Detailed pics of the Fiat 500 undergoing testing by Chrysler...

Here's a group of detailed pictures shot of the Fiat 500 brought to America by Fiat for evaluation at Chrysler. I have a bunch of these photos that I'll start to post as we wait for the Fiat 500 to hit our shores.

Here's a shot of the EPA's exemption sticker attached to the Fiat 500 brought to the US for evaluation testing. This car was used by Chrysler/Fiat for promotional and testing purposes.
Importing a car from another country is not a simple thing, even for a major car company. A myriad of forms and documents must be filed with the DOT and EPA. The many rules and regulations are very strictly enforced.



Here are some underhood shots of the Fiat 500. The yellow cap is for the brake fluid, which is specified as DOT 4 high performance brake fluid. Just to the right of the battery is the engine control fuse box. These contain fuses and relays for the mechanical items under the hood. There is a separate fuse box inside, under the drivers side of the dashboard, that contains the fuses for the interior and convenience features of the car.



All the maintenance points under the hood of the Fiat 500 are easy to get to. The blue item in the above picture is the engine oil dipstick (next to the yellow oil cap). On the left, with the light blue cap, is the coolant reservoir, below with the dark blue cap is the windshield fluid reservoir.



The fluids and oils recommended for use in the Fiat 500. Remember, this is the European version, so many of the names will not look familiar to folks in the US. The motor oil recommended for use in the 500 is a synthetic 5W-40 with typically European high oil drain intervals (30,000 km or about 18,600 miles). Oils suitable for the 500 and available in the US will have to be evaluated, just one of the many hurdles needed to be cleared before the 500 is sold in the US.



The headlight of the Fiat 500, produced by Magneti Marelli, is jewel like. It is an impressive design, featuring an H7 low beam bulb and the turn signal bulb. Again, these must be evaluated and certified by the Department of Transportation (DOT) before the 500 is sold in the US.



Another high style item, this lamp is the high beam headlight of the Fiat 500. The high beam bulb is an H1 style bulb. This lamp also contains the daytime running/parking light bulb.



The foglight of the Fiat 500 features an H1 bulb. Notice how the foglight housing projects just a little out of the lower grille. That's a detail you don't really notice until you see the car in person.

Keep an eye out for more photo's I'll post here under the link " Test Car Photos".