Fixing Fiat 500 Abarth Side Skirt Separation

[@andreunz]

Fiat 500 electric here. Same problem and same concerns about removing the complete skirt. Great video . thanks

[@emikearizona]

That's a great video and you've got some MacGyver type talent. Your video makes it easier for me with the same problem. Thank you.

[@mikewhite3855]

I had the exact same separation problem, so I used a color-matched pop-rivet to hold each side-skirt to the body. This worked well and didn't look as bad as you might think.

[@B0Nnaaay]

I followed your advice and used the 3M auto tape. It held up for a year until the summer temps here in NC got up to 85-105 degrees. I’m just gonna peel it off, clean it up and try again!

[@evilsentity]

I’m having a very annoying problem, heat is never the issue but I’ll explain, Ive had a car for 10 years both skirts all intact, ended up bottoming out bad and cracked my left skirt so I ended up spending almost 1k for oem skirt and install, there was glue residue left on the skirts but they said it’ll “rub off” fair enough but come to less than a year later the whole rubber moulding is peeling off

[@evilsentity]

And I was told when they assemble the car factory, they also use the same glue so if they re install it and it fucks up again idk what I’m gonna do

[@R53Hype]

What did you end up doing to beat the heat? It's about that hot where I live now and I gotta sort this out, it just looks so bad with the skirt just hanging off the car.

[@deekaempfe4778]

Thank you for the video! My son's 2013 white Abarth Cabrio has the same thing happening on both sides as well as the front "chrome" strip on one side of the front emblem. Going to order this tape. I tried another kind a while back but it did not work, must not have been strong enough.

[@jonperkins8696]

I just had to do that today....and I used my scissor jack a block and towel....and used the pillar just outside the garage.

[@erikmain4532]

I got my 2015 on the interweb after dealers big and small were exhausting. Love it! The skirts, however, were drilled together by someone how hasn't seen your channel. Anyone have advice? I liek in an appartment building, so things like jacks against pilllars will cause future headaches.Thanks for the armrest video, too. These cars are a bit flimsy when it comes to plastic, but the medal and rubber are the funnest I've had in a car.

[@mattdavidp]

Great & helpful video, but sometimes it's best to address the cause rather than the after effects. Just saying, it has nothing to do with a 'shortage of epoxy in Italy...' It's a fact: The reasons separation occurs is... A. When brand new the car delivery truck driver straps down the cars incorrectly. B. A garage/mechanic/tire shop do not use pucks (the bmw mini comes with them) to lift the car correctly and not put pressure on the rocker covers/side skirts Also when they aren't lifted correctly the plastic trim clips can break/come out of their holes too - they run along the length of the side panel. When I took my car to get tires recently I KNEW IN MY HEART they were going to get wrecked so i brought in explicit paper instructions on how to lift it correctly. 90 minutes later the skirts were pretty much hanging off 4-6 inches from the front wheels back. When i complained they said the car came in like that...take photos people. Regards

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

All good advice. Mine gets lifted by someone else once a year for state inspection, and I am the jerk standing over the top of them when they do it

[@jackieong6988]

Tire shop literally did and said the exact same on Friday. :sigh:

[@wheeleratthesolarhouse3953]

I did that too and the tape eventually failed. I'm on the JB Weld body panel apoxy now and it's holding well. I held it by hand for 45 minutes until it was set.

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

Wheeler Darden I’m one year on the tape, still no problems. When my tape fails (it will at some point, wouldn’t think it would make it more than 5 years), I can tape again. I would not recommend JB weld. The tape is flexible. The side skirt is plastic, and the rocker is metal. They expand, contract, and flex at different rates. So the JB weld is going to crack, and you will be left with a mess to rework. Plastic to plastic, JB weld all day long. But for dissimilar materials, you need some flex. Hopefully I’m wrong, good luck

[@wheeleratthesolarhouse3953]

@@EveryOtherFridayOff all I can say is that there are several variations of JB Weld and I picked the one that looked most appropriate. If it fails one day then I'm no worse off than I was before. Infact, a brittle glue might be easier to chip off than that tape residue was to clean off.

