Fiat Linea - "Did You Know?" Series

VahanPujari · 28th August 2009, 12:19

Fiat Linea was launched in mid-Jan'09. We've a "T-BHP Linea owners" group here where 10-12 members are regulars. Almost all of us did not own a Fiat (leave aside Padmini) earlier. Linea being a new car & carrying certain first of its kind features/ equipments, there are certain items which we thought would help recent Linea owners if we earlier Linea-owners share it here. Thats the objective of this thread - "Did You Know?" Series.

As almost none of us owned a Fiat earlier & Fiat's past in India has a coloured history, obviously most of us were quite skeptical for even a minor item (as it invokes fear of long-term ownership experience). So, we (including yours truly!) tend to react to every small non-issue as well. However, almost every time afterwards we realised its a way of life & not an issue.

This thread is an attempt to share with recent Linea-owners our experiences & some simple solutions of such non-issues so the ownership experience of possessing this beauty is fully enjoyed.

Did You Know? That...

The small Rear Quarter Glass Chrome Beadings are susceptible to come out of its fixing. Why? Because if you look at from front across / along the edge of the Chrome beadings, you would notice a curve in Rear Quarter Glass Chrome Beadings. That means both its ends are constantly under "tension" & are induced to what is called tensile stress. Secondly, the shape of Rear Q Glass beading is tapering, getting narrower towards the farthest end. Thirdly, The Length is small, hence less sticking surface, hence less sticking strength. Turkish Glue did not weather the Indian conditions & above 3 situations didn't help either. Apparently it seems Fiat has stopped using Turkish Glue & have found the solution to the issue. - If you want to do it DIY (I prefer that), this can be fixed with rubber adhesives like Fevi Bond or Hit Lock. DO NOT USE FeviQuik as far as possible as it leaves a plasticky layer. Bhpian Sunilrj also got it fixed by TASS using Glass Sealant & is happy

The Pull-lever (in cabin) to open the Bonnet is detachable. Some gets feeling that its broken when detached. But it's not. If accidentally, one detaches it inadvertantly, it can be fixed by pushing hard into the groove.

Seat Height Lever, though looks very flmisy, there is a metal part inside weighing 1 - 1.5 kg. This is shared by a bhpian, neotraveller who has seen it personally.

Wiper fluid nozzles are fixed with a clip on 1 side & a ridge on the other side. If accidentally because of may be a sharp impact or accident, it becomes loose, the same can be fixed DIY by first pushing the ridge in bonnet groove & then pushing the clip on the other side.

Rattles : Though most of the Petrol Lineas (including mine) are as silent as ever (2-3 times I did not know engine running as it was totally silent & tried to crank it), some diesel Lineas developed some rattles which were cured afterwards. The biggest culprits to rattles were found by t-bhpians is Sunfilm installers. they remove doorpads/ glass etc & when they reassemble, they are always left with 5-6 screws, nuts, bolts which they do not find where to fit . Ditto for Seat Cover installers. Take care in these 2 items & the Linea is as silent as ever. The other causes could be Rear Seat-belt assembly, loose Rear Parcel tray etc. Also check your loose belongings in the Front & Rear Armrest gloveboxes. Other items to check are rubber bushing/ rubber washers on inside of doors & on body where door closes or the screws of lock assembly. Those screws are 'alignable'. Combination of all these has solved any rattles in some of the Lineas of bhpians here.

Driver Seat Height once set goes down automatically: Its found by bhpians that this problem is caused by thigh touching the Height Adjustment Lever while Ingress & Egress. However, Fiat has a solution & have installed a smaller redesigned Lever in a few Linea's of bhpians here which has solved this.

Till date since Jan'09 to Aug'09, none of the bhpians have mentioned any issue about the Engine, any Engine Part, Electrical/ Electronics or any part thereof

We've experienced that Fiat is going all the way to solve any query/ issue raised by us. Almost everything has been done FoC. If you find that TASS is not responding properly, send an email to Fiat, & rest assured of a response from Fiat towards resolution. This is what is the biggest comfort to our suspicions earlier on - Fiat's intentions are right on customer support

I invite all bhpians of "T-BHP Linea-owners" group to share their experiences of smaller non-issues & the solutions they had figured out to share with recent Linea owners. I also invite all recent Linea-owners to visit Linea Ownership threads here (you'll find mixed emotions obviously for the reasons/suspicions mentioned above

)

aks_karthik · 28th August 2009, 12:29

Added to these Lists.

