Life is too short to drive boring cars. This channel will feature videos about the Fiat 124 Spider and other roadsters.
NOTE: Because the channel is small, I try to respond or react in some way to every comment posted. Every once in a while, I discover a comment that is 3-6 months old before it suddenly appears to me. No idea why.
Constructive criticism in comments is fine; flames will be removed. Profanity will be removed.
Channel sponsored by Drop Top Tees - a tee shirt shop for people who drive roadsters. We currently have apparel and accessories for the following convertibles: 124 Spider, Abarth 124, Classic 124, MX-5, Mustang, and roadsters, in general. We add new designs every month. Check us out at: droptoptees.myspreadshop.com
Using The Last Coat link will give you a $10 coupon if you have not used the link before. For The Wind Restrictor link, use the code "droptop" to get a 10% discount!
Great video. Only 5500 km (3400 miles) on my 2018 Lusso so it will be awhile before I need to do this. Good camera work on a lot of the shots for good detail. Always good to have a young helper. I will definitely review this video when I need to change my rear end oil.
Could you use a detailing spray after driving it to the show (if it’s only around a 30 minute drive) if you washed the car the night before? Or would that be too risky for getting swirling and marring?
My 124 Spider Abarth seems to burn oil when pushing hard. The exhaust tips are full of black carbon. Cleans off easy. When not pushing hard the tips stay clean. Do you think my oil separator is dirty? Do I need a catch can? Any advice would help as I believe you know what you’re talking about. I have 30,000 miles, it a 2017 manual transmission and I need to add 1 letter of oil every 1000 miles.
Lots of good information and advice. I pay for and use premium synthetic oils and filters from your list for my 124 Lusso. I didn’t have your list then but it is good to know I am doing it right. Thanks for your research and work providing us with this information.
I have a 2018 Fiat 124 Lusso 6 speed manual. I have done cosmetic mods but my only mod so far on the engine is a turbo blanket mainly to reduce under hood temperatures. From all you videos on Go Pedal Plus that will be my next mod. Thanks for all those videos.
It is sold as a visor for the CX-3, MX-5 on amazon. Unfortunately, it looks better than it works. It seems the sun is rarely in a position where the visor can do its job.
We use the iOttie. I think it is available on Amazon or from Wal-Mart. I really like the way it allows me to position my phone exactly where i want it for driving.
I see a lot of the older 124s for sale under $6000 and they appear to be in good shape. I’m not a mechanic and don’t have a place to learn. Is it easy to find a good mechanic for these cars? Are parts readily available? They are a cool looking car. I prefer when the bumpers have been removed. Doesn’t sound like a very fast car but perhaps a fun car-kind of like the Miata.
Many parts are fairly easy to obtain. There are 4-5 companies that specialize in parts for vintage fiats, the 124 in particular. AS for good mechanics, it really depends on where you live. There are some absolutely fantastic mechanics out there for Fiats. There are also clubs like Fiat Club America filled with people who will gladly help other owners out on technical issues, mechanical advice, etc.
I just counted using the photo we take of each car as it enters thew show field: we had 37 modern 124s and 27 vintage 124s. 64 124s total. I think that is the most moderns so far for a Freakout Concorso. Also, some cars come to Freakout and do not go to the Concorso, so there may have been a few more of each at the Freakout.
Would really like to see your run without time compression. It's a fun run - no need to save time! Would like to experience it with you, not just hear the music! Really hoping you show the full footage without time compression!
The problem is the vast number of viewers won't watch a road run that long. The goal of this video was to let people who have never driven the Dragon a chance to see what it is.
I respect that, but I would put myself in the category of wanting to see the whole thing. I just took my spider, Amelia, up to the tail for the first time with Fiat on the Dragon, and had so much fun! That’s why I’d love to see it - I could see how we both did on our first runs! In any case, glad you got to run it, and had a great time!
Don't really see what's so special about the 'tail of the dragon' road. Auto Amateur goes there in his Porsches and as a UK viewer this is just a standard country road. It doesn't have any views there are too many tight bends. Roads like this and much better are everywhere in the UK. I was in Wales UK yesterday in my Abarth 124 (go all the time) and the roads and scenery would blow these out of the water. It seems bizarre for me a country the size of the US and an average road like this can become a tourist attraction.
