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General Yet more problems with my 500.. :(

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General Yet more problems with my 500.. :(

MIchael, the OP wasn't talking about some 6 pot Brembo's, just some Brembo replacement pads and discs, the same size as OEM stuff ;)

Also, the limited rear suspension travel is because of the bump stops being too long. Cut them down or put some aftermarket bumpstops on and you will maintain some of that travel, plus with better damping you probably won't need all that travel.
 
306maxi said:
MIchael, the OP wasn't talking about some 6 pot Brembo's, just some Brembo replacement pads and discs, the same size as OEM stuff ;)

Also, the limited rear suspension travel is because of the bump stops being too long. Cut them down or put some aftermarket bumpstops on and you will maintain some of that travel, plus with better damping you probably won't need all that travel.
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Thanks for the clarification Maxi. I got all excited when I heard about the Brembo and jumped to a conclusion that she was doing the whole caliper upgrade. Ah well. Maybe next time. :)

Re the Bump stops I read (you can't believe the internet :)) that if you get the diesel ones they are half the size. And there was something about the AVOs having a bump stop build into their shocks so you could remove the bump stop all together. Still personally I prefer to have the ride height that I currently have. Better shocks is all the 500 needs for the kind of driving that I do. From what I've seen you're salivating on the thoughts of a set of Bilstein coilovers.;)
 
pearce_jj said:
I think it would be quite unusual to be routinely replacing suspension bushes at 3 years.
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It's the bush in the damper and they're very poor quality. They've been going on Panda's for ages. As I said, nothing to do with how the cars are driven.
 
306maxi said:
It's the bush in the damper and they're very poor quality. They've been going on Panda's for ages. As I said, nothing to do with how the cars are driven.
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Totally agree with Maxi. A '09 with 6K driven by an expectant mother (not me the person before me :)) and the shocks are rattling a bit now like the last 'fast lane' '08 model.
 
Replacing discs and pads is easy. I'd never done it before and managed it on my old punto. Look up a few guides on you tube and you'l be fine. Most callipers are the same to remove.
 
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mjsmke said:
Replacing discs and pads is easy. I'd never done it before and managed it on my old punto. Look up a few guides on you tube and you'l be fine. Most callipers are the same to remove.
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Well my partner has changed the brakes on his old punto, mini rear discs and ka, and we still struggled on the 500 :/ I didn't think of looking on youtube. Doesn't seem to be a lot of guides for the 500 yet and I presume thats because everyone is getting things fixed under warranty still?
 
Another thing.. When I was in the Fiat dealership waiting for them to inspect my car, the guy ordering the new bushes was on the phone, and he asked for both sides, but I think they said no. So he told the technician he would only be replacing the nearside (side that failed MOT). The technician seemed surprised and said "but shouldn't we do both?" or something to that effect.

When they called me they said "Your rear shock absorbers have been replaced". Does this mean they've replaced the shocks AND the bushes? And possibly both sides?? I'm tempted to ask the MOT people on Saturday when I go in for the re-test, to see exactly whats been done.
 
Kay500 said:
Another thing.. When I was in the Fiat dealership waiting for them to inspect my car, the guy ordering the new bushes was on the phone, and he asked for both sides, but I think they said no. So he told the technician he would only be replacing the nearside (side that failed MOT). The technician seemed surprised and said "but shouldn't we do both?" or something to that effect.

When they called me they said "Your rear shock absorbers have been replaced". Does this mean they've replaced the shocks AND the bushes? And possibly both sides?? I'm tempted to ask the MOT people on Saturday when I go in for the re-test, to see exactly whats been done.
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Shocks are always replaced as a pair. You could look under the car and see if they're both shiney. You should also ask for a 'receipt' (even though there's no cost to you) which lists the parts that were replaced and 'file' it with the history on the car. I got one from Auto maintenance in Finglas in Dublin on the 3rd year dealer warranty 'job'. This should apply to you since you are still within the 3 years warranty since it expires on the 31st July 2011.
 
Kay500 said:
Another thing.. When I was in the Fiat dealership waiting for them to inspect my car, the guy ordering the new bushes was on the phone, and he asked for both sides, but I think they said no. So he told the technician he would only be replacing the nearside (side that failed MOT). The technician seemed surprised and said "but shouldn't we do both?" or something to that effect.

When they called me they said "Your rear shock absorbers have been replaced". Does this mean they've replaced the shocks AND the bushes? And possibly both sides?? I'm tempted to ask the MOT people on Saturday when I go in for the re-test, to see exactly whats been done.
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As far as I know Fiat don't replace the bushes on their own, they replace the shock absorbers and I would be surprised if they only replaced the one.
 
grimwau said:
Kay, shock absorbers should always be fitted in pairs, if however only the bushes were replaced then it is acceptable, although not sensible, as both sides would have worn almost to the same degree.
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I thought that.. But I didn't question it. Just thought as long as it makes the noise go away and it passes the MOT, I'm happy. But maybe I need to find somewhere I can buy one shock absorber if only one has been replaced.
 
Kay500 said:
I thought that.. But I didn't question it. Just thought as long as it makes the noise go away and it passes the MOT, I'm happy. But maybe I need to find somewhere I can buy one shock absorber if only one has been replaced.
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If you only have one new shock fitted you can buy the other shock off Fiat - note that it is slightly shorter than the standard 1.2 (about an inch). Trade price of around €59. If you've been replacing discs & pads the shock should be easy to do since it is not inside a spring like the front ones.

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto-guides/182134-how-replace-stock-springs-front-back.html
https://www.fiatforum.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=23489
 
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Kay500 said:
I thought that.. But I didn't question it. Just thought as long as it makes the noise go away and it passes the MOT, I'm happy. But maybe I need to find somewhere I can buy one shock absorber if only one has been replaced.
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Do you want an honest answer about what to do? IF and I stress IF they've only replaced one side then buy yourself a good set of aftermarket dampers. It'll cost you 400-500 pounds BUT you will have suspension that will last you another 10-15 years. If you replace the damper you should do so with another identical one, as in a Fiat genuine one and it should be apparent by now that the genuine ones are ****.
 
So this is what I see when I look under my car...

I'm thinking they've done one side only, correct??

P1010966.jpg


P1010967.jpg


P1010968.jpg


P1010969.jpg


P1010970.jpg


Sorry for my poor image taking skills... the exhaust was in the way :eek:
 
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