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

Greg Calfin Sorry yours failed so early. I’m at 1.5 years, and it’s just starting to separate. I still feel like you want a joint between dissimilar materials to be flexible. I think whatever you choose, it’s going to fail eventually, and tape is going to be easier to redo. Good luck!

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

Greg Calfin That sucks, sorry to hear that. Can’t trust anyone to work on these things

[@TeslaBill68]

Mine is doing now... gonna do same thing this weekend

[@JermsDNA]

I noticed the other day when I was washing mine for the first time that the driver's side skirt is beginning to separate.

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

I think getting after it early is the way to go

[@Love500]

Ive used some white tiger seal on a previous white sport. Secured with some tape while it went off and it was fine.

[@JermsDNA]

@@Love500 Thank you! I'll give that a shot

[@djrolando83]

Thanks 🙏 very helpful

[@NGENCustomsandPerformance]

Great job!

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

Thanks! Love your videos also. There’s a whole workbench of your parts ready to go on mine, definitely going to show some testing with the engine mods. Trying to figure out how to scientifically test the suspension mods. Wife has already said no to backyard skid pad.

[@badbartolo]

@@EveryOtherFridayOff Wives, man they have no sense of adventure!

[@badbartolo]

I'll be doing the tape repair to my 500e as soon as the tape arrives.

[@HipHopHistoryGuy]

Hey Doug, appreciate the video! I am about to attempt your repair technique this weekend as both of my side skirts are peeling due to my mechanic damaging it on his lift. Can you give me a link to the hydraulic you used? What was the exact model tape you used? Also, what did you use to clean the area?

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

The tape is here: 3M 38582 1 Pack Exterior Attachment Tape www.amazon.com/dp/B00JR4D70K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cB4CDbNKECMXC I cleaned with alcohol. The hydraulic could be anything, mine are from harbor freight. Good luck! Mine is still holding strong at 4 months.

[@thefitzyspecial]

Going thru the same bullshit on my 2014 GQ Convertible... dipshit at the tire place completely F'ed up the skirt. Tore it away from the front to almost mid doorline. Unreal. Great home fix... love the pressure jack.!

[@JustCreateYou]

So far how did it last ?

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

One month and an Autocross down along with a couple car washes and heat plus thunderstorms and it is staying put. So far so good!

[@JustCreateYou]

@@EveryOtherFridayOff awesome so you had proxy on your mine actually has 3m tape should it be best to just take mine off and reinstall the 3m tape ..

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

That would be my guess. And then when you reinstall, let it set under pressure

[@JustCreateYou]

@@EveryOtherFridayOff it's gonna be tough Tryng to hold the whole thing with pressure 😂.. I wouldn't know what to use lol

[@JustCreateYou]

Think I might have to do a piece at a time with the same method you did and do a piece at a time while releasing the tape .

[@Jandro1083]

shortage of epoxy in Italy? LOL, the NA version is assembled in Mexico, and this issue was prevalent on the 2014 moving forward. My 2013 is already 10 years old and now this is starting to happen. 2014 and onwards this was an issue within a few months.

[@billwilson6096]

You could have saved a lot of fussing if you simply replaced the factory trim clip. I had that issue with my 2012 Fiat Sport and fixed it properly with a trim clip made expressly for early Fiats, cost per clip 0.50. Time to repair about 10 minutes once the original broken clip was removed.

[@MatthaeusCaesar]

I am having trouble finding the clip part number. Do you have it? I agree it is simply those plastic clips.

[@karlybyrd1551]

Seems like everything with these damn cars are a common issue lol trying to repair all the random small things on mine to sell it. Nobody fixes these things and if they do they charge 800% over what it all costs!

[@Love500]

US cars are made in Mexico and UK cars made in Poland. Who would have thought 🤣🤣

[@k.c.r1884]

What do you mean UK cars made in Poland 🤣 Fiat 500 is Italian parts (mostly) owned by Mopar and all assembled and made in Poland pretty much. That's why I order all my parts from Poland they are penny's!

[@A.R.C.77]

Its not the manufacturer its the clumsy owners hitting or stepping on it 👍

[@EveryOtherFridayOff]

Most frequently it’s shops not taking care while lifting

[@A.R.C.77]

@@EveryOtherFridayOff wtf as if youd lift a car close to the edges crazy