1.Rear Seat Belt has some rattling issues in some of members cars.it has been taken care by TASS by replacing the Seat Belt Assembly under warranty.

2.some squeaking noise comes from the steering column.might be some lose threads.can be fixed by visiting TASS.

3.Wiper issue.some of the members has got some noise while whipping.was fixed by changing the wiper blades under warranty.

4. Fuse Box under the steering column is not fitted properly.Panel gap is evident.it has been handled in TASS by using the new clips which is thicker than exisiting one.New cars are coming with the new clips.

5.Some noise comes from the wheel while doing U- turn in the slope.These is becasue of faulty Anti-Roll Bars.It's replaced under warranty.In some batches has this issue.

vasudeva · 28th August 2009, 12:30

You sure are opening something here. I am sure that you are not keen on winning any popularity contests here!!!.

This thread could soon become the most viewed and commented one.
Best of luck. You do plan to buy Linea soon??

Pragmites · 28th August 2009, 12:39

Great initiative. Will certainly be very useful to all existing and potential Linea ( and possibly Punto) owners. Right now I know that the answers are there somewhere on tphp, but have to search several threads to find the answer.

JVH · 28th August 2009, 12:40

Great stuff!

When I saw the title, I thought it would be "What are the features in the car which the others did not have?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasudeva

This thread could soon become the most viewed and commented one.
Best of luck. You do plan to buy Linea soon??

If you are referring to VP, he's already got a petrol Linea and the post is a result of his and the other BHPians observations.

McLaren Rulez · 28th August 2009, 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by JVH

Great stuff!

When I saw the title, I thought it would be "What are the features in the car which the others did not have?"

.

I expected surprising touches that most owners wouldn't discover. How about some Linea owners post such touches that they chance upon in their car?

gowda79 · 28th August 2009, 12:51

Good initiatives guys and i guess this should be moved to the Under the hood section

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasudeva

You sure are opening something here. I am sure that you are not keen on winning any popularity contests here!!!.

This thread could soon become the most viewed and commented one.
Best of luck. You do plan to buy Linea soon??

It is some good initiatives taken up by the Fiat owners to point out the problems and solutions for the same and no one is trying to win a popularity contest.

akj53 · 28th August 2009, 12:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Till date since Jan'09 to Aug'09, none of the bhpians have mentioned any issue about the Engine, any Engine Part, Electrical/ Electronics or any part thereof

We've experienced that Fiat is going all the way to solve any query/ issue raised by us. Almost everything has been done FoC. If you find that TASS is not responding properly, send an email to Fiat, & rest assured of a response from Fiat towards resolution. This is what is the biggest comfort to our suspicions earlier on - Fiat's intentions are right on customer support

)

At last FIAT is proving superior to Skoda in terms of no major component
failure and above all an eagerness from the Company to listen to customers
and resolve all the issues. Bravo FIAT, If you keep this up, I hope you will
slowly and steadily become a major payer in Indian auto industry.

Skoda must learn something from FIAT. I had written earlier also that it needs
an Indian to understand the Indian market. The rise and dominance of all major auto players - Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and now revival of FIAT can be attributed to their Indian MD or CEO's. Skoda should also change its local management and appoint an Indian as MD.

VahanPujari · 28th August 2009, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

I expected surprising touches that most owners wouldn't discover. How about some Linea owners post such touches that they chance upon in their car?

Couldn't understand by surprise touches that we can chance upon in our car. But here is the list of small small items which are real good ones & found in very very few cars :

Foldable Key with Remote lock. Extremely convenient as the pocket does not get bulky

Boot opening button on Remote. Extremely convenient - experiences daily while putting my Laptop in the boot.

Both ORVMs CAN move backwards also. i.e. if a car/ bike comes from behind & hits ORVM, mostly it won't break but would move backwards.

Follow Me Home lights

Wiper in Wash & Wipe mode. It sprays water first & then wipes with 4-5 wipes & then after a few seconds it gives 1 more wipe to wipe residual water coming down on windshied. Some of the cars have this. My earlier car did not & I find it very convenient

Not getting into details of other bigger items like Rear Sun blind, Rear AC Vents, Blue & Me etc as they've been discussed extensively. These are there in some cars but not in the segment Linea is in.

coolboy007 · 28th August 2009, 13:13

Some normal things which Linea owners feel as faults:

1. Brake humming sound at slower speeds of 20-30 when brakes are applied. Many bhpians have got that checked including me and its normal, nothing to worry about. Serv centre people say its common with ABS cars.

