Update - Second service done at 14,445 KMs
In a little over 10 months, I have almost reached the 15K milestone (just 150 KMs away from it). Last week (Dec 03, 2012), I got the second service done. One can see a genuine lack of interest in SAs at Oberoi Noida. They are very prompt in cross selling anti-rust coat and teflon however, when it comes to resolving customer's issues they can only appear helpless.
The key issues with the car are:
- AirBag failure alarm - It's been there for months now. Battery is the culprit but they are just wasting time in replacing it. First they kept the battery for 3 days for testing and said everything is fine. During the second service the Code-error light came on along with Airbag failure. SA finally acknowledge that battery is faulty but they can't arrange a replacement battery. It's been a week since service and they still haven't been able to procure the battery. The reason I can't take it up directly with Exide is that the car was purchased in Feb 12 but the battery was manufactured in May 11 so, Fiat has to arrange the warranty issue.
- Hard clutch - I complained about hard clutch during my last visit for battery related issue. These guys did something post which the clutch is as hard as it used to be and it has a new issue. There is a "katt" sound when the play area ends and the clutch starts getting depressed (hope I am able to explain it). It's is like a nut or something resisting the clutch. It's a minor noise but irritating for me as I believe in keeping my car free from all such niggles. This resistance can be felt as well. It is still there post the service and all they do is oil it and say it's fine. I would check with some fellow BHPian that owns a T-jet to confirm whether this is normal or I need to push Fiat. I have a Punto as well and it has a super light clutch.
- Beige paint of cup holder is wearing off. - This started within a couple of months of purchase and I reported this during the first service too. The reason is unknown as I don't smoke and don't even keep the ashtray there. The cup holders have patches of black plastic visible. It has been over 6 months and Oberoi still doesn't have the beige paint required to rectify it.
There were some other minor niggles too like rattling of the ECU cover (the one on dash where OBD is connected), boot dampeners making noise, etc. These are more or less rectified. After the service, the temperature reading on ACC started blinking. The issue got rectified on its own. Blue&Me has stopped recognising the USB and probably needs a reset, will get it done when I again take the car for battery replacement.
The total service cost was 7K (5K for service and 2K for anti-rust). The entry to the basement parking in my apartment has extremely steep gradient so, the car does scrape once in a while. An additional layer of coat will not hurt and it also comes with 5 years warranty along with touch up every 6 months. Selling Selenia only in 4L can seems like a scam to me. The car needs 3.2 L the remaining .8 is useless. I now have more than 1.5 L with me as I got the oil changed during first service too.
It's really sad that experience of owning such a wonderful car is spoiled by such minor niggles. Battery has nothing to do with the car's quality but due to the faulty battery, it has been giving all sorts of alarms (oh, I forgot to mention Low Fuel warning when I had a tank full of petrol
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Another challenge I see with owning a Fiat is that one can not trust the SAs to do the job properly. Thus for a person like me (no time during weekdays and too many prior commitments during weekends) it is a tough car to get serviced. With my Santro, I used to just list all the issues to SA over phone and he used to get the car picked from my office and deliver it after service. I was extremely satisfied with their service. With Fiat, I have to stand there else the work will not be done properly.
Goodyear NCT 5 seems to be wearing very fast. I have lost 65% thread within 15K kms. I lodged a complaint but Goodyear guys say it's normal. Will drive for some more time and get the tyres changed to probable Bridgestone MY 01.
Now the Kitna Deti Hai factor, fuel efficiency has improved after the second service, I am constantly getting 11.5-12 KMPL within Delhi-NCR. I am happy as long as the figure is in double digits.
Niggles aside, this car drives like a dream. No matter how much I want to take the Punto out for drives (it is a diesel), I always end up taking Crusoe (T-jet) out. The turbo whine is music to my ears and compensates for the horrible speakers.
Here's the scanned copy of the bill. Will be glad to answer any queries that fellow BHPians might have. Just to sum up - It's a great car and I absolutely love it. I just wish I could find SAs that were enthusiastic about maintaining the car. The guys at Oberoi never demonstrate the necessary level enthusiasm or commitment.