- A full used buyer’s guide on the Fiat 124 Spider covering the 124 Spider that was on sale between 2016 and 2019. Which includes Mazda’s user-friendly infotainment system.
- Adding telescopic adjustment to the 124 Spider Steering Wheel; Top Posts & Pages. Common tweaks that work in the Fiat 124 Spider Infotainment Center 7.0; 21ˢᵗ Century 124 Spider Complete Specifications & Tidbits; Welcome! Re-establishing Oil Flow in Multi-Air 'brick' after Long-Term Storage; Windshield Replacement - must also replace.
- In conjunction with previous articles, where Fiat 124 Spider and Abarth 124 Spider owners are installing the CarPlay retrofit hub kit with Mazda’s version 70 firmware, which is needed to make it all work, since it seems that Fiat has not announced any plans to release version 70 firmware of their own, this article is hopefully the last regarding the transformation of the Mazda firmware into.
21ˢᵗ Century 124 Spider Complete Specifications & Tidbits New Abarth 124 GT Carbon-Fiber Hardtop & Exclusive OZ Wheels Common tweaks that work in the Fiat 124 Spider Infotainment Center 7.0. Overall the Fiat 124 Spider is a very good sports car. Owning a Spider could be costly at some times. According to J.D Power, it gives the 2020 Fiat 124 Spider Convertible an awful predicted score of two out of five in its reliability rating.
Fortunately, fellow enthusiasts have stepped up and developed a method to make a number of just such adjustements to the system, or 'Tweaks', as they have come to be known.
In particular, and not surprisingly, Spider owner and masterful blog author 'Ameridan' teamed up with a Mazda MX-5 user who goes by the handle Siutsch to package many of these tweaks written by various authors, into a user-friendly 'All-in-One' software package that can be downloaded, used on your laptop or desktop computer to compile executable files that can then be installed on a USB stick which can then be inserted into the car to 'modify' the infotainment system without making very many irreversible changes and without actually 'hacking' into the system.
Of course, it goes without saying that any such downloading, use of the software, or making any such changes to the car or its systems, is entirely at your own risk.
The 'All-in-One Tweaks' package is described in great detail on Ameridan's blog. If this project interests you, you should definitiely begin by carefully reading through his entire blog. His description, research, and instructions are excellent and are you need to enjoy these tweaks.
With that said, I'm well aware that some of us can be pretty impatient and just want to get right at fiddling and tinkering with things, some of us are more 'visual learners', while some of us are perhaps not quite as comfortable as others with utilizing non-commercial software and undertaking projects of this nature.
So with that in mind I created the following series of video tutorials to guide you through the project and to answer the following questions:
- Can I use this software on my car / system?
- Why would I want to install 'Tweaks' - what do they do?
- How do I download and 'install' the 'All-in-One Tweaks' software package?
- How do I use the 'All-in-One Tweaks' software package to create my won USB stick to modify my system?
- How do I install the Tweaks in my car's system?
- What do the results look like?
A few notes on the videos:
Fiat 124 Spider Infotainment Update
- They are best viewed full-screen in at least 1080p resolution, so you can see what's going on on the screen.
- Be aware of where your volume is set so viewing isn't uncomfortably loud.
