[Sudaval]

Thank you. Regarding length of time: how long might that be, and what might the problems be?

 

[Sudaval]

Thank you. I've taken note of the suggestion to buy a new battery instead of trying to get the current one recharged. I've posted a new question on NIMH batteries in the larger forum in hopes of getting as many eyes on it as possible. I'd appreciate suggestions on that as well.

 

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Just one other thing: I notice that people are saying to use a locksmith if the doors don't unlock with the new battery installed. Does that mean that I shouldn't get somebody from AAA to jimmy it? What would a locksmith do differently?

 

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Thank you. That's what I meant, lithium. I appreciate your and the other suggestions.

 

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I'll write up how this gets resolved, assuming it does. I'm still in the middle of this mess. One note on something that may be widely known, but that was news to me. If your car is still under warranty, don't put any faith in Fiat's roadside assistance program. Fiat Customer Care presents this service as specializing in Fiat cars, or at least the rep I spoke to did. In fact, the roadside dippatcher I eventually reached after a very long hold admitted he knows nothing about 500es and neither would the tow company he sent. They just farm the work out to local contractors, like a smaller version of AAA. My car is parked in a tricky situation. AAA admits up front what they know and don't know. I'll be using them.

 

[Sudaval]

OK. This week-long unpleasant situation seems to have a happy ending, I hope.
It turned out that the whole problem was that my 12-volt battery had died. I asked the mechanic whether the 500e gives any warning before that happens. He said no, that it's basically like a light bulb going out. He said occassionally the car might struggle on startup a little, but usually not. I can't afford a lithium-iron replacement for the lead-acid battery right now, but I did ask him what he's seen on that. He said he's seen a few and they seem to work fine. So, I'll check into that a little more, against the next time this happens. This guy claims it will work fine. This guy concurs, but he did get a warning light. So I'll try to find out more about that.
For those of you who are, like me, not real mechanically inclined, I did learn a few basic lessons:

• That second key is really important.
  When I bought the car from a used car lot, it had only one key. I checked with all the Fiat dealerships within driving range and ordered a second key from the one with the lowest combined price for key and coding. When it was ready for pickup, I tried to arrange coding, only to find out that the dealership had really jacked up the coding fee. I don't remember by how much, but it was at least double, easily enough to piss me off. So I decided to hold off while I tried to talk fairness to them. Then Covid hit, and the key sat there, 30 miles from my house, for months. So when this problem hit, I found myself with my only working key stuck in the ignition and now locked in the car. Now, if it happens again, I have the second key, so I can get into the car and pop the hood and pull the battery.
• Take Notes and Negotiate
  I told this dealership, which had my key, what had happened. I scanned my notes from the previous shopping inquiry and showed them to the dealership. I said, "Fair's fair. Charge me what you said you would." Eventually, when I was able to get the car to them to complete the coding process, they did.
• Buy a good automotive battery charger
  I hadn't used the one I have, a manual version, for about a decade. I didn't really trust it with the Fiat's 12-volt. So I'll buy a better automatic one in case this happens again or for use on my family's other cars. All I needed was enough charge on the dead 12-volt to get the car down my steep, narrow driveway to the flatbed, or even into neutral.
• Don't count on Fiat customer care
  They don't seem to know their own rules and can't give straight answers to straight questions about what will be within warranty and what might violate the terms. They misrepresent roadside assistance for cars in warranty as somehow expert when in fact they're sending whatever shlub wins the contract, some ignoramus who might break your car. I used AAA instead to tow the car once I'd solved the initial problems myself. They didn't present themselves as 500e experts. They were fine.
• This is a pretty good group.
  When I first found out about this problem, it was late at night. I was pretty upset. I posted my question hoping I'd get some answers the next day. In fact, the first response came in minutes. I don't expect that every time, but it's a testament to how we can all benefit by keeping up with the group and seeing if we can help out.

 

[Sudaval]

By the way, when I got a working 12v battery into the car and got in, at least the dashboard display showed very little decay in the main battery's storage. I think it had gone from 45% to something like 42%, which I wouldn't think is terrible. This is all per the dashboard readout. I'll try to check it with the scanning tool and will report anything else I find out. Pointers appreciated