A history lesson: The name - and scorpion symbol - of the new Fiat 500 come from Karl Abarth, a champion motorcycle racer, mechanic extraordinaire, and founder, in 1949, of "Abarth & C," the original Fiat tuner shop. Re-introduced in 2007 by Fiat, the Abarth name connotes the tuning arm of the make, akin to Subaru's STI, Mazda's MazdaSpeed, and Mini Cooper's John Cooper Works. All of these lines have commonalities - they are all small, lithe, nimble, and quick cars with a relatively humble pricetag. Affordable yet exotic, that's the idea.
WHAT'S NEW
Let's start with the engine, a sweet little 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo four-cylinder. Built in the US at Chrysler's engine plant in Dundee, Michigan, the tricked-out 160-horsepower, 230-Newton-metres of torque engine are then shipped to the Fiat 500 plant in Toluca, Mexico for installation into the Abarth, which is equipped with a five-speed manual transmission.
The Abarth's engine system has 60% more power than the naturally aspirated model, thanks to an added turbocharger and FIAT's MultiAir fuel delivery technology. Says Fiat: "unlike engines that rely on direct action from fixed lobes on the camshaft to control intake valve opening and closing, MultiAir is an electro-hydraulic system that can control intake air, cylinder by cylinder and stroke by stroke depending on the demands from the standard electronic throttle control system.
The two seater drop-top Roadster is the sixth model range for the BMW owned Mini range and it’s British built.
It is being produced alongside the Mini Hatch, Clubman estate, Convertible and two seater Coupé on which it is based. The arrival of the new model sees the assembly plant on the outskirts of Oxford, the press shop in Swindon and the Hams Hall engine factory gain even further in importance. Mini already ranks as the country’s third-largest carmaker, and the BMW Group is investing around £500 million in the ongoing expansion and modernisation of its manufacturing facilities in Britain up to 2014.
Last year Mini’s global sales were up 12 per cent to a record 285,000 units. With five of the six Mini models available built at the Oxford, the plant’s production is close to the current maximum of 200,000 cars a year. With the on-going model range expansion around another 50,000 units a year can be produced to meet the ever increasing global demand, much of it from emerging new markets such as India, Nigeria, Armenia, Bolivia and Azerbaijan.
Installed: Cadillac Escalade Spohn Adjustable Panhard Bar, Rear Upper and Lower Control Arms
If you have ever lowered or bagged a Chevy Tahoe or Cadillac Escalade, at least pre 2007, you know they come down at some strange angle that makes ...
Replacing the rear lower control arm in a 240sx?
Jan 14, 2010 by Rizwan | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
Hello I was recently in a little accident where my drivers side rear tire hit a curb and bent my rear lower control arm pretty badly... How would i go about replacing this part and about how long would the project take?
this job should take about 1/2 hour to do.If i'm envisioning it right there are 2-3 points that connect the arm to the body.What kind of spring set up is there? is it strut?does the spring sit on the arm?at any rate you willm need to unload the weight off of the arm,D/C the ball joint at the wheel knuckle,then remove the remaining bolts that attach the arm to the body. installation is the reverse of this and when done take to alignment shop and have it aligned.this is a fairly simple job but please use common sense and caution.I am assuming that you have some experience in the repair of vehicles,at least enough to know how to do the work safely.
| Jan 14, 2010
Loud metallic "clunk" heard even when driving over tiny bumps? Shocks? Lower control arm? Rear differential?
Apr 24, 2009 by Sentient Tornado | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
I've got a '99 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6. I had the rear end replaced about 2 years ago because it was wearing out and grinding loudly (I heard all F-body rear differentials go bad after about 80-90k miles). The take-off rear end I replaced it with is going bad now as well (it was another F-body GM-made rear end, but I think the place I bought it from made a mistake with matching the gear ratio--my speedometer and odometer are both off ever since the replacement).
Ever since the mechanic replaced my rear differential, there has been a metallic "clunk" heard from the driver's side rear of the car whenever I'd hit a bump. At first it was only heard with larger bumps in the road. But over the last 2 years, it's been getting steadily worse, and now I can hear a "clunk" even when I roll over something as minor as one of those turn arrows on the asphalt that has been painted over many times. It's terrible when driving down the historic district of my town, where the roads are mainly brick. The rattling noise when driving on a brick road is practically louder than my car's custom exhaust!
