[KarthikK]

10,000 km, 2 years and 3rd service update :

The Jet® just completed 2 years of niggle-free, delightful and issueless (scratch-free / dent-free) ownership. This has by far been the dream-come-true ownership experience for me. The car has been flawless throughout the ownership duration of 2 years, been so lucky it hasn't had a single ding or scratch in 2 whole years! It has not only managed to delight the enthusiast in me in every aspect, but also managed to impress my family with its superior comfort and ride quality over bad roads and travel trips. Not to forget, thanks to 3M detailing, the black and chrome gleaming, sophisticated look still manages to turn heads and keep morons from coming too close to the car in traffic. The enthusiast in me refuses to be a fanboy of any particular brand, but I have to add that I will probably never sell the Jet® come what may, even if I buy a better car after 4-5 years. This car is for keeps - there are simply way too many things going for it, some sentimental (my own first new car), some superstitious (luck factor) and many petrolhead quirks which it satisfies.


The Jet® basking in the sun during one of its many long drives



Emotional talk aside, on the ownership front, it hasn't clocked many miles compared to its younger sibling - reason being it is taken out only on weekends for long drives and for highway trips. The Jet® probably clocks 500 km a month on average, not more than that. Probably explains the reason why the car has no scratches or dents - most of the city is asleep when I take the car out on early morning or late night long drives .

The second birthday brought with it the next important milestone - the annual service visit. It was due for its third service this past weekend. The obvious choice for me was Vecto motors as usual, since I've been enjoying amazing service experiences there with both my Punto and the Linea so far.

I've been visiting Madhus for all my wheel alignment / balancing and tyre related work, so I instructed Vecto motors to avoid doing anything with the wheels. Also, since I am a 3M detailing addict as most of you know, I do not want the car to go through the run-of-the-mill wash facility available at service centres. I asked them not to wash / wax the car or touch the interiors either, just complete the mechanical stuff and give the car back. The car had no niggles at all, and I just had to stick to whatever was supposed to be done as part of the third free service schedule. The spark plugs and wiper blades were supposed to be replaced as part of 30k km service, but the spark plugs were checked and found to be as good as new, so I left them alone. Even the wiper blades are still in nice condition and should be ok for a few more months.

Service advisor Karthik greeted me on my arrival and took up my service case (a case of Karthik calling on Karthik??). Vecto motors has now divided the work as paid services handled by Surendra (my regular SA) and free services handled by Karthik. The work began at around 11 AM on my car and I was out by 4 PM and back home, much ahead of the peak rush-hour traffic.

Third service coupon listed these things to be done.



The Jet® goes on one of the service bays. General inspection begins



All major fluids getting replaced as part of the 24 month cycle.



OBD diagnostic scanner being used to check for any error codes. No issues were found! Touchwood!



Following the younger sibling, as an add-on for enhancing cosmetics, I have done away with the original (ugly) rubber mud-flaps and installed the contoured splash guards for the T-Jet which look smashing now.


Contoured splash guards for the Linea T-Jet! Bye-bye ugly rubber flaps!



Mud-flaps being swapped for contoured splash guards



As always with my service experience documentation, here's the excel sheet snapshot of the third service. The sheet is self-explanatory and has all the details mentioned, but if you ever need any more details, feel free to post your queries and I'd be glad to help.


Third service experience in a nutshell - facts


Third service experience: contd..



A look back at the previous services : here's the first service log:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2627293

And here's the second service log:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2824813


Ownership experience so far in summary :

No. of major niggles faced: 0

Reliability score: 10/10

Customer satisfaction score (T-Jet as a product): 10/10

Customer satisfaction score (Fiat service): 9/10

No. of scratches or dents: 0

Petrol: ONLY Shell unleaded

Modifications: Rear spoiler, Beige 3D Kagu mats, T-Jet LED door sils, interior reading lamp, Tyre upgrade to Michelin Primacy LC 205/55R16 91W.

Enhancements: 3M comprehensive Paint sealant protection + 3M underbody anti-corrosion coating.

Total cummulative service costs in 2 years of ownership : 2427 (service 1) + 4350 (service 2) + 6232 (service 3) = INR 13,009 /-


Thanks for reading. My next update will be sometime in the next 2-3 weeks, when the Jet goes for the annual 3M detailing session. Also pending are the pictures with the new mudflaps and the difference they have made to the looks.

