fiat 500 abarth?
Discussion
hey
hopefully i should be getting a job with my friends father next month which means i can swap my car early next year. the only car that i have seen that i really want and is ok on insurance is the 500 abarth, so what are they like to live with and are there any well known common problems with them?
any help from owners would be appreciated.
thanks
hopefully i should be getting a job with my friends father next month which means i can swap my car early next year. the only car that i have seen that i really want and is ok on insurance is the 500 abarth, so what are they like to live with and are there any well known common problems with them?
any help from owners would be appreciated.
thanks
eightseventhree said:
Well... I just booked my 2nd service 36k miles and it's an eye watering £500
Wait till you get the bills for the Z4M then 
Incidentally Im thinking of going the other way, from a Z4C (non M) to a Fiat because Im fed up with the s
tty service you get from BMW and the faults with the bloody carhahaha i know but 500 quid for a fiat service seems a lot!
Still undecided to go Z4C or M yet!
i know its slightly off topic but what issues have you had with the BMW?
I love my Abarth its fun and different i would highly recommend getting one, i'm just wanting a change to something a little quicker!
Still undecided to go Z4C or M yet!
i know its slightly off topic but what issues have you had with the BMW?
I love my Abarth its fun and different i would highly recommend getting one, i'm just wanting a change to something a little quicker!
The main issue with the BMW is the problems with the engines, ie google N52 hydraulic tappets.
It might not be an issue for you depending on how you use it but it is a pain in the ass on mine and BMW really couldnt give a st about it.
Its only a small thing but its kind of spoilt the ownership experience for me.
As to the M debate I think with hindsight I would have brought 2 cars, an M for fun and a shed to run around in. The vanilla coupe I have is a comprimise but possibly a comprimise too far maybe.
Also the general build quality on the Z4 is a bit flakey imo. Not what I expected from BMW but then maybe my expectations were too high.
It might not be an issue for you depending on how you use it but it is a pain in the ass on mine and BMW really couldnt give a s
t about it. Its only a small thing but its kind of spoilt the ownership experience for me.
As to the M debate I think with hindsight I would have brought 2 cars, an M for fun and a shed to run around in. The vanilla coupe I have is a comprimise but possibly a comprimise too far maybe.
Also the general build quality on the Z4 is a bit flakey imo. Not what I expected from BMW but then maybe my expectations were too high.
My Wife swapped in her 1.2 500 for an ex-demo Abarth a couple of months back, she absolutely loves it especially with the Monza bi-modal exhaust she bought with it.
I own a Citroen DS3R Racing and have to say power side apart the two are like chalk and cheese, that's not to say I don't like the Abarth, it's a great car, fun to drive etc, Could do with a bit more power as her's is the normal non Essesse version, the standard suspension could be better and I think the Koni FSD's would help that.
Hopefully it will prove as reliable as her old 1.2 Lounge, that only needed a warranty claim for a washer jet in the 2 and a half years we owned it.
Stef
I own a Citroen DS3R Racing and have to say power side apart the two are like chalk and cheese, that's not to say I don't like the Abarth, it's a great car, fun to drive etc, Could do with a bit more power as her's is the normal non Essesse version, the standard suspension could be better and I think the Koni FSD's would help that.
Hopefully it will prove as reliable as her old 1.2 Lounge, that only needed a warranty claim for a washer jet in the 2 and a half years we owned it.
Stef
I bought mine new in July 2009 as a wee car to run to and from work in. It's been the best car bar none I've ever owned.
Didn't get on with the Essesse when I test drove it as it was way too harsh for the road and they wouldn't do the brake and power upgrade without the stiff springs. The standard set up is very well damped for fast road stuff and although it looks a little high at the rear, it is the optimum set up when really pressing on (well here in Scotland anyway).
I got a 5 yr warranty with Arnold Clark and 3 yrs servicing for 305 quid all in!
It's only been back twice for a sticky rear calliper and a duff wheel bearing. Both are extremely common faults on these (covered by warranty).
I'm quite old so got mine without stickers. It gets admired more than my bat mobile everywhere I go, I can't recommend one enough. The residuals are excellent too. The fuel economy is amazing although I only get 11 mpg in my 911.
I'll definitely buy another one when this is out of warranty!
I found out all I needed to know at
www.abarthisti.co.uk and spoke to dealers and enthusiasts there.
Get one you won't regret it
Didn't get on with the Essesse when I test drove it as it was way too harsh for the road and they wouldn't do the brake and power upgrade without the stiff springs. The standard set up is very well damped for fast road stuff and although it looks a little high at the rear, it is the optimum set up when really pressing on (well here in Scotland anyway).
