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Old 14th September 2017, 14:01   #1
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Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Left rear wheel came off the car while driving home after the car came back from Service

I had given my Fiat Punto Emotion+ for Service and some other work which included Wheel Balancing and Alignment and replacement of Engine Mounts. Vehicle was delivered to me at my office yesterday evening. I took a small test drive with delivery driver at my office and noticed that there was some engine vibration in the mounts. However I made the payment and took delivery of the Vehicle.

As I was driving home there was some additional vibration and just as I was taking a turn at a signal on a major T junction, the left rear wheel came off the car and there was a grinding noise as the car suspension hit the ground. This is a catastrophic failure and could have resulted a dangerous accident had it been at a higher speed. It appears that the wheel nuts had not been tightened properly and they fell off with wheel coming off the car entirely.

In addition to the above, the Service Adviser neglected to inform me that only 2 mounts have been changed as they were out of stock of the 3rd mount. He informed this to me when I called him after my test drive to complain that there was still some vibration and noise.

I am shocked at the shoddy workmanship and lack of basic quality in fixing wheel nuts and did not expect this from an Authorised Fiat Dealer. I have never had a wheel come off in my 38 years of driving.
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:07   #2
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

This is an extremely callous display of poor standards and workmanship.

You should immediately return them the favour, by sending them a legal notice.

Could you post some pictures of the vehicle post of accident?
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:12   #3
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Good to know you are safe and sound.

This is an extremely poor show by the dealer and his staff. It must be escalated to Fiat.
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:18   #4
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Phew! Glad that you are OK, but they should pay the price. Please escalate this to FIAT and ask them to fix any damages arised out of this mishap free of cost.

They should have informed you beforehand if they have only 2 engine mounts in stock and should have replaced only after getting an approval from you.

--Anoop
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:22   #5
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Pride Motors is MOPAR authorized as well, IIRC. This is absolutely pathetic service - No other way to put it.

All the Jeep goodwill gathered by FCA in the recent months will go for a toss if the dealers start making a mess of things - with their nonchalant attitude now that the volumes are picking up.

That said - I've strictly made it a habit to stay back at the service center irrespective of brands. Even the best dealerships don't treat the vehicles as good as we owners do!
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:37   #6
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ksreddy View Post
Left rear wheel came off the car while driving home after the car came back from Service

I am shocked at the shoddy workmanship and lack of basic quality in fixing wheel nuts and did not expect this from an Authorised Fiat Dealer. I have never had a wheel come off in my 38 years of driving.
That is ridiculous on Fiat's part.
Now these kind of mistakes are something that I have always dreaded whenever these guys handle our cars. I don't know how many of you have noticed that most of these people who work on servicing/detailing/washing or any other activities are constantly getting distracted either through their phones and or colleagues around for some reason.

Absolutely no guarantee that any human will not make mistakes in their work when distracted in such a manner.

I know it is always not possible for everyone to spend entire day at the service centre, but I will always recommend that just to keep a hawk eye on them!.
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:41   #7
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ksreddy View Post
I had given my Fiat Punto Emotion+ for Service and some other work which included Wheel Balancing and Alignment and replacement of Engine Mounts. Vehicle was delivered to me at my office yesterday evening. I took a small test drive with delivery driver at my office and noticed that there was some engine vibration in the mounts. However I made the payment and took delivery of the Vehicle.
Pride FCA came into existence 3 months back, when Butta Automotives, who were dealers for Fiat, ceased their operations on 31st May 2017.They belong to the flagship group of Pride Honda.
Having said this the most of the Butta Service managers moved into Pride FCA.When Jeep was launched under Pride FCA, I met the owner who promised me a top notch service levels.
Coincidentally, my Palio 1.6 suffered the same fate, as the mechanics did not tighten the wheel nuts and I would have crashed to death, if I hadn't noticed and stopped on time.
You should take this up seriously with Fiat India or talk to the Service Head at Pride FCA (I can provide you the contact details) and knock some sense and responsibility into them. Best Wishes.

Last edited by GTO : 15th September 2017 at 11:19. Reason: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers. Thanks!
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Old 14th September 2017, 14:46   #8
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Quote:
Originally Posted by hillram View Post
Pride FCA came into existence 3 months back, when Butta Automotives, who were dealers for Fiat, ceased their operations on 31st May 2017.