[srinath34]

Fabulous ownership thread and super detailed service log as always. Must say its pretty economical considering synthetic fluids are going in. Wish you many more miles on this Italian supermodel

Its been long since I dropped by 3M (over 7 months) for a casual visit. Will plan sometime and see the Jet getting a shower

Cheers

[extreme_torque]

@karthik - Finally, Fiat's been able to give you moulded mud flaps. Thank heavens! The current one's spoil the beautiful lines of the car. Can you please post pictures of the car with new mud flaps?

[johy]

Excellent update Karthik, many thanks. Your spoiler has been keeping my mind ticking for my own T-Jet. Although your kind of spoiler is not available, the other one, the lip spoiler is available with 99rpm and I was wondering how it will look in Fox Trot Azure. Your opinion?

Second question regarding engine oil change. My running being low, car only done around 5k now and by the turn of 1 year it should be in the 6.6K range max. Should I get my oil changed at that time? (I did not get it changed in first check-up and I don't want to wait for 15k kms )

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by srinath34

Its been long since I dropped by 3M (over 7 months) for a casual visit. Will plan sometime and see the Jet getting a shower

See you on Saturday!

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

@karthik - Finally, Fiat's been able to give you moulded mud flaps. Thank heavens! The current one's spoil the beautiful lines of the car. Can you please post pictures of the car with new mud flaps?

Sure thing. I'll take the pics as soon as I take out the car again, which will be on Saturday. It was raining when I got out of the service station post-service, murphy's laws never fail to disappoint *winks*

Originally Posted by johy

Excellent update Karthik, many thanks. Your spoiler has been keeping my mind ticking for my own T-Jet. Although your kind of spoiler is not available, the other one, the lip spoiler is available with 99rpm and I was wondering how it will look in Fox Trot Azure. Your opinion?

For FTA color, I'd stick to the stock backside johy. It looks much cleaner. The lip spoiler looks good too. You can try getting hold of that one if you like that design.

Second question regarding engine oil change. My running being low, car only done around 5k now and by the turn of 1 year it should be in the 6.6K range max. Should I get my oil changed at that time? (I did not get it changed in first check-up and I don't want to wait for 15k kms )

I had done it during the 5k service itself from my own pocket (since it is not part of the schedule). You can take the car to the service centre any time and get an engine oil change done. It will cost you roughly 2.5k for the T-Jet's oil capacity.

[xaero]

I must admit that I love the T-Jet enthusiast in you Karthik. I loved reading your ownership thread and the third service thread especially. So did the Fiat guys change the fluids even with ~6k on the ODO? I read in the service manual that they will probably top up.
I am going in for the third service experience tomorrow, will let you know how it went. I have scratched my rear bumper thrice, with cracks on the silver bumper guard strips, one dent on the left rear passenger door which was due to a stone that flew off the tyre of a biker overtaking my car, third one is on the right passenger door because of some one bang opening their car door in a parking lot, and to add to the list a tree once felt on the front right of my car and I got the headlight replaced and a sheet straightened (making me believe in Fiat's reliability as the tree was dammn heavy) and lastly one fine day on a highway drive a stone came from a truck and am still driving half of the windshield having a snaky crack running. hmphh...But the end of all things is that I still feel safe , comfortable and excited when I drive the T-Jet. I have a long trip coming up (1400 km) in the second week of November and I am grinning already.

[Porschefire]

Hi Karthik!

I've been through your Rocket's thread umpteen number of times but actually read your Jet's complete review just today and i must say that you are the owner that every car desires to have!!! I'm truly impressed by the way you take care of your vehicles man!!!Kudos.

I had a conversation with my dad in the morning and it went like this -

Dad: So, how's your Vento plan's going???
Me: Actually Dad, i'm interested in the T Jet.
Dad: Which car is that???
Me: I mean, the Fiat Linea T Jet.
Dad: Great looking car but, WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT A FIAT??? The company has no future!!!

