Frighteningly Fiat! Problem with Uno - Team-BHP

shekharlele · 2nd December 2006, 14:10

Dear BHPians,

Am a new member here and am happy to find this sort of a forum where we can all air our views (and hopefully avoid getting a raw deal at the hands of dealerships). I need help with the following situation:

I own a Fiat Uno which I had purchased in November 1997. It has been sparingly used and has done 26,000 Kms only. Regularly serviced by the fiat authorised dealers. Had not given me significant trouble till last year, when the car started stalling at idle, especially at traffic signals and slow traffic. Thought it was a tune-up issue and gave it to a Tata-Fiat dealership at Powai. They tuned the car and replaced the spark plugs. However, the fiat tie-up had just taken place and I was unsure about their expertise with the Uno. The stalling problem still existed and I then spoke to Anuroop Auto, the authorised fiat dealer. Took the car to them, they said the repairs would cost me 6 grand. I was slightly unhappy about the inconsiderate attitude of the sales people there. To be sure if anuroop is the right guy to give my car to, I sent a mail to Fiat India and spoke to their service rep. a guy called Mangesh. He said anuroop was the best available and since it was the Uno, I should give it to them. I spoke to their service manager and gave the car to them. That's when all my troubles began. They changed the carburettor Kit, tuned the engine and replaced some plate in the distributor as well as the ignition module that rests on the distributor. The car seemed fine until next day, it just would'nt start at a long signal after I had switched it off. It would keep cranking but not start!! Took the car back to them, they said they would check it, kept that car for 3 days, claimed to have taken the trials and said it was fine. But they replaced the spark plugs again (dunno why when the tata guys had done it just a month back and I had told Anuroop so) anyway, I paid them for the plugs and took the car back. The same problem has resurfaced and now the car just doesn't start. I spoke to the person at Fiat India and at Anurrop and they said it could be a bad carburetor. My point is:

1. If this is so, why did anuroop not detect it / tell me when they did the whole tune up
2. Now, what is the guarantee that they will do a decent job, looks to me like they don't understand the car
3. Who should pay the 700 buck towing charge that I now have to incur to take the car to them??

I have lost my faith in the anuroop guys. I have a couple of questions

1. Should I take the car to some local mechanic?
2. If it is indeed the carb. (only after 26,000 kms?), will the Tata Fiat dealership be competent to help me
3. What should I do to get my car on it's feet (and do you guys think I should now sell this as soon as possible?)

Look forward to your suggestions!!

lamborghini · 2nd December 2006, 16:28

Hey Shekhar,
We own a Palio 1.6 and i would advise you to take it to a reputed local garage instead. That's what we have done with our Palio.
Cheers

GTO · 2nd December 2006, 22:26

Best thing to do, as Lambo said, is to take it to a good garage. I dont know where in Bombay you are based but I would highly recommend Sunil Shanbag : 411.4447 / 414.9910. Hes one of the best tech guys I know in the automotive field.

nickatnite · 3rd December 2006, 00:00

My father has three cars including a 2006 Toyota Corolla.recently, he dinged the 'Rolla a bit.Took it to the dealer to get it fixed(Lanson Toyota in Chennai).Nice guys( i was there when he bought the car), but they gave him the usual rigmarole about leaving the car for two days etc.My dad says he just took the car to his trusted old mechanic who services his Esteem and Santro.The 'Rolla was back in the garage the same evening and i saw pics of before and after the ding.I couldn't tell the difference.Moral:Always build up a good relationship with a mechanic you can trust.Give a little once in a while to keep him happy and you'll have trouble free cars to enjoy and drive!!.I do the same in the US.I avoid dealers unless the car is being fixed under warranty!.

speedzak · 3rd December 2006, 01:06

A typical Fiat owners' sorrow! Shall we say?

And now we all know why their cars flop and becomes dead stock after sometime from the launch.

My NANA is a diehard fan of fiat. He owned almost every fiat launched here. After some problems he had with UNO which wasn't sorted out after many different treatments, he sold it. Bought a PETRA which again is following it's predecessor.
Sad! Truly.

urdudesamy · 3rd December 2006, 08:11

It's just that you need a guy who knows teh ina and out of this engi8ne, which are very few.

As this is the 1 litre carb engine, try googling might get some answers if it's a known issue.

Ciao
Samy

shekharlele · 3rd December 2006, 09:55

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. Showed it to 2 different mechanics locally, verdict is the same. It's a problem with the float needle and probably the float, which is why the carb. is getting flooded. They say it's a minor thing to repair, but we need the float and needle. Anyone knows where in Mumbai I could get Uno spares (except for the dealer, of course) and if this issue is indeed minor?

esteem_lover · 3rd December 2006, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Hey Shekhar,
We own a Palio 1.6 and i would advise you to take it to a reputed local garage instead. That's what we have done with our Palio.
Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Best thing to do, as Lambo said, is to take it to a good garage. I dont know where in Bombay you are based but I would highly recommend Sunil Shanbag : 411.4447 / 414.9910. Hes one of the best tech guys I know in the automotive field.

guys, i think he has already done that. they are the ones who are taking him for a ride

Quote:

Tata-Fiat dealership at Powai

Quote:

Anuroop Auto, the authorised fiat dealer. Took the car to them

try speaking to sunil as suggested by gto

finneyp · 3rd December 2006, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak

A typical Fiat owners' sorrow! Shall we say?

And now we all know why their cars flop and becomes dead stock after sometime from the launch.

My NANA is a diehard fan of fiat. He owned almost every fiat launched here. After some problems he had with UNO which wasn't sorted out after many different treatments, he sold it. Bought a PETRA which again is following it's predecessor.
Sad! Truly.

