Fiat 124 Spider 2016

There could some bias in that search because Fiat has an engine series with the name FIRE. All those cars have an engine from that series. In fact the 124 Spider will also have engine from the FIRE series.

Bad omen? ;)

EDIT: Oh, there was a another page.
 
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:rolleyes: Fine, replace "FIAT/Ford/whateva on fire" with "burning FIAT/Ford/whatever" and still just a couple of results with OMG-FIATS-ARE-FIRE-HAZARDS, I was just disagreeing with Spectre's point of view: finding a picture with a car on fire from a certain brand doesn't mean that all cars from that brand are prone to fires.
 
:rolleyes: Fine, replace "FIAT/Ford/whateva on fire" with "burning FIAT/Ford/whatever" and still just a couple of results with OMG-FIATS-ARE-FIRE-HAZARDS, I was just disagreeing with Spectre's point of view: finding a picture with a car on fire from a certain brand doesn't mean that all cars from that brand are prone to fires.

A lack of fire pictures doesn't mean the opposite though. If you search in Italian you'll find tons of burning Fiats :dunno: no big surprise to find more English results for Fords...
 
Fiat 124 Spider 2016

:rolleyes: Fine, replace "FIAT/Ford/whateva on fire" with "burning FIAT/Ford/whatever" and still just a couple of results with OMG-FIATS-ARE-FIRE-HAZARDS, I was just disagreeing with Spectre's point of view: finding a picture with a car on fire from a certain brand doesn't mean that all cars from that brand are prone to fires.

Um, that's not why I believe they're prone to fire. I happen to be a former Italian car owner - Alfa Romeo, to be exact. Yup, it went on fire. The forums often had reports of other owners' cars going on fire.

At one point right before Fiat got kicked off USDM island the last time, every single model they were selling here was being recalled for fire problems, sometimes for multiple fire problems at the same time.

Ducati motorcycles are made in Italy. They are notorious for horrible wiring and... Going on fire. Their factory race bikes burst into flames quite publicly several times in the past couple of years. Without crashing being involved.

And do I need to remind you of the recent embarrassments to Ferrari and Lambo involving fires?

Basically, if it is Italian it has a much greater than normal fire risk, IMHO. There's a reason Italian vehicles have the reputations they do.
 
My Moto Guzzi hasn't caught on fire yet. Citing the Morgan Three-Wheeler philosophy, what's the point of motoring if there isn't a strong chance of death?
 
My Moto Guzzi hasn't caught on fire yet. Citing the Morgan Three-Wheeler philosophy, what's the point of motoring if there isn't a strong chance of death?

Operative word: Yet. Were you not reading Argatoga's tales of woe about his similar model? He's found out some of the other aspects of owning something Italian.
Ugh, still waiting for parts to come in. I assume they are still mining the raw materials for what will become my new swing arm (my current one was cosmetically damaged). Has anyone else with a Piaggio product experience this?

My bike is back! After three attempts MG was unable to send the proper front fender replacement so I took it home anyway, slight hard to see scuff be damned!

I went to change out the rear speed sensor and lo' and behold, it is attached to a bolt using a microscopic head I don't have wrench for (I have a socket, but there is no way to fit one in the space). Other fun discovery, when I took the fairing off I also noticed my brake fluid is leaking at the reservoir. Small, but enough to have brought it to just above minimum.

Bike is back in the shop. Italy! Italy! Italy!

Oh, and yes, fire:

Nothing fell off, the starter did start smoking though. As soon as the bike was in gear it started revving up and the clutch seemed to do noting. I checked the clutch cable, no problem with it. Neutral, no issue. It got to the point where it kept hitting the starter over again and again by itself when in gear (this is where the smoke entered the picture). The truly fun part was that the kill switch didn't kill it. This was at the end of a two hour ride. So back in the shop, once I return from DC it will hopefully be in a working state.

- - - Updated - - -

Redliner: GMTA. :D

Also: Yes, it's a Ducati! 2014 Edition
2014-aragon-barbera-ducati-burn-gif.gif


2015 Edition:
Ducati-GP15-on-fire-S.jpg


Aprilia's had some issues with that as well, as Colin Edwards found out:
Colin-Edwards-Fire-1.jpg


No, none of these bikes crashed or made contact prior to the fires starting.
 