I did not have an answer for his question. To be frank, i adore the T Jet. Though i haven't driven one yet, I've been reading its reviews over the past couple of weeks and i've only been smitten by it with every review.
But like the many Indians out there, even i'm not sure about Fiat as a company and that is when i thought, why not ask from the FIAT guru himself!!!

I keep my cars for a minimum of 5-6 yrs and expect a niggle free ownership. I know their cars are reliable but how reliable is FIAT as a company in the long term??? I'm sorry if my question to you seems weird but hope you can understand my plight. I do not want to let go of a beauty!!!

Mods: Kindly delete my post if found OT.

[xaero]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Hi Karthik!

I've been through your Rocket's thread umpteen number of times but actually read your Jet's complete review just today and i must say that you are the owner that every car desires to have!!! I'm truly impressed by the way you take care of your vehicles man!!!Kudos.

I had a conversation with my dad in the morning and it went like this -

Dad: So, how's your Vento plan's going???
Me: Actually Dad, i'm interested in the T Jet.
Dad: Which car is that???
Me: I mean, the Fiat Linea T Jet.
Dad: Great looking car but, WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT A FIAT??? The company has no future!!!

I did not have an answer for his question. To be frank, i adore the T Jet. Though i haven't driven one yet, I've been reading its reviews over the past couple of weeks and i've only been smitten by it with every review.
But like the many Indians out there, even i'm not sure about Fiat as a company and that is when i thought, why not ask from the FIAT guru himself!!!

I keep my cars for a minimum of 5-6 yrs and expect a niggle free ownership. I know their cars are reliable but how reliable is FIAT as a company in the long term??? I'm sorry if my question to you seems weird but hope you can understand my plight. I do not want to let go of a beauty!!!

Mods: Kindly delete my post if found OT.

I can pitch in with my freshest opinion from yesterday. I went for my third free service for the first time to an exclusive FIAT service station and I must admit that my first visit made me fee the same way I used to feel when I got my Maruti car serviced. The service center I went to is in Noida sector 63 and they listened patiently to all my niggles and complaints and tried their best to solve them. I got reverse parking sensors/camera installed, red colored door sills installed as well and all in all was very happy the way everything turned out.
There were some mistakes in the job and I went today to get them rectified and I was cordially attended to and all my complaints again solved which involved re-wiring for reverse parking system as they had wires crossing my rear seat belt , which for me was a no-no. Even got a feedback call from the workshop today, which is a good turnaround time.

One more thing, my warranty expires on 21st and one of the boot opening pressure sticks has malfunctioned, so my adviser went out of the way to order the part in inventory for me under warranty and will finally replace it in my car next week, but I won't have to pay for that as the part has been ordered within inventory for me, and I loved this gesture as I had not noticed this and did not know this was possible, but he informed me and took the step to help me.

I would only say, I had a great experience, but experiences might vary at personal levels. But atleast I am happy and see that Fiat has started taking customers seriously and think they have a future.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Hi Karthik!

I've been through your Rocket's thread umpteen number of times but actually read your Jet's complete review just today and i must say that you are the owner that every car desires to have!!! I'm truly impressed by the way you take care of your vehicles man!!!Kudos.

Thanks a lot for the kind words Porschefire. Glad to know you liked reading through both the threads. Sorry for the rather late reply, I rarely check this thread so I'd somehow missed reading your query for the past few days.

I had a conversation with my dad in the morning and it went like this -

Dad: So, how's your Vento plan's going???
Me: Actually Dad, i'm interested in the T Jet.
Dad: Which car is that???
Me: I mean, the Fiat Linea T Jet.
Dad: Great looking car but, WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT A FIAT??? The company has no future!!!

I did not have an answer for his question. To be frank, i adore the T Jet. Though i haven't driven one yet, I've been reading its reviews over the past couple of weeks and i've only been smitten by it with every review.
But like the many Indians out there, even i'm not sure about Fiat as a company and that is when i thought, why not ask from the FIAT guru himself!!!

I keep my cars for a minimum of 5-6 yrs and expect a niggle free ownership. I know their cars are reliable but how reliable is FIAT as a company in the long term??? I'm sorry if my question to you seems weird but hope you can understand my plight. I do not want to let go of a beauty!!!

