@005 taif has just posted about fixing a similar problem on one of the North American 500's:
I have a leak in my evaporator core so I decided it needed changing. To describe this as "challenging" is an understatement to be sure. The amount of parts that need to be removed to get this core out is nothing short of staggering. I believe the very first part they install when building a Fiat 500 is this HVAC unit.
I have attached 2 pictures of what is left behind once the HVAC unit is removed... the throttle and brake pedal and the steering column layed out on the floor. You even have to partially remove both front doors! It took 10 hours to get to the state you see in the second photo. It looks like a Fiat blew up inside my work shop! Parts every where.
Every wire connector is different (almost) and requires solving a new puzzle to disconnect it.
I love my Fiat, but I have to give the engineering of this car a minus grade. Totally ridiculous decisions on how to assemble a car are rampant.
The icing on the cake is the obscene amount of money they want for the replacement core. $468CDN! Cores for other cars are typically $200. There is nothing special about the Fiat core... in fact it's made by Denso.
The instructions from Alldata was a godsend... even though it doesn't describe half of what has to be done to get the HVAC out. There is no mention of the bare steel super structure/cage that surrounds the HVAC.
You've been warned.
The pictures are depressingly similar to those posted by @robinm2000- both reproduced below. Make no mistake, this is a major job - I'd much sooner do an engine change than take this on.
I have a leak in my evaporator core so I decided it needed changing. To describe this as "challenging" is an understatement to be sure. The amount of parts that need to be removed to get this core out is nothing short of staggering. I believe the very first part they install when building a Fiat 500 is this HVAC unit.
I have attached 2 pictures of what is left behind once the HVAC unit is removed... the throttle and brake pedal and the steering column layed out on the floor. You even have to partially remove both front doors! It took 10 hours to get to the state you see in the second photo. It looks like a Fiat blew up inside my work shop! Parts every where.
Every wire connector is different (almost) and requires solving a new puzzle to disconnect it.
I love my Fiat, but I have to give the engineering of this car a minus grade. Totally ridiculous decisions on how to assemble a car are rampant.
The icing on the cake is the obscene amount of money they want for the replacement core. $468CDN! Cores for other cars are typically $200. There is nothing special about the Fiat core... in fact it's made by Denso.
The instructions from Alldata was a godsend... even though it doesn't describe half of what has to be done to get the HVAC out. There is no mention of the bare steel super structure/cage that surrounds the HVAC.
You've been warned.
The pictures are depressingly similar to those posted by @robinm2000- both reproduced below. Make no mistake, this is a major job - I'd much sooner do an engine change than take this on.
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with everything else ive had to contend with in one year of owning my 500..... id be tempted to roll her off a cliff 