The attraction is the high number of turns in 11 miles. There are numerous other routes in this locale that, in my opinion, are better road runs. But this one is the most famous.
@@Chilicharger665 Not questioning why people want to drive it, I'm questioning why such an un-impressive road is a tourist attraction in a country the size of the US. Also, if you drive sports cars a lot you would know that tight bends and having to change gear can get tiresome after a while.
@@DropTopTees There are literally 1000s of great roads in the UK. Any country road outside of a town or city will be a great driving road. Tourist roads are the A82 Glencoe, A5 Capel Curig, Cambrian Way, Llanberis Pass, Honister Pass, Hellfire Pass, Horseshoe Pass, Isle of Skye, Kirkstone Pass, etc. My personal favourites are the B4405 in Wales, The A493 Estuary Road Wales. ALL the roads that are in the National Parks are stunning. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d8IMdfwjMUc.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OcsUUbM-0og.html
2018 Lusso here, with 8,500 miles. Can you elaborate on the 50k maintenance to date? Love the car, drove it north across the Mackinac Bridge this afternoon.
Aye! This is dope, been watching you videos for about a month now. Didnt realize you were in DFW, i just got a 2017 Lusso last week and I’m loving it. Your videos have been a great help
@@longlostlimit Oh man.. Last week the DFW Fiat Club - Fiat Club America met up at the Buc-ees in Denton, drove over to Bebos in Pilot Point then cruised past Celina to Eden Hill Winery. Email me at dfwfiatclubfca@gmail.com and I will add you to our mailing list for our newsletter. We have at least 1 meet up and or cruise a month!
hello, Since I also bought a Spider 124, I'm now excited to watch your videos. You made one for a diffuser from the company Hön in Germany. I just can't find this company. Do you have a website or email address for me? or maybe something on eBay? thank you for your help and effort. Greetings from Germany
Just remove them. You don't need them and they block a large portion of your view. It's s convertible. You will more than likely be wearing a hat or sunglasses anyway.
@@DropTopTees i deleted mine bc i am just at the right height where i need the 1/15 of the windshield they obscure to see red lights without stopping 15-20 feet from the light... Very specific personal situation I know.
Question, when you installed your leds, did you clock the bulbs? The led chips should be at the three o'clock and 9 o'clock position. This helps tremendously with the beam pattern. Love your videos, very informative.
For people who might not understand what he is saying, it may seem counterintuitive, but modern headlights don't emit light directly down the road. Older headlamps simply projected light forward. As lighting became more refined, light bulbs started to project their light to the side, where it was focused by parabolic mirrors. Concentrating, shaping, and focusing the beam at specific distances down the road makes your headlights brightest where you need them to be. Halogens do this. Early LED replacements for halogens, especially the cheaper ones, frequently failed to place the emitters where they would best take advantage of the mirror effect built into the head lamp assembly. Most LEDs on the market today have the LED emitters aligned properly to most effectively reflect their light down the highway, so aligning the emitters is no longer the issue it used to be.
It doesn't have bad reception. It is just, on this car, it isn't quite as strong as the original antenna. If you are mostly in city or near it, you won't notice a difference.
@felix1470 you are so right with mountains. With regular antenna you loose signal on the Malahat. I switch to music Bluetooth off my iPad mini in those situations. Otherwise around Victoria plus north of Malahat reception isn’t bad. Likely north of Vancouver on sea to sky would be awful though.
I just went and popped mine out and measured it. Mine is 29mm. 41mm is too long, despite Amazon saying they will work. I bet the 31mm would work, too because there is room in the holder with the 29mm.
lol...I bought one replacement so I take one off, put the other on; then clean the dirty one at my leisure so it is ready to go next time I change my oil. The canister costs $78.99 a shot. They re designed to be cleaned and reused. To me, at least, 5 minutes spent cleaning them is much preferred to 79 bucks every 4,000 miles.
