Frequently asked questions about FIAT Tipo 16V

Why does the central locking not work?

Trevor Byne has problems with his Tipo's central locking. Sometimes, but not all the time, his central locking will unlock but then it becomes impossible to lock. The key will not turn to the lock position in either door. The only solution seems to be to force down an inside button.

I had a similar problem with the central locking. Turning the key in the drivers door would not open the door and I had to use the passenger door. On other occasions when I tried to open the door it would unlock and then immediately lock again. It turned out to be a broken central locking solenoid in the drivers door. I was suprised to find they were only £42.88 for a new one. It took the garage less that half an hour to fit since I had removed the inner trim off the door. It should still take less than an hour if the garage have to remove and refit the trim.

Stefan Starkie says that his car had a problem with central locking. Rather than the key not turning in the lock, he would unlock the car, and after a second it would all pop down and lock again. Or, conversely, I would try to lock it and it would all unlock again. This ment that the car had to be left unlocked for an afternoon outside a friend's house.

Eventually, he traced the problem to the passenger door lock not activating remotely, and the system would sense that the door had not locked so it would unlock thw whole car. So by putting the key in the passenger lock and locking/unlocking the car manually, he could get the car to lock. After taking it to my local mechanic (who used to work at a Lancia dealership) he spent an hour and sussed that it just needed some oil at a particular place in the mechanism. Problem solved and has not recurred, for just twenty quid. Not good, though, having your car left outside unlocked!


How do I keep the boot locked?

For security reasons it is possible to lock the boot of the car such that if the driver or passenger door is opened using the central locking the boot remains locked. This is useful if someone breaks into the car and unlocks the drivers door. The boot will remain locked, thus hopefully any valuables in the boot will be safe. To lock the boot in this manour, insert the key into the boot and turn it such that the keyhole is horizontal rather than vertical. Test that the boot is indeed locked by pressing the button. To unlock the boot insert the key and turn it such that the keyhole is vertical.

I hear you say, ah but what about the rear seat, can't they just fold them down and gain access that way. Yes normally they would but if you look behind the seat from inside the boot you will see two catches below the plungers used to release the seat. These can be turned such that the plungers have no effect. As an extra precaution the plungers can also be removed.


How do I remove the central locking mechanism?

Alexis Grant says Once you've removed the inner door trim disconnect the 2 rods that lead to the motor. One is for the door handle, and the other is to move the button up and down. Disconnect the wiring from the motor. Open the door and undo the 3 bolts (10mm he thinks), these are the only bolts that hold the motor. Slid motor out through the largest gap in the subframe, and it will fit through, just takes a while to get the angle right.

My bonnet is stuck shut, how can I open it?

Nareman Virk says that sometimes all that happens is that the cable un-clips from the bonnet release handle. Is is fairly easy to re-attach if you get down on your knees and use a torch to see what's going on.

Can I get another alarm key fob "cut"?

Jara Shaw said his car had the original Fiat alarm fitted however he only had the one key fob and wanted another one. He says the code for my alarm is on a sticker on the tailgate. The code is needed to program the key. The alarm system's have a primary key and secondary key. Either key can be used with the car however only the primary key can be used for making duplicates. A new key fob costs £40 and programming the fob costs a further £45.

What precautions should I take when replacing the battery?

Be careful when reconnecting the main battery. When the central locking receives a voltage it locks the doors. Therefore make sure the keys are not in the car when you connect the battery otherwise you will be locked out of the car. Simply disconnecting the battery will NOT release the doors and you will have to break into your car to recover the keys.

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