Upgraded from an old Accent to the Linea T-Jet: 8 quick observations

The car is a massive jump in terms of power, features, build quality and sheer driving pleasure.

BHPian superblover recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'm pleased to report that I have upgraded from my old 2005 Hyundai Accent as I picked up a facelifted 2014 Fiat Linea Emotion TJet yesterday. Thanks to the TeamBHP Classifieds for connecting two enthusiasts. The TJet was in hot demand but i managed to close the deal by some divine intervention.

The car is a massive jump in terms of power, features, build quality and sheer driving pleasure. I'm still getting used to the vehicle and I've been slowly noticing the various niggles that require fixing. The previous owner had retained the owners manual and the brochure and even the original invoice. He had tried his best to maintain service records but i could see that the car has been taken care of decently enough. The body definitely needs tinkering and repainting as there are some rust spots that have taken hold on account of living near the coast. I will perform the body work at a later date. My immediate concerns are the following list of points and i would greatly appreciate any inputs from existing owners, particularly the ones living in Chennai.

Let me give a brief summary of the vehicle to establish some background.

• Vehicle Manufacturing Month/Year: April 2014 (Facelifted)

• Make and Model: Fiat Linea TJet
• Fuel: Petrol
• Variant: Emotion
• Colour: Tuscan Wine
• Odometer: 872XX
• Remap: Wolf Stage 1 with Stock + 3 Maps

• Speakers: Upgraded to JBLs with a massive GB Pro subwoofer in the boot

• All four doors damped with insulation. Headlights replaced.

Tires are Michelin Primacy 3s in the front and Continental MC5s in the rear

• The previous owner has driven the car in a spirited manner and i don't blame him, given how addictive the turbo spool is on this car. However he's still on the stock clutch and coming from a Hyundai it initially felt a bit hard to me but it's definitely bearable now. I was wondering I am about to replace the clutch, should I just go ahead and replace the flywheel too, given the previous owner's aggressive driving.

• The odometer keeps flashing on random starts and I'm unable to understand if it's a good thing or a bad thing. The only other light I've seen lit up on the cluster is a blown light indicator. I occasionally get a warning to check the number plate light. Is the odometer flashing connected to this?

• Furthermore, I'm simply unable to see any option that indicates Blue&Me and I'm wondering if the odometer blinking issue is related to Blue&Me not working.

• In continuation, the media player's display has completely faded out and text is impossible to read on the amber display. Is the media player display available as a separate unit? Or do i have to replace the entire panel?

• The remote key fob doesn't lock/unlock/open the boot of the car. I swapped the battery and checked with a local key maker and he said the key is working fine and there might be a blown fuse somewhere in the vehicle that's the culprit.

• The armrest is broken and I would like to replace it. I was wondering if the facelifted armrest top can be replaced with the longer armrest top of the pre-facelift version so that I'm able to retain the bottle holder for the rear seats.

• The last servicing of the vehicle was at 81k kms. It was a regular oil service with some window related issues being sorted out. Given the car is at 90k service interval, what needs to be attended to and what kind of pre-emptive maintenance is recommended?

• I have my eyes set on the World of Service workshop as I've seen good reviews both here and on Google ratings. Mr. Mahesh sounded knowledgeable and amiable to deal with, but I'm open to suggestions from other members.

Here's what BHPian way2jimny had to say on the matter:

Congrats on the T-Jet. It is an awesome car for the price its being sold in the used market! I love our fellow country men for giving us enthusiasts opportunities like these

1. Not required to change the clutch so soon unless there is any obvious symptoms of clutch slipping.Clutch is hard so don't worry. Flywheel costs 75k in Mopar. Again not required to change so soon. Run to at least 1Lakh Kilometers.

2,3,4 As you have already noticed, Blue and Me is linked to the odometer blinking. It is a common issue. Give up on it and upgrade your player. This will also solve the other issue of media player display. You cannot find only display for it.

5. Haven't heard about this issue. I'm suspecting the key button.

6. Not possible to swap the arm rests. You need to change the entire console. Not worth it.

7,8. Change the timing belt, aux belt, all fluids to be replaced and change all 4 spark plugs. Your car will feel completely different after this.

Spare some time and visit True Sai Salem and get a detailed analysis of the car.

Book an appointment and check spares availability before you go. Or confirm with them if you can get the spares from somewhere else.

Here's what BHPian keroo1099 had to say on the matter:

Congrats and commiserations on the Jet.

You will soon learn that it's a frustratingly good car that is now becoming expensive to maintain (see the price of the flywheel and even other basic parts), but almost impossible to upgrade from unless you rob a bank.

You can look at Isudar for one of the better HUs. I have one of the older units and it works great and sounds a lot better than the stock unit. It's also one of the few that has specs as advertised.

Other things to consider if you want to unlock the true potential of the remap.

1. A bigger intercooler

2. Pre facelift suspension; coils/struts/shocks which unfortunately can't be bought new.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.