Actually, it wasn't. When FCA partnered with Mazda, the intention was to have it be an Alfa. However, Sergio Marchionne stated no Alfa Romeo would be built outside of Italy, so he transferred it to Fiat. The 124 ended up being designed in house by Fiat, not by Alfa.
I got a question. I have a 2018 Fiat 124 Lusso with stock exhaust. It doesn’t have much sound to the engine which I think is a common comment. I don’t want to add an axle back exhaust that will wake up the neighbors but would like something that has more of a “Roadster” sound (if such an animal exsists even). Something a bit throaty with some gurgles and pops but not overly noisy also. Does such an exhaust even exist for the Spider? Most on RU-vid sound pretty loud. Thanks.
Several different choices: If you just want to add a little sound without being overbearing, check out Autoricambi's resonated axleback. The Lusso has a midpipe resonator, so you could also go with a non-resonated axleback. Depending on how much sound you are wanting to add, the 500 Madness catback with a resonator on the midpipe could also work. It will give you a growl and add performance, too. From what you say you want, the Autoricambi resonated or no-resonated axleback sounds like (no pun intended) a good choice for you. Bear in mind, the pops and burbles some cars have in videos come from the tune, not the exhaust.
Thanks for sharing this detailed installation guide! As someone considering seat covers for my Spider, your step-by-step instructions are incredibly helpful. Can't wait to give this a try!
My Abarth infotainment clear faceplate is de-laminating inside at the corners, apparently a very common problem with Mazda/Fiat. I found a replacement faceplate but cannot find any videos showing how to replace it without removing the entire system. Any suggestions.
Taz, in your DYI seat cover installation where your video messed up, well that is the same point where I would have also edited out my cursing that those belt’s😂 would case for me in installation. After all that work the seat covers look actually extremely good. If and when I see any wear on the seat bolsters I will get similar covers. Thanks so much for not only showing us the finished product but giving us a guide on installation. I recently installed a turbo blanket on my 124 Lusso and followed your video to do it properly. Extremely easy after you show how.
I am 5'10" and have no issues. People fit up to about 6'3". At that point it get really iffy , especially with the top up. I am fine with it on long trips. We have taken multiple long trips, the longest of which was slightly over 3,000 miles. Some people may find the wind and road noise gets tiresome on longer journeys, but we love cabrios, so no issues :)
Thank you for the information! Love my fiat 124 spider and definitely going to purchase the premium filters for longevity! Have you done a similar video on brake fluid?
No, because brake fluid is so much less complicated. Any DOT3 fluid works for normal street use. DOT4 is also acceptable. Brake fluids normally don't have car -specific specs like some cars have for motor oil. I might append some of the other fluids at the end though. Brake fluid, differential oil, etc.
Oh my God! You're telling me that Fiats have the same problem with plugged drain tubes that us VW Golf Alltrack owners have? And here I am considering switching from one to the other! (#sarcasm)
Once this clean up is done... would it be prudent to plug the drain hole under the car, mix up some 30-second cleaner half n half solution, carefully pour the solution down the hole until you can see it reach the top, let it sit, drain it out, and flush with clean water? Maybe not for minor debris filled basket and discolored sponge. I bet the mucky, crudy, leaf and scum baskets and sponges let some funky stuff into the channel. Just a thought. I appreciate your thoroughness and efforts to show how to clean this problem area. Thanks to you both.
The basket filter system was designed to prevent such things; however I have seen a few people in MX-5 forums saying their drain got plugged below the filter, so cleaning the line would probably be a good idea every so often.
Have you taken this on overnight trips? The boot looks like it would hold a decent piece of luggage. Does it hold enough for a couple on an overnight drive?
Definitely! Our longest trip was 9 days when we went to Fiat Freakout in PA back in 2021. We packed efficiently enough we never had to do laundry! We are headed back out on the road this summer to the Freakout in Greenville, SC in June.
Some people don't know how to drive manuals. Other people can't due to medical issues. Our buying Saxy was more a combination of timing, availability, and incredible price. The automatic 124 with paddles does indeed have a soul.