I got a 5 yr warranty with Arnold Clark and 3 yrs servicing for 305 quid all in!
It's only been back twice for a sticky rear calliper and a duff wheel bearing. Both are extremely common faults on these (covered by warranty).
I'm quite old so got mine without stickers. It gets admired more than my bat mobile everywhere I go, I can't recommend one enough. The residuals are excellent too. The fuel economy is amazing although I only get 11 mpg in my 911.
I'll definitely buy another one when this is out of warranty!
I found out all I needed to know at
www.abarthisti.co.uk and spoke to dealers and enthusiasts there.
Get one you won't regret it
I own an Abarth Grande, my 2nd year service was thankfully just £420.... this year 3rd year was around £300 but I supplied the parts myself.
The service list for what they do is in the manual, I think you can view a copy at the abarthisti website posted above.
AGP run the same engine, just different tune and a turbo with slightly larger internals. Basically consists of, Oil + Air + Pollen filters, Spark Plugs, Coolant change, New Oil (3.6L 0-50W), brake fluid change and a lot of visual checks on everything that can break/perish.
I would suggest main dealer servicing for at least the first 3 years while in warranty. When I had the 2nd year service, 3 things were picked up and fixed under warranty.
£500 for second service is way over the top, who was this with? Was that 18K service? You need to be sure your getting the right service, 12 months is just oil change unless you have massive miles.
Std shocks are a bit shocking, will bounce all over the place if you hit a bump on a corner, koni's are supposed to solve that (not splashed out yet).
Sounds good, but sounds much better with the Monza exhaust or an aftermarket alternative.
Paul (Abarth 500 owner)
Std shocks are a bit shocking, will bounce all over the place if you hit a bump on a corner, koni's are supposed to solve that (not splashed out yet).
Sounds good, but sounds much better with the Monza exhaust or an aftermarket alternative.
Paul (Abarth 500 owner)
GTO2, Yes it was the correct service! 24 month old and 35k miles on my abarth. Thatwas Abarth Menu servicing, i know i could have gone to an indy but im wanting to sell the car soon so full abarth history was a must for me.
My first service done at 11 months and 17.9k miles was £270 i think
My first service done at 11 months and 17.9k miles was £270 i think
I've owned my A500 esseesse since new in April last year. About to hit 18k and me and my Dad will be carrying out its third oil change on Wednesday night! I paid for the £250 service pack when new which includes two services (12k and 24k). Oil change on the esseesse is every 6k, this can be done without invalidating the warranty if you use genuine parts.
Car has been great for me. Only issues for me are the poor paint quality, stickers are wearing, the front wipers are crap and it attracts so much wrong attention even when your driving about normal, from boyracers in Saxos, to diesel Audi repmobiles, so watch out! I'm averaging 37 MPG with 2/3rd of that being town driving and sport mode always on. The car isn't perfect but great fun to be in and drive, and the exhaust pops add to the character. Interior is fantastic, good ergonomics and a very good stereo in the interscope system.
Car has been great for me. Only issues for me are the poor paint quality, stickers are wearing, the front wipers are crap and it attracts so much wrong attention even when your driving about normal, from boyracers in Saxos, to diesel Audi repmobiles, so watch out! I'm averaging 37 MPG with 2/3rd of that being town driving and sport mode always on. The car isn't perfect but great fun to be in and drive, and the exhaust pops add to the character. Interior is fantastic, good ergonomics and a very good stereo in the interscope system.
I bought my Abarth a year ago and it's been brilliant. A tuning box from TMC upped the power to around 160-170 and I have kept the standard exhaust becaus it sounds great and looks good.
I will almost certainly get a new one and most likely an Essesse when the warranty runs out not that it's ever missed a beat.
I will almost certainly get a new one and most likely an Essesse when the warranty runs out not that it's ever missed a beat.
Mine has now gone!
Sold it last night back to an Abarth Dealer as he was short on 2nd hand stock. Got a good price seeing as it needed new disks and pads 2 now rear tyres and 3 alloys needed refurbishing.
It was a great car and when i first got there were not many on the roads. Ownership was a good experience no real issues other than a small issue with the exhaust (that was sorted under warranty)
My only negative was as i have said before was the cost of the servicing for what basically is a suped-up Fiat
Sold it last night back to an Abarth Dealer as he was short on 2nd hand stock. Got a good price seeing as it needed new disks and pads 2 now rear tyres and 3 alloys needed refurbishing.
It was a great car and when i first got there were not many on the roads. Ownership was a good experience no real issues other than a small issue with the exhaust (that was sorted under warranty)
My only negative was as i have said before was the cost of the servicing for what basically is a suped-up Fiat
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