Possitive news for Fiat USA

[HalfPint]

That's the (or one of) the dilemmas. How to sell a 'little' Fiat amongst all these Ram 3500 pickups?

Only if it fit in the bed. Of course, once you run pipes through the bed and add the obligatory toolbox, it's not a pickup anymore anyway.....

[KellyfromVA]

Thinking about one of the poster's report in another thread who wasn't able to locate a new replacement cylinder head from Mopar, and that several of the Fiat dealers who used to sell parts on-line have vanished from the Internet, it starts to make sense. If you're going to sell a car in the U.S., parts have to be available for 10 years. 2012 models are only required to have manufacturer parts available through 2022.

Unlike other brands, I don't think there were enough Fiat's sold in the U.S. during their run for the aftermarket to think going into production with wear items like axle half shafts and replacement cylinder heads is worth the effort. It could be that parts for the second landing of Fiat in the U.S. will be harder to get than the original in the 70's-80's.

[map]

I know it's common knowledge of 10 years, but I don't think the US has a law requiring FCA (or any maker) to continue making parts beyond those needed for warranty. Insurance companies might put pressure on the company but most 5 yo cars are one wreck from total. I think they keep parts on hand mostly to prevent loss of confidence by future buyers?

A few of the parts on my old Ford PU were discontinued after 5 6 years, even when large numbers were on the road, so we had to rely on aftermarket, NOS, rebuilt, or junk yards. Maybe you can find a law? (Europe probably has laws covering parts, so maybe parts could be imported from the UK or Italy?) I think you are correct that aftermarket isn't going to pick up the slack.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/202...for-older-cars

[lammie200]

I dig mine but if I have a major problem I can accept the fact that it may be gone.

[mp4guy]

The rule appears to be the OEM must keep parts through the duration of the warranty period. If that is the case, that takes us to at least 2024, counting from the last year of production. Naturally, the parts supply may not be exhausted by that time.

[smark]

Auto manufacturer, usual keep a stock pile of parts. For each model year, for at least 10 years. Certain trim parts, accessories, are sometime discontinued.,

[mp4guy]

Auto manufacturer, usual keep a stock pile of parts. For each model year, for at least 10 years. Certain trim parts, accessories, are sometime discontinued.,

I looked up the "10 year rule" and apparently, it's a myth. I had to correct my post. I was under the same impression myself but no such law exists. However, with millions of these cars running around the Continent and the UK, I imagine we'll be in good shape for most needs.

[KellyfromVA]

I looked up the "10 year rule" and apparently, it's a myth. I had to correct my post. I was under the same impression myself but no such law exists. However, with millions of these cars running around the Continent and the UK, I imagine we'll be in good shape for most needs.

Something to keep in mind though; is the U.S. spec models are different than their European counterparts. Especially true for the engines, which depending on the year, had fairly significant differences from the ones sold in Europe.

[BigDaddySRT]

Something to keep in mind though; is the U.S. spec models are different than their European counterparts. Especially true for the engines, which depending on the year, had fairly significant differences from the ones sold in Europe.

The chassis and suspension mounting locations/ designs are also different.

[KellyfromVA]

The chassis and suspension mounting locations/ designs are also different.

That's true, good point! In fact, ran into this a couple months ago.. One of the rear shocks on my wife's 2012 500 Sport started leaking. Nobody, not even places like RockAuto.com or Mopar had factory shocks. I even tried some European suppliers, but found out the Euro version is different than U.S. spec.

I found a set of Koni's at Madness, but they were close to $300 vs. $75. Don't get me wrong, Koni's are great shocks, and I don't think Madness was charging too much. It's just another example where even simple OEM maintenance parts for our cars are no longer stocked by the usual sources.