Technical Fiat 500 Collezione

[Officina red]

Has anyone recently purchase a new Collezione in the two tone grey and cream colour?
When the sun shines do you get wavy white marks appearing on the bonnet?
We have been told that the lines are just a reflection from the chrome strip on the bonnet but, if so, why do the lines look like water marks?
We're not getting much joy from the dealership and have raised a case with Fiat customer care.
Is this a problem with just our car or is it a general issue with the Collezione?

Most likely too late to do any good, but was in a fiat dealer today and there was a Collezione brand new outside, and it was nice and sunny, the 500 had the exact same reflections on it as your picture.

 

[Fletch1954]

Thanks Officina, its nice to know our's is not the only car with this issue. I think the issue is the paint itself - its metallic to the point of glittery. The "watermark" lines are definitely reflections off the chrome strip but there are a couple of other lines, a few cm away from the chrome, which appear to be reflected off the ridge across the bonnet. If we tape over the chrome the first lines disappear but not the ones further away.
The Collezione is basically a 500 Lounge with some cosmetic additions, so the cost over and above the Lounge is purely for the looks. These reflections detract from the looks so might as well just buy the basic lounge. I think its a design flaw.
Still trying to get the car rejected and replaced with a lounge but not really getting anywhere fast. Fiat customer service useless!

 

[chris3234]

You can't seriously expect the reject a car because a reflection isn't perfectly square?
I've seen mirrors that don't produce perfect reflection's

 

[306maxi]

Thanks Officina, its nice to know our's is not the only car with this issue. I think the issue is the paint itself - its metallic to the point of glittery. The "watermark" lines are definitely reflections off the chrome strip but there are a couple of other lines, a few cm away from the chrome, which appear to be reflected off the ridge across the bonnet. If we tape over the chrome the first lines disappear but not the ones further away.
The Collezione is basically a 500 Lounge with some cosmetic additions, so the cost over and above the Lounge is purely for the looks. These reflections detract from the looks so might as well just buy the basic lounge. I think its a design flaw.
Still trying to get the car rejected and replaced with a lounge but not really getting anywhere fast. Fiat customer service useless!

As someone who works in ‘the biz’ you’re on a hiding to nowhere.

I think you’ve picked up on the important bit here which is that the collection (not going to buy into the faux Italiana like some do) is just a lounge with some extra bits on it. All 500s are created equal, they don’t have a separate production line for “special” editions and they don’t get better parts than a lounge or a pop or an S.

It would almost certainly be classed as a very minor fault and certainly not cause for rejection. It’s good that people have an eye for detail, but if you want that level of detail you want to be spending 100-150k more and you might get the quality you’re looking for, or you’ll just be poor and still annoyed.

 

[Officina red]

Thats a shame, i really like the Collezione, if i were buying a 500 now , it would be the cream coloured Collezione even with the great looking but i admit impractical 16 inch wheels,
The car i have now doesn't have a oil dipstick, didn't realise that till i went to check the oil, lol , it's a small thing but it did irritate me at first, sometimes i think it's better to let the small stuff slide and just enjoy the car ,

 

[Fletch1954]

No its not that the reflection isn't perfectly square - we could live with that. As I have said, I think its the "glittery" paint that makes the reflection look like a watermark. It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't right across the bonnet and therefore standing out like a sore thumb.
Having said that, and judging by other comments, I don't think we're going to get anywhere and will just have to get on with it.

 

[Fletch1954]

Yes I know that, at the end of the day, its just a 500 Lounge. But if you pay extra for cosmetic embellishments you don't expect something as simple as sunlight to really detract from the looks.

 

[Fletch1954]

Thanks Officina. Wish the wife hadn't seen the TV advert!!
Can't believe your car hasn't got a dipstick - would have thought that was standard on all cars, but maybe I'm just behind the times!

 

[Maggie]

I would be aggrieved too if it was my new shiny car. Could you either change the chrome bonnet strip for a non chrome type, or perhaps get it wrapped.