I thought it might be either the shocks, lower control arm bushings, or a faulty install with the entire rear end. The original mechanic claims it was a good install, but of course he's going to say that. He also didn't see anything else wrong. I'll be taking in to another shop, but I wanted to hear some feedback from you guys about what you think it could be, and what you think I should expect to shell out for any parts and labor.
Thanks for any help you can offer! (If you need more details, post them and I'll add the details to my question)
I honestly wish I knew, because I'm having the same problem with my 94 Camaro, and a mechanic I took it to said there was no problem as well. Sorry I've got nothing more to add to it :(
| Apr 24, 2009
brake pads sometimes rattle and make noise. you can buy an can of stuff to fix the rattle if it ends up being the pads. it also could be a bushing going out somewhere, letting metal hit metal. another longshot, it may just be a loose bolt somewhere letting something move when it shouldn't
Daniel | Apr 24, 2009
How much does a decent quality BMW upper control arm, lower control arm, and wheel spindle cost, combined?
Jun 27, 2008 by Mustafa H | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
It's for the rear driver-side wheel. Can I install these things myself? I don't want to pay $950 - $1450 for some other jackass to do it, if I can do it myself. I'd rather spend significantly less, just buying the parts and installing it by myself. I'm a quick learner. Can someone show me a link or a guide for doing it myself. Can someone also offer me a link or site for buying these parts, at a decent quality for a reasonable price?
The install is easy but after you do it you have to get the rear aligned. If you do not then the car will not go straight and the tire will wear uneven and quickly.
RyuSaiKan | Jun 27, 2008
Lower Control Arm?
Sep 14, 2007 by MS | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
I have a nissan altima 2001, recently had the rear brakes tightened, then got the front tires balanced both times car had to be jacked up, now the steering is off and the driver's side rear wheel is twisted in at the top and out at the bottom (also swerves when the rear hits a bump of any type). Been to a mechanic he said something about the low end rod and that it's a dealer part. Went to AutZone they never heard of it. I need help bad. Thanks everyone.
AH! Whoever jacked up the car put the jack in the wrong place and bent the lower control rod by placing the jack under it and not on the proper jacking point of the car. Obviously an "old school" mechanic as suspension components were a lot stronger back in the days of simple heavy gauge components and you could do that then!
The dealer will have to Order it as it is not a stocked item. Having the dealer do it would be best.
Try a "new car" wrecking yard!! They should have an Altima there!
mdcbert | Sep 14, 2007
Broken Lower Control Arm Bushing... HELP PLEASE!?
Mar 13, 2008 by dumbfounded | Posted in Maintenance & Repairs
I have a 2003 GTI 1.8t with 73k on it. I'm hearing a clicking noise on my front left tire when I'm coming to a stop. Or if the car is traveling around 5-10mph, it clicks on each rotation. I had the berring on that tire replaced around 8 months ago. It's been in one accident about two years ago. Damage was all on the drivers side, basically slid into a barrier on a freeway entrance. Broken axels, front and rear. My mechanic told me that my bushings in my lower control arm need replacing and I should probably replace the whole "A" control arm while I'm at it. Any suggestions? Also, if a rear shock is leaking oil onto itself, is it broken?
lets start with the shocks, they shouldn't leak. if one is bad then replace the pair. bad shocks wear out tires. second, if you need to replace a bushing, remove the control arm and take it to a shop to see if they can press a new bushing into it. they can look at it and tell you if the arm is okay, or recommend a new control arm. for absolute piece of mind i would replace the whole arm, then you get a new ball joint as well. i think they run about $125.00
Also, the system means the cover doesn't have to be removed or moved to open the rear door. Instead, the rear articulated arm is positioned vertically to
In the rear are Porsche's five-arm, spring-strut suspension with longitudinal and track control arms. The rear coil springs have co-axial, single-sleeve and more »
Deaths of Frisco mom, kids in fiery Kaufman County wreck 'a huge loss'A tow-truck driver who happened to be working an unrelated accident pulled her husband out of the Toyota in time. "She said, 'If something would ever happen and more »
Some cars have no means to adjust the angle of the upper control arms and so length changes, which change the arm angles, help accomplish this.
In the rear are Porsche's five-arm, spring-strut suspension with longitudinal and track control arms. The rear coil springs have co-axial, single-sleeve and more »
