The weight of this car is actually around 1142kg / 2512lbs (curb weight). The gross weight of the car is 1497kg / 3300lbs.

KZread recommended this, and I liked it.

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Thank you very much!

A few observations from an owner of a 2015 Abarth purchased used in 2020: - Identical configuration as yours except it's a manual. I paid $11,950 plus HST with no extra fees. - Yes, the Beats Audio is crap. - You can soften the suspension by installing KYB Excel-G shocks and struts. I can now drive over railroad crossings without losing the fillings in my teeth. - Nitrogen is a scam. Use an air pump and a cheap pen style pressure gauge. - Your tire pressures are wrong. Check the label on the driver's side door frame for the correct pressure. It should be 38 lbs in the front and 32 lbs in the rear. - For your next summer tires, try Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. Very affordable and sticky! - Aftermarket rotors and pads are available. Look for Powerstop Euro-Stop. Much cheaper and just as effective. - Many OEM parts can be purchased aftermarket for a lot less such as Bosch coil packs, NGK spark plugs, and SKF bearings and hubs. - Leaky coolant connections and broken door handles are a fact of life with this car. You just have to be one step ahead of them. - I've modded my car with a short shifter, upgraded rear torsion bar, beefier side and tunnel braces, and much better strut hats. - When you eventually blow an exhaust valve, it'll be one of the two valves in cylinder #3 (diagnostic code P0303). Expect to pay some $4,500 for the repair plus HST. This will include replacing the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner which should have been replaced by now. It's a truly insane little car! I still love mine!

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Thanks for all the tips! I know my tire pressure are wrong it’s front 36 and rear 32 cold but it’s now so hot outside and whenever I drive it the psi shoots up like 2-3 lol Couple of questions though do you service the car yourself or you go to a garage! And when did that exhaust valve blown on yours? Mine is at 71100km right now. Thanks again!

@Milnoc

26 күн бұрын

@@howardishere I blew the exhaust valve at 85,450 km. The car has a tendency to try and save too much fuel to the point there could be too little fuel entering the cylinders which can burn hotter than usual and cook the exhaust valves. This is especially problematic in cylinder #3. I try to do as much work myself as I can. I have access to a DIY garage that furnishes lifts, tools, and a mechanic if you get stuck. The lift rental is $30/hour. If I might spend too much time on a series of jobs, I'll take the car to a mechanic who has plenty of experience with Fiats and can get the jobs done much faster. In fact, he did the valve job last summer. The head had to be sent to a machine shop! In spite of the heartbreaks, it's still a fun car to drive! I've yet to pay as much for the car and maintenance combined than the previous owner had paid for the car alone!

@howardishere

25 күн бұрын

@@Milnoc It is indeed a very fun car to drive! I live in a condo and I have no access to a DIY garage nor do i know anyone lol I will keep the exhaust valve in mind, although I dont really drive the car hard.

I have a '13 5 speed 500 Turbo, Koni front struts and muffler deleat are only mods so far. Bought it in 2018 (with 88,000 miles!) and about to hit 100,000 soon. Except for one window regulator failing and one broken door handle( fixed it with a $10 part off Amazon) it's been quite reliable. And a blast to drive! Keep us posted, hope you keep yours another decade.

@howardishere

12 күн бұрын

Wow and yea door handle lol I fixed mine when it was still under warranty so lucky me. The car is actually not expensive to keep (insurance and upkeep etc.) the thing is I live in an apartment building and I only have 1 parking spot so I am renting another spot to park this Fiat.

I'm in awe at how well organised you keep the car paperwork.

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

Kept every single invoice 👍

@RobinCapper

Күн бұрын

@@howardishere The first owner of my 2012 Abarth did that, I got it in 2019 and have continued the file. Have the same for my 2001 Fiat Bravo HGT but only from 2008 since I have owned it

Great video. I have 2012 500 Essseesse manual (in NZ) that has done ~205,000km and love it. Have had a few suspension replacements (shocks, bump stops and bushes) but no other mechanical failures. The airbag computer died but was not too bad (~$600) to replace. I'm the second owner, first was fastidious too, and have no plans to change. A smile every time you get in to drive, priceless!

i bought the one you didnt want a few months ago (manual trans with cabrio top) with 17,000 miles.. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.. but I dont daily it.. COOL VIDEO.. I LOVE THESE CARS SO MUCH.. I SUBBED.. THANK YOU FOR THE INFO

@howardishere

5 күн бұрын

I don’t daily mine anymore either. Great to hear you love yours!

Such a comprehensive video, love it!

@howardishere

17 күн бұрын

Thank you!

