I learned about a regularly held club meeting called “Pandarino” from a first-generation Panda owner.
From what I heard, it’s an extremely popular event with 300 participating cars, filling up soon after registration opens, making it difficult to secure a spot.
The venue is in Hamamatsu City on the western side of Shizuoka Prefecture. It’s about 250km away from Kyoto, quite a distant location.
From my perspective as a mechanic, I honestly told the customer that driving a 24-year-old Italian car there and back safely would be difficult, and suggested transporting it by carrier if possible, but the customer was adamant about driving it himself.
To “normally” drive a first-generation Panda with vulnerabilities throughout requires, ideally, professional mechanic-level skills, equipment, tools, and parts procurement. Some event participants seem close to this ideal, and I’m sometimes surprised by the overly specialized automotive terminology and repair methods I unexpectedly hear from the customer who exchanges information with such owners without any gap.
Last year, an important part failed just days before the event, causing overheating. The repair couldn’t be completed in time, which was unfortunate for the customer, but I was relieved that a breakdown during the trip was fortunately avoided.
Although driving an aged vehicle to an event seems reckless, according to another customer with experience participating in similar events, it’s normal to drive any operational car with a license plate to distant events. Even if trouble occurs along the way, that’s part of what makes the event enjoyable.
Since fixing the radiator fan failure last year, there hadn’t been any notable malfunctions except for an inoperative passenger side power window, and this year’s event date was approaching.
At the owner’s request, we decided to replace the completely worn-out shock absorbers and tires to at least make the long drive more comfortable.
Original brand-new shocks were naturally unavailable, but through enthusiast information exchange, what was found as close to the original was KYB Premium, a simple oil damper without nitrogen gas injection. With new tires and shocks, the posture was aligned, and the predominantly straight silhouette became more stylish.
However, immediately after delivery, I received a call saying that the battery icon (charge lamp) on the dashboard was dimly lit.
Once again, a problem right before the event. The illuminated charge lamp suggested a faulty alternator, which would lead to the car becoming inoperable.
Considering the possibility of contact failure besides the alternator, I visited an experienced electrical craftsman for individual inspection.
As the alternator, set on a well-used test bench, began to turn with a low growl, the craftsman looked at a handmade pilot lamp hanging from beneath the bench and immediately diagnosed an internal alternator failure, saying, “Ah, no good.”
This pilot lamp apparently functions the same as the charge lamp, and it was dimly lit just like the one on the dashboard.
Meanwhile, the customer was also diligent, sending information obtained through that exchange network to my mobile device. The copy-pasted text, as if asking me to translate a foreign language, seemed to be from an experienced senior enthusiast.
It suggested inexpensive repair by replacing the brushes or regulator-rectifier inside the alternator.
However, when I asked the specialist in front of me, he pronounced:
“That’s in the realm of hobby repairs. Marelli’s alternative internal parts can be obtained and replaced, but partial repairs leave concerns. An assembly replacement is better.”
The aftermarket new part we ordered arrived surprisingly the next day, with capacity increased from 55A to 65A, perhaps due to shared use with other models.
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The replacement work was quite easy, but after removing the water temperature sensor (high-temperature warning lamp sensor) out of concern for damage from tools, when I returned its flat terminal after the alternator replacement and started the engine, the high-temperature warning lamp stayed on (sweat).
Turn one off, and another one lights up.
I can’t help but laugh at this whack-a-mole situation, but upon careful inspection, it seems the temperature switch was stuck in the ON position, plus there was poor contact in the flat terminal, so the temperature lamp was actually dysfunctional to begin with (it didn’t light up during last year’s overheating either).
And then, I suddenly noticed that the timing belt cover was loose, exposing the timing belt.
Despite being replaced during the last timing belt change, the plastic at the mounting points had completely deteriorated and crumbled.
What fragility! But this is Fiat, this is an Italian car.
The cover was unavailable both as an original and aftermarket part domestically, so I found an aftermarket one on eBay and ordered it from somewhere in the Baltic states.
Remarkably, we were only able to install this the day before the event, just in time.
And so, the Panda that departed in the middle of the night safely arrived at the venue, and the event participation under sunny skies was a great success.
The return journey was also problem-free, as I was informed immediately upon return, despite great fatigue.
I feel greatly honored to have been able to help, albeit in a small way, in fulfilling a plan years in the making.
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