[scofield]

Can you just show some pictures with respect to the oil sump damage and also request you to kindly have a word with the external surveyor as to what made him to take that decision ? Oil sump can only be damaged if you have taken the car to some off roading where big stones have hit the under belly of the car and also the impact should be very hard because the oil sump is protected by a think metal cover from below.

[coloneljasi]

[quote=scofield;2852143]Can you just show some pictures with respect to the oil sump damage and also request you to kindly have a word with the external surveyor as to what made him to take that decision ? {/quote]

Here's a photograph of the removed oil sump. As you can see, there's not much damage save for the small indentations.

I have already spoken to the surveyor and he said that the claim was rejected because of the dents. When I introduced myself professionally, he simply stated that there was nothing he could do. He was not willing to discuss the technical aspects and said that he'd get into trouble with the insurer if he did not declare the dents and reject the claim. So much for professionalism!

Yes, there is a dent in the sump, but not significant enough to cause oil starvation leading to premature wear in the oil rings. The dealer agrees with this stand however they are not able to convince TATA/Fiat.

I have taken up the matter on another level and am waiting for the results of that. Let's see how that turns out.

Meanwhile, my car is still at the dealer and we're struggling without it. To top it off, my i10 AT has been involved in an accident and is at the paint shop. Perfect timing!

[coloneljasi]

[quote=scofield;2852143]Can you just show some pictures with respect to the oil sump damage and also request you to kindly have a word with the external surveyor as to what made him to take that decision ? {/quote]

Here's a photograph of the removed oil sump. As you can see, there's not much damage save for the small indentations.



I have already spoken to the surveyor and he said that the claim was rejected because of the dents. When I introduced myself professionally, he simply stated that there was nothing he could do. He was not willing to discuss the technical aspects, simply repeated that he'd get into trouble with the insurer if he did not declare the dents and reject the claim. So much for professionalism!

Yes, there is a dent in the sump, but not significant enough to cause oil starvation leading to premature wear in the oil rings. The dealer agrees with this stand however they are not able to convince TATA/Fiat. The agency providing Fiat with the extended warranty are on their way out and so are rejecting as much claims as possible. So what's Fiat doing about it? Nothing, only saying that it is not within their purview.

I have taken up the matter on another level and am waiting for the results of that. Let's see how that turns out.

Meanwhile, my car is still at the dealer and we're struggling without it. To top it off, my i10 AT has been involved in an accident and is at the paint shop. Perfect timing!

[NoMind]

talk to mangesh, check the forum for the numbers and email addresses. Good luck !

[coloneljasi]

Still waiting for the official approval from Fiat for repairing the car under extended warranty.

@ NoMind: I have not contacted Mangesh yet, but thanks for that.

Luckily, I managed to get a contact at Fiat India through other means. He has assured that it will be sorted out, however Fiat is taking their own sweet time to confirm this and commence repairs.

Mods: Could you please remove my previous post which has a duplicate (without the photo). Additionally, please edit the thread title as my car has covered more than 60,000kms now. Many thanks!

[coloneljasi]

Looks like there's going to be an end to this ordeal after all! After nuremous changes in the promised date of delivery, I've been told that I will be getting my car back tomorrow. So a little over two months to sort out a few valves that were not seated properly due to carbon deposit.

The dealer has told me that most of the repair cost is being covered by Global Assurance (Fiat's current extended warranty provider) and the balance would be taken care of by Fiat's goodwill warranty. Even still, I will be expected to bear a part of the cost, which I was expecting anyway. But I don't know why Fiat's been saying all along that everything is covered.

Anyway, I just hope that the car is repaired and given back to us in a good condition. I will decide in a few months whether or not to sell her off.

I know that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with a car, no matter how well you take care of it. But I'll think twice about going through the same ardous process of fighting to get legitimate claims approved by Fiat/TATA, or whoever decides to take over Fiat aftersales in the future.

If only Fiat had acted sooner, they would not have lost another Fiat enthusiast like me.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by coloneljasi

If only Fiat had acted sooner, they would not have lost another Fiat enthusiast like me.

Hi coloneljasi, I quoted your post to get your attention. I have a small clarification to ask from you and other Linea MJD owners.

Recently, the Blaupunkt music system on my dad's Linea conked off. He showed the problem to the Tata dealer in Hassan, who removed the HU and sent it to his HQ in Mangalore for repair.

Till now, they have not been able to diagnose the problem. Apparently, they need a credit card sized card which contains a set of codes for this particular head unit. They say that this 'card' was given along with the manual and other documents. But, neither me nor my dad remember seeing it.

Have you collected that 'card' for the music system? The dealer says that without this card (and the codes), they cannot repair the system. Have you ever faced any issues with the music system in your car?

[Amazing]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Apparently, they need a credit card sized card which contains a set of codes for this particular head unit. They say that this 'card' was given along with the manual and other documents. But, neither me nor my dad remember seeing it.

Have you collected that 'card' for the music system? The dealer says that without this card (and the codes), they cannot repair the system. Have you ever faced any issues with the music system in your car?

Yes a card with a code has been given to us during delivery of car, for the BPknt music system. Now I understand the importance of the card :-)

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Amazing

Yes a card with a code has been given to us during delivery of car, for the BPknt music system. Now I understand the importance of the card :-)

Thanks. It is crazy to give something important (the code?) on a small card. Why can't they the print the code in a simple user manual and give it?

EDIT: Just remembered that even the RCs are coming as smart cards

[Amazing]

not a small CC sized card, but a 6 X 4 inch card , attached to the Blaupunkt manual as far as i remember.

[coloneljasi]

Yes, Fiat follows the european model of providing the radio code on a card which is supplied with the booklets and manuals. I don't know about the other European car makers in India, but VW's radio code is accessed online and do not provide car-specific cards.