I can only comment as a current owner of two Fiats and a fellow enthusiast about this question. I am satisfied with both my cars right now, and really don't see the need to panic about this company's presence in the country. They make great enthusiast cars, and the Linea T-Jet happens to be one of the best enthusiast-centric cars that came out of their Indian stable. Being an ex-Maruti and ex-Hyundai owner, I totally understand the dilemma you are in since I was in your shoes two years ago. All I would say is, look at the brighter side of it. They are one of the largest and oldest European automobile companies hugely successful in most places outside India. In India, they just revamped their service and sales network and are now training their guns on bringing in their other brands such as Jeep, Abarth and maybe even Chrysler. Plus, they still make tons of money by selling their MultiJet engines to other car makers. Why would they invest so much if they were to quit the country?? This is not something I would bother about as a customer, honestly speaking.

No comments on reliability either. I am yet to hear of T-Jets facing issues even in the service centre which I visit. There may be small niggles with Fiats, and of course the infamous lower dashboard plastic quality. Apart from this, I don't see any major reliability concerns cropping up. On the brighter side, service centres are quite liberal and proactive in replacing faulty / unsatisfactory parts under warranty and seem to be heading towards the right direction, speaking from an owner's perspective.

Would I recommend the T-Jet to a fellow enthusiast?? Hell yeah! But do mentally prepare yourself for a not-as-perfect-as Maruti-or-Hyundai service experience. And of course, the Fiat brand image perception in society! As a car, the complete driving experience (acceleration, handling, braking, ride quality, build quality) will bring smiles on your face every time you crank the car and take it out for a spin, regardless of how much distance. Even from an economics perspective, the T-Jet seems to be running on decent discounts so it is a good time to buy a T-Jet. If you like automatics, you could even look at the Vento TSI DSG to confuse yourself with another turbo-petrol option*winks*

[Scorpioman]

Karthik, Brilliant review on the Jet.

Have been on this thread since yesterday and I must say reading the entire 2 year experience at a go makes it so much easier when I am planning on booking one myself. I too have been in two minds about the Jet simply because of the A.S.S. but considering you have only good things to say about it in Bangalore boosts my confidence in Fiat.

13K spent in 2 years on the Jet is reasonable. To maintain it the way you have must have cost a lot more. Would you mind sharing what it has cost you at 3M in the 2 years to keep the Jet looking better than new. The reason I ask is because I love black as well and would most likely be getting one soon. I understand it is no joke with a black car in Bangalore, I still have my Black Esteem which is 8 years old and have tried my best to maintain it and keep the shine on it. It has seen only 2 polishes in the 8 years, the last being 2 weeks ago at 3M HSR.

Again, brilliant review and brilliantly maintained Jet.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Scorpioman

Karthik, Brilliant review on the Jet.

Have been on this thread since yesterday and I must say reading the entire 2 year experience at a go makes it so much easier when I am planning on booking one myself. I too have been in two minds about the Jet simply because of the A.S.S. but considering you have only good things to say about it in Bangalore boosts my confidence in Fiat.

Good luck with your purchase decision Scorpioman . It was nice to meet you in person at 3M this saturday while I was getting the sealant treatment done for the Punto

13K spent in 2 years on the Jet is reasonable. To maintain it the way you have must have cost a lot more. Would you mind sharing what it has cost you at 3M in the 2 years to keep the Jet looking better than new. The reason I ask is because I love black as well and would most likely be getting one soon.

Actually nothing substantial. Till date, I have had 2 paint sealant treatments done (with swirl removal, etc) on the T-Jet, the last of which was in August 2012. This has totally costed me 8-9k. Apart from this I haven't really spent much on detailing it. I do ensure I get the car washed at 3m probably once or twice a month due to the neat way the dirt is removed with their pressure wash machine, rather than me trying the old bucket and cloth method. I don't wash the car frequently either. The Jopasu duster works well for dry dust removal, and I spare washes only if the car is really dirty.

I understand it is no joke with a black car in Bangalore, I still have my Black Esteem which is 8 years old and have tried my best to maintain it and keep the shine on it. It has seen only 2 polishes in the 8 years, the last being 2 weeks ago at 3M HSR.

If you ask me I'd say the whole black car maintenance scare is overhyped. I don't really care much about it now. The Jopasu duster can bring the car back to life after every run on the roads, hehe.

