New Fiat 126 Bis owner

[Amateb]

Hello everyone. I just bought myself a 1990 Fiat 126 Bis from Ebay. I have always wanted to own one some years ago despite what others say about the aircooled version. My other half is furious for buying the car, but there you go. The car appears to be in good condition from the pictures and it is roadworthy. It has road tax and a MOT. I shall be collecting it soon. I live in North London, does anyone know a reputable Fiat specialist in my neck of the woods, short of going to a Fiat dealer. Someone mentioned to me Continental Motors at Tufnell Park but they appear to be more interested in selling new and used Fiat cars. The car needs a full service.

Many thanks!

[dajwid]

I am sure the car will grow on your other half

As for service these are really simple cars, many jobs are just a case of biting the bullet, rolling up your sleeves and getting a bit greasy

Any questions this is the place to be.....


Have fun with your new toy (use it as much as you can, they don't like sitting still)

Dave

[Normansinjunstevas]

It is good to see that you have chosen to join the ranks of us real men.

Welcome comarade!

Normski

[Chris Lakin]

Welcome to the forum!

Congrats on your new purchase.

i would take you 126 to a good mechanic who is not afraid of working on old cars unlike most dealers where the mechnic has never worked on one.

main thing for the bis is to get the coolant drained and fill up with antifreeze with corrosion inhibitor and check the thermostat isnt blocked up with gunk or limescale. Change the oil, plugs, airfilter, alternator belt and grease the king pins on the stub axels. Thats a good start!

tehre shouldnt be a divide between watercooled and aircooled owners, the cars are pretty much the same, i have an aircooled and bis and like working on both!

regards

Chris

[Gordan]

Welcome to the forum, i hope you have as much fun with your bis as i do, these are awesome little cars, just treat it right.  [-/

[Rusty's Uncle]

  Hey Amateb , do not worry about the Air/Water thing you have got a 126  [-/
Getting work done on your car is a difficult thing and proberbly the worst thing is to use a main agent as they are only interested in your cash & not the car. Best thing is to do the work yourself if possible & in my experience the guys on this forum are the best by far at giving you guidance. If you are not able to do any necessary work yourself then a specialist , small independent garage  or mechanic , bit like gold dust , but would be favourite. How north of London are you? Do not worry about the partner thing (Normanskie seems to have assumed you are a bloke) but my wife did not speak to me for about a month when I got my last car & it took about 18 months before she was able to accept that it existed on our driveway. 

[Amateb]

Hello! Your 126 looks new!! The engine bay is incredibly clean. Quite impressive! My parents had a 1962 Fiat 600D (suicide doors) and you are right, cars this old do not like standing still for long periods of time. It has to be driven, otherwise the drum brakes get stuck or something needs attention. They sold the car (without my knowledge back in 2003) because they felt it was due costly to maintain.

[Amateb]

This is great stuff. I did not expect the level of responses today - many thanks! I spoke to the chap I bought the car from and he mentioned that the car's first gear is noisy and a bit grindy. He assures me that this is normal for a 126. Is this correct? Do you know how I can get hold of a owner's handbook for this car? I think the car also needs a rear parcel shelf. Presume this shelf can still be ordered from a specialist. He also mentioned that there is a special way of starting the car. I need to pull the choke in full at the beginning after the car starts. When it warms up (I have been told it may take some time?), the choke should be pushed down but not in full. Is this the case for all 126's? The car probably needs a major service. I will be collecting the car early next week  I can't wait!!

I think my wife has now gotten used to the idea of having the the car and finds the car quite cute, but time will tell. Phew! Anyway, the answer to your question i.e. location in north London for Fiat specialists, I live in Highgate N6.

[Dom]

Hi and welcome.

There is a Classic Fiat specialist right around the corner from you. They mainly look after 500s and Classic Alfa's but do stock a lot of 126 parts and can order just about anything. Very pricey though. I only really use them when I need a part very quickly. They also have a workshop but i'd hate to see what their labour charges would be!

They're called Prioretti and their website is www.fiat500.cc

Based just opposite Holloway prison. Worth going there just to have a look at their museum like collection of Fiat 500s and 600 sitting outside.

Dom

[Darrell]

Welcome!

First gear is a sod!

Mine is noisy, only time to worry is if it jumps out of gear.

Remember to only select 1st when the car is stationary as it is not a sincro-ed gear, second third and fourth are normal so use as normal.

D

[Amateb]

Hello. We went to collect the car today. We were gobsmacked! It was in an absolute s*@#@! state. A very disappointing and heartbreaking sight. We now have to get the car towed away and it will cost us. We were so looking forward to collecting the car. Two things can be done. Either scrap the car, break the car and sell the parts or restore the it. I think I wll bite the bullet and restore it, but very concerned about the cost. The bodywork is in good shape. The paint is faded in place but can be brought back to life. The interior is average but quite salvagable. It has full serivce history, it came with a binder full of reciepts with MOTs and has done only 48,000 miles. Obviously, the chap that sold it to me neglected it but its previous owners looked after the car. I will speak to Proietti Ltd (Fiat specialist) who will look at the car and advice what needs to be done. We are expecting the worst. Okay, the Ebay seller did say that it has been unused for some weeks and may have to be towed but before collection was told that the car was roadworthy. Anyway, lesson learned. We will let you know the prognosis of the Fiat specialist.

[roobeh]

could be worse. sounds a lot better than some cars i've seen driving around. [-/

[Darrell]

The good thing is these cars are so simple and one this forum there are members with so much experience and very willing to lend a hand or give advice.

What exactly is wrong with it?

Remember these cars are never perfect, they come close with alot of TLC but there will always be one or two issues at any one time

Part of the charm for me, she has moods but so rewarding when it all starts going right, very frustrating when it goes wrong but hey spares are cheap, insurance is cheap and what I say to the wife is 'if I didn't have a baby fiat, I'd probably be in the pub, take your pick!'

Get recovery cover to get you home!

 [-/

I found the longer I own the car, the better it gets as I mess-up and learn as i go

[Amateb]

The car would not start. Turned the ignition, the dash lit up, pressed the clutch and placed the gearshift in nuetral but the car would not start, just a "clicking" noise. The battery, I reckon was weak, the car being idle for some weeks. I jumped started it, pressed the clutch and gear shift in nuetral as before, but it seemed reluctant to turn despite revving the other car up to charge the Fiat's battery. When the battery was strong enough, it still was still reluctand to turn. It was turning very slowly, even if the other car was still revving its engine. I gave up in the end. I have arranged to get the car towed to Proietti for diagnosis. The Fiat 126 (Dec 1990) has full service history, a binder full of documentation/reciepts etc. and an autobiography of the car written and contributed by its previous nine, yes nine previous owners. The chap who sold me the car neglected it. It is amazing how over a year of neglect can do to an old car. It is possible, it is just the points failure or something or as simple as a dead battery. I may have flooded it as well. I will let you know what Proeitti's prognosis is of the car.

[dajwid]

Dead battery. old stale fuel.