After the last few very cold and snowy winters I put a set of steel wheels with some winter tyres on the Fiat 500. 

Of course it was going to be the mildest winter in a long time but still the tyres were great they give better grip than standard summer tyres when the temperature drops below 7c. I also managed about 10mpg more using them and with the thicker side walls pot holes were not a problem, but the few days that we did have snow they were amazing.

I went out in some quite thick fresh snow and they felt like I was driving in the rain not on snow. I went down some very steep hills to find a couple of 4x4 cars crashed at the bottom, I stopped to see if everyone was OK and they both asked how come my car came down with no problem and theirs slid off the road.
On the motorway they were also great. Everyone was driving at 20mph in the inside lane but I could drive at 50mph in the outside lane with no problem.

They wheels and tyres cost a total of £250 but I did buy them in the height of summer. With the saving on my mpg they almost cost me nothing.

I am going to be putting the summer wheels and tyres on in a few weeks time but from now on I will always make sure I have a set of winter tyres for the colder months.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Silverstone classic show/race this weekend, the sun was out and everyone had a great time. 

The highlight for me was watching the Royal Automobile Club Historic TT.  Even though it did not win, it was great seeing a Ferrari 250 GTO worth over £10,000,000 racing wheel to wheel with other high priced classics. If I could afford one, I am not sure I would be brave enough to race it.

I couldn't believe it when walking round the classic car show section, we got to see cars that you normally only ever read about!!!  When it comes to defining a classic car I'd like to know who wrote the book we came across cars that I agree are great but not quite a classic.

The Alfa 145 and 156 were both nice cars I owned a 156 a few years ago and loved it, but do I want to see them at a classic car show?
Honda's great s2000 I have no doubt will be very collectable in 20 or 30 years time but again a classic car show is not where it should be.

We got back and watched the Lewis Hamilton's great win at the German Grand Prix, it was nice to see someone other that Vettal win.
It looks like Vettal is not so good when he has to overtake. He has only ever won one race when he did not qualify in first or second place.

The Cartel parts Fiat 500 is 19 months old and has travelled 11,000 in that time. When the car was purchased it was sold to me with a 3 year warranty, great so if anything goes wrong within the first 3 years we are covered.

So I thought....

I went to start the car the day before yesterday and all it did was a clicking sound, so the car was pushed out of the garage to try and jump start it. It fired up first time with the jump leads on. I left it running for 30 mins and went for a drive to charge the battery but when I got back the battery was still dead.

I called Thames Fiat in Slough where the car came from and they said it sounds like it need a battery and told me to bring it in.
I jump started it again and drove it to them. It was booked in and the service guy said wait in the showroom and we will have a look at it for you.
Half an hour later after looking at the beautiful Abarth 695 in the showroom the service guy cam out and said they have tested the battery and it is screwed.

OK I said put a new on in and I will be on my way. OK he said, that will be £130 please...
He then explained to me that the warranty on the battery is only for 18 months  and my car is older than that.
I explained to him that £130 for a battery was about £80 too expensive and he just smiled.

They said they can try and charge the battery over night and call Fiat to see if they will cover the battery as a good will gesture so I agreed. The service guy said he would call me in the morning with an update on the state of the battery and let me know what Fiat said.

I got home an called Fiat UK customer services asking about the warranty on the battery and they told me that is is only covered for 1 year!

I then read up in the warranty book that came with the car and that states that the battery is covered for 2 years.

It looks as if no one at Fiat in the dealer or at head office has a clue what they are selling.

A new battery from Euro Car Parts is £52 with a 4 year warranty.

I am still waiting to see if they are going to give me a battery under warranty.

UPDATE 

It has all now been fixed under warranty, It only took 2 weeks to do a 5 min job. 

Fiat did give me a £150 voucher because of their mess up.

Here are a few photos of the Cartel Parts Fiat 500.
It is a 1.2 By diesel special edition.