[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

I recommend you get the EGR, Intake Manifold, Inter-cooler and all turbo hoses cleaned. It makes a difference. But get it done at a place where they know the job. Newbies can screw up the heat exchanger while removing the EGR Valve.

Looking forward to see the amount of gunk in the Intake manifold.

Update- Driving down to Salem this weekend to get the 120k service plus EGR cleaning done at True Sai, Salem.

400 kms round trip for car service.

FYI to anyone else reading- Not that Bangalore doesn't have FIAT service centers, there are three actually. But the Salem one seems to be doing a very good job as confirmed by members including nkrishnap quoted. Hence thought of giving it a try.

No other issues to report with the other than the number plate bulb which needs replacement.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Issues faced + Service Experience #20 - General service + EGR, inlet manifold and intercooler cleaning @ 119200 kms.
Service Satisfaction - *****
Service Centre - True Sai Motors, Salem.

Yes, Salem. Finished my office shift by 2:30 AM, got back home and was back on the road by 5AM to get to the service center by 9AM. But, since wife chose to tag along with me - we reached by around 9:30 AM. And after a very long day, reached home back by 11:45 PM. Nevertheless, had a very good service experience at True Sai that makes the whole drive worth it.

I would rate it 5 good shiny stars, the ones seen in the sky compared to the christmas tree ones I have put earlier for Vecto!

For starters - Two guys worked on my car from 9:30 AM till 5:00 PM, and then when they took it for wheel alignment - they spent 1 hour 15 mins on it to get it spot on. Time was 6:15pm. And the service manager asked me if it was getting late for me (since I had to drive back to Bangalore). Told him I was worried it was getting late for them. And they spent the next 45 mins washing and prepping the vehicle, even the dashboard polish was not spared.

Few other BHP'ians had got the EGR cleaning for their cars (Around 50k done!) work done here two week back and they were pretty satisfied. Since I had never done it till date (~120k kms), decided not to risk it. The results as per the service center was ok, but begging to be cleaned. 60 - 80k km interval should be ideal as per their observations.

Regarding EGR cleaning work - absolute dedication. Loved the way two guys were only working on my car, taking their time and not rushing into it. They also found two of the pipes to be in a bad condition, one had a cut and one was in a deteriorated shape. Both were replaced.

Costs -

Bulb* 2 (Rear number plate) - Rs 86/-

EGR Valve, Heat Exchanger, Connection pipes assembly (L) - Rs 777/-
Turbo, manifold, sleeve assembly dismantle (L) - Rs 104/-
Turbocharger, intercooler (L) - Rs 292/-
Elastic Pad - Rs 14/-
Paraflu coolant - 1L - Rs 225/- ( I bought for topup as well later)
Flex hose (replaced) - Rs 872/-
Flex sleeve (replaced) - Rs 825/-

Scheduled service (L) - Rs 1195/-
4 wheel brake cleaning (L) - Rs 585/-
Engine Oil - Rs 1920/-
Oil Filter - Rs 432/-
Fuel filter - Rs 2162/-
Air Filter - Rs 453/-
a/c air filter - Rs 232/-
Consumables - Rs 146/-

Wheel alignment (L) - Rs 463/-
Wheel balancing (L) - Rs 376/-
110gm wheel weight - Rs 245/-
Anabond - Rs 20/-

Total - Rs 12086/-

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Looking forward to see the amount of gunk in the Intake manifold.

I missed to take a picture of the intake manifold, but trust me - soot was falling off like sand!

Here are some other shots -

Before -




After -

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

It makes a difference.

Oh yes it does! The turbo seems to be spooling hard and fast while driving the car. There is an eagerness to the engine response that i never even realised was missing.

Niggles Update-

The boot lamp is not coming on since the past few days. Turns out the sensor for the boot lock is the culprit and a replacement for the same could cost well north of Rs 2000/-

Have decided to take my time and think if its really worth the money spent or not!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

1,20,000 kms update -

Crossed the 1.2L kms milestone yesterday. Some small updates and statistics -



Some boring statistics:

Number of days: 1522 (~ 4 years 2 months)
Average running: ~ 78.84 kms / day.

The last 10k kms were covered in 136 days. Mostly driven to office and back, but had one trip from Bangalore to Trivandrum, another one from Bangalore to trivandrum via Tiruchendur and also one drive to Salem for service.