 

[chris3234]

Thanks Officina. Wish the wife hadn't seen the TV advert!!
Can't believe your car hasn't got a dipstick - would have thought that was standard on all cars, but maybe I'm just behind the times!

Many mercs don't have dipsticks theses days or even drain plugs ?

 

[Ralf S.]

It's a pity that reflection caught your eye... (do you see what I did there..? ) I guess you can't unsee it now, so you're always going to notice it.

The bonnet strip .. you can remove it safely without affecting the pain. It's stuck on with sticky foam, much like the stuff they use to attach number plates. If you peel it off you may have a sticky mark which can be removed with tar remover or similar solvent .. but it won't leave any damage on the paint at all.

But if you bought a Collezione (unlike Maxi I'm using the "faux Italiano" since that's what the beast is called ) then it's a pity to take the Collezione parts off it. You can try a different chrome strip.. but they're probably quite dear and you might end up with exactly the same reflective effect... or you could try colour coding it (or at least the concave sides, rather than all of it) cream? for instance...

Also, since it's a reflection in the paint I would try altering the reflective parallax. Stick 3 coats of your favourite wax on the bonnet .. let each coat dry thoroughly in between and then buff it off before applying the next one... to see if that affects the surface enough to improve the quality of the reflection.

I quite like reflected chrome on shiny paint.. so I dunno if it's a bad design. Probably Fiat thought it looks cool too. But if it's any consolation, for the next 10 months or so you won't have the problem, since your car won't have any sunshine on it.... By the time next summer comes round, the paint and chrome will have dulled ever so slightly and that might reduce the "glare", although as above, if it was mine I'd think that was a shame.

Ralf S.

 

[Fletch1954]

I would be aggrieved too if it was my new shiny car. Could you either change the chrome bonnet strip for a non chrome type, or perhaps get it wrapped.

Thanks Maggie
Yes we have considered wrapping the chrome strip but it just getting something to match - bear in mind there's other chrome embellishments on the car so for it to look right we might have to consider wrapping all of them. I think we're going to have to live with it - maybe the effect will tone down with age.

 

[Fletch1954]

It's a pity that reflection caught your eye... (do you see what I did there..? ) I guess you can't unsee it now, so you're always going to notice it.

The bonnet strip .. you can remove it safely without affecting the pain. It's stuck on with sticky foam, much like the stuff they use to attach number plates. If you peel it off you may have a sticky mark which can be removed with tar remover or similar solvent .. but it won't leave any damage on the paint at all.

But if you bought a Collezione (unlike Maxi I'm using the "faux Italiano" since that's what the beast is called ) then it's a pity to take the Collezione parts off it. You can try a different chrome strip.. but they're probably quite dear and you might end up with exactly the same reflective effect... or you could try colour coding it (or at least the concave sides, rather than all of it) cream? for instance...

Also, since it's a reflection in the paint I would try altering the reflective parallax. Stick 3 coats of your favourite wax on the bonnet .. let each coat dry thoroughly in between and then buff it off before applying the next one... to see if that affects the surface enough to improve the quality of the reflection.

I quite like reflected chrome on shiny paint.. so I dunno if it's a bad design. Probably Fiat thought it looks cool too. But if it's any consolation, for the next 10 months or so you won't have the problem, since your car won't have any sunshine on it.... By the time next summer comes round, the paint and chrome will have dulled ever so slightly and that might reduce the "glare", although as above, if it was mine I'd think that was a shame.

Ralf S.

Thanks Ralf
Your wax suggestion sounds interesting - might give it a try.
As I've said previously, I wouldn't be bothered if it was a nice clean reflection, but I think its the glittery paint that make it look awful and not what you'd expect from a new special edition car.
Hope we get some sun in less than 10 months though! LOL

 

[alfa115spider]

Apologies for the lateness...we have the Primavera Collezione (grey & white) - is what you are seeing just the effect of the pearlescent paint?