Please don't jump to a conclusion so fast!
As far as I remember this is the 1st thread on a issue with Uno, so there are majority out there who are enjoying this great Car.
There is nothing like a Perfect Car in this world! When a Merc or BMW too can fail sometimes, why to pick up a particular Car maker and defame him only?

2nd December 2006, 14:10	#1 (permalink)
shekharlele Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 15	Frighteningly Fiat! Problem with Uno Dear BHPians, Am a new member here and am happy to find this sort of a forum where we can all air our views (and hopefully avoid getting a raw deal at the hands of dealerships). I need help with the following situation: I own a Fiat Uno which I had purchased in November 1997. It has been sparingly used and has done 26,000 Kms only. Regularly serviced by the fiat authorised dealers. Had not given me significant trouble till last year, when the car started stalling at idle, especially at traffic signals and slow traffic. Thought it was a tune-up issue and gave it to a Tata-Fiat dealership at Powai. They tuned the car and replaced the spark plugs. However, the fiat tie-up had just taken place and I was unsure about their expertise with the Uno. The stalling problem still existed and I then spoke to Anuroop Auto, the authorised fiat dealer. Took the car to them, they said the repairs would cost me 6 grand. I was slightly unhappy about the inconsiderate attitude of the sales people there. To be sure if anuroop is the right guy to give my car to, I sent a mail to Fiat India and spoke to their service rep. a guy called Mangesh. He said anuroop was the best available and since it was the Uno, I should give it to them. I spoke to their service manager and gave the car to them. That's when all my troubles began. They changed the carburettor Kit, tuned the engine and replaced some plate in the distributor as well as the ignition module that rests on the distributor. The car seemed fine until next day, it just would'nt start at a long signal after I had switched it off. It would keep cranking but not start!! Took the car back to them, they said they would check it, kept that car for 3 days, claimed to have taken the trials and said it was fine. But they replaced the spark plugs again (dunno why when the tata guys had done it just a month back and I had told Anuroop so) anyway, I paid them for the plugs and took the car back. The same problem has resurfaced and now the car just doesn't start. I spoke to the person at Fiat India and at Anurrop and they said it could be a bad carburetor. My point is: 1. If this is so, why did anuroop not detect it / tell me when they did the whole tune up 2. Now, what is the guarantee that they will do a decent job, looks to me like they don't understand the car 3. Who should pay the 700 buck towing charge that I now have to incur to take the car to them?? I have lost my faith in the anuroop guys. I have a couple of questions 1. Should I take the car to some local mechanic? 2. If it is indeed the carb. (only after 26,000 kms?), will the Tata Fiat dealership be competent to help me 3. What should I do to get my car on it's feet (and do you guys think I should now sell this as soon as possible?) Look forward to your suggestions!!

2nd December 2006, 16:28	#2 (permalink)
lamborghini Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Mumbai/Smithfield, RI, USA Posts: 2,663 View My Garage	Hey Shekhar, We own a Palio 1.6 and i would advise you to take it to a reputed local garage instead. That's what we have done with our Palio. Cheers __________________ ¢нєєяѕ ℓαмвσ lamborghinirules@gmail.com

2nd December 2006, 22:26	#3 (permalink)
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 13,156 View My Garage	Best thing to do, as Lambo said, is to take it to a good garage. I dont know where in Bombay you are based but I would highly recommend Sunil Shanbag : 411.4447 / 414.9910. Hes one of the best tech guys I know in the automotive field. __________________ GTO Change the way you think, and watch the world change around you. Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

3rd December 2006, 01:06	#5 (permalink)
speedzak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Delhi. It's work'n work! Posts: 3,646 View My Garage	A typical Fiat owners' sorrow! Shall we say? And now we all know why their cars flop and becomes dead stock after sometime from the launch. My NANA is a diehard fan of fiat. He owned almost every fiat launched here. After some problems he had with UNO which wasn't sorted out after many different treatments, he sold it. Bought a PETRA which again is following it's predecessor. Sad! Truly. __________________ Music heaven a touch away! SK456's Santro.

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3rd December 2006, 00:00	#4 (permalink)
nickatnite BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: new york Posts: 462 View My Garage	My father has three cars including a 2006 Toyota Corolla.recently, he dinged the 'Rolla a bit.Took it to the dealer to get it fixed(Lanson Toyota in Chennai).Nice guys( i was there when he bought the car), but they gave him the usual rigmarole about leaving the car for two days etc.My dad says he just took the car to his trusted old mechanic who services his Esteem and Santro.The 'Rolla was back in the garage the same evening and i saw pics of before and after the ding.I couldn't tell the difference.Moral:Always build up a good relationship with a mechanic you can trust.Give a little once in a while to keep him happy and you'll have trouble free cars to enjoy and drive!!.I do the same in the US.I avoid dealers unless the car is being fixed under warranty!.

3rd December 2006, 08:11	#6 (permalink)
urdudesamy BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 51	It's just that you need a guy who knows teh ina and out of this engi8ne, which are very few. As this is the 1 litre carb engine, try googling might get some answers if it's a known issue. Ciao Samy

3rd December 2006, 09:55	#7 (permalink)
shekharlele Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 15	Hi Guys, Thanks for the replies. Showed it to 2 different mechanics locally, verdict is the same. It's a problem with the float needle and probably the float, which is why the carb. is getting flooded. They say it's a minor thing to repair, but we need the float and needle. Anyone knows where in Mumbai I could get Uno spares (except for the dealer, of course) and if this issue is indeed minor?