The New Fiat 500 Abarth (only) Thread

Are you getting the one I have or one that Madness is selling? I think there is a little more work with installing the one I have- the shift cable retainer clips are really the only pain, but even that was moderate. This is an entire assembly we are talking here. What is also nice is that I can use my factory upgraded shift knob with it (I had to bore out the pastic a wee bit as the new shift lever is slightly thicker).

I was like you. At first I didn't think the car really "needed" anything. The car drives well and sounds great. But after a while you'll notice those throws are just way too long.

 

I ordered the one you have


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Do you guys get an abnormal amount of moisture/condensation after leaving the car parked outside? I get back to my car after 12 hours and it looks like i left the windows open


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Not here, mine doesn't have a sunroof either. A possible contributing factor.

 

i have a sunroof, maybe thats it. i bought the car in january and dont remember seeing any ice so thats a good thing i guess

 

No, and we have one with and one without a sunroof.

 

No moisture inside and I have a sunroof.

 

Wtf?????


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First of all, glad to hear you are getting that shifter. I think you will really enjoy it. As for the moisture... not really unless its my own doing. The times that I get higher than usual humidity in the car is when the windows are up and its humid outside. I rarely use the A/C and try to avoid to, I am a windows down kind of guy.

 

can i use the oem shift knob with the new shifter?

here its getting cold and for some reason im gett moisture inside the lower part of the windshield glass. no issues in the summer or when it was humid out

 

Hmm... I imagine that it is compatible but I have not tried it myself- I went straight to a factory accessory shift knob. That fit perfectly after a slight modification.

As for moisture from inside the car... I do not know where you live so it could simply be the climate. I would ask your dealer. Are you using A/C or the defroster (defroster will automatically turn the A/C compressor on) on the last drive? The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the moisture that the A/C is pulling out of the air is being trapped somewhere and it is evaporating inside the car with the most natural route being the defroster vents. I wouldn't be surprised if you lived in a humid area.

 

I live in a very humid area and have had no interior fogging issues in 59 months/59K miles of daily driving, but my car is garaged both at home and at work.
Is it possible that the windshield has been replaced and isn't properly sealed?

 

On the internal moisture, leaks can be hard to track down. Some of the common spots I’ve seen mentioned over the years.

Rear side windows leaking, with slamming the rear hatch hard being a contributing factor to breaking their seals.
Cowl tray drain plugged causing an overflow to areas that may leak...seams under the A-pillar where fenders meet body. Drain is centered behind the engine, accessible with the air filter assembly removed. Empty it of tree litter by fingering it free from below if you dont want to remove the cowl cover. But if it’s plugged you have a good chance of needing to clean the rest of the tray. Water standing here will make the air coming in damp.
Loose lower door sill seal push pins. Mine leaked during a wash because one pin wasn’t fully inserted, came that way upon delivery. It was wetting the carpet.
Antennae.
Hatch license plate light/handle. Mine had signs of water leaking to the inside of the hatch panel.
Door and sunroof gaskets need regular treating with silicone weatherstrip conditioner.
Check sunroof drains.
A/C condensate drain has been found pulled loose of it’s exit hole in the floor. Make sure it is properly and securely routed.
Press down on the carpet into the floor pan and see if there is any standing water in the pan. It may take a bit to soak the carpet. There may be drains that can be opened and checked from below. Seems I saw some while under the car.

Finally, I would change the cabin air filter if it might be loaded up, for maximum airflow. That should assist with efficiency of dehumidification by the A/C.

 

When he mentioned this, my very first thought was flood damage. Its almost as if there is an abnormal amount of moisture trapped in the car somehow. If I recall this is a new car so flood damage shouldn't be there. But hey, I am just saying this in case it triggers a thought.

 

Yeh i bought it new


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The SS rocks. Gives the car a much more solid and stable feels with tons of precision!


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I figured there had to be an Abarth thread on FChat. My wife just bought a 2017 cab and we both love it. Although the neighbors aren't big fans when she fires it up at 6am.

Dave
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Yep it barks. But my neighbors prefer it over my ff with novitec! Get the short shifter, intake and ecu tune for sure!


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Hard to believe these came out in 12. Times flies. 64k on mine

 

I am so glad to hear. I was thinking about you and your shift kit the other day. It really does tie the car together. It should have came from the factory that way.
I think that next on the list is the ported throttle body and eventually the MM ecu. These are just such fun little buggers, it just makes me smile thinking about it. I can't wait for the weather to clear and I can take it out of storage! Maybe even more than my Ferrari in some aspects. Did you ever get the moisture issue sorted?

Aye indeed there is.! Congratulations on the car! It looks great in that color with the black contrast. I really love hard top cars but if I had to do it all over again I do wonder how I'd get on in the convertible... You get so much more noise. Some of these backfires I swear can pass to be gun shots.

 

appreciated! moisture has dissipated thankfully!
here is what i currently have done:
eurocompulsion stage 2, V4.1 intake, plugs and coil packs, SS, Nue-F front and rear, and RRM Chassis Brace-

 

I am glad to hear that it has been resolved!

I am not sure what I should do for my next upgrade on the car. Now that I have my 355, I have that car to be anal about and this car I can have a little fun with. Out of all your upgrades, what would you do next if you were me? Chip it? Do the coil packs actually do anything? I was thinking of that Magneti Marelli (https://shop.500madness.com/fiat-500-abarth-cid114/performance-products-cid125/electronic-tuning-cid508/fiat-500-abarth-ecu-engine-control-module-by-magneti-marelli-with-radio-remote-controller-pid1055) ECU, but I also really want to get that ported throttle body (https://shop.500madness.com/fiat-500-abarth-cid114/performance-products-cid125/engine-modifications-cid396/fiat-500-ported-throttle-body-fits-abarth-500t-pid2073). If I can get the throttle body at a good price, that may just be the ticket. What do you think?

 

Id do the chip and intake and be done. The chip unleashes an animal! Im not doing coil overs because i use the car for the train station and i have other cars to have fun with.


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Has your mpg gone down with the chip? One reason ive stayed away from upgrades is due to the abarth being my dd.

 

I have the same question. My 2012 Abarth seems plenty fast box stock, and gets decent mileage, about 28mpg on average per tank. Would a piggyback ECU drastically alter fuel economy? And how much more power can this chassis handle anyway?

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