Under the hood, at the far driver's side, these all have some HVAC function:
40A in slot F08
5A in F09
10A in F19
40A in slot F08
5A in F09
10A in F19
12v Battery replacement
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But I'd be rich if I had bet on every 500e issue being a software glitch, since nearly all of them are.
Many are caused by the humidity sensor, & that list keeps growing, now including shifter failure locking the key in the ignition.
Many are caused by the humidity sensor, & that list keeps growing, now including shifter failure locking the key in the ignition.
I'm using a $35 battery. It's still going strong after over 2 years.
It requires $17 adapters, but they're reusable:
Tiny $20 12V Battery Works! (& saves 38 Pounds)
A tiny THREE pound motorbike battery works, even when left parked unplugged for 36 hours! Click to enlarge & see below for mounting notes:
www.fiat500owners.com
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$350? They know better, they're scamming you. There is no reprogramming when replacing your 12V battery. If that was a thing- it would have been mentioned in the user manual. Fiat would put that disclaimer for any OEM battery they sell describing the necessary "reprogramming".
You do lose any pre-set AM and FM radio stations if you disconnect the 12V and no other power is being actively supplied. The Sirius radio service, if you have it, will automatically reboot and reconnect in about 10 minutes.
A workaround is to plug your car in and while it is actively charging you can disconnect the 12V battery all you want and it won't affect anything. I know because I've done it. You just need to reconnect a working 12V battery before you unplug from your charger or charging ends and you can avoid the reboot.
GREAT TIP!
Even without that trick, my 2013 retains Bluetooth pairing, radio stations, audio settings like bass & fader, and menu settings like DRLs & autolock.
Mine does zero out date/time, & trip gauges, & sometimes the charge timers reactivate themselves, preventing charging until you turn them off.
Resetting those isn't worth paying more than $5 though!
Even without that trick, my 2013 retains Bluetooth pairing, radio stations, audio settings like bass & fader, and menu settings like DRLs & autolock.
Mine does zero out date/time, & trip gauges, & sometimes the charge timers reactivate themselves, preventing charging until you turn them off.
Resetting those isn't worth paying more than $5 though!
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I would argue lifetime of a battery with you. My daughter's 1997 MB 190 had a still working battery (in California) after 14 years when I replaced it.
George
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A fiat 500e puts a lot more strain on a 12v battery than an MGB does.
I don't agree with #1. I have 2 2013 vehicles in northern NY that have original batteries and are still solid. Daily drivers. I connect them every two weeks overnight on a charger that doesn't exceed 10% of the capacity. Simple maintenance can save you money over time.
For those wondering the lifetime of a 12V battery in an EV, it seems to be considerably shorter than the lifetime of that same 12V battery in an ICE car. I belong to several EV forums for different makes of cars. A failing 12V battery is very common in EV cars 3 years old and older. The hypothesis is that EVs never actually have a high current load (like a starter cranking over an engine), so the plates sulfate and eventually short out. Also I have noticed that the DC to DC converter seems to put a high voltage on the 12V system the entire time the car is on, like around 14.4 - 14.6 Volts, which is overcharging the 12V battery and shortening its life span. Also it appears that the 12V battery in an EV will generally fail with little to no warning. You might get lucky with a replace 12V battery now error message. Whereas with an ICE vehicle, you generally know when the 12V battery is failing, as you notice a slow crank.
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8 Posts
FWIW the antenna replacement sounds about right. Ours started leaking so I pulled it and replaced the foam gasket. To buy a new one was about $100, add an hour of labor and that sounds right.
Or you can do like what I did and buy some 1/16” foam and redo the gasket.
Or you can do like what I did and buy some 1/16” foam and redo the gasket.
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Yes, walk away. If you think the battery is more than a few years old, you might want to replace it. When the battery gets too low (at least in my 2017 fiat 500e) you will get a warning in the dashboard. Change it immediately because after 1 or maybe 2 more starts the car will not allow it to turn on. Search your local auto stores for a new battery and replace it yourself (I did). Just a few simple tools. All my settings remained the same and the clock updated within a few minutes. To help you do it yourself after getting a new battery search YouTube as there probably is a video on there to help you. You could also purchase a voltmeter and check the health of your current battery. Again, search YouTube on tips to do that.
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My 500e has smelled "funky wet" after a rain with lots of condensation inside the car and I was wondering how water was getting in. Thanks to you, my leading suspect is the antenna gasket. What do you mean by 1/16" foam?
It seems that usually water comes in through the firewall below the wipers, according to this thread:
www.fiat500owners.com
Rain water ingress
Hoping someone may have advice or a pointer... Found wet padding/carpet in the driver's side footwell. Must have been there for a while, but recent heavy rains made it obvious (heavy fogged windows and visible water under floot mat). After drying it out carefully (pulled up carpet+pad and...
www.fiat500owners.com
Thanks everyone: I stand corrected on a 10-year-old starter battery maybe still being okay in some gas cars with exceptional maintenance in some climates.
In a half-century of working on cars on the West Coast I've never seen one last more than about 6 years, so I figured 10 was impossible. I still believe it's very unlikely, especially since it's rare for owners to connect them every two weeks overnight on a charger.
In my 6+ years of very closely following this forum, 500e 12V death is more likely to happen in under 5 years, than over 5 years, let alone 10.
In a half-century of working on cars on the West Coast I've never seen one last more than about 6 years, so I figured 10 was impossible. I still believe it's very unlikely, especially since it's rare for owners to connect them every two weeks overnight on a charger.
In my 6+ years of very closely following this forum, 500e 12V death is more likely to happen in under 5 years, than over 5 years, let alone 10.
If I recall lead-acid battery preferences correctly, the 500e's starter battery charging profile is close to ideal. So it seems more likely to me that it dies fast due to extended exposure to heat from the adjacent onboard charger.
But whatever the reason, it can die in as little as 23 months, & nearly always with no warning at all. So as @mga pointed out, you really should check the voltage periodically.
Even easier to get a ~$35 Bluetooth monitor that will give you a warning when it's low, such as a BM2 or BM6 which are easily found just by typing those 3 characters in the Amazon search field & scrolling down until you see something like this:
![Automotive lighting Gesture Font Cable Gas]()
But whatever the reason, it can die in as little as 23 months, & nearly always with no warning at all. So as @mga pointed out, you really should check the voltage periodically.
Even easier to get a ~$35 Bluetooth monitor that will give you a warning when it's low, such as a BM2 or BM6 which are easily found just by typing those 3 characters in the Amazon search field & scrolling down until you see something like this:
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Thanks for that valid info on the lifespan of a 12V battery in an electric vehicle.
You can replace the old car battery, with a lithium battery, lower cost, much less weight, lasts longer. Search for install here or on YouTube.
JOHNAVATAR.com
JOHNAVATAR.com
The cause seems avoidable for a 500e. BatteryUniversity.com seems to be pretty knowledgeable, & they explain how high-current gas engine cranking LOWERS lifespan here, & how HEAT is a pretty big factor. So I shielded the whole side of the battery from the heat of the adjacent onboard charger & then me & several other 500e users had them last over 5 years.
It seems unlikely that early deaths are from over-charging, or from lack of high-current, since ours were also subject to those conditions for 5+ years. BatteryUniversity says here that it's best to "charge as often as you can", & here they say that sulfation is LESS when charged at 14.7V (2.45 volts/cell times 6 cells = 14.7V)
500e drain while parked is very low. Other EVs might not have a hot charger by their 12V, but most have much higher drain, giving them much deeper, damaging cycles.
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