Has anyone here owned a Fiat 500 or Ford KA mk2

[chaparral]

Has any of you guys owned a Fiat 500 or Ford KA mk2 and suffered from any of these problems

Electric Power Steering motor fail
Rusted front struts
Airbag dashboard light on
Cambelt change

If yes want price did you pay to have any of these things fixed ?

 

[Tee Hee Johnson]

Bored tonight?

 

[chaparral]

Bored tonight?

Stressed with everything going wrong with this crappy car would be more like it
They really are pieces of crap

Only 30,000miles on the clock and had
Gearbox rebuilt due to failed bearing/s
Airbag module failed
Electric Power steering Motor Failed
Both Front struts and top mounts need replacing due to rust
Knocking sound coming from rear suspension or rear bushes

 

[Berger]

Did you buy it new or used? How old is it?

Front struts on the older cars rust as they gather water in the strut top and rust out. You can buy dust covers for £5 to stop this.

£30-50 per side for the shocks, not sure how much the top mounts are. Imagine you’d pay £200-250 fitted, mechanic could do the rear shocks at the same time, these are £30-40 each and simple to change on a lift.

Rear suspension top bushes likely gone. Also check the rear beam spring cups and the bump stops.

Cambelt is a consumable not sure why you’re complaining about it.

 

[ShiWarrior]

no but i had a KA MK 1 with an open top sun roof

 

[Nasher]

These are awful cars. My sister had one which only made it to 60k miles before the engine destroyed itself

Probably best to get rid of it and get something else tbh.

 

[chaparral]

Did you buy it new or used? How old is it?

Front struts on the older cars rust as they gather water in the strut top and rust out. You can buy dust covers for £5 to stop this.

£30-50 per side for the shocks, not sure how much the top mounts are. Imagine you’d pay £200-250 fitted, mechanic could do the rear shocks at the same time, these are £30-40 each and simple to change on a lift.

Rear suspension top bushes likely gone. Also check the rear beam spring cups and the bump stops.

Cambelt is a consumable not sure why you’re complaining about it.

It a 2011 or 2012 I bought it secondhand for my mother about 2 1/2 years ago

Garage has quoted me £550 to replace the 2 front struts
Garage also quoted £351 to replace the cambelt
Ford garage is saying it going be around £800 to fix the airbag module fault

Am complaining because it Looking like it going cost around 3k to fix it it was only last year I paid £1000 for the gearbox to be rebuilt on it

 

[chaparral]

Probably best to get rid of it and get something else tbh.

Just is what I want to do

But am not going to get anything for it how it is as you can't even drive now the electric power steering gone

 

[Berger]

So you bought a car which was cheap to begin with at 6 years old 2 years ago, it’s now 8/9 years old and it’s throwing up some bills.

The gearbox could be bad luck or driver error.

Airbag sounds like bad luck, I’d be on the forums trying to research it and see if there is an airbag module or something you can buy from a breakers and DIY.

Power steering from a quick look it could be something as simple as the battery is on the way out and just replacing it could fix it. Has the car ever had a new one?

The front shocks assuming this is what needs doing are £114 for Sachs and the top mounts £39 for Lemforder. £400 is a lot of labour to change them. 2 hours a side being generous for a garage perhaps? £50 p/h gives you £350.

I’d try a different garage for a second opinion or buy a new car.

 

[chaparral]

So you bought a car which was cheap to begin with at 6 years old 2 years ago, it’s now 8/9 years old and it’s throwing up some bills.

The gearbox could be bad luck or driver error.

Airbag sounds like bad luck, I’d be on the forums trying to research it and see if there is an airbag module or something you can buy from a breakers and DIY.

Power steering from a quick look it could be something as simple as the battery is on the way out and just replacing it could fix it. Has the car ever had a new one?

The front shocks assuming this is what needs doing are £114 for Sachs and the top mounts £39 for Lemforder. £400 is a lot of labour to change them. 2 hours a side being generous for a garage perhaps? £50 p/h gives you £350.

I’d try a different garage for a second opinion or buy a new car.

I wouldn't really call paying £4000 for a small car like a KA cheap

Garage Labour rates here are normally around £85 p/h

Had a Brand new battery fitted about 8 months ago

I got the steering part that broke and is grinding very loudly out this afternoon (Trying to find somewhere cheap to get a replacement)

The electric motor is spinning but not doing anything apart from making a very loud grinding noise

 

[Meaker]

I thought these were timing chain driven rather than belt driven?

 

[chaparral]

I thought these were timing chain driven rather than belt driven?

No they have a cambelt

 

[N17 dizzi]

Stressed with everything going wrong with this crappy car would be more like it
They really are pieces of crap

Only 30,000miles on the clock and had
Gearbox rebuilt due to failed bearing/s
Airbag module failed
Electric Power steering Motor Failed
Both Front struts and top mounts need replacing due to rust
Knocking sound coming from rear suspension or rear bushes

Hi, this is an old thread but I have one of these. My gearbox bearing also went and got the clutch done at the same time, this is not uncommon on these sadly. If I get another 40-60,000 miles from this box i'll be happy. Cambelt is due for replacement soon at the stated 62,000 miles.

I can see some rust on the front suspension but not affecting performance as yet. No problems with airbag or power steering.

I wonder how you got on Chaparral? Still got the KA?

 

[chaparral]

I wonder how you got on Chaparral? Still got the KA?

It my mother Ford KA , Am just the one that pays & fixes everything that goes wrong with it

Yes she still has it..everything on it is fixed now apart from it also needs a cambelt change and still has a knocking sound coming from the back (sounds like a worn out rear damper bush)

It also seems to like blowing rear bulbs more then it should (Brake & tail light bulbs)

 

[chaparral]

Cambelt is due for replacement soon at the stated 62,000 miles.

My local ford dealer quoted around £350 for the cam belt change

 

[N17 dizzi]

My local ford dealer quoted around £350 for the cam belt change

I've been quoted £325 for the cambelt. Getting a major service at the same time so £550 in total.

More worrying, the car has gone in to limp mode twice on the dual carriageway, I've had to pull over then switch the ignition off and on, then it goes back to normal.

It might be a sensor as the first time I got 3 different warning lights and the second I got 0 warnings, but Fords didn't find any fault codes.

 

[sovietspybob]

All i can add is my auntie bought one brand new to replace her MK1 Ka with the last scrappage scheme like 10 years ago, i think she had it less than a year before she got rid of it as it was pretty terrible in every way and worse than her old car for pretty much everything.

 

[chaparral]

I've been quoted £325 for the cambelt. Getting a major service at the same time so £550 in total.

More worrying, the car has gone in to limp mode twice on the dual carriageway, I've had to pull over then switch the ignition off and on, then it goes back to normal.

It might be a sensor as the first time I got 3 different warning lights and the second I got 0 warnings, but Fords didn't find any fault codes.

My mother told me the dash on her KA has lit up like a christmas tree again

 

[Nasher]

Just take all the warning light bulbs out

The car is going to fall to bits, it's just a matter of when.

 

[N17 dizzi]

My mother told me the dash on her KA has lit up like a christmas tree again

Sounds like a possible sensor problem if it goes in to limp mode.