Um, that's not why I believe they're prone to fire. I happen to be a former Italian car owner - Alfa Romeo, to be exact. Yup, it went on fire. The forums often had reports of other owners' cars going on fire.

At one point right before Fiat got kicked off USDM island the last time, every single model they were selling here was being recalled for fire problems, sometimes for multiple fire problems at the same time.

Ducati motorcycles are made in Italy. They are notorious for horrible wiring and... Going on fire. Their factory race bikes burst into flames quite publicly several times in the past couple of years. Without crashing being involved.

And do I need to remind you of the recent embarrassments to Ferrari and Lambo involving fires?

Ford was being recalled for similar fire problems around that same time with their infamous ignition switches that would burn up not to mention a number of 2G alternators from that time that were prone self-combusting.

FWIW, FCA doesn't make their own wiring harnesses, LEONI does and they're a German company.

Basically, if it is Italian it has a much greater than normal fire risk, IMHO. There's a reason Italian vehicles have the reputations they do.

A reputation that is getting old and outdated. Today's FIAT cars are no where near as bad as their 70s/80s counterparts. The fit and finish of the interior for both the 500 and 500L is really no different from the likes of GM, Hyundai, and Ford. The motors are ok but they're quite old and the next-gen motors that are just around the corner are vastly improved in both power and efficiency (they're finally moving to DI).

Every OEM has it's issues. I'll take a car with a few mechanical issues over one that tries to kill me because their software engineers are idiots: http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/...ed-acceleration-and-big-bowl-“spaghetti”-code
 
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Ford was being recalled for similar fire problems around that same time with their infamous ignition switches that would burn up not to mention a number of 2G alternators from that time that were prone self-combusting.

FWIW, FCA doesn't make their own wiring harnesses, LEONI does and they're a German company.

If only the problems were limited to the wiring harnesses...


Fiat got booted off USDM island back in 1983. The Ford ignition switch fires didn't start happening until the early 90s. The 2G alternator fires, as of 1983, were a known but thought to be rare issue. At no time in 1983 or in the few years immediately preceding, were literally all of Ford's then-currently-sold product lineup being recalled not just once but multiple times for multiple fire issues.

Of course years later, Ford *would* have to recall basically everything they'd made in a year range for the master cylinder fire issue, but that's another story. :p

A reputation that is getting old and outdated. Today's FIAT cars are no where near as bad as their 70s/80s counterparts. The fit and finish of the interior for both the 500 and 500L is really no different from the likes of GM, Hyundai, and Ford. The motors are ok but they're quite old and the next-gen motors that are just around the corner are vastly improved in both power and efficiency (they're finally moving to DI).

No, just no. My recent experience with the 500L puts the lie direct to your statements. A car with less than 30,000 miles on the clock demonstrated the miserable failure of its electrical system - while fine prior to the drive, during the trip the rear lights completely failed. No running lights, no turn signals and worst of all, NO BRAKE LIGHTS. They ALL died about halfway through the journey.

One of my former co-workers had a New 500. That thing was quite miserable and was constantly in the shop with electrical (among other) issues. It's one of the cars that the door literally fell off of.
 
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Good thing we only heard those stories 3000 times before :rolleyes:
 
Good thing we only heard those stories 3000 times before :rolleyes:

Good thing the Italians keep producing reasons to remind people of their history.

Oh, that reminds me, they're recalling 352,831 Fiat-made Jeep and Dodge SUVs that had been previously recalled for fires. It seems Fiat released too-vague instructions on how to repair the SUVs, so dealers performing the recall work may have actually routed the wires in such a way that the vehicles, which had been recalled for having the mirror short out and cause a fire, could have the mirror short out in a different way - and cause a fire. :rolleyes:

Keep in mind that this is the same Fiat who's so incompetent, they can't fix their own broken recalled vehicles or notify vehicle owners that there's a recall outstanding on their vehicle - by their own admission.

Fiat-Chrysler admitted that it failed to adequately remedy defective vehicles and failed to notify vehicle owners in a timely manner of the existence of a defect, according to the consent order released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Sunday.
 