Radio codes are not essential for India as hardly anyone steals OE stereos from cars. This is rampant in the west though and if you do lose the code, you have to pay almost as much as a new stereo to get it from the dealer or from other specialist websites.

I had a T Reg Fiat Bravo 1.8 HLX in the UK and it had the same type of card, as did the other cars that I'd owned while I was there.

I'm afraid you'll have to pay to get the code. There are a lot of websites that can supposedly get the code, but some of them are fakes so please be careful. Or you could try the Fiat Forum.

[aditya116]

Originally Posted by coloneljasi

The car has been performing as it should. Agreed the car no longer feels like a new car, then again 50k on Kerala's roads are punishment enough. There have been a few unscheduled dealer visits, mostly for suspension sound and two brake pad replacements.

The beige coating paint has peeled off on the trim which houses the cigarette lighter and hand brake. back and the elusive trim is no where in sight.
The car's had two brand new tyres at 35000 kms. Surprisingly, the rear tyres still have some life in them and the wear indicators are yet to show. Nevertheless, I will be replacing them soon enough.

And then there's the usual question regarding the service standards. Yes, I do not like TATA dealerships in general, but to be honest my dealer does tend to exceed my expectations at times. Being in the same industry does have it's benefits, but then again my job also makes me biased!
I knew what I was getting into when I put my money down for the Linea within a few weeks of the Indian launch. And I'm yet to regret doing that....

dear colonel, from your location coordinates i gather you are based in calicut.good to see a fellow motorhead from same city.Your post is well thought and pretty much reflects the average state of sales affairs, wear issues and impromptu failures common with every linea. the driver side trim is peeling off in both my and my friends punto(2010).I gather that braking is best in class but it doesnt offset the ridiculously low brakepad life.North kerela roads and traffic are particularly wearing on tyres, have you faced issues with uneven tyre wear? Marina motors arent a patch compared to KVR kannur and are only interested in making money - try them if you have complex issues like the one with oil leak.

[bhunu AMG]

Hi there, My linea (2010 aug )has a odo reading of 50k and for the car's performance I will give 7 out of 10. But for the last one year or so I'm finding an odd behaviour in the turbo system(I think!!) Twice in a month I used to take Coimbatore-Pkd-trichur route n in between,if some where i start pushing her in a spirited way for few km-say 20 or 25km then suddenly;the rpm won't go up,even if my right leg touches the metal !! N she will take her sweet time to climb up to 3k in rpm meter.Then suddenly all the power comes back !! Again if I have to break,then the story repeat but all this will disappear when I opt for normal drive for few km. I have visited the Service centre thrice for this n they never could find out the reason, once I have taken the service guy and a work shop supervisor to show the complaint and driven around 30km in L&T bypass at speeds around 120km n some power shifts too but my bad luck the problem didn't come up that day!!👻
If you could provide any point regarding this then it will be a great help..thanks n best regards
Except this now some strange noise is coming when I turn the steering too,like twisting a spring!!
other than this she is perfect!! I'm pleased with her high speed handeling n GC also now ok :-) after changing the tyre profile.Break pad changed @ 35k km. No other big expenses.

[coloneljasi]

Hello aditya116! There are quite a few of us t-bhpians in Calicut, unfortunately we are not as organised as our southern counterparts. I have to agree with observations about the overall service quality of Fiats. Yes, the brake pads wear out pretty quick, but they do their job well.

I have been to KVR only once, coincidentally that was to replace my pads when I was travelling to Kannur. It was a sunday, but they'd organised things reasonably well. To be fair, Marina personnel had co-ordinated the repair with them, so there's still hope for them.

The front OE tyres of my car had worn out completely by 30000kms but strangely the rear tyres last right till the Fiat crossed the 50000 mark. I have the same OE spec and brand tryes on my car, two of them may last another 5000kms at max before needing replacement.

BTW, I know that my handle can be confusing, but I'm a civilian like the rest of us. The rank used to something of a nickname for me in my childhood days. I do not in any way mean any disrespect to those who have served/are serving.

@ bhunu AMG: Have you tried turning off the engine and then driving again when the power loss happens? Do you hear any whistling noise while this phenomenon happens? Sounds like your car might be having a defective injector or two. The only option that I can give you is to ask the dealer to keep the car for two days and ask them to drive it in the same conditions till they encounter the same problem.

I know that it's not a very comfortable situation to be in, I know I wouldn't be. But unless they actually experience the problem or detect an error code, they won't be able to do much.

As far as the twisting sound is concerned, it could just be the coil spring. A simple reset should do the trick. My Linea's had that same complaint twice before.

And last but not least, my car is finally back home. I've had to pay for some of the regular maintenance parts that were not covered under extended warranty. I have only the driven the twice after it's return but I can safely say that the black smoke has disappared and the engine does sound quieter during cold starts and coasting.

Although the dealer has looked into my main concern, other things like door sounds, suspension noise has been overlooked. I was expecting them to be a bit more thorough with the car as it's been there for two whole months. . That's how I would have done it.

My father uses the car for commuting 60kms daily, so I'll reserve my feedback till the car runs 800-1000kms.

[bhunu AMG]

Hi Jasi, thanks for your points.Next time it happens,I will surely try turning off the engine n again crank it. No, there is no whistling sound or rather no change in the noise from engine when this happens but obviously i'm loosing my confidence to take her for long journeys.n about ...injectors!!! Fingers crossed !! Do you know how much it may cost??!!
My tyres lasted for 40k but i had changed into Michelin lc on the same day of delivery it self. Now she runs on MRF coz I opted for 195/65/r15 n Michelin was around 1500rs costlier than MRF/tyre.