2. Noise from steering when steering is turned a full turn left or right. This is the power steering motor kicking in and the sound is normal.

3. Rear right seat belt not locking. You must be using the lock given for the centre seatbelt, use the lock right to that and belt will lock in.

4. Facing problems with AC? Is it not cooling well? Get the AC drainage pipe checked, it might be blocked with dirt, get it cleaned to regain cooling.

5. Avoid removing doorpads removal etc for sunfilms etc as they are causing rattles which are very difficult to remove.

Thats all from my side.

shrinivasap · 28th August 2009, 13:21

Very good initiatives Amit. Yeha, this shold be a case study for Skoda. Are they reading this?

rajivn · 28th August 2009, 13:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Couldn't understand by surprise touches that we can chance upon in our car. But here is the list of small small items which are real good ones & found in very very few cars :

Foldable Key with Remote lock. Extremely convenient as the pocket does not get bulky

Boot opening button on Remote. Extremely convenient - experiences daily while putting my Laptop in the boot.

Both ORVMs CAN move backwards also. i.e. if a car/ bike comes from behind & hits ORVM, mostly it won't break but would move backwards.

Follow Me Home lights

Wiper in Wash & Wipe mode. It sprays water first & then wipes with 4-5 wipes & then after a few seconds it gives 1 more wipe to wipe residual water coming down on windshied. Some of the cars have this. My earlier car did not & I find it very convenient

Not getting into details of other bigger items like Rear Sun blind, Rear AC Vents, Blue & Me etc as they've been discussed extensively. These are there in some cars but not in the segment Linea is in.

Wonderful Initiative VP especially for potential buyers who would like to know all the positives and negatives of owning a Linea. Some of the features you listed above are small and cute touches which adds to the overall experience of this car.

Since this is going to be a thread which will be of immense help to potential buyers all the positives like Blue&Me, Rear AC Vents ( ive not seen in any C segment cars ), etc though well discussed elsewhere , can also be mentioned and discussed here. Well its my suggestion as its titled as "Did You Know" series.

New owners can actually take a printout of this thread and use it as a manual.

FastLove · 28th August 2009, 13:50

Good initiative Amit!

Here goes My contibution-

Did you know? ..
1. that some people like me are still completely in awe of the beauty and love every bit of the time spent with her

2. that most of the issues reported are rattling issues which were not directly linked to the cars built . they were mostly due to some work carried out like VP rightly pointed out. and mostly found in the diesel variant.

3. that the chrome beads falling is common and i faced it only once on one of the rear quarter glass.

4. that Linea is not "Underpowered" . If i can have the LAuras, Fiestas, City's and Swifts of the world, just trying to come anywhere near me and failing at that then i dont know what the underpowered tag means. Maybe its the Specs on paper that conveys the picture.

5. with the awesome handling and great braking that inspires superb confidence while driving , the baby is a dream to drive.

6. the TASS is getting better and i have not faced any issue that i would have to be bitter about so far. Infact there are measures taken where TASS have responded to mails on priority and resolved issues.

7. The Blue & Me voice controls work very well if spoken softly.

8. There is noise cancellation when you speak on the B&Me . So even if you have your car windows down and lot of noise coming in you still can be clearly audible at the other end with all outside noise deadened.

9. The GC of Linea is a concern . It is advisable not to run over even harmless looking stone (3 inches tall) on the road as it may hit the lower arm as i did experience once.

More later ...

VIKING · 28th August 2009, 13:52

Did you know the Linea has got a warning lamp on the instrument cluster that lights up when any of the external lights are not working. It also displays which one may be faulty on the LCD panel. For example "CHECK STOP LIGHTS".

harry10 · 28th August 2009, 13:57

Very good initiative Amit

i don't own a Linea but i love the looks and features thats why i follow all Linea threads.
Interesting points coming out already!

