[sub.g84]

Well not sure about other cities, but there are lots of Grande Puntos and Punto Evos in Bangalore. I guess Fiat cars have more fan followers here and as a result get a good amount of pampering. I too own a Punto Evo but haven't really got an opportunity to post my ownership thread yet. Before you may ask, No, I am not a hardcore fiat Fan. I wanted to pick up the Polo but then decided to go for the Punto as a car with a higher ground clearance and better headroom was one of my criteria.

Punto(GP and Evo) to be honest, I feel its really an underrated car. Yes there are niggles and issues here and there but that is there in any other car. My Evo has kept me happy till now in my daily office commutes and weekend trips. And its really remarkable on the highways. I get my car serviced in Vecto motors and they really do a good job at it.

If buying a new Punto gets you confused I would say buy it provided you have a good Fiat service center in your city.

[Ryuu]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

If buying a new Punto gets you confused I would say buy it provided you have a good Fiat service center in your city.

That brings me to the question- who's the worthy one out of the two in Hyderabad? Butta or AV motors? There are just two of them.

[rsidd]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

Well not sure about other cities, but there are lots of Grande Puntos and Punto Evos in Bangalore.

In Chennai there are a lot of old-model Puntos, but very few Evos. I have spotted 4 or 5 in the last 2 months but not more than 3 in the months before that. On the other hand I have seen many older Puntos with recent registration plates (definitely after the Evo was introduced), so I suspect a lot of stock clearance was going on.

I agree about the quality of service, I have been going to Ramkay in Chennai (once a year), and previously Concorde, and no complaints at all. And there has been no engine/drivetrain-related problem at all in nearly five years/39000 km. The clutch master cylinder was replaced (under warranty) and recently the clutch plate (extra), but both were basically precautionary on service inspection. And there have been a couple of electrical-component problems (indicator stalk and window control, both under warranty). And the OEM battery (Exide) and tyre (JK tornado) were rather inferior and had to be replaced within less than 3 years. But that's it. No other issues, and no sign of body rot despite a few unavoidable scratches/dents.

[jetti]

Ryuu,

You might want to talk to existing Fiat owners in the forum. This thread mught help:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-1-3l-mjd.html

Some quotes from the thread:

My sincere thanks to Vequar M and all the folks who helped me in various stages of the decision-making and stood by me in all phases till I got the possession of the vehicle. A special thank you to fellow forum members nkrishnap, arun_josie & finneyp for attending numerous calls from me and answering all my questions in detail.

I had a terrible dealership experience with Butta which almost pushed me away from Fiat. For obvious reasons I put in some effort and a big thank you to fellow forum member nkrishnap who used his contacts, guided me in changing the dealership and we moved to AV Motors. The experience at AV was excellent, the updates and communication from them are highly appreciated.

Originally Posted by Ryuu

That brings me to the question- who's the worthy one out of the two in Hyderabad? Butta or AV motors? There are just two of them.

[Ryuu]

@jetti: Thanks! I have been through that thread before and then some more. Seems like AV motors is the one. Will wait till July 8th and then decide.

[jetti]

I finally spotted one in Hyderabad near Lakdikapul. Showed it to my wife who likes the Punto GP and she liked this too. A bit too much chrome to my taste, but nothing that vinyl can't fix

Inspiration from Rav11Stars:

I also had the two crome strips in the front masked with glossy tape.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3606841

@Ryuu, tried to send you a PM, but did not allow. Let me know if you plan to visit AV Motors this week. I'll try to make it at same time if possible.

[Ryuu]

@Jetti: Oops I missed that one!

Since the Jazz is out of play with it's pricing, I'm seriously considering Punto EVO Emotion now! Hope it materializes!

Anyone has any idea about the current state of affairs with the Timing Chain issue that plagued old gen Puntos? I heard FIAT replaced some parts in the 2012 upgrade. But not sure about this. Is this still a matter of concern for any looking to buy an EVO?

[desdemona]

Post Deleted by the Team-BHP Support: We do NOT permit biased posts. You have been warned before. On Team-BHP, you are to keep your posts absolutely neutral. We have zero tolerance for bias!