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Does every thread about an Italian or French car has to be about you? It's just another thread turned into a boring time loop were no further insight is gained and the same few stories and cliches crop up again and again...Is this interesting to anyone else than you? It's good that you have so much spare time, but can't you make a thread each for the five or six topics you keep banging on about and keep the other threads for people who are acutally interested in the topic?

I enjoy the diversity of the forums and people from all over the world coming together and discussing all sorts of stuff, it's sad that over time so much turned into monologues triggered by certain keywords...
 
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Does every thread about an Italian or French car has to be about you? It's just another thread turned into a boring time loop were no further insight is gained and the same few stories and cliches crop up again and again...Is this interesting to anyone else than you? It's good that you have so much spare time, but can't you make a topic each for the five or six topics you keep banging on about and keep the other threads for people who are acutally interested in the topic?

I enjoy the diversity of the forums and people from all over the world coming together and discussing all sorts of stuff, it's sad that over time so much turned into monologues triggered by certain keywords...

Jump to conclusions much? You need to go back and examine the thread very carefully - everything I posted was in direct response to someone else, and that sparingly. I didn't even bring up the reliability question - two of your fellow Euros did, right on the very first page. And I'm not the only one noting the electrical problems! From literally the first page of the thread (which I'll note has NO comments from me on it):

I just hope they don't make it overpriced....and somehow I don't trust Fiat's engines

When's the last time Fiat actually made an unreliable engine? Rust, yes, electrical problems, yes. There's a reason cars like the Fiat Regata disappeared from the roads a decade before anything else made in the same decade. But unreliable engines? Not really.

My first post on this thread, despite discussing it with friends like MWF elsewhere, doesn't come up until page SEVEN of the current nine, almost two months since this thread started. That really shows me making this Italian car thread all about meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - oh, wait, it doesn't. In fact, the only reason I bothered with this post is because someone mentioned my name - and I kept my comments specifically germane to the topic, how reliable the 1.4L engine would likely be (not very, if current North American experience is any example). You even commented on it at the time and MWF told you off. You'll find one more post on that day/page from me, pointing out that the 1.4 isn't going to be all-new for the 124 and that's it - then many other posts from other people.

Page 8? Lots of posts from other people, then one from me referencing the official "If RickHamilton Likes It, It's Doomed" forum joke. I had one more post, following up on BlindIo's post as a clearly defined joke, then the Fiat Fanboy Squad jumped me. If you expect me to sit back and not reply to that, even sparingly, you have another think coming - even so, it didn't become the "every other post by Spectre" until just now when you started whining about it. So you have only yourself to blame for that one.

If you check carefully, I believe that you'll find Cellos ALONE has far more posts to this thread (before this one) than I do. Most of the posts I made weren't even disparaging but making jokes in reply to others.

Does every thread about an Italian or French car have to be about your incorrect perception that I'm trying to make the thread about me? Hm? You know, psychiatrists and modern medication can help with that unhealthy obsession thing these days...
 
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Hehe, let's just see how this continues ;)
 
Back on topic, I can't get past the looks. ND for me.

I'm sad they made both overhangs so huge compared to the ND. If it's going to be tiny on the inside, why make it massively long for no good reason? :dunno:

Still curious though about whether they'll offer some configurability... probably not, given it'll be made alongside the ND :|
 
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I'm sad they made both overhangs so huge compared to the ND. If it's going to be tiny on the inside, why make it massively long for no good reason? :dunno:

Still curious though about whether they'll offer some configurability... probably not, given it'll be made alongside the ND :|

Yeah, if they stuffed a bigger motor in there, that'd make sense...like a certain 3.2 V6 that would be perfect for a roadster.
 
Yeah, if they stuffed a bigger motor in there, that'd make sense...like a certain 3.2 V6 that would be perfect for a roadster.

A 3.2 isn't going to happen, the extra length up front likely is to make space for the 1.4's intercooler. I'd expect the Abarth to be a hotter turbo four... if you do stuff the 2.9 V6 from the Giulia in there it'd have 375kW - more than three times the oomph of the 2.0 ND :driving:

I'll hold out an actual judgement until I've seen and driven it in the metal - for example, the bigger boot might make up for the larger rear overhang :dunno:
 
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