I'm Alberta and have a 2015 Fiat 500 Turbo, automatic, almost the same car as yours. This is a wonderful video and i'm glad to see such a passionate community around these cars all over the world. Also doesn't hurt that they turn into micro rally cars in the Canadian winter! My left rear wheel bearing went bad as well! And the right rear is going. In the future try to do them yourself! They are very easy to replace. I did mine DIY for $140 CAD. Pads and rotors too :) you got this, you can get pads and rotors done in an hour or two for a couple hundred bucks. As a fellow over-6-footer, the seating positions are so unpleasant, no matter how you set it. I am looking for a way to mod the seats to sit lower and retain the airbags+heating. I have taken out the rear seats to make a flat floor, and it's impressive how much weight you save and how clean you can make it look for very little effort+cost.

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

I thought about removing the rear seats as well but I have no place to store it so I just left them in lol I should’ve work on the car myself more but I live in a condo so no space :(

Great review !!! Really enjoyed it … thanks 👍🏼

@howardishere

5 күн бұрын

Thank you!

This is a very nicely presented and put-together video! Well done. I like it a lot. I’ve noticed a stiff suspension on my friend’s not-Abarth 500 as well

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Thank you! Just imagine the abarth suspension is like so much harder lol

Great video Howard!

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Great video

@howardishere

Күн бұрын

Thx!

You are a psycho keeping all the car track record and I love it, wonderful video. Just a quick tip is to buy mishimoto hoose kit.

@howardishere

15 күн бұрын

Thank you! I will definitely do something about the radiator hose later.

Very great job man! I don't know if more driving videos on road or on track will be planned, but if it is possible, it could be so great to fix a camera on the pedalbox to film your footwork please! :)

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

Footwork on an automatic? Sure lol let me figure something out the thing is I don’t have a small enough camera like a go pro

@constantinrenoir8273

21 күн бұрын

@@howardishere Great, thanks! It's still interesting. ;)

@howardishere

20 күн бұрын

👍

Great video! I really enjoyed watching the way you did this. I'm in South Africa and I have a manual 2019 Abarth 1.4 T-jet which I daily. I average around 6,8 l/100km with mixed driving conditions. It has almost done 80 000 km. I usually drive the car in normal mode as the throttle response is less aggressive, which helps in peak time traffic especially. Did you know that the car produces exactly the same power whether you're in normal or sports mode? I saw this posted by a Fiat Master Technician on an Abarth forum. The main difference is basically in the throttle map. So when you give 20% input on the throttle it will open say at 40% giving the impression of a lot more power. I'm not saying this is the correct percentage, but this is how it was explained. I find that in sports mode the car makes me drive it overly aggressively and I will get between 20-50 km less range on a tank, no matter how economically I drive it. One of the biggest challenges for me with this car is to drive it sedately. It's always egging me on to go faster. 1. Heavy steering: I must say I don't have that issue. In normal mode it is super light and comfortable. It tightens and feels heavier in sports mode. 2. Broken side skirts: The broken side skirts might have been caused by lifting the car incorrectly on a car lift. I don't know if the underside rust proofing was done at the dealership or by an external company. It might have been caused by them who didn't know how to use the car's jacking points correctly, which is why it has been broken since you took delivery of the car. 3. Maintenance costs: Wow, dealership costs are insane! I was blown away by how much you spent on maintenance especially rotors and pads. The moment my car was out of warranty I looked for an independent specialist. To give you a price comparison on a major service to change the cambelt and water pump including normal service items cost me R5396 ZAR which equates (at the time of writing) to $390 Canadian. The dealership quoted me $1086 Canadian. The specialist even cleaned the oil return pipe to the turbo as those clog and starve the turbo, eventually causing it to fail. This is a common thing with Fiat/Alfa-Romeo vehicles. Dealership would never do that, unless you ask. 4. Modifications: Mine is de-catted with the standard exhaust and I have a BMC filter with BMC blow-off valve. No increase in performance. 5. Nitrogen: I agree with you, normal air works just as well. Yes you have to check your tire pressures more often - big deal! 6. Sound System: In a word - horrible, you have the Beats edition with a sub I see. Mine is worse than yours. Who needs it with that exhaust sound? 7. Water leak: never had any leaks or other problems. 8. Battery: You will always need to change after a few years, unless you maintain it correctly by putting it on a trickle charger when not driving, or getting it to a full charged condition every 6 months or so. Then they can last a very long time. 9. Door lock: Crime is country and city dependent. South Africa is crime ridden. My car's door lock has been broken twice by thieves to steal whatever is in the car. I disabled the lock from the mechanism and blanked off the keyhole for future would-be criminals. We also have anti-smash window protection which helps stop them from breaking in. 10. Sunroof: I quite like it, but agree that the material they use for the sunroof block-out is not sufficient. Still gets very hot in direct sun. 11. Things I would've liked: We could not choose arm-rests, and cruise control is not an option, which is something that is annoying for longer drives. Your car is one of those "golden buys" for anyone wanting to own an automatic Abarth. Meticulously maintained example. Well done. Apologies for a long post

