Hi everyone

I live in Jersey and have an ex-demonstrator 1.3 multijet diesel.  I have only had the car for 6 months and within 2 months the oil filter message came on reading "oil filter and oil needs changing".  At that stage I had had no warning light.  After a few initial discussions with the dealership and the servicing garage it was intimated that it was the way I drove the car.  At this stage I must admit to being a woman!  I was also issued with a printout stating that if, in the future, the little yellow light comes on I need to drive in excess of 40 mph for 10 minutes to clear this.   IT IS ILLEGAL in Jersey to drive over 40 mph.  Since this oil filter and oil change in June (which the dealership very kindly paid for) this light has come on approximately every 2 - 3 weeks depending on how often I drive the car.   I do use my pins occassionally!!

 I must say after reading this forum the stories of smoke filling the car and having to run for your life are pretty scarry.   What on earth are Fiat going to do about it.  At this stage I must also say that Fiat Customer Care have been wholly unhelpful in the UK denying that there is a problem and that I am the first person that has reported this.  I have even spoke to Fiat Italy as the 00800 number given as a contact is not accessible from Jersey.  The Customer Service man in Italy was the only one to admit that there had been many reports of this nature.   I was also contacted by a lady from the UK who telephoned me whilst I was covering a busy lunch period at work and although I was very grateful for the return call I could not actually talk to her at that time.  She then proceeded to tell me that she was also too busy and could not promise that she would telephone me back.  She gave me the email site of Fiat UK so I emailed the problems I was having and, to this date, three weeks later, they have not even had the decency to reply.  Needless to say she has not telephoned me back either.  Not impressed. 

I love my car but really wish I had bought the petrol version.  My stomach sinks every time I turn on the ignition to find that little yellow light.  How on earth can you sell these cars on with a clear conscience? 

the reason they suggest the fast run is to get the particulaste filter regeneration to initalise ...unfortunately it doesn't happen at low speeds ..the car needs a weekly run down a motorway  as the diesel engine as fitted doesn't like town /stop start driving ....i now know your thinking "what's a 500  / panda if not a town stop/start  car "..from other threads diesel may end up in the sump mixing with the oil ,results are not good and can wreck an engine ...to cut a long story short ,your now thinking " this is short ???"  it's all to do with meeting europes latest exhaust emissions (EURO 5 )and tighter EURO 6 are only a few years away...just make sure you log the issue to fiat  and your dealer..maybe better when you go to the dealer get them to call fiat and you can log it then ..then the dealer knows it has been done  ,and no one can deny it

phil

The advice that you were given, ie. to drive in excess of 40mph is erroneous. How much more than 40mph? In actual fact you need to travel at a speed in excess of 40mph AND at an engine speed of more than 1800RPM before the filter will start to re-generate. Indeed, on my car, when travelling at 60-70mph in 5th gear which equates to approx 2500 rpm I need to travel nearly 15 miles before the light extinguishes. However, at approx 50mph in 4th gear using similar revs the light goes out after approx 9 miles.

In your situation, as you are unable to drive at the requisite road speed I can only suggest you travel at a consistent 2000rpm in whatever gear which is most sympathetic, probably third gear. In actual fact the filter will eventually regenerate at low engine RPM as long as you know it is regenerating (Oh for a warning light that tells you when this is happening) and do not switch off the engine until it has completed the cycle.

The orange warning light and filter clogged message comes after three attempts to do this have been interrupted which happens when the engine is turned off before it has a chance to finish the process.

The only indications that regeneration is taking place are that the RPM at idle increases from 800rpm to 1000rpm and if you select the instant MPG readout on the dash display you will see that it drops dramatically from what you would normally expect to see under normal driving.