28th August 2009, 12:19	#1
VahanPujari BANNED Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,308 Thanked: 8 Times	Fiat Linea - "Did You Know?" Series Fiat Linea was launched in mid-Jan'09. We've a "T-BHP Linea owners" group here where 10-12 members are regulars. Almost all of us did not own a Fiat (leave aside Padmini) earlier. Linea being a new car & carrying certain first of its kind features/ equipments, there are certain items which we thought would help recent Linea owners if we earlier Linea-owners share it here. Thats the objective of this thread - "Did You Know?" Series. As almost none of us owned a Fiat earlier & Fiat's past in India has a coloured history, obviously most of us were quite skeptical for even a minor item (as it invokes fear of long-term ownership experience). So, we (including yours truly!) tend to react to every small non-issue as well. However, almost every time afterwards we realised its a way of life & not an issue. This thread is an attempt to share with recent Linea-owners our experiences & some simple solutions of such non-issues so the ownership experience of possessing this beauty is fully enjoyed. Did You Know? That... The small Rear Quarter Glass Chrome Beadings are susceptible to come out of its fixing. Why? Because if you look at from front across / along the edge of the Chrome beadings, you would notice a curve in Rear Quarter Glass Chrome Beadings. That means both its ends are constantly under "tension" & are induced to what is called tensile stress. Secondly, the shape of Rear Q Glass beading is tapering, getting narrower towards the farthest end. Thirdly, The Length is small, hence less sticking surface, hence less sticking strength. Turkish Glue did not weather the Indian conditions & above 3 situations didn't help either. Apparently it seems Fiat has stopped using Turkish Glue & have found the solution to the issue. - If you want to do it DIY (I prefer that), this can be fixed with rubber adhesives like Fevi Bond or Hit Lock. DO NOT USE FeviQuik as far as possible as it leaves a plasticky layer. Bhpian Sunilrj also got it fixed by TASS using Glass Sealant & is happy The Pull-lever (in cabin) to open the Bonnet is detachable. Some gets feeling that its broken when detached. But it's not. If accidentally, one detaches it inadvertantly, it can be fixed by pushing hard into the groove. Seat Height Lever, though looks very flmisy, there is a metal part inside weighing 1 - 1.5 kg. This is shared by a bhpian, neotraveller who has seen it personally. Wiper fluid nozzles are fixed with a clip on 1 side & a ridge on the other side. If accidentally because of may be a sharp impact or accident, it becomes loose, the same can be fixed DIY by first pushing the ridge in bonnet groove & then pushing the clip on the other side. Rattles : Though most of the Petrol Lineas (including mine) are as silent as ever (2-3 times I did not know engine running as it was totally silent & tried to crank it), some diesel Lineas developed some rattles which were cured afterwards. The biggest culprits to rattles were found by t-bhpians is Sunfilm installers. they remove doorpads/ glass etc & when they reassemble, they are always left with 5-6 screws, nuts, bolts which they do not find where to fit . Ditto for Seat Cover installers. Take care in these 2 items & the Linea is as silent as ever. The other causes could be Rear Seat-belt assembly, loose Rear Parcel tray etc. Also check your loose belongings in the Front & Rear Armrest gloveboxes. Other items to check are rubber bushing/ rubber washers on inside of doors & on body where door closes or the screws of lock assembly. Those screws are 'alignable'. Combination of all these has solved any rattles in some of the Lineas of bhpians here. Driver Seat Height once set goes down automatically: Its found by bhpians that this problem is caused by thigh touching the Height Adjustment Lever while Ingress & Egress. However, Fiat has a solution & have installed a smaller redesigned Lever in a few Linea's of bhpians here which has solved this. Till date since Jan'09 to Aug'09, none of the bhpians have mentioned any issue about the Engine, any Engine Part, Electrical/ Electronics or any part thereof We've experienced that Fiat is going all the way to solve any query/ issue raised by us. Almost everything has been done FoC. If you find that TASS is not responding properly, send an email to Fiat, & rest assured of a response from Fiat towards resolution. This is what is the biggest comfort to our suspicions earlier on - Fiat's intentions are right on customer support I invite all bhpians of "T-BHP Linea-owners" group to share their experiences of smaller non-issues & the solutions they had figured out to share with recent Linea owners. I also invite all recent Linea-owners to visit Linea Ownership threads here (you'll find mixed emotions obviously for the reasons/suspicions mentioned above)
	(4) Thanks

