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My Fiat Abarth Punto has aged well: Clocked 58,000 km in 5 years

16th July 2023, 14:16 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

Other than an issue that we faced on one of our road trips, the car has been running flawlessly.

BHPian cogWheel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The car completed five years in the last week of May 2023. The ODO crossed 58,000 Kms last week. So, an average running of 11,400 kms / year or 950 kms / month.

It has the following minimal functional mods:

Larger intercooler (18” x 6” x 3”) with a Garret core - by Stellar Turbochargers
Wolf switchable remap
Upsized tyres - Conti UC6 205/55/R16

On the cosmetic front, I have removed all the decals except for the go-fast stripes on the sides. I have a new set of replacement stickers purchased from FASS, but have put them in storage for now.

Have had one issue to report since the last update at 55K kms - a blown coolant hose.

I was driving with my wife from Mangaluru towards Chikmagaluru, via Charmadi – Belur, on a Saturday afternoon. At around 5:00PM, about six kilometres before Belur, I noticed the engine temperature rising and also received a MID warning. On opening the hood, saw that the coolant tank was empty and coolant sputtered around it. A closer look revealed that a 3-way connector near the base of the coolant return hose was completely broken. So the coolant must have drained away within minutes.

The broken connector circled in blue

Fortunately, there was an FNG, called V2 Autocare, just about a hundred metres from where we had stopped and I took the car there. As expected, it wasn’t possible to find a suitable 3-way connector. I called a SA FASS at KHT Pride, Mahadevpura in Bangalore whose number I had. He put me through to Mr. Gowda, the store manager who told me that the part which comes along with the three connecting hoses (one to engine block, second to radiator and third to coolant) was available. He promised that though the next day was a Sunday, he would arrange for the issue of the part if someone could pick it up from the centre. The responsiveness of Mr. Gowda and his team at FASS, Mahadevapura, on a Sunday is much appreciated.

In the meanwhile, the resourceful guys at V2 Autocare lead by their supervisor Praveen, used QuickFix superglue and baking soda to provide a temporary fix. We filled up with distilled water and drove the 7 kms to KSTDC’s Hotel Maurya Yagachi and stayed there overnight.

Connector "jugadified" with superglue and baking soda

I was trying to find ways of getting the part from Bangalore to Mangalore and had put a message here on the forum in the Mangalore-Bangalore road thread. TBHPian Samurai who was driving from Bengaluru to Mangaluru offered to help. However, my brother and his wife who are in Bengaluru decided to make a day trip out of it, drove to Belur in their Kia on Sunday and dropped the part (and 4 liters of coolant) at the hotel.

On Sunday morning, leaving the car behind at the hotel (which has a large parking space) my wife and I proceeded by bus to the resort at Chikmagalur where we had a reservation. We returned to Belur on Monday by noon and took the car back to V2 Autocare on the Belur-Mudigere road. Praveen’s team there replaced the hoses and the connector, drained the coolant system and filled up with the new FASS recommended ParaFlu pre-mixed coolant. We were able to return to Mangaluru with no further trouble. Praveen at V2 Autocare was very professional and helpful.

Replacement part sent by FASS

Part number: 51789114; Country of origin; Turkey; Price: Rs. 2867 (inclusive of GST)

FASS recommended pre-mixed coolant. Required 4 liters.

On the next day, I had the car inspected again at my regular FNG in Mangaluru (WagenTunen), replaced the hose clip which was not tight enough and had the engine bay cleaned.

Other than this, the car has been running flawlessly. It has aged well. Interiors are looking clean and neat for a five-year-old car. No rattles. Smile still guaranteed, when pushed!