  

 

 

Hi,  I own a 1.3 multijet and have done so for nearly 2 years.  touch wood, i have not (yet) had an issue but I too worry about it.  My regular commute is home to the station and given that I am trying to build up some solid stats for eco:drive,  I don't drive quickly.  the occasional run up the by-pass at 70 odd for 10miles is something I do but I am not sure that this is why i have so far been ok.  i did some reading on the subject of diesels when i first got mine and one of the things that stood out was the need to turn the ignition key to the point when the dash lights come on i.e. before starting the engine and wait for the coil and particulate filter lights to go out.  when it is cold you do this twice.  i understand that this warms up the parts that cause an issue and prevents clogging.  guess now that i have written this, my engine will blow tomorrow!  i found this info by googling "driving a diesel car".  it appears that diesels are fussy engines and need to be handled and driven differently from their petrol cousins.

grimwau:

The advice that you were given, ie. to drive in excess of 40mph is erroneous. How much more than 40mph? In actual fact you need to travel at a speed in excess of 40mph AND at an engine speed of more than 1800RPM before the filter will start to re-generate. Indeed, on my car, when travelling at 60-70mph in 5th gear which equates to approx 2500 rpm I need to travel nearly 15 miles before the light extinguishes. However, at approx 50mph in 4th gear using similar revs the light goes out after approx 9 miles.

In your situation, as you are unable to drive at the requisite road speed I can only suggest you travel at a consistent 2000rpm in whatever gear which is most sympathetic, probably third gear. In actual fact the filter will eventually regenerate at low engine RPM as long as you know it is regenerating (Oh for a warning light that tells you when this is happening) and do not switch off the engine until it has completed the cycle.

The orange warning light and filter clogged message comes after three attempts to do this have been interrupted which happens when the engine is turned off before it has a chance to finish the process.

The only indications that regeneration is taking place are that the RPM at idle increases from 800rpm to 1000rpm and if you select the instant MPG readout on the dash display you will see that it drops dramatically from what you would normally expect to see under normal driving.

  

 Thanks for info Grimwau.  I have in fact been doing something similar to what you have suggested.  My husband has spoken to a couple of mechanics who have said to drive in 2nd gear at 3000rpm.  This does work but I have to drive for 6.5 miles before light goes off.  This is fine but, what happens in the future when you want to sell the car?  

 

grimwau:

The advice that you were given, ie. to drive in excess of 40mph is erroneous. How much more than 40mph? In actual fact you need to travel at a speed in excess of 40mph AND at an engine speed of more than 1800RPM before the filter will start to re-generate. Indeed, on my car, when travelling at 60-70mph in 5th gear which equates to approx 2500 rpm I need to travel nearly 15 miles before the light extinguishes. However, at approx 50mph in 4th gear using similar revs the light goes out after approx 9 miles.

In your situation, as you are unable to drive at the requisite road speed I can only suggest you travel at a consistent 2000rpm in whatever gear which is most sympathetic, probably third gear. In actual fact the filter will eventually regenerate at low engine RPM as long as you know it is regenerating (Oh for a warning light that tells you when this is happening) and do not switch off the engine until it has completed the cycle.

The orange warning light and filter clogged message comes after three attempts to do this have been interrupted which happens when the engine is turned off before it has a chance to finish the process.

The only indications that regeneration is taking place are that the RPM at idle increases from 800rpm to 1000rpm and if you select the instant MPG readout on the dash display you will see that it drops dramatically from what you would normally expect to see under normal driving.

  

 Thanks for info Grimwau.  I have in fact been doing something similar to what you have suggested.  My husband has spoken to a couple of mechanics who have said to drive in 2nd gear at 3000rpm.  This does work but I have to drive for 6.5 miles before light goes off.  This is fine but, what happens in the future when you want to sell the car?  

 

grimwau:

The advice that you were given, ie. to drive in excess of 40mph is erroneous. How much more than 40mph? In actual fact you need to travel at a speed in excess of 40mph AND at an engine speed of more than 1800RPM before the filter will start to re-generate. Indeed, on my car, when travelling at 60-70mph in 5th gear which equates to approx 2500 rpm I need to travel nearly 15 miles before the light extinguishes. However, at approx 50mph in 4th gear using similar revs the light goes out after approx 9 miles.

In your situation, as you are unable to drive at the requisite road speed I can only suggest you travel at a consistent 2000rpm in whatever gear which is most sympathetic, probably third gear. In actual fact the filter will eventually regenerate at low engine RPM as long as you know it is regenerating (Oh for a warning light that tells you when this is happening) and do not switch off the engine until it has completed the cycle.

