt to find a FIAT or a 500 sticker to put on the wheel covers, we found some aluminium badges, but the problem is that they won't fully stick because the badge location convexed is a bit... if that's a word.

[Mozella]

Yesterday actually, I applied he relatively new Turtle Wax Flex Wax Graphene coating.

Last summer I applied Adams Graphene coating (the one in the tiny 60ml bottle) to my 2013 Panamera. The results are fantastic. The dirt literally rinses off and I haven't touched the car with a mitt or cloth of any kind for 6 months. The kit actually contains enough juice for two cars if you don't waste it, so when I took delivery of a new 2021 Cayman last week, I coated it too. I expect good results from that process based on how well it works on the Panamera.

I also recently purchased a 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth which is at least as fun to drive as either of my Porsche cars. After reading good reviews on the Turtle Wax spray on product, I coated the Fiat yesterday morning. Their Flex Wax can be used in three ways. Spray it on after a rinse and dry with drying towels, spray it on and then rinse it off with water, or apply it dry and wipe it off with a micro fiber towel. For the first time, a dry application is recommended.

So I washed my car starting with a rinse, foam cannon, rinse, two bucket wash, a spritz of iron remover, rinse, clay-bar treatment followed by a rinse, and then I dried the car. This car suffered some abuse at the hands of the previous owner and had some paint scuffs so I spent a couple of hours correcting some of the rough spots with a DA buffer and several levels of compound. Then I gave the car an IPA wipe down to remove any compound residue.

At this point I realized that my prep work involved EXACTLY the same tedious procedure I used before using the Adams Graphene on my Panamera and Cayman. It isn't difficult and requires almost no skill, but it is rather lengthy and a bit tedious.

Next I wiped on the Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax using an applicator and working in panels about the size of one door, just like the instructions recommend. I buffed it off with a new microfiber towel and I was done. The results look good.

The problem is that the Turtle Wax is reported to last only around 6 months while the Adams claims 7 years. I don't believe that of course, but if it goes 4 years I'll still be impressed; very impressed actually. The cost of the Adams kit was around $120 and included a nifty UV flashlight so I could see the UV tracer in the juice. It glows blue so you can see any holidays when you apply the product. Otherwise, the coating is kind of hard to see. The tiny 60ml bottle was enough for two cars. The kit also contained some nice towels, two applicators, a bottle of prep cleaner, and a bottle of maintenance coating. The Turtle Wax cost me almost $30 but didn't include any of the other stuff in the Adams kit. But I didn't use very much from the 23 oz spray bottle and there is plenty left to use whenever I wash any of my cars. Said another way, the cost between the two products isn't large enough to be a consideration.

Bottom line: I think the Turtle Wax spray product is going to prove to be a good way to maintain the easy-to-clean Adams coating, and if it helps the surface continue to bead up water as time goes by, it will be worth it. But the idea of using Turtle Wax as a base coating is a fools errand. The key to a good coating job, no matter what the product, is perfect prep work. As I said, any mouth breather can do this job, but it is a bit of a PITA because it takes some time and you'll be tired and wet when you're finished. If the "real" ceramic coating, no matter the brand, really lasts for a few years, then I would highly recommend picking a good one and starting with the real deal. I've only used Adams and it's working great, but I'm sure there are other fine Ceramic and/or Graphene products on the market. The effort between the "real" stuff and the spray-on product is identical and the cost is, for all practical purposes, nearly the same.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[map]

That's an excellent review. I agree completely about proper prep. Any surface coat (like Adams) requires removing any previous wax or it lasts only as long as the remaining "wax" you apply it over.

[sportfan]

I just finished installing Uniballs, Neuspeed ss brake lines, drilled and slotted discs, Hawk pads, and Abarth front calipers. I've had everything except the motor out of the car at one time or another.DSCF5035.jpgaxle.jpg

[Mozella]

My recently acquired 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth got an oil change even though the previous maintenance history said it had been changed recently. After seeing how hard I had to search to find an approved oil for this particular engine, I am quite sure they used the wrong oil. Changed the filter too of course. I used an oil extractor for the first time and it was quite effective.

I also replaced the filthy engine air filter. The plugs were changed not long before I bought the car but I replaced them today anyway. Sure enough, they had used some kind of non recommended plug. At least the heat range was OK because the conventional plugs looked pretty good; however, the car now runs better with the correct spark plugs. Next I'm going to change the coolant because I have a feeling the previous person doing the servicing didn't use the correct coolant either.