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Main Tech Article Index
(NOTE: Some of these articles were originally written using my off-road rock buggy as the basis, but they are reproduced here because the basic theory and knowledge is equally applicable to other platforms, including the 124 Spider)
Download Fiat 124 Spider Infotainment Software Download
Installing Sokie Tech Hood Struts. A simple and VERY satisfying mod. | Install Guide and Review: Vaitrix Digipedal Comander. Every turbo car should have a boost gauge!. |
A Detailed Look at the Goodwin Racing RoadsterSport Exhaust for Fiat 124 Abarth. Tons of pictures and some installation tips of this beautiful system. | How to Install the Vaitrix boost gauge. Every turbo car should have a boost gauge!. |
How to Install the EuroCompulsion V4 Intake. Step by step illustrated instructions for installing the EC V4 intake. | How to Install the GFB DV+. Another detailed article with every step photographed so you can be confident even if you have never worked on a car before. |
How to Install a PTP Turbo Blanket. Detailed article with every step photographed so you can be confident even if you have never worked on a car before. | 60 Second Mods # 5 - Door and Trunk Closers. Two quick mods so I can close my doors and trunk without getting greasy/dirty fingerprints all over the paint. |
Adding Lower Brake Light LEDs and a Flasher Module. Increase your visibility by adding aux. red brake light LEDs and controlling them with a flasher module. | License Plate Lights LED Replacement. Replace the stock 21 watt incandescent bulbs with brighter LEDs. |
Dome Light LED Replacement. The stock dome light is pretty dim. You can improve it by replacing the stock 10 watt incandescent bulb with a brighter LED bulb. | Trunk Light LED Replacement. The stock trunk light is a pretty weak and ineffective thing. You can improve it by replacing the stock 5 watt incandescent bulb with a brighter LED bulb. I went a step further and added a small 48-LED panel |
LED Reverse Lamp. This quick mod is the first in a series where I intend to convert all of my spider's lights to LEDs. Brighter, cooler, longer-lasting, and consuming far less current...LEDs are clearly superior to regular incandescent bulbs. The 124 Spider's reverse light is the easiest of all - here's how easy... | Brake Basics. Useful technical / background information for those seeking to understand braking systems prior to maintaining, troubleshooting, or upgrading them. Explains fundamental concepts such as brake torque, clamping force and thermal capacity. |
Plateguard Tabless License Plate Frame. I install a tabless license plate frame from Carshow Automotive Products for a secure, clean, tidy, license plate install. | 'Customized' Weathertech Floor Mats. A look at Weathertech's great-fitting floor mats for the Spider that I customized with cool Abarth badging. |
| 60 Second Mods #4 - Abarth Steering Wheel Badge. One of the items that the North American market 124 Spider Abarths didn't come with that cars sold in other markets did was an Abarth badge on the steering wheel. Here's a look at the aftermarket badge I installed. | 60 Second Mods #3 - Phone Mounts. A look at three different magnetic smart-phone mounts in the cockpit of the 124 Spider. |
| 60 Second Mods #2 - Adding a little extra cockpit storage. | Installing Infotainment System Tweaks. A series of video tutorials to guide you through downloading, installing, and using the 'All-in-One Tweaks' software package to modify the Spider's Infotainment System. |
| On-board GPS nav for $65. How to enable integrated GPS nav in the Spider for just $65 or so. Includes video tutorial on updating your maps. | 60 Second Mods #1 - Installing the Cravenspeed Stubby Antenna. |
| 124 Spider Infotainment Background Simulator. I made a mock-up in Adobe Photoshop to simulate what each background image in the Infotainment Tweaks package would look like installed. Here are the results and the source file so you can add your own custom image. | Tapping into the TAU. Quick article showing where to tap into the factory speaker wires for the purpose of adding / upgrading audio components. |
| Fastener Tech. Covers all aspects of fastener tech, from nuts & bolts to studs and washers. Includes what you need to know to select, install, and maintain the proper hardware for the job. | 12V DC Basics. The basics - from electrons to ohm's law. Covers the theory required by those looking to diagnose, repair, or upgrade their ATVs 12-volt DC negative-ground wiring system. |
| Engine Oil & Oiling. Probably more than you ever wanted or needed to know about motor oil and engine oiling: oil tech, viscosity, selecting an oil, cooling, filtering, and more - it's all in here. | The Cooling Bible. Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about cooling systems: pressure, flow, radiator design, plumbing, surge tanks, thermostats, coolant types, and more - it's all in here. |
| Shock Tech. Covers basic shock and spring tech, examines the types of coilover shocks and their parts, goes over their use and advantages. | The Plumbing Bible. A detailed look at automotive plumbing. Covers hose assemblies, fittings, safety, installation, chemical compatibility, pressure drop theory, hose sizing, and all the tech info on the most common fittings from AN to NPT. |