Again, brilliant review and brilliantly maintained Jet.

Thanks a lot, glad you found it useful! Do feel free to post / PM if you have any more queries about the ownership / doubts on this car, would be happy to be of help.

[mchanna]

Karthik brilliant.
Everytime I read your ownership I feel good. And it is really inspiring too!
You post going to be a bible for t-jet lovers!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Third service experience in a nutshell - facts

Here's what KHT, White field charged for the same third service on my T Jet. Service was done on 11 December 2013. The quantity and definition of some items make it a little difficult to understand what is going on.

Sealing Washer is related to the steering rack and is a part that is to be replaced under third service. Not done or required according to Vecto.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by mchanna

Karthik brilliant.
Everytime I read your ownership I feel good. And it is really inspiring too!
You post going to be a bible for t-jet lovers!

Thanks a lot for the wishes mchanna! Glad to know if someone found the ownership report useful.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Here's what KHT, White field charged for the same third service on my T Jet. Service was done on 11 December 2013. The quantity and definition of some items make it a little difficult to understand what is going on.

Strange to see some differences in the prices of individual tasks carried out, for the same 30k service. My service was done 6 months ago in the beginning of July. Probably the prices of some items like the oil have increased over these past 6 months, which might explain the relatively higher prices at KHT now.

From what KHT charged you for the coolant, I don't think they have drained and replaced all the old existing coolant with just 400 bucks of coolant quantity. It is possible they just topped up the coolant level and gave the car back. Draining and replacing takes in a huge quantity of coolant. In fact, after using the car post-service, I had to top-up the coolant even after 8X was filled in, since the final level fell below the Min mark after things settled in

Sealing Washer is related to the steering rack and is a part that is to be replaced under third service. Not done or required according to Vecto.

Possible glitch by Vecto that I need to check the next time I head there. The last time I went there was in September for the Punto's 15k service. Is it possible this was replaced on your car on need basis, due to wear and tear rather than on schedule?? Look at the third service coupon I'd posted on the beginning of this page, this sealing washer could possibly go under 'visually check condition of rubber elements and replace if necessary'

The spark plugs (in your bill) are required to be replaced at the 30k service. The chief technician at Vecto (Sathish) showed me the existing ones which had done just 9k km as of then, and said these would easily last another 20-25k km. They offered to replace it if I insisted. For my running rate, the replacement could come up only by another year or so even if I did some drastic running, so I decided to put this off for the 2014 service (45k / 3 years).

I'm wondering if the sealing washer replacement is also something they skipped because of my low odometer reading / low wear and tear. In any case they ought to have informed me about skipping it, if it was part of the regular servicing.

[isiv]

Great going... yours and several others thread on the tjet are making life quite tough for me - let me explain. I'm going to upgrade to a C1/C2 (not necessarily sedan) in about 6 months. After doing a lot of research - thanks to tbhp which has evolved into a treasure trove of info on Indian auto - the first thing that became clear was that the upgrade does not have to be a Maruti. Even though their cars remain frugal and largely dependable, service costs suddenly seem to have become atrociously high for a Maruti. This is making drawbacks of Marutis very visible and I see no reason to tolerate them anymore.

Coming back to the research, the verdict by the head is - 'get the Etios diesel and pat yourself on the back for a real sensible purchase' while the heart retorted 'Etios? Etios?? ETIOS??? Ugh! did you look at the Polos? Look at the lovely fiats? the tjet!!' (Aw boy, am I bowled over by the tjet and how!!)

You probably figured I'd have to be somewhat separated from the 'kitna deti hai' mob even to consider a fiat. My expectations from a car in order are 1. Refinement and comfort/space 2. Safetly, reliability, durability and long trouble free life 3. Power & LET 4. Reasonable service costs 5. Looks 6. Good headlights as stock. Dont care for gimmicks like auto headlights, auto wiper, auto whatever. I would expect the car to last around 10 years.
I know you've been asked this several times, but I would like to ask again based on your experience to date - how would you rate the tjet on these parameters?

The head makes a compelling argument so the heart will have to work hard; pray I do not end up with the Etios (Ugh... from the heart again)

Good luck.

PS: No offense to the Etios guys