28th August 2009, 12:29	#2
aks_karthik Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,947 Thanked: 341 Times View My Garage	Added to these Lists. 1.Rear Seat Belt has some rattling issues in some of members cars.it has been taken care by TASS by replacing the Seat Belt Assembly under warranty. 2.some squeaking noise comes from the steering column.might be some lose threads.can be fixed by visiting TASS. 3.Wiper issue.some of the members has got some noise while whipping.was fixed by changing the wiper blades under warranty. 4. Fuse Box under the steering column is not fitted properly.Panel gap is evident.it has been handled in TASS by using the new clips which is thicker than exisiting one.New cars are coming with the new clips. 5.Some noise comes from the wheel while doing U- turn in the slope.These is becasue of faulty Anti-Roll Bars.It's replaced under warranty.In some batches has this issue. Last edited by aks_karthik : 28th August 2009 at 12:30.
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 12:30	#3
vasudeva Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 2,221 Thanked: 212 Times	You sure are opening something here. I am sure that you are not keen on winning any popularity contests here!!!. This thread could soon become the most viewed and commented one. Best of luck. You do plan to buy Linea soon?? Last edited by vasudeva : 28th August 2009 at 12:31.
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 12:39	#4
Pragmites BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: Once	Great initiative. Will certainly be very useful to all existing and potential Linea ( and possibly Punto) owners. Right now I know that the answers are there somewhere on tphp, but have to search several threads to find the answer.
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 13:13	#10
coolboy007 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,852 Thanked: 2,137 Times	Some normal things which Linea owners feel as faults: 1. Brake humming sound at slower speeds of 20-30 when brakes are applied. Many bhpians have got that checked including me and its normal, nothing to worry about. Serv centre people say its common with ABS cars. 2. Noise from steering when steering is turned a full turn left or right. This is the power steering motor kicking in and the sound is normal. 3. Rear right seat belt not locking. You must be using the lock given for the centre seatbelt, use the lock right to that and belt will lock in. 4. Facing problems with AC? Is it not cooling well? Get the AC drainage pipe checked, it might be blocked with dirt, get it cleaned to regain cooling. 5. Avoid removing doorpads removal etc for sunfilms etc as they are causing rattles which are very difficult to remove. Thats all from my side.
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 13:21	#11
shrinivasap BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 92 Thanked: 0 Times	Very good initiatives Amit. Yeha, this shold be a case study for Skoda. Are they reading this?
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 13:50	#13
FastLove BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 416 Thanked: 99 Times	Good initiative Amit! Here goes My contibution- Did you know? .. 1. that some people like me are still completely in awe of the beauty and love every bit of the time spent with her 2. that most of the issues reported are rattling issues which were not directly linked to the cars built . they were mostly due to some work carried out like VP rightly pointed out. and mostly found in the diesel variant. 3. that the chrome beads falling is common and i faced it only once on one of the rear quarter glass. 4. that Linea is not "Underpowered" . If i can have the LAuras, Fiestas, City's and Swifts of the world, just trying to come anywhere near me and failing at that then i dont know what the underpowered tag means. Maybe its the Specs on paper that conveys the picture. 5. with the awesome handling and great braking that inspires superb confidence while driving , the baby is a dream to drive. 6. the TASS is getting better and i have not faced any issue that i would have to be bitter about so far. Infact there are measures taken where TASS have responded to mails on priority and resolved issues. 7. The Blue & Me voice controls work very well if spoken softly. 8. There is noise cancellation when you speak on the B&Me . So even if you have your car windows down and lot of noise coming in you still can be clearly audible at the other end with all outside noise deadened. 9. The GC of Linea is a concern . It is advisable not to run over even harmless looking stone (3 inches tall) on the road as it may hit the lower arm as i did experience once. More later ...
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 13:52	#14
VIKING Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 23 Thanked: 0 Times	Did you know the Linea has got a warning lamp on the instrument cluster that lights up when any of the external lights are not working. It also displays which one may be faulty on the LCD panel. For example "CHECK STOP LIGHTS".
	() Thanks

28th August 2009, 13:57	#15
harry10 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Faridabad/Delhi Posts: 2,713 Thanked: 3,624 Times View My Garage	Very good initiative Amit i don't own a Linea but i love the looks and features thats why i follow all Linea threads. Interesting points coming out already!
	() Thanks