Fiat 500 Questions & Answers

We have a Dualogic 2014 Sport. Never missed a beat. Dealer says never have any problems with them which I believe. My wife would not part with hers. Probably better to get one with dealer service records. Good luck.

I have a 2016 500S with a manual gearbox, but regard FIAT as a car maker with low ranking car building credentials. If you want reliability -buy a Toyota or a Hyundai. If you want "cool" then risk a 500. Special oil, must use 95 petrol, servicing shops scarce outside trendy cities, not particularly good fuel consumption - all negatives. Selespeed is an Afla label. If you google "Fiat 500 dualogic gearbox problems" you will get the story. "Dealer says never had any problems with them" Hmmm. I'm not sure that the dealer is the most credible information source a person can find. You are looking at an 8 yr old car which typically will have done 150,000 kms. This is "expenses start "territory. If it has done a lot less, then you may be ok. Get a very thorough inspection before buying.

I just did a 70 000 k service on my wifes 4 iridium ngk plugs $53 selinia 5 w 40 oil $75 ryco z411st filter $22 Took me an hours labour, and im old with arthritis joins and a knee replacement, make sure you use the selenia oil or buy a new engine !You should probably do the timing belt $120 bucks including idler bearings ,you need a special cam tool to do this ,and follow the procedure, took me two hours. Pay a specialist fiat mechanic three hours labour, plus the parts total would be around parts $270 to $300 labour $300 I hope this helps ,we bought our car new I have serviced scince second service ,never missed a beat ,but I read the book ,most mechanics dont read the book and use generic oil. I hope this helps I am in Brisbane if you need help google royaltouroz to contact me

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 too strongly advise against Zagame. Seemingly pleasant sales experience buying a Fiat 500 (25 Jan 2024) EXCEPT in the end it was all deeply, deeply disappointing because no distinction at all was made in the sales pitch between reverse sensors and reverse camera, the latter it turns out being optional even though the test drive model had the camera. I dealt with three different salesmen. I was explicitly told that the only difference from the test drive car was that it was used (and the colour was different). When discussing the extra features of the Dolce Vita vs Lounge models, no mention was made of a reverse camera. After the test drive, I asked about adding sensors at the front ($770 would have been the charge) but there was no need to ask about reverse camera because the car I had just driven had one. Nor was I ever given a figure for the extra cost for a reverse camera. Further, the radio reception in the car I purchased is very fuzzy. Wish I could return the car but they will not allow that. Won’t be going there for servicing; I have a very sick feeling in my stomach. Be very wary about test models vs car you drive away in. DO NOT test drive anything except the actual car you might purchase. Watch the slippery language used by sales staff vs the actuality. If wanting to test Car Play with an iPhone, bring your own cable because they don’t have any with the USB-Lightning connections. Stay away!

I have one for sale

had a pop for 5 years now, it got me through I guess but overall it had more issues than any other car I've had. I got it new from the dealership and has been at the mechanic every 3 months, I've fixed the transmittion over 5 times, now that it has reached 110,000kms the problems are more severe, frequent and getting weirder. For instance while driving one day the first gear function was disabled and the car would no longer start after stopping at the lights. Another time it disabled the reverse and I got stuck in a driveway unable to move without help. Luckily its small and easy to push!

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.

I have had my 2008 1.4 Sport since new and msut say it is very well built. The 1.4 engine is gutsy and bullet proof. Manual gearbox is great, brakes and grip excellent. Have really enjoyed owning this car. still very satisfying to own.

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.