[johy]

Is the Grande Punto available at any discounts right now? It is for a friend.

[khoj]

Hi arnabchak, I agree with you regarding the callous attitude bit. Here in Dilli I have had the opportunity to experience service at two different service centres. One started out as a Fiat dealership from the word go and the other is a legacy dealer from the TATA days and the difference in their working styles is glaring. The former being far more thorough and competent. Not that the legacy dealer is outright bad but the intent of the owner to look after the customer does not percolate down the pyramid and that is what sets them apart.

Having said that I bought my TJet+ (in the transition era) from yet another legacy dealer in the same location as yours i.e. MH-04. Here the organisational set up is professional and I had a very pleasant purchasing experience and an year down the line while on a drive from Dilli to Bombay I got excellent support from them regarding various issues that cropped up and these were not directly linked to my ride either. Even now I hear good things about this particular dealership from fellow member 'parimal_g' who continues to get his vehicle taken care of from them. I must mention here that even this dealer has moved completely away from the Tata make as far as passenger vehicles are concerned though they they continue to be their dealers in the commercial vehicles segment.

You mentioned Concorde in Bombay. I had visited the same Tata owned and managed dealership here in Dilli (BTW, they have disappeared from here too). A friend bought a Fiat 500 from them and was at his wits end as having paid the full amount of 15L+ and having waited nearly 4 months, he was being treated like a ping pong ball with no clear idea as to when the car would be delivered. It was only after pressure was applied via local contacts and we were given access to the paper trail, it became obvious that the supply chain was happily selling the allotted vehicles to 'premium' customers and the local finance guys simply looked the other way as they had interest free monies in their coffers. This for a model of which I think they sold maybe a few dozen. I have no doubt that similar episodes must have been repeated dozens of time all over the country wherever these guys had their establishments and the same attitude would hold true for the service side as is borne by your post.

You know the situation at Tata is the same as the legacy dealer I mentioned above. The management/owners have the right intent and the resources but down the line people treat their job as a privilege and not as a responsibility. A retired bureaucrat in our circle whose son was selected for TAS summed it up saying that "he(the son) is now set for life as he has got a 'government' job in the private sector". What more can one say on this

I believe that owners like yourself in the Fiat Tata JV era suffered because of the fact that TATA had their hand in each and every facet of the project and as I expressed in my prior post the less said about their working styles the better. Now that they are gone things are improving but the legacy is so old and strong that it's after effects will be felt for a long time.

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Dear Khoj

This is not hearsay and based out of my own experience of owning different Fiat cars over the years.

There is no doubt that they are fantastic cars. But then, the ASC are quite incompetent or more than that, callous in their attitude.

I have owned the beautiful Fiat Uno and sourcing the parts was not only difficult but extremely expensive as well.

.........

Don't know if the scenarios have changed but knowing Fiat cars closely, wasn't a very cheap affair for me at least!!

[alavandar]

Hi Guys,

I am one of those who purchased Fiat Linea from Concorde Chennai in Sep 2009. Concorde Chennai was then giving me excellent service. eg some moron through beer bottle in upmarket Besant Nagar and shattered the rear wind shield. Concorde fixed it in a day and delivered the car. Similarly, when I ran through the real deep puddle of water (flooded under bridge, which even Sumo and Mahindra guys were avoiding and turning back) I started having problem and the car was doing maximum 80 kmph only. I was just heading to hit the high way for long drive and instead turned to Concorde. The SA and mechanics were friendly and in two hours fixed the problem and gave the car.

There after the transition took place and RDC Fiat took over the dealership. They were initially over loaded since Concorde Chennai was out of dealership and ASS by then. Considering the overwhelming work load, whatever support they were giving was good. There after came the Ramkay Fiat Chennai. I find as far as Chennai is concerned, the service support is good. They provide timely assistance/ follow up with calls after the service/ repairs, etc.

My experience with Concorde/ RDC Fiat/ Ramkay Fiat are good. I went recently for a Jetta because Fiat does not have a model in that segment.

[madroxx]

Originally Posted by johy

Is the Grande Punto available at any discounts right now? It is for a friend.

It depends on the dealers. Inquire with the dealers near you, if they have stock of the vehicle it will be definitely available with discounts. There might be discounts in the range of 80k to 1 Lakh.

[AbhishekE]

Originally Posted by madroxx

It depends on the dealers. Inquire with the dealers near you, if they have stock of the vehicle it will be definitely available with discounts. There might be discounts in the range of 80k to 1 Lakh.

I think the discounts might be even more considering the fact that I got approx 80k discount back in May this year.

[GrayBerry]

Dear Friends,
I drive Punto Sports Absolute, which is 2 years old with 37K mileage. On my last service (30K) I was asked to replace my brake pads.
Last week had visited Vecto Hosur road and was told to replace both pads and disk with an estimate of Rs7K. The attendant informed that changing only the pads would result in brake noise (sounds like 'thad'). These are my initial brake pads and disk.
My question is on the brake noise, is that true? or would you suggest changing only the pads?

PS: Am a very happy customer of Fiat Punto, love my car

[gp_fanatico]

Originally Posted by GrayBerry

Dear Friends,
I drive Punto Sports Absolute, which is 2 years old with 37K mileage. On my last service (30K) I was asked to replace my brake pads.
Last week had visited Vecto Hosur road and was told to replace both pads and disk with an estimate of Rs7K. The attendant informed that changing only the pads would result in brake noise (sounds like 'thad'). These are my initial brake pads and disk.
My question is on the brake noise, is that true? or would you suggest changing only the pads?

