Fiat 126 bis opinions

[Michal]

Hello i want to buy a fiat 126 but the only rhd cars that have a normal price are bis i heard tahat bis engines are unreliable and you chould only buy the aircooled does anyone have any good advice about the bis engines 0.7

[Xylaquin]

Short answer: As long as the cooling system is working, a BIS is just as reliable as any other old car.

Two things to note:
A) Whenever you remove the cylinder head on a BIS engine, you must torque it back on in a certain way. Then after about 750 miles you need to check it's still torqued up correctly. After that you should be good to go.

B) It's not that the BIS is more unreliable, it's that there is more to go wrong with it. Think about it: the aircooled engine has a really simple cooling solution (wind blows at it), meanwhile the BIS has a network of pipes and cooling pumps and radiators and sensors. So since a BIS car has parts that can break that don't exist on an aircooled car, it gets a reputation if those parts break and people say "well this doesn't happened on an aircooled!"

If you do get a BIS, turn it on and check for leaks, fix any you find.
Once you've done that (or if you didn't find any leaks) flush the cooling system out and put new coolant in. Finally bleed any trapped air out.

[Michal]

Thanks for the help

[Mics126]

one other thing is either remove or relocate the thermostat.fiat stupidly put this on the bottom of the engine so by the time it opens the engine is already basically boiling.they are great engines when working and more practical for everyday use.but i still love my air cooled 126.

[mintex]

As whats been said, that main issue is the cooling system, mine is completely standard including still having the thermostat in but if its working as it should then the bis i would say is reliable as any other 126 

[Amateb8]

I've owned my 126 Bis for more than 12 years now. It has been quite reliable in my ownership. That said, I've had to replace the ignition coil, drive shaft coupling and gear control linkage. All the aforementioned could have happened to an aircooled 126.

I agree with Xylaquin. In addition, you also need to keep an eye on the water temp gauge. Make sure you top up the radiator with coolant. Also make sure that the radiator fan works automatically (some Bis owners install a manual switch). I tend to change oil with a good quality oil like Mobile 1 on a regular basis regardless of usage/mileage. I think using good quality oil enhances the cooling process. With regards to the thermostat, I've not experienced any problems with it.

I would recommend anyone to buy a watercooled. It is easier to live with, and has all the mod cons, like a fantastic heating system, slightly more practical (hatchback has extra boot space and fold down rear seats). The engine is quieter, it has bigger wheels, so is smoother, rear wash/wipe, two speed fan, two speed wiper with intermittent function and is slightly faster (speed-wise and better able to cope with traffic) as well.