HOW TO: Replace Wishbone / Ball Joint (Fiat 500) 

Here's why I like about this video. 1. No nice dry garage (not all of us have this), 2. No power tools. 3. Your general perseverance when it started raining (I know how that feels and its bloody awful). 4. Your explanation of the process. 5. Your cat keeping you company. Dude, great video. Well done.

Like some of the other guys on here I’ve mine to do..... gunna start tomorrow thanks for the demo...... wish me luck My only advantage is I’ve had the front off many times when I bought car as a right off....new front end.... I’m gunna do both sides to save any more grief😋 Hope the weather holds🙏🏼appreciate your time filming for us to watch an learn💪🏼😎

explained well, I do these a lot, takes about 40 minutes to change a fiat 500 wishbone as long as you have an impact driver

Great video. Couple of extra things I found useful - 1. disconnect the front fogs before taking off the bumper which can be accessed from the panel in the inner wheel arch at the front. 2. The clips to the front bumper by the headlight can be undone using a small flat head screwdriver from being the bumper - just pull back the wheel arch lining when the screws have been removed. 3. The ball joint was difficult to knock out due to corrosion. Turn the wheel for easier access to the front of the hub, then hammer in a flat bladed screwdriver into the clamp split so it forces it open.Don’t be tempted to lever it open using the screwdriver as it will break off (oops). - Then the ball joint can be knocked out. Again, great video, made the job easy. Thank you so much. I had so much fun I did both sides at the same time to avoid having to take the bumper off again for one bolt! Like the cat.

Brilliant video mate. I'm about to do this job myself so I'm doing some homework beforehand. Your video was the first and last I will be watching. Cheers

Many thanks for the video! I did this job yesterday after watching the video a couple of times - it was a life saver! All in all it took about 3 hours.

Very good information...I didn't think you had to take of the front bump... Good job.

You don't have to completely remove the bumper beam, just undo the bolts, there's enough movement on the subframe to remove it once you`ve undone the 3 bolts underneath. Also, support the rear half of the subframe before removing the front section, as it can move, & when you bolt it back (because of the free movement given by the large holes), it can drastically put the steering/suspension alignment out when you bolt it up again.

brilliant! thanks for the video, just changed both sides on wife's 500 to get it through its MOT, this and the 2 shocks on the back. saved us hundreds of £'s.., but personally, i'm sticking with Mini, less hassle..

I have a 2016 model and have had to take out the inner wheel arches completely plus the headlamps - water bottle etc- took all day!

Hey this video was excellent just saved my friends mom some money by doing the job myself thanks again

Great video much appreciated this is how I end up usually soaking wet and a bit fed up but happy I saved my self a few bob cheers!

I have been a fitter on and off for around 26/27 years. I can confirm cars are becoming more and more of a pain in the arse. All that extra work, just because the designers at Fiat decided that the front wishbone Bush needed to be horizonta boltl instead of a vertica boltl like they have in many cars. When I started working I was fixing Vauxhal Nova's and mk3 Escorts (nice and easy to work on). I am pretty sure these days they make things so complicated, so that owners look at the job (that should only be 3 bolts and a 25 minute job) and think 'how the hell does that come apart? This needs to go back to main dealer'. It seems cars are not designed to last these days and the simplest jobs can be so expensive to repair. After 9 or 10 years it is just easier to get finance on a brand new car than spend fourtunes because your gearbox has gone or something, when years ago you could change a gearbox in 2 to 3 hours (sometimes quicker) and get second hand parts cheap enough. So much for repairing old things, and hence save the environment. Today is a throw away world. I am not saying this job is too bad to do, but it certainly could be a lot easier, and if it was just 3 bolts (which it could be) most men or woman who have a little patience and don't mind working with their hands could quite easily replace a wishbone or bottom arm. If it wasn't for videos like this, average Joe probably couldn't do this job, and with the amount you have to take off, average probably isn't going to tackle it anyway. God I hate cars. I used to enjoy it, but the industry is ruining small garages unless you have a niche specific thing you do. The days are gone when a small garage can diagnose and repair all makes and models.

Excellent help, I'd heard something about the sub frame mount. One big problem though, I'm going to be doing this over my mates garage and he has a dog, no cats. Do I need to take one of my cats with me for the 'stroke cat' procedure or will I be able to substitute a dog (excitable husky) for this part?

Cheers for the help. My sister's car just failed on this. When I was giving underneath a paint I sww that it looked like a pain to do.

Great SIMPLE Video. Thanks for the insight!! Also love the stroke break!

I just did this job and your vid helped a lot. Thanks for uploading this.

a great video very clear to watch

Great effort, Great video. Thank you so much!

like your vid ,put it well together,,,,,working in the rain too

Thank you looks like a two hour job

When hitting the bolt out of the ball joint wind the nut on first and hit it on the nut. That way you don’t mash the threads if you miss with the hammer. 👍🏻 Great helpful video though.

Great video bro

where I come from, everything needs to get a bit of grease upon reassembly so that rust - the poor man's Loctite doesn't prevent future work.

nice job. found u can access top 2 crash bar bolts through fog lamp hole & bottom 2 from under vehicle. didn't have to remove bumper cover

Great video, Thanks. You need an impact wrench so bad! Kielder 700NM is a really good mechanics because its so small

Great video. Did you replacement wishbone come with thin clamps around the ball joint?

Does the bumper need to come off??

Where you buy the ball joint ?

Thanks and a question if that's ok!? I've very recently replaced shocks/top mounts on my girlfriends Fiat 500, and after a few hundred miles now have a fairly horrible thumping noise from the front right of the car ... I'm wondering if the shiny new shocks have given the wishbone a bit of a hard time. What was the initial reason for replacement? Was it a knocking sound?

Hi, could a single knock when turning right be a fault with my wishbone? Thanks

Jeesus H. Christ, what a pain in the ass.

Does anyone know the sizes of the ball joint rubber cover? My ball joint is just fine, but the rubber is cracked and it is a MOT failure :(

Terrible engineering... Ball joints are very common thing to get replaced as it moves a lot. I wonder what was Fiat thinking when they designed this! I did that in warm garage with car on proper lift, still was cursing the whole time doing this...

*"HOW TO REPLACE WISHBONE: First remove bumper..."* And this is why I hate modern car design.