This page is for tips and modifications for the 500e. Remember that I leased mine, so I won't be doing things that cannot be reversed.

Trunk compartment lid holder

There is a little compartment in the trunk, and it holds the air compressor and the factory charger.

The problem is that while there is a little nylon webbed lifting loop, how do you hold this open while you are in there... silly.

I decided to make something that held it open, but since I lease the car, no holes drilled and nothing obvious.

I thought I would glue a small hook the the rear package shelf. No go.

First, it has some spray on fuzzy stuff, and more importantly, it is very flimsy, and it would just buckle and eventually break under the strain.

So, I bought a 3/4" x 1/8" x 36" piece of aluminum bar stock, and cut it so it just fit in the forward end of the shelf. This way any tension on the center would go right back to the corners and not warp or break this flimsy part.

Next, I bought several parts, 2 small electrical grounding lugs, and a 3" long brass screw that just fits the large holes in the lugs.

I bought some short 6-32 flathead screws and countersunk them into the aluminum bar, to keep the back side flat.

I turned the head and part of the body of the brass screw down to give clearance for the nylon strap.

I used a small wire brush in a Dremel tool to remove the spray on fuzzy stuff where I epoxied on the aluminum bar.

Clamp well, notice the package tray might be bowed a bit, and this is an opportunity to straighten it.

Get a Jack

The 500e does not come with a jack. The other models do, and there are marked jacking points. the stock "scissors" jack part number is 68073631AA, can be purchased for about $60, you will need a lug wrench, which operates the jack also 68073635AA which is pretty expensive. The original bag that this comes in is  68085806AB.

Disable the "pedestrian warning" noise
 

I noticed a weird "whirring" noise from the front of the car at low speeds (22 mph and under). Turns out this is on purpose, generated by a speaker down by the front passenger side wheel.

http://www.myfiat500e.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=27

Fiat Technical Service Bulletin 17-001-14: Rear Axle Alignment Shims
Fiat 500 Part Number: 68236620AA Shim Kit : (Kit contains 1 front shim, 1 rear shim, and 4 spindle bolt

Thing to watch for

Seems to be that a common failure is where the wires come from the body to the back hatch, watch for the insulation breaking or wearing through.