The orange warning light and filter clogged message comes after three attempts to do this have been interrupted which happens when the engine is turned off before it has a chance to finish the process.

The only indications that regeneration is taking place are that the RPM at idle increases from 800rpm to 1000rpm and if you select the instant MPG readout on the dash display you will see that it drops dramatically from what you would normally expect to see under normal driving.

  

 Thanks for info Grimwau.  I have in fact been doing something similar to what you have suggested.  My husband has spoken to a couple of mechanics who have said to drive in 2nd gear at 3000rpm.  This does work but I have to drive for 6.5 miles before light goes off.  This is fine but, what happens in the future when you want to sell the car?  

 

Hi everyone

I bought my Fiat 500 with such high hopes that this was going to be my forever car. I didn't scrimp on the extras and have bought additional personalised extras to make it just my own. To date the dealership has had it as long as I have. In addition to springing a leak in the windscreen wash water pipe, that was there from the time of manufacture, to sticking brakes, to Blue and Me that doesn't work, not to mention the powersteering that failed twice, fortunatly within 300m of my drive, i turned on the ignition to find an orange light that resembled an injector permenantly illuminated.  After reading the hand book I learned that it was a 'Clogged Particle Filter'.  I'd noticed the fuel consumtion plummet to the mid 20's when it had previously been in the mid 50's and 60's even on short runs.  I also had stong smells of burning rubber or plastic from the rear nearside wheel arch.  My first assumption was that my brakes were binding again, but the car would roll freely on even the shallowest of slopes.  My husband spoke to the dealership who mentioned that it could be the DPF regenerating.  What my husband nor I understand is how this process works.  The hand book tells you nothing.  You just get a sick feeling in your stomach when the next thing goes wrong.  My husband understood how the engine was behaving.  He took me and the car for a run explaining what was happening.  Even to his surprise, the moment the light went out, the car began to function as it says it will in the sales brochure.......  Nowhere does it tell you what to expect from a DPF.... I didn't even know what one was letalone how it regenerates and what to do.  My husband tells me that I need to drive the car, but as I'm trying to be economical and only use the car for short journey, how am i expected to 'DRIVE' the car.  It's meant to be a city...with a CITY option to lighten the power steering.  I do short town journeys down narrow winding country lanes, If I have to do an average of 40mph, I'll end up in a hedgerow or worse.   Can Fiat please issue an explanation of how the regenerating process works, how often it works and what to expect during the process, i.e. burning smells, loss of mpg, sluggish performance...  or will Fiat bury their heads in the sand and pretend it's not happening.  Sorry Fiat, this is a problem that isn't going away, at least not in Europes cold climates.

hi

i am not asking who the beauty and who the beast is

what i say isn't gospel..but i have an understanding as i repair trucks ,though we use a different method to achieve the same aim

it is all down to brussels ,yep blame them ....due to the ever tightening  exhaust emission standards ,we are currently on EURO 5 ..EURO 6  which is tighter  is due i think in 2013....

basically  soot from the combustion process collects in the DPF and to prevent it blocking ,at certain predeterminted parameters ...diesel is injected in to the DPF .. which is the regeneration process,hence the soot is burned off ..points to note .the exhaust gets red hot and  can set grass on fire ,,it will be mentioned in the handbook...short stop ,start  city journeys ,will bring on the light early ,the vehicle needs a good blast down the motorway weekly  ,for the regeneration to take place ....for what i know  being in the trade ,this isn't  just a FIAT issue ..though putting a diesel in a city car  that needs a weekly blast up the motorway ,wasn't a great idea ...some one at FIAT UK  who thought that was a good idea for the uk market isn't the cleverest person in  the organisation....when the light went out that meant the regeneration process ws complete  and the DPF  was clear..hope i have been of some help ....

for your husband .type DPF in on you tube ,you will probably find some info to help

 

phil

 

Ha ha ha

of course i am the beauty and he is the beasty 

thanks for you email - we are still in discussions with Fiat who are not being very helpful at all.  i am appalled at their lack of 'taking responsibility' and putting it all on the dealership - who will not offer a refund but will allow me to part-ex it for another - as if that's what i want to do!

can't say much more really - except i will never own another fiat again and neither will anyone i know if i have anything to do with it!

x