Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

headers · 31st August 2010, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klub Class

What? Does that mean I have to pay nearly 6.5 - 7k to get an additional remote?

My Remote is having some problems and that's the reason why I wanted to know whether an additional remote will be available or not.Anyway, let me go to the authorized service center to know whether they will replace my remote under warranty or not!

Keeping my fingers crossed.And yes,Thanks a lot for the quick reply Headers.

Amith

Amith, If I were you, I will go to the highest official possible with the service center. These morons take us users for nutters.

Infact, I wrote to FIAT India, only to be directed back to the service centre who again told me the same story!!

You should get a Warranty Replacement. Their usual story line will be ...sir it has to come from Italy specifically programmed for your car etc etc..

Please be prepared to wait for 6 to 8 weeks!!

PaddleShifter · 31st August 2010, 20:43

1% of the car? You mean it costs around 1% of a Punto or do you really mean they charge 1% of the car?

This means the same remote costs less for Emotion than Emotion Pack for this reason.
I think the charges should be fixed, be it 5k or 6k or anything rather than being 1%.

.anshuman · 31st August 2010, 22:13

^^ My car's key was replaced under(obviously they wasted loads of my time and energy before approving), the key took ages to arrive. Yes it costs more than 6k.

extreme_torque · 1st September 2010, 09:11

My friend's brand new Punto 90 HP has a non working power window lock switch (the on the driver side which lock all the power windows), misaligned front left headlight and its pulling towards left while driving. This is just not acceptable on a brand new car, especially one that costs 7.5 lakhs OTR Delhi.

Sheel · 1st September 2010, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

My friend's brand new Punto 90 HP has a non working power window lock switch (the on the driver side which lock all the power windows), misaligned front left headlight and its pulling towards left while driving. This is just not acceptable on a brand new car, especially one that costs 7.5 lakhs OTR Delhi.

Not a very heartening news for someone who is eagerly looking for a purchase in a couple of months.

Edit--Am more worried about 'pulling towards left' syndrome, how does this happen in a brand new Car?

Can a dealer correct it or....(I am seriously worried now)

Amartya · 1st September 2010, 09:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

My friend's brand new Punto 90 HP has a non working power window lock switch (the on the driver side which lock all the power windows), misaligned front left headlight and its pulling towards left while driving. This is just not acceptable on a brand new car, especially one that costs 7.5 lakhs OTR Delhi.

Not good at all. This should have been caught during PDI at the dealer end.
Luckily, none of the problems are major (the left pull if severe is serious of course) and he would be able to get them fixed during first service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheel

Not a very heartening news for someone who is eagerly looking for a purchase in a couple of months.

Edit--Am more worried about 'pulling towards left' syndrome, how does this happen in a brand new Car?

Can a dealer correct it or....(I am seriously worried now)

Pulling left is not a design flaw of the Punto, though there are a few reports here, it's usually just a wheel alignment issue.

extreme_torque · 1st September 2010, 11:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya

Not good at all. This should have been caught during PDI at the dealer end.
Luckily, none of the problems are major (the left pull if severe is serious of course) and he would be able to get them fixed during first service..

I have advised him to go to the dealer right away and get it rectified. The pulling to left isnt very serious but I havent driven the car myself to judge that. I specifically asked him if he felt a tug at the steering wheel to know if its alignment related or steering alignment.
He also had his wheels upgraded to 205/50 R15, I wonder if that has exacerbated the issue but then he said that the issue was there even before the upgrade but I am still not sure.
Any pointers guys????

Amartya · 1st September 2010, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I have advised him to go to the dealer right away and get it rectified. The pulling to left isnt very serious but I havent driven the car myself to judge that. I specifically asked him if he felt a tug at the steering wheel to know if its alignment related or steering alignment.
He also had his wheels upgraded to 205/50 R15, I wonder if that has exacerbated the issue but then he said that the issue was there even before the upgrade but I am still not sure.
Any pointers guys????

Well, of course I'd like to comment after you've got the chance to drive it and then shared your feedback, but as things stand I'm actually inclined to believe that the tire upgrade definitely contributed to the pull.

As you would know, after a tire change, wheel balancing and alignment is usually a must. A botched job (or a no-job) can definitely be the root cause here.

Like I said, I'd wait for your feedback before commenting further.

Sheel · 1st September 2010, 12:00

Sheel Priye--
'Heaves a sigh of relief, but would still wait for Lavkesh to comment post a drive.'

