Fiat Ritmo 2008 FAQs

Check out real-world situations relating to the Fiat here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Is there a hybrid 2023 Fiat Lounge?

  Fiat kind of skipped the hybrid step with its 500 range, and now offers both a petrol-engined and an all-electric version of the car. The 500X was more or less the SUV version of the Fiat 500, but that was discontinued in 2018. And there was no hybrid version of that, either.

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• Fiat 500 Bluetooth - How to Use Bluetooth in a Fiat 500?

  The Fiat 500 Bluetooth system incorporated a Windows-based technology called Blue & Me. The idea was to give full hands-free control of the phone’s functions, but how to connect Bluetooth to Fiat 500 hardware is similar to any other system.

  Bluetooth Fiat 500 pairing starts with enabling Bluetooth on your phone and switching the setting to Discoverable. From there, you use the car’s info-screen menus to find Settings, then select User Pairing. Then tap the Blue & Me prompt on the screen and type the PIN into your phone.

  That should ensure the connection and reinstate it whenever the car detects that phone.

  The catch is that Fiat 500 Bluetooth wasn’t available on every model. Early (2008 and 2009) base model (Pop) Fiat 500s sold in Australia didn’t have Bluetooth connectivity. If you bought the Sport or Lounge model, you got this feature, but only Pops built in 2010 or later had Bluetooth.

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• Do you know the best way to tighten up the clutch on a 2008 Fiat 500 Ritmo sport?

  The Fiat Ritmo is a pretty rare car here, having been on sale for only about two years and failing to inspire much interest from Australian car buyers.

  As far as the clutch goes (and the Ritmo was only sold here in manual form) I believe it uses a hydraulic actuation. On conventional hydraulic systems, there should be an adjuster somewhere down near the slave-cylinder which varies where it acts on the clutch fork. By altering this setting, you effectively change the distance the fork travels and, therefore, introduce more or less movement into the clutch itself. But the Ritmo uses a concentric slave cylinder which lives inside the bell-housing and is not adjustable nor serviceable without removing the car’s gearbox.

  That would make the Ritmo’s clutch self-adjusting. Either way, when the system has run out of adjustment, that usually signals that it’s time for a new clutch assembly as the clutch itself is worn beyond the point of serviceability.

  But, before you worry about any of that, check that the clutch master cylinder contains the correct level of clutch fluid. If there’s a leak in the system, the clutch will not disengage properly. If your problem is one of the clutch slipping, then it’s more likely you have an actual worn out clutch.

   

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