You should take this up seriously with Fiat India or talk to the Service Head at Pride FCA (I can provide you the contact details) and knaock some sense and responsibility into them. Best Wishes.
I sent an email to Fiat at their Service email and raised an issue on the Website. Unable to contact the Service Manager at the Fiat Service Centre. Would appreciate your sharing the Pride Fiat Service head contacts.

Luckily there was no damage to the car and everything appears to be running fine after their mechanics came and fixed the wheel back.
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Old 14th September 2017, 15:10   #9
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ksreddy View Post
I sent an email to Fiat at their Service email and raised an issue on the Website. Unable to contact the Service Manager at the Fiat Service Centre. Would appreciate your sharing the Pride Fiat Service head contacts
You can reach out to Mr.Prem Kumar (FCA Pride Service Head)-8367780664. He is a helpful person. Also you can refer my name Ram Kiran.
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Old 14th September 2017, 15:33   #10
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

That is some bad news. Glad to know that you were safe. It is pathetic service by Fiat. You could count Fiat owners on finger tips and yet Fiat does not bother to keep these owners at least happy with good service.

I am raising this issue with Mangesh Kodalkar on your behalf. Lets see if your pain can be lessened by his intervention.

How did you manage to bring the car to a halt, didn't the car tilt a bit with no tyre on rear left?
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Old 14th September 2017, 17:53   #11
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re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Quote:
Originally Posted by hillram View Post
You can reach out to Mr.Prem Kumar (FCA Pride Service Head)-8367780664. He is a helpful person. Also you can refer my name Ram Kiran.
Thanks for the contact. I got a call from the the Service Manager and Fiat. Will escalate if needed.
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Old 15th September 2017, 11:33   #12
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Re: Shoddy service by Pride Fiat, Hyderabad - Rear wheel came off while driving!

Guys,

Just a note - it is important to retorque the lug nuts whenever you get the wheels changed or rotated. This is even more important with aluminium wheels. I learnt this the hard way in 2003 when I got new tyres for my Accord (in Boston); the same evening, I almost lost the front right wheel on the freeway! The heavy wobbling sound got my attention to it.

Some sources from Google'bhai. There are lots more if you search for it:

Self-loosening of bolts & nuts

Quote:
Fortunately, there is a well-known remedy for lost clamping force. It is simply to re-torque the wheel nuts after a short amount of driving. There is no need to remove the wheels or even jack the vehicle off the ground – just using a torque wrench to apply the manufacturer’s specified torque to each wheel nut after a short amount of driving will normally cure any loss of clamping force.

Re-torqueing works because the thinning rate can be high early in the life of the wheel components that are clamped together. Once some thinning has happened, the wheels will securely seat themselves once the clamping force is restored by re-torqueing. Many vehicle manufacturers and wheel or tire installers recommend the re-torqueing procedure take place after the first 15 to 500 miles of driving following a wheel installation. Some wheel or tires installers have customers acknowledge that a re-torque is needed by having them initial the requirement on their invoice.
Source

Quote:
Why the need to retorque, or retighten the lug nuts? When a technician removes and re-installs the nuts, he disturbs them, and it takes about 100 kilometres for the nuts to become ‘settled in’ once again.

After exposure to several cycles of getting warm and cold, supporting the weight of the vehicle, and being subjected to forces exerted on the wheels during steering or travelling over bumps, this settling in can cause the lug nuts to shift slightly, possibly loosening in the process.

Some lug nuts do and others don’t. Many factors are at play, including the material the wheels are made of, and how the vehicle is driven.
Source

Quote:
NOTE: When installing new wheels you should re-torque them after traveling the first 50 to 100 klms. This is necessary because as the wheels are "breaking in" they may compress slightly allowing their lugs to lose some of their torque. Simply repeat the same torque procedure listed above.
Source

Quote:
Note: After installing new wheels you should re-torque your lug hardware after the first 50 to 100 miles of driving. This is necessary because as the wheels are breaking in they may compress slightly allowing their lugs to lose some of their torque. Simply repeat the same torque procedure listed above.
Source
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