PaddleShifter · 1st September 2010, 18:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

its pulling towards left while driving. This is just not acceptable on a brand new car, especially one that costs 7.5 lakhs OTR Delhi.

Recently, a bhpian(manikjeet) from Chandigarh had to go through a lot because of this issue.
One of the most important thing to do at the time of PDI is a test drive. Dents, scratches can be rectified but a drag/pulling problem may be due to a serious fault in the car's mechanical components which rarely gets rectified.
I've seen some M800 owner back in 2000, visiting MASS repeatedly and trying to get his M800 drag corrected. In the end, he stopped visiting MASS.

manishk83 · 1st September 2010, 20:25

Fiat's latest numbers for Aug are out. A whooping 1824 cars sold.

That inspite of practically every other carmaker reporting all-time high numbers. Fiat holding steady when everyone else is going up is essentially Fiat going down. And personally, I don't see this changing anytime soon. Fiat's target of 40k cars per annum is a distant dream and it's target of gaining mkt share through a low-cost car in 2012 quite a while away.

Why am I posting this here and not in the "Indian Car Scene"? Because I wanted to relate my experience while thinking of purchasing a Punto.

I decided I had to purchase a car in January this year. I had never heard of Punto until then. But, I decided that I might look at Indica for its VFM tag. Went to the nearest Tata showroom and one look at a blazing red Punto and everything else went out of my mind. Got busy for a while and postponed the car purchasing decision for a while. But all this time the only car that was in consideration was a Punto. Come April and decided now's the time. Called up the Fiat guys to book a test-drive. Promised one 3 days later. 3rd day and no surprises, I got no call. Called them up again. They gave some excuses and promised me a test-drive the next day. The next day, again no surprises, came & went without a test-drive. After that I called up 3 other showrooms - Powai, Jogeshwari & Mulund. 15 days later I still didn't have a test-drive. I was mighty pissed. But Punto had touched a chord somewhere deep inside and decided to hold on inspite of the response. Called up the central hotline number. They promised me a test drive 2 days later from the Nerul showroom. Nothing happened for 3 days. By now, I was past the point where I could be patient anymore. 2 days post this, I get a call from the central hotline number asking about my decision to purchase. I didn't know whether to get angry or pity the company

. Decided against either, wished them "Best of Luck" and cut the call.

Compare this with my Ford & Maruti experience. One phone call and Figo & Ritz were at my doorsteps with no hurry from the sales reps to hurry up the test drive. Very-very professional.

At the end, decided against either but for varied reasons. Figo just didn't excite and if I'm putting down 6L+, there should be a feel-good factor. And with Ritz, when I stepped inside, the first thought that came was: Well, here's another Maruti. Just no excitement as one steps in.

At the end, I did manage the Punto test drive (a car with it's odo removed - by then I probably had already given up on the Punto!) but the whole experience + short 1st & 2nd gears + really dull interiors (not helped by the fact that the car that I test drove was dirty) + all the reviews about bad A.S.S. + A 6.5L price point just didn't make it worth it.

Got a used car in the end because just couldn't find a perfect car. Fiat could have been it, but sadly came out a distant last.

I know there's nothing new in my experience and countless others have faced it but with the latest nos coming in, just thought I'd share why their nos aren't rising.

Rock 'n' rollz · 1st September 2010, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by manishk83

After that I called up 3 other showrooms - Powai, Jogeshwari & Mulund.

Mulund??? which showroom is that?
Figured it out... Galaxy

Sheel · 1st September 2010, 23:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by manishk83

I know there's nothing new in my experience and countless others have faced it but with the latest nos coming in, just thought I'd share why their nos aren't rising.

I fully empathize,
On another note a Linea which was asked for a TD was left at the door-step for one full hour, I drove a Fiat for the first time, enough to hook me, but even I am playing my cards safe, will wait for a little while as sale & service has just started & would like to look more into it.

Klub Class · 2nd September 2010, 07:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by headers

Amith, If I were you, I will go to the highest official possible with the service center. These morons take us users for nutters.

Infact, I wrote to FIAT India, only to be directed back to the service centre who again told me the same story!!

You should get a Warranty Replacement. Their usual story line will be ...sir it has to come from Italy specifically programmed for your car etc etc..

Please be prepared to wait for 6 to 8 weeks!!

lol! I'm planning to do the same brother. Let me see whether I would be lucky enough to get my remote replaced under warranty.

Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

^^ My car's key was replaced under(obviously they wasted loads of my time and energy before approving), the key took ages to arrive. Yes it costs more than 6k.

If you don't mind, can you please tell me what was wrong with your Key?

Amith

sandeepmdas · 2nd September 2010, 10:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

He also had his wheels upgraded to 205/50 R15, I wonder if that has exacerbated the issue but then he said that the issue was there...
Any pointers guys????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya

but as things stand I'm actually inclined to believe that the tire upgrade definitely contributed to the pull.

Exactly. He shouldn't have upgraded the tyres without solving the issue. Looks like it's now time for another "soccer" game.

31st August 2010, 20:43	#2687
PaddleShifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: CHD Posts: 1,215 Thanked: 2,893 Times	1% of the car? You mean it costs around 1% of a Punto or do you really mean they charge 1% of the car? This means the same remote costs less for Emotion than Emotion Pack for this reason. I think the charges should be fixed, be it 5k or 6k or anything rather than being 1%.
	() Thanks

31st August 2010, 22:13	#2688
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,124 Times View My Garage	^^ My car's key was replaced under(obviously they wasted loads of my time and energy before approving), the key took ages to arrive. Yes it costs more than 6k.
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 09:11	#2689
extreme_torque BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,462 Thanked: 5,534 Times	My friend's brand new Punto 90 HP has a non working power window lock switch (the on the driver side which lock all the power windows), misaligned front left headlight and its pulling towards left while driving. This is just not acceptable on a brand new car, especially one that costs 7.5 lakhs OTR Delhi.
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 12:00	#2694
Sheel Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Purnea (Bihar) Posts: 9,982 Thanked: 15,105 Times View My Garage	Sheel Priye-- 'Heaves a sigh of relief, but would still wait for Lavkesh to comment post a drive.'
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 20:25	#2696
manishk83 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 124 Thanked: 193 Times	Fiat's latest numbers for Aug are out. A whooping 1824 cars sold. That inspite of practically every other carmaker reporting all-time high numbers. Fiat holding steady when everyone else is going up is essentially Fiat going down. And personally, I don't see this changing anytime soon. Fiat's target of 40k cars per annum is a distant dream and it's target of gaining mkt share through a low-cost car in 2012 quite a while away. Why am I posting this here and not in the "Indian Car Scene"? Because I wanted to relate my experience while thinking of purchasing a Punto. I decided I had to purchase a car in January this year. I had never heard of Punto until then. But, I decided that I might look at Indica for its VFM tag. Went to the nearest Tata showroom and one look at a blazing red Punto and everything else went out of my mind. Got busy for a while and postponed the car purchasing decision for a while. But all this time the only car that was in consideration was a Punto. Come April and decided now's the time. Called up the Fiat guys to book a test-drive. Promised one 3 days later. 3rd day and no surprises, I got no call. Called them up again. They gave some excuses and promised me a test-drive the next day. The next day, again no surprises, came & went without a test-drive. After that I called up 3 other showrooms - Powai, Jogeshwari & Mulund. 15 days later I still didn't have a test-drive. I was mighty pissed. But Punto had touched a chord somewhere deep inside and decided to hold on inspite of the response. Called up the central hotline number. They promised me a test drive 2 days later from the Nerul showroom. Nothing happened for 3 days. By now, I was past the point where I could be patient anymore. 2 days post this, I get a call from the central hotline number asking about my decision to purchase. I didn't know whether to get angry or pity the company . Decided against either, wished them "Best of Luck" and cut the call. Compare this with my Ford & Maruti experience. One phone call and Figo & Ritz were at my doorsteps with no hurry from the sales reps to hurry up the test drive. Very-very professional. At the end, decided against either but for varied reasons. Figo just didn't excite and if I'm putting down 6L+, there should be a feel-good factor. And with Ritz, when I stepped inside, the first thought that came was: Well, here's another Maruti. Just no excitement as one steps in. At the end, I did manage the Punto test drive (a car with it's odo removed - by then I probably had already given up on the Punto!) but the whole experience + short 1st & 2nd gears + really dull interiors (not helped by the fact that the car that I test drove was dirty) + all the reviews about bad A.S.S. + A 6.5L price point just didn't make it worth it. Got a used car in the end because just couldn't find a perfect car. Fiat could have been it, but sadly came out a distant last. I know there's nothing new in my experience and countless others have faced it but with the latest nos coming in, just thought I'd share why their nos aren't rising.
	() Thanks