[Jpe61]

I'm gonna try and drop a few lines here every time I tinker with my MiTo. Just for sh!ts and giggles.

It's a white 2011 135hp TCT, bought it in april 2022 with pretty much even 100.000km on the clock. Fourth alfa in the family, second MiTo. Yea, should've known better 😂

So here we go:

 

[Jpe61]

I decided to check the multiair filter:

...and cleaned it:

To be honest, I was quite surprised to see it in such a good condition (the pic looks horrible, but irl it was very clean). No metal particles, just some staining and a couple of what looked and felt like (I didn't taste) very small plastic shavings.

A couple of puffs of brake cleaner, some wiping and all was good. Half an hour job maybe, plus my standard 15 minutes of "is it too tight - too loose" ocd when putting it back...

As you can see, it did go in quite a bit deeper than it originally was. Should I have left it at the same depth, it would have been almost hand tight... I did not torque all the way to the spec of 27Nm, I'll check i for leaks in a week or so. Felt snug enough.

 

[istrabike]

just for the record Mair micro filter shoud be tighten at 27 nm !!

 

[amfalconer]

To he fair, his post does say 27Nm

 

[istrabike]

thanks man, sorry didnt see text under last foto, yes he is, and for all people that is great and important info !!

 

[Jpe61]

Tightening steel bolts to an aluminum base is an art. The threads were oily, so I did not trust the 27Nm. My calibrated wrist told me 20 was max I can go 🙂

 

[vitorio]

Tightening steel bolts to an aluminum base is an art. The threads were oily, so I did not trust the 27Nm. My calibrated wrist told me 20 was max I can go 🙂

Aye, putting lots of torque on aluminium threads is scary...

 

[istrabike]

I work with carbon, so I know that is always batter to have half turn less than more.

 

[Jpe61]

I ordered new floor mats a week ago, since the OEM ones were sparking bitter critique from my daughter for their worn out look.

And today they arrived: https://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B01M1IJ7FS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Gotta say, I'm really happy with the overall appearance/percieved quality, and needless to say, the price is right. Cheap even. The bottom side has a texture that stics to the car's floor, so the mats don't slide around at all (front mats have attacment holes that snap into the buttons on the floor).

Only downside was that would've loved to get ones with Alfa Romeo or MiTo logo, but this brand didn't have that option.

 

[MadMotoUK]

Can you post a pic of the mats? The link just goes straight to the Amazon Italy website. I'm looking for new mats myself.

 

[Jpe61]

Can you post a pic of the mats? The link just goes straight to the Amazon Italy website. I'm looking for new mats myself.

Here you go sir:

 

[Jpe61]

Oh, forgot to mention: the rear mat (first pic) seem "loose" or oddly shaped, but it is actually perfectly correct, following the form of the rear footwell.

 

[Jpe61]

Ok, here we go: Project Cabin Airfilter, aka who the 🤬 designed this 💩!

First surprise was this big plastic footrest. My QV didn't have one...
It's held in place by three nuts, one on top need a long 10mm socket, two are behind the plate at the bottom, which pops off by prying the bottom side (don't try to twist the top edge, it won't budge).

Ah, so that's what the pedestal is for: TCT control module hides under it:

The sidepanel is removed also in that pic, pops off real easy by prying the rear seam. The grille at the bottom is fake, it's solid... After popping the three clips, pull the panel back and voilá:

Ok, to gain easier access to the filter, it's worth removing the footwell nozzle. One screw in outer part, then a firm yank towards the door and down, and it pops off:

The old filter was not that bad, which made me happy as it confirms that the car had been well taken care of:

As a sidenote: do not vacuum car floor in the middle of this process, at least if you stored nuts and bolts there...

Ok, reason for vacuuming was, that while I was in there, I ran the AC at high speed and blasted the housing with compressed air. All kinds of stuff flew out... Btw, the the black lid pops off by gently pulling downwards from a clip at the bottom.

The new Bosch filter was considerably sturdier than its predecessor:

Now, this proved to be a bit (not just a bit to be truthfull) problematic, as the filter must be molded into a curved shape in order to get it into the ridiculously stupid location.

I thought this was enough, but not even close...

Well, that's about that. After approx. five minutes of solid swearing I got the new filter in, put all back together, realized I forgot the footwell nozzle, reverse assembled a bit, reassebled, and tadaa. Not a 15 minute job the manual said, but then again, I had the ordeal with the vacuum, and "rinsed" the system while I was at it. Not fun, but done.

 

[Wasta]

Well done, I plan on trying this soon, you post will help considerably

 

[Jpe61]

Well done, I plan on trying this soon, you post will help considerably

Note that mine is a left hand drive, so process may be considerably different. I think MiTo register or whatchummacallit has a pdf onepager about this for RHD versions 🤔

 

[Jpe61]

Well, after grinding the entrance strairs in preparation for re-tiling, I decided I do not want to do anything dusty anymore. Today. Boredom set in, and I thought well maybe do something oily to balance things out.

So I popped the hood, and ripped out the PCV valve. Just to see how bad it looked after 100000km. Oh the disappointment, it looked very clean.

Prying out the round plastic cover that hides the rubber diaphragm took a little bit courage to pop off, but otherwise a no-thrills job. Hmpf.

Rinsed the insides with some brake cleaner, and slapped it back on.

Well, at least now I understand why it looks so complex 😃

 

[Jpe61]

Tried my luck at polishing a headlight: Left one has obviously been changed lately, as it is mint, the right one had this yellowwish tint to it, and some visible "rash" on the surface.

First I applied masking tape around the light, not to scratch the chrome frame, then a couple of minutes of firm sanding with 1200 grit wet sandpaper, good rinse and a couple of minutes with 2000 grit wet sandpaper, at first firmly, then rinsing and gradually lightening the pressure to very light touch.

Last step was polishing with Carlake cleaner wax (yep!). Took about 5 minutes maybe, firm pressure all the time. Kept applying small amounts as it dried out, then let it completely to dry and wiped it off.

Now the old light looks better than the new one 😳

Oh, and no powertools used in this one. Definitely the highest bang for the buck -ratio of anything I've ever done to the MiTo!

Stupid stupid stupid me, I didn't take any "before" -pictures 😐

 

[Jpe61]

Guess I should drop a few lines of the double din Erisin 8730 head unit I installed last week:

Overall really happy with it:

• easy to install
• perfect fit
• easy to use
• navi has offline maps and multiple languages
• screen is visible with polarized glasses
• good sound adjustments
• fast boot, a couple of seconds (first boot after battery cables off takes ~ 10 sec)

A few tips and tricks:

Remove the lower support brackets. They hit the blue and me module, and even if you don't have that, they make removing the new head unit difficult

Make sure the CANBUS module is type 02A, to make the steering wheel buttons work, go to

1. Settings
2. Car settings
3. Factory Settings
4. Enter Pin 126
5. Canbus type
6. Change it to selection - 17 FIAT (Simple, Union)
7. Save and exit.

Kudos to @metalgod23 for solving this!!!

Secure the CANBUS module to the harness connector with tape and amke sure the wires are also secured such that the CANBUS connector remains pressed in. It does not have good latching, and will drop inside your dash 😏

For good radio reception you need a phantom power feed adapter:

I got this one (~10€) Check which connectors you need, I had ISO & DIN. The head unit has power feed wire labelled "Ant", solder it together with your adapter.

Only minor snag is, that there is a slight difference in the silver tone of the HU compared to the vent fascia above. Not much though

I'll post a follow-up when I drop in the reverse and front cameras. I got the whole bunch 😃