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Your repairs – 2016 Fiat 500X

Your repairs graphic

Since day one, Haynes has been all about helping you, the home mechanic, to carry out your own repairs on your vehicles. Here, we celebrate those who use their spare time and Haynes Manuals to repair and improve their pride and joy.

DIY champion: Finlay Ashton, Leicestershire

Vehicle: 2016 Fiat 500X

Finlay Ashton is a chap who enjoys a bit of practicality, but not at the expense of style. Hence his choice of a Fiat 500X for his daily wheels. It offers a mixture of the style of the super-cute Fiat 500, but with the space of a larger SUV. It’s the automotive implementation of “two birds, one stone”.

And as such a funky and useable vehicle, the 500X has a busy life – it barely stops to catch breath.

However, the downside of such a non-stop existence is that bits start to wear out. Rattles appear, squeaks suddenly manifest themselves from somewhere underneath, and the dreaded malfunction indicator light (MIL) can abruptly cast its ominous glow over your countenance, signalling that something has gone awry in the deepest, darkest recesses of your vehicle.

All of these things had happened to Finlay’s 500X, but was he daunted? Did he throw a John Cleese-style tantrum? Not a bit of it. Finlay simply dug out his tools, bought the required bits, and invested in the right Haynes manual (we have a manual for the Fiat Grande Punto, which is very similar underneath), before getting on with things. 

Fiat 500X warning light

First things first, Finlay got his 500X for a bargain price, because when he bought it there was a warning on the dashboard. He plugged in a fault-code reader, which told him that a lambda sensor had failed.

As Finlay says: “The sensor was located towards the top of the engine and was an easy job, it was as simple as unplugging it from the battery connection and then using a spanner to loosen the sensor from the car.”

However, he now has the benefit of experience, adding: “Next time, I think I'd take the battery out first to provide more room!”

Fiat 500X brake disc replacement

Next up were the brakes, which were showing signs of wear and tear.

Finlay enrolled a friend, who helped him to jack up the car and set it on axle stands, before removing the wheels, brake calipers and finally the brake discs.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, as he recounts: “We had to knock the old corroded discs off, which took some force because it had managed to weld itself to the hub.” 

After that the new discs and pads went on easily.

Engine oil and filter replacement

Next up was a simple servicing job, which Finlay was keen to do ASAP because he was fairly sure neither had been changed in the car’s previous five years. We know that one of the very best things you can do for an engine is replace the oil and filter, so we can understand Finlay’s keenness to get the job done.

When he managed to get the oil drain plug undone, the black gloop that emerged from the motor provided evidence that Finlay’s suspicions were spot on.

He drained the oil, swapped the filter, admitting: “It was not in an easily accessible spot (thank you Fiat)”, then filled everything up with fresh, golden lubricant. Weight immediately removed from mind.

Fuel filter swap

The final job Finlay has done on his Fiat was to change the fuel filter, something he is deeply glad he’s done. He says: “It was a nice easy job, that required me to disconnect various hoses, remove the housing with a 10mm socket and a T20 to get the filter out from the housing. The old filter was filthy and definitely needed replacing.”

Dirty fuel filter Fiat 500X

Tell us about your repairs

Finlay has now done everything he wanted to in a bid to get his Fiat 500X in perfect working order, so he can now enjoy it. Although, given its busy life, there’s a fair chance he’ll need to dig out the spanners soon enough.

His story encapsulates everything we stand for at Haynes. Using your own knowledge, plus the back-up of the Haynes experience, gives every chance of carrying out most jobs on your vehicle with the minimum of fuss and expense.

So, why not let us know what you’ve been doing on your cars, vans and motorcycles? Just send us a few details about yourself and your vehicle to yourrepairs@haynes.co.uk

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