[Ryuu]

Alright. I was reading the Punto's 57k Engine failure thread. I realize that it was not a timing chain issue that caused it. But what was it that caused engine oil to drop such a level leading to a catastrophic failure? The root cause was not determined and that is worrisome. There have been reports of engine drinking the engine oil in Linea. On the other hand, there have also been reports of engine breakdowns on Maruti Swift VDI and Ertiga as well. The same engine. Like you said, FIAT issues are blown out of proportions, but that's not to deny that FIAT MJD is bug free. It probably comes down to the service centres, dearth of competent mechanics. Early diagnosis could have avoided the issues that went on to become catastrophic.

But, there seems to be less complaints on the Facelifted Punto post 2012. Crazy Driver's Punto is one example. 95k and going strong. That infuses some confidence in me to go for it. Maybe you own a long running Punto/Linea too. Would like to hear some about it.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

On the other hand, there have also been reports of engine breakdowns on Maruti Swift VDI and Ertiga as well. The same engine.

Could it also be a case of sheer volumes? These engines have sold in lakhs, so even 'a few' cases will tend to be in hundreds. Add to that the social media active owners and the many numerous 'exclusive' Fiat clubs, and you might as well be reading about the same problems over and over again, albeit on different sites.

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

Could it also be a case of sheer volumes? These engines have sold in lakhs, so even 'a few' cases will tend to be in hundreds. Add to that the social media active owners and the many numerous 'exclusive' Fiat clubs, and you might as well be reading about the same problems over and over again, albeit on different sites.

Very, very EXACT i.e., excellent diagnosis of the fate/trajectory of information and the perceptions/fears/paranoias of all sorts about Fiats.

Similar though far lower information distortion issues plague say VW and Skoda, and Tata too, imo.

And conversely....the different, almost opposite fate of information about the heavy-selling brands' cars.

[sidindica]

Everything depends on one thing-how do you maintain your car, and its service schedule-be it oils, or filters whatsoever.

• My car at 59k kms still drives just like what a new car should, and I am using a fully synthetic oil since 35k plus kms. But, it does come at the cost of loosing warranty on lubricating parts, but its benefits are unmatched.
• Fiat does not recommend things like EGR or inlet manifold cleaning yet I just got it done at 57k kms, for the first time. The difference in performance is marked.
• At 60k kms, the drive belts (as recommended by Fiat) will be replaced and the 75 bhp model does not require timing chain change unless the noise is noticed. But, with following a 7.5k kms oil change (semi synthetic) or 10 k kms (fully synthetic) the multijet is very reliable and durable and can go on and on.
• 90 hp at every 60000 kms do get the timing chain changed accordingly.
• At the current prices its selling at, its a good lakh to lakh and a half cheaper compared to jazz, with discounts as applicable, and even the cost of maintenance is very less (from a diesel european car perspective). Buy one if and only if you have a good FASS in your city. Do remember that the 75 bhp emotion evos are being sent with old model punto's gun metal finish alloys due to excess stock left at Fiat's plant.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by sidindica

At the current prices its selling at, its a good lakh to lakh and a half cheaper compared to jazz, with discounts as applicable, and even the cost of maintenance is very less (from a diesel european car perspective).

Attachment 1391313

Really useful info Sid.

But what really takes the cake for me in your post is this pic that you have taken bro. Ironically, your car still looks better than the updated iteration of the same by Fiat.

Dare I say, the Pre-Facelift Punto still looks stunning and far better than the latest hatch to 'Jazz' up the Indian car market !!

[aditya.bhardwaj]

I never could figure out why people are not buying the Punto Evo. For me , it was love at first sight. I actually went to buy an Ertiga ZXi ( other options were ciaz, scorpio, amaze etc ) but the punto just clicked in the heart ! I wanted a big MPV and landed with a hatch . I guess thats what Fiats do to you .

Here are some of the pics of my car. Please ignore the HDR-ish effect. its due to the mobile phone i clicked with !

And Sid is right regarding the alloys. Even my car came with the old gun metal alloys but i insisted for the new diamond cut ones. So do check before.

[Divya Sharan]

Well, I got mine (1.4 fire) last week as well and I've just crossed 500 km on it.