@howardishere

12 күн бұрын

No I really like to read these long comments as I can compare my experience with yours! I don’t want to modify this car but I do want a bigger brake caliper and rotors. I believe if I am to change the cam belt and water pump here it will be somewhere around $1000CAD LOL Another comment mentioned that nitrogen is a scam and I started to think it actually is. Is yours left hand drive or right hand drive? Personally I have not seen any 2018/2019 abarth here I honestly think they still sold 2018 here but 2019 I don’t think so

Such a nice car❤

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Thank you!

Well done. Just a nice video. Keep it up 👍🏻 I’m waiting for my son to pass his driving test and take my Jeep. Then, I’m getting an Abarth.

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

Thank you! What kind of jeep are you passing onto your son 😁

@dixonstreetdrummer1846

22 күн бұрын

A 2016 Renegade Sport with 70000 miles on the clock !

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

Nice!

Mine’s been reliable af running 200WHP. I do all the maintenance myself Ran a few track days this last year and can say the understeer is really holding it back. Filling the back wheels to 36 and the front to 32 (opposite of manufacturer recommendation) helped, and so did adding a larger torsion bar in the rear. The traction control also needs to be turned off because it uses the brakes too much causing them to fade quicker and slow you down

@howardishere

12 күн бұрын

I have yet to track my car but really want to try. Hey you don’t feel the steering is very heavy when you fill the front tires to 32?

Haha, your conclusion at the end 😂 I was fully expecting to hear some praise for it at the end, thanks for being brutally honest. Check out GT86/GR86, sounds like a car for you.

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Gotta be honest 😁

Hi.. Yes for sure Brilliant fun great looking little cars, I've never had so much fun driving and that distinctive Abarth sound I have a electronic valved raggazon mated to a novitec corse evo racing rear box delete exhaust system, it sounds epic on the revs wirh all the pops bangs and wooshes.. Here in the uk And I believe in Europe we have the 1.4 tjet engine mated only to a 5 speed gearbox, the option semi automatic gearbox is also based on this gearbox, on the Abarth it's a push button affair with padal shifters on the steering wheel surround, on the more basic 500s it's a similar leaver/ shifter that you have. The 6 speed box was only fitted to the punto Abarth as like yours and the American Market, the punto also has the 1.4 mutiair engine thus mated to the 6 speed box but no auto option for the punto here so consider yourself lucky you had the option to purchase the auto and that its a heavy duty design and has been 100% reliable 😉 As for the brakes the standard Abarth brake pads and solid discs are cheap here and so easy to replace but They are expensive if they are the twin pot brembo callipers with drilled discs ! Also its always worth checking the callipers slider pins at the same time and fron time to time, especially the rears as they commonly stick and can seize causing uneven braking and pad/disc wear! The tjet engine here is bullet proof just requiring an annual oil change with the proper 10/50 Abarth selenia oil, again is reasonable to buy and only 3 litres, a timing belt and water pump/ coolant change around 60,000 miles plus mabe spark plugs aswell rear shock absorbers are common to fail usually the top rubber insert bushes and front lower arm ball joint this is because of a combination of stiff suspension and bad broken up roads so its hardly surprising! I haven't heard of any coolant related issues with uk/ Europe spec cars but I did notice the coolant tank on the multair engine its a different shape/type so could be a design fault! Providing you replace and flush the system every few years and check clamps and hoses should from time to time! Also being an automatic its worth replacing the transmission fluid, I have done it on my manual Abarth, this is something that is overlooked as its not usually part of any service schedule! Like engine oil does it'll safeguard and maintenance the gearbox reliability! But over all its good to see its been a reliable car. The only major cost I have had is an airbag module failure which cost £800 to rectify otherwise has been trouble free and I've owned my Abarth nearly 8 years but it wasn't new, I do all my maintenance unless it's a big job that requires a car lift or timing belt etc. Speaking of car lifts it could be this that damaged your side skirts, if not lifted correctly where the Jacking points are, any weight on the skirts will result with the cracking or coming away from the panels like yours so possibly your car was on the lift for the pdi checks before you took delivery !! Anyway it was Great insight into the 10 yrs of your Abarth, experience and costs, thanks for sharing, i hope any information here helps you and others for the future.. 😊👍