PS: Am a very happy customer of Fiat Punto, love my car

Generally, average brake pad life of a Punto as per what i have seen on this thread and outside is around 20K Kilometers. Fiat suggests an inspection on every 15K service and replacement if required.

Coming to your case, 37K kilometers seems to be very high for the brake pad life. If completely highway driven and mature driving, we can extend the pad life. Otherwise this running on worn out pads will result in Disk damage. if this is the case, then you have to go for it.

The question is, was this not checked during your 30K service?

[GrayBerry]

Originally Posted by gp_fanatico

Generally, average brake pad life of a Punto as per what i have seen on this thread and outside is around 20K Kilometers. Fiat suggests an inspection on every 15K service and replacement if required.

Coming to your case, 37K kilometers seems to be very high for the brake pad life. If completely highway driven and mature driving, we can extend the pad life. Otherwise this running on worn out pads will result in Disk damage. if this is the case, then you have to go for it.

The question is, was this not checked during your 30K service?

Thanks for the reply,
Yes, brakes were checked at 30K service and was asked to change pads after 5k KMs. Brakes are essentials, will change both pads and disk.

[Yamahead]

Swapped my car with neighbour`s GP Active Diesel ( 7300 kms run) over the weekend and here goes my observations.
The goods
1. Very mature ride. Almost Rolls-like compared to my humble Alto.
2. Zero effect of AC on engine pull.
3. Steering is very nicely weighed. Clutch is super-light.
The bads-
4.No space to keep even a 500 ml water bottle. People in Europe and Brazil dont drink water while driving ?
5. Overall fit and finish of plastics is bad, Panel gaps look odd in such a solid and substantial vehicle.
6. JK Tornados are thin, offer very little grip and are noisy at highway speeds.
7. Fuel gauge is very misleading. Low Fuel lamp was blinking when I took the car and at auto cut-off while fueling gulped around 34 litres of diesel. Owner says he fills up keeping at average FE of 17 kmpl in mind.

[AbhishekE]

Music system upgrades!

I got some upgrades done to the stone age music system of the Punto this Sunday. The Punto finally gets an AUX Cable slot and a speaker upgrade:

1. Bought Mi Gadget's MP3 FM Modulator with USB Charger. For those who aren't aware, this basically lets me play stuff using an AUX Cable, USB or an SD Card. Charging can be done while playing songs too. Has a small screen and a remote. Value for money at 950 Rupees I reckon.






2. JBL's GTO-950SI 6''x9'', 500W real oval speakers for 5700/-. Perfectly fulfills my requirement of crisp sound+decent bass.

[sriramr9]

Originally Posted by devildriver

Shocked: The bonnet is also heavily rusted and repainted. There is a spot of rust on the rear hatch lid too.
Please suggest if i should go ahead with the purchase!

The places mentioned by you are the areas where rain water/water settles down without draining fully by itself, that may be a design flaw in the bonnet which does not allow the trapped water to trickle down completely but retains the remaining liquids inside the holes till they dry and cause a concern of rusting (You have posted a pic of the rusted hole in the bonnet).

This issue may not be from the sheer recklessness part of the owner. This problem does not have a solution other than opening and leaving the bonnet and allowing the fluids trapped to trickle down the holes every time after driving in rain and every time the car is washed that way the bonnet rust can be minimized.

Also other thing is spraying a WD 40/Zorrick spray inside the holes genrously to avoid moisture retention.

[mnvvishwa]

Originally Posted by AbhishekE

Music system upgrades!
Charging can be done while playing songs too. Has a small screen and a remote. Value for money at 950 Rupees I reckon.

How is the sound quality from your music system after connecting through FM transmitter compared to playing songs through a pen drive. I'm planning to buy one.

[AbhishekE]

Originally Posted by mnvvishwa

How is the sound quality from your music system after connecting through FM transmitter compared to playing songs through a pen drive. I'm planning to buy one.

The usual FM disturbance is evident in low volume, but it isn't heard when the volume is high.

If you can ignore that issue, then this is a fabulous VFM product.

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by mnvvishwa

How is the sound quality from your music system after connecting through FM transmitter compared to playing songs through a pen drive. I'm planning to buy one.

I too have one but I am not satisfied by clarity of sound(being a true music lover). There is a lot of disturbance in crowded areas(owing to frequency overlapping). It cannot be compared with the clarity of a pen drive.

[lapis_lazuli]

OK OK OK..the customary "minority" report (Punto 1.2 IS a minority, not a minor ):

25k and 26k milestones crossed, in 2.75 years....was too busy to post. Should have been a diesel? Nope. I was well within my budget for fuel expenses: the pics will talk.

It has been 1 year since the major accident, and wow! This car never failed to amaze me: even today. The (legacy) ASS (khoj jis term) had quite nicely (though painfully delayed) restored the car, and it is running great, touchwood. Do I like my car or what?

Niggles: not many, the same old rear seat intermittent rattle and a rare squeak, a tak-a-taka-taka sound over SOME bumps. that's it. The turn stalk child part was changed for 300INR, and nothing else. Even the brake-pads are still stock...I posted elsewhere today! Galfer!

ASS: Visited Oberoi twice in the last year, once for enquiry and once for a wrong paint correction, after the accident. Kashyap once, for getting the stalk thingy replaced. Its been to a few trips here and there, mostly cities, and it still feels new. Tyres still have lot of tread left, JK Tornado's, one front tyre had a "wobble" problem: removed to the spare section. Rest everything, is holding great! Good night.