[beechersunbird]

I love my 500c and have had no issues with it since I purchased it in 2012. It has about 50,000 miles, no mechanical issues, and the top was functioning fine until a couple of days ago when I tried to close it and it went up in a kind of cattywampus manner -- one side raised while the other stayed put. I hastily put it back down into the fully opened position and took it to the dealer. Long story short, they said it is irreparable -- it's so badly broken they couldn't even close the roof -- and needs to be replaced, to a tune of $7000. The car is only worth about that amount, and I don't know what to do. I called a few convertible repair shops around town (I live in Seattle) but they only seemed to be equipped to deal with upholstery and not this kind of mechanical repair. Also called a European repair shop that works on Fiats, and they recommended going to the dealer.
Has anyone else faced this issue/dilemma? I'm super bummed, I hate to think of my fully functioning (minus roof) beloved little car headed for the scrap heap, but I can't see paying what the car is worth to fix the top. Any thoughts/input would be appreciated!

 

[J.B.]

I personally can't help you because this is not something I have a personal experience with. But here's what I know. The convertible top is a whole component, and to replace a bit of it, a dealer basically has to get the whole thing (not the top itself, but the railing and the whole mechanism). You should search the forum, there have been more than a few posts about the same issue. I don't think I've read a thread that came to a full resolution (I may be wrong about it, but don't remember any). From what I've read, the problem usually appears to be one plastic component that slides along the rail that wears off and breaks, and FCA won't sell you just that part. Even then, $7k seems way too steep, you should shop around. Or, if you want to tackle it yourself, junkyard maybe a place to try. Maybe it wasn't on this forum, but I read/heard a story about someone who ended up 3D printing a part, too.