@howardishere

15 күн бұрын

Wow thank you for all the insights! I know in Europe you guys have way more choices on engines and gearboxes. Not to mention the sales figure of the abarth 500 here is somewhat terrible lol when I bought the car in 2014 the sales are already on decline and the later abarths there wasn’t much change except fiat added the Center console screen. We didn’t even get the face lift in 2018 and then they discontinued it. That being said I have not seen a 2018 or 2019 abarth 500 here in person lol Great note on the transmission fluid. I think I will have that done next service.

Cool car.

@howardishere

5 күн бұрын

😎

Is the horizontal striped shirt a nod to RCR?

@howardishere

8 күн бұрын

Sorry but I don’t know what RCR is 😅

@nohkotlarek4553

8 күн бұрын

@@howardishere kzread.info/dash/bejne/l2uJx89tl820iZM.html skip to 2:05, he mentions horizontally striped long sleeved shirts and you are wearing one in your video which I thought was funny.

What you don't use your abarth as a snow plow? Nice video btw

@howardishere

Күн бұрын

LOL thx!

See how gently he closes the door at the beginning? That’s 10 years with a Fiat 500

@howardishere

20 күн бұрын

The door is actually very heavy and it could close itself

@IzzyGside961

20 күн бұрын

@@howardishere I have a 2013 500 Abarth also and nothing on the car was built to be moved with much force. How’s your trunk release?

@howardishere

20 күн бұрын

Trunk release still working fine! Yours was broken?

@IzzyGside961

20 күн бұрын

@@howardishere mine is at the working sometimes stage, they’re a common issue

@howardishere

19 күн бұрын

I noticed the trunk release is weaker during winter but otherwise working okay

You hear all that noise hitting the car when getting washed… yeah that’s micro scratches

@howardishere

12 күн бұрын

I know…but that’s okay when the paint gets really scratched up I think I will do a paint correction and some sort of coating / protection

@streetrunner8273

11 күн бұрын

Looking at 500 min

You got ripped off really bad on the brake job, I did mine myself with Ferodo high performance pads and stock rotors for $350 in parts. P Zero stock tires are trash replace these with Bridgestones, Falken, Michelins. Great video, I love my 2018 Abarth.

@howardishere

23 күн бұрын

I know…but I had no other choices I don’t know any garages so I always take the car back to the dealer and that’s what they charged. What tires are you using?

@TheDumpbin

22 күн бұрын

@@howardishere Falken, because they are 200tw and I autocross the car extensively with some pretty good results.

@howardishere

20 күн бұрын

Good to know. When my pirellis are finished l am definitely getting another brand

@TheDumpbin

19 күн бұрын

@@howardishere It doesn't mean all Pirelli tires are bad but the ones on this car I'm guessing are cheap as it is a sensible place to cost cut. I'm sure the ones on exotic sports cars are better.

It’s fast if turbo button is used with a manual drive transmission😂.

@howardishere

21 күн бұрын

😂😂😂

pretty sure that doesn't weight 1500kg, that's a lot. Should be around 1100-1200kg.

@howardishere

26 күн бұрын

Yea you are right 1500kg is the gross weight and the car itself only weights about 1150kg.

@chrisdnz7886

22 күн бұрын

@@howardishere FYI the european norm 92/91/EG - 95/48/EWG demands that the empty weight of a car is to be stated with a 90%filled gas tank, 68kg driver and 5kg luggage. So your car itself is around 1050kg maybe?

@howardishere

22 күн бұрын

Yea it should be somewhere around 1050kg to 1150 kg I think. I think they calculated the 1500kg gross weight is with 4 passengers + full cargo or something. But you are right the car itself should only weight about 1050-1150kg

@apathyboy5306

Күн бұрын

Australian brochure quotes the tare weight at 1045kg

Youre spending way too much on maintenance and those problems youre experiencing. A coolant leak happening so frequently makes me think theyre not doing a good job at fixing your car. Theyre probably the ones who broke the side skirts too by not lifting the car correctly. 144 bucks for brake fluid? should be something you do by yourself for 40$ in fluid alone 386 for front brake pads? I put aftermarket street race/track ready pads in 30min-1hr for ~180-200 in parts, but for ALL wheels

@howardishere

12 күн бұрын

Yea I know they are expensive but I don’t have a space for me to work on my car (I live in an apartment building) and I don’t know any good garages around so I just always go back to the dealer