Lebowski

@Mcgusto82, that's a feature of RDS, and it will only switch to a different frequency of the same station (and, of course, it's a feature that doesn't work properly in this car).

Maybe we Europeans are more fussy (or simply European cars have solved this kind of problems a long time ago), but there have been many cases of rust reported for this car (mine has it too, look here). In some cases parts have been substituted and/or treated/painted (though the rust resurfaces), in other cases (like mine) customers have been told that it's normal.

I don't agree but that doesn't solve my problem.

if it's a 4.3 and the ipod is treated like an usb memory stick, then the problem is the uconnect. It should have been corrected with the last update but I cannot really tell: I'm so fed up with this POS that I don't use it anymore.

Well, I don't know if the information on the manual is accurate: I only have a 4.3 (aka P.O.S.) and that doesn't support texting at all.

According to the manual, text messages (SMS) are only supported on the 8.4, not on the 4.3, provided that the phone supports SMS over bluetooth. It should also be possible to compose a new message (again, according to the manual)

Edit: only predefined messages and, supposedly, with the car not in motion.

No, not with the 4.3

You could use this manual

Instead of removing everything, I'd just remove the plastic mat of the storage area and use the existing holes to pass the cables behind the glove box.

all the songs have been ripped at 256 kbps or higher.

I might be wrong but I think that's your problem: it's too much for the very limited processing power of the uconnect 4.3.

AFAIK there's no such thing as class action here in Europe, and, luckily or unluckily, I have had no problem with the brakes (crossing fingers) however there has been a lot of cases here and Fiat has acknowledged the problem, replacing rotors and some parts in the front suspensions when customers complain about vibrations when braking, so maybe your claim is not completely groundless.

Yes, it's possible, there's a plastic tab to unlock it, the problem is, it turns the wrong way (i.e. the cover ends up towards the front of the car instead of towards the passenger).

Once turned, you can try to pull it to remove it from the guides, but then I found it quite difficult to put it back.

I wasn't saying that the link is going to disappear, but that the site is: it wouldn't be the first time that a useful page, not supposed to be publicly available, disappears (e.g., this one where you could get information about a VIN)

Site disappearing in three...two....one....

I hope I am wrong because it's nice and useful.

Per chance, are you trying to push the button with the thumb while grabbing the handle?

I did that the first few times out of habit, then I realized that if it detects the hand it won't lock the door so I now push it with my index finger.

Keep also in mind that during 3 seconds after locking the door you can grab the handle to check if it's actually locked.

But after first year "woos"

First year? More like first week. In a sense I'm lucky since I didn't have problems with the engine (different model over here) and the brakes (but I think it's just a matter of time, crossing fingers), but I have the rust and I absolutely hate the software: radio, mp3 player, climate control, cruise control, edit automatic headlamps, nothing works as it should.

If you have a friend versed in electronics, let him/her check the switches inside the fob.

Once a colleague of mine has the same problem as you. It turns out that one of the pins in the switch was broken, and a quick soldering job restored it to fully working condition.

Note that now you can find custom cameras on aliexpress replacing one of the lights (just search for "fiat freemont camera"), but at the time there weren't.

Per chance, do you live near a police station or something similar?

Once (with another car) I parked near one and the fob wouldn't work, they have rf inhibitors in place for whatever reason.

You can try the same site:

http://www.mopar-accessories.com

These are the instruction for the installation of the OEM sensors (instructions for the journey starting at page 102).

Again, take them with a grain of salt, but it seems there's no need to remove the panel since they take power from the brake light.

Thank you for all what you did for us and good luck with your new job.

Not exactly what you're looking for but it could be useful

This is the manual that explains how to install the backup camera, you can use the section regarding the side panel (which in turn requires removing the seats in the third row) and ignore the rest.

Beware, it's not 100% accurate.

This is the view from the driver side

And this is the receiver, where I also put the 4.3" monitor with a couple of rubber bricks and some double sided adhesive tape. It is not centered in order not to cover the usb socket and the IR receiver.

Beware in order to connect both monitors in parallel, you need a video amplifier. I modified the input stage of the 4.3" one instead, removing the 75Ohm resistor in parallel to its input, hence making it an high impedance input.

Opening the armrest you can see where the monitor cable...

..enters the well (where I also put the inverter as a provisional power supply).

In order to lay the video and audo cables hidden in the console, I had to open a hole below the usb connector. It doesn't matter because it's hidden and I can cover it when I return the car. I left in place some pins to eventually connect an audio amplifier so the kids can listen to a movie wearing headphones while we adults listen to some good music.

This is the simple holder I made for the monitor, held in place with two (hidden) screws and covered in felt to avoid scratching the plastic of the center console (it doesn't touch it but one never knows).

I put some felt behind the monitor to avoid damaging the leather.

And this is how a rear seat passenger sees it (from the photos you can't see the quality of the video, obviously it is not comparable to the plasma screen I have at home, but it is good enough).