Team-BHP - 2014 Fiat Punto Evo : A Close Look

Quote:

Originally Posted by freakmuzik (Post 3561667)

Maybe the business man went hunting for a car that has a good stock pile up so that he'l get an immediate delivery ! lol Nevertheless, I love the punto and now the sales seem better at around a steady 950. Anyways, good gesture as it's not so common to see businessmen sharing their profits!

Better avoid mockeries here (your love of punto doesn't make it the other way) - it doesn't suit our forum. It may be that the businessman chose to gift Punto out of his passion for FIAT. At the end of the day FIAT's sales figures are going to get bumped up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinodvayyat (Post 3561771)

That was just on a lighter note. I'm sorry if you were offended by that post. And i believe I said nothing bad to defame the forum. And I seriously did feel that the idea of an "immediate delivery" may be possible. Peace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinodvayyat (Post 3562217)

Are we adding anything meaningful to the thread by these discussions?! Service centers do know how to give appointments to customers.

Surat has only 2 Fiat service centres as of now and if it remains the same, handling so many cars will definitely be a challenge. I'm sure the dealers and Fiat will handle it but it will still take atleast 10 - 15 days for all cars to be covered. The sudden rush though will be new to them.

:OT Suggestion - If you have to object to any post / find it irrelevant please use the report button to bring it to the notice of the mods rather then creating another post !

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun (Post 3562315)

Its a paltry 500 nos. Not a big deal at all. When a city like Bangalore(highest consumer of brand Fiat) had just 3(very recently Vecto opened another one) centers to service Fiats, 500 is not even a number to worry about. The service center should worry only if the presence of 500 additional Fiats on streets attracts many more and people start buying Punto. If that happens, its a good head ache to have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun (Post 3562315)

I was not having any objections and I know how to report that - thanks for pointing it out anyway.

BTW - this entire discussion about whether FASS can handle 500 cars at a time in one city is indeed :OT ?!

One FASS center can handle on an average of 35-40 Cars a day (as I knew from a Service Manager). So exactly as you said if they schedule 500 cars over 10-15 days, what is the issue there? They will anyway stop giving appointments if it goes more than a particular number - apart from other running repairs and stuffs like that. Anyway, all 500 cars will not go on the same day for service!!! I know and have faced the difficulty in scheduling a service appointment for my dad's Maruti vehicle - we had to get an appointment after 2 weeks.

I think FIAT has enough sense to start more service centers or expand the existing ones if they find it unmanageable.

Sorry for the OT stuff from me.

I bought a Punto Active in 2010 and had a few accidents (experiences) with it - toppled it a few times. I drove it some 80,000 kms and with 5 EMI's left to be paid, I felt it was the right time to buy a new car.

Now I must share with you how I zeroed in on my new car. The new Mahindra Scorpio was to go with my big house at Shimla and be my status symbol, but then I recalled the scrapes the drunk guests from the nearby guest houses will make on my SUV in a tight parking, on the road. The base version of the diesel Ford EcoSport too was on offer, but I couldn't pay the extra 2 lacs for the car. Then I tried to save some money and looked at the Chevy Beat diesel. At 4.88 lacs it looked expensive. Then I went to see a 2014 Hyundai i-20 Sportz (old model) at a discount of Rs. 50,000. But the ground clearance made me decide otherwise.

I still recalled the step motherly treatment the TASS people used to give to Punto owners back then. My trips to Swato Automobiles in Delhi, who were importers of fiat parts and the shockers, link rods, break pads I used to carry as spares in my rucksack, but never once in my life did I curse my car, which was an extension of me. With the opening of Fiat dealerships things now began to look up. I drove from Palampur (workplace) to Hamirpur for my routine service a few times and there my Punto got attention from all the service staff/managers. It felt special and I always left satisfied. Then one day as I was waiting in the Fiat lounge, I saw the Evo parked outside and took a test drive. Now, just today as the finance guy landed up at my office to do the formalities for the next loan, undecided and still confused, I called up my friend who is always there to reaffirm and guide me. I also recalled how I bought the Punto Active back in 2010, on his advice and without even taking a test drive. He just told me to go for what I believed in. The next thing I know was that I was driving my old Punto to collect my new Punto at 6 pm. Hamirpur is 2 1/2 hrs from Palampur and in the Diwali festivities the roads were jammed as we passed through towns. I reached Hamirpur at 8 pm and was overwhelmed to see 8-10 staff along with their bosses waiting for me to deliver the car. I must say I was greatly moved by their gesture and don't feel any Maruti dealer will do the same.

I just want to tell you all that good-bad are the part of the same continuum and there is goodness in bad too, for I firmly believe that only the best can be the worst & vice-versa. We must broaden our thoughts & vision & grow over the herd mentality. The thought of taking a Maruti car to the dealer for service gives me nightmares!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellletloose (Post 3562688)

I must say I was greatly moved by their gesture & I don't feel any maruti dealer will do the same.[/b]

+1 to that. My dad's car recently went for a running repair in Palakkad, Kerala to the busiest Maruti service center. I could find only two car lifts there whereas FIAT service at the same place have 7/8 lifts. About the service - needless to say - I was so disappointed. When they painted some scratches and stuffs like that some paint got sprayed unnecessarily over tail lights and areas around it. When I pointed out, they said "it will go if you give a good rub during the wash"!!! And this they were saying to me (I have one big kit of car care products ranging from Armorall Windscreen wash to Meguiar's 2X rubbing compound). Hearing this I asked them to deliver the car soon by resolving issues (this was 1 hour past promised delivery time). The seen I saw when I visited the service bay after that was shocking - they were rubbing the painted surface with a Tyre tube's rubber piece with rubbing compound. I went straight away to the manager and complained. A chain of arguments went around after that I had to fight with them for another 2 hours to get tail lamp replaced (they were unable to remove paint marks). According to them, their customers will not usually argue on such matters.

To sum it up - every brand has such issues. Back in Vecto Motors (FASS) Bangalore, I enjoyed the warmth of true ASS last week. I appeal to all critics to come out of their feelings - FASS is not always bad.