This should give an idea of how the car is holding up till date.

Window Shopping

Visited few showrooms last weekend and checked out Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Honda BRV, Jazz, Innova Crysta and Suzuki Baleno last week. Could get to drive only the Innova Crysta which though desirable - is totally out of my league in pricing. Hopped into the Punto at the end of the day and drove back home happily. Will pen down my updates post proper test drives later next week.

Ah! The satisfaction of not being tempted for an upgrade.

[CarMaster]

Hello Crazy Driver, I too recently hit 120k kms on my punto 1.3 mjd active. Apart from the routine maintenance like alternator and power steering belts, all fluids change, I couldn't get this EGR cleaned. But iam not noticing any power or mileage drop though.
Seeing your experience at True Sai Salem, I'm keen to drive down to Salem just to get EGR and associated parts cleaned. Please provide me thier contact details and address as iam getting multiple addresses on Google.
My car too running on stock clutch how long can we expect the clutch to last ? Thanks

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by CarMaster

Hello Crazy Driver, I too recently hit 120k kms on my punto 1.3 mjd active. Apart from the routine maintenance like alternator and power steering belts, all fluids change, I couldn't get this EGR cleaned. But iam not noticing any power or mileage drop though.
Seeing your experience at True Sai Salem, I'm keen to drive down to Salem just to get EGR and associated parts cleaned. Please provide me thier contact details and address as iam getting multiple addresses on Google.
My car too running on stock clutch how long can we expect the clutch to last ? Thanks

Hey... Congrats...

Regarding EGR cleaning, even I never experienced any major power loss or mileage drop. It was only after cleaning that I realized that the power drop was there earlier. Let's say there was a 10% drop in power, over the last 100k kms that you have been driving the car- it wouldn't even be perceptible right?

Regarding address, this showroom is on Omalur main road, right next to Bhima jewelry, and in the same building as a Honda two wheeler showroom. Map location shared below-

https://goo.gl/maps/pvxr6bAFsfw

Regarding clutch usage- No idea since it depends a lot on the driving conditions. I hope you are not feeling any judder while releasing the clutch. Also any power loss at higher rpms? I'm feeling neither as of now, and hoping and praying that the stock clutch lasts another 30k kms more.

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by CarMaster

Seeing your experience at True Sai Salem, I'm keen to drive down to Salem just to get EGR and associated parts cleaned. Please provide me thier contact details and address as iam getting multiple addresses on Google.
My car too running on stock clutch how long can we expect the clutch to last ? Thanks

I got my EGR cleaned from Pride Cars in Bangalore recently . He does a good job , although to be honest I don't really feel much difference between before and after , but I'm yet to take a long drive.

My stock clutch lasted around 77K, if you don't see any problems like slipping/juddering , or any hardness in engaging the gears , you should be good to go.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

I got my EGR cleaned from Pride Cars in Bangalore recently . He does a good job , although to be honest I don't really feel much difference between before and after , but I'm yet to take a long drive.

My stock clutch lasted around 77K, if you don't see any problems like slipping/juddering , or any hardness in engaging the gears , you should be good to go.

Was the intercooler and inlet manifold cleaned as well? What was the cost involved?

Pride cars does the regular service as well? Oil and filter changes? Or do we need to procure the parts and give them?

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Was the intercooler and inlet manifold cleaned as well? What was the cost involved?

Pride cars does the regular service as well? Oil and filter changes? Or do we need to procure the parts and give them?

The intake manifold was cleaned - he told me that explicitly, the intercooler must have also be cleaned - I need to check with him. I had left the car and wasn't around when the job was done. Charges were 2.8 K.

He does the regular service and these days he has better stock of parts. All of them may not be OEM but compatible and works perfectly fine in the Punto. Eg he put the Swift link rods in my car - same vendor as FIAT but the packaging is Maruti - and they cost 500/- as compared to about 1400/- for FIAT. Similarly , many parts from the Vista( filters , clutch ) are used in the Punto.

If you specifically want FIAT branded parts he can source them but you may have to wait for a week. He has fast moving OEM parts like the engine C-mount that I replaced and the front shocks , brake pads , brakes disc etc. He didn't have the strut mounts and tie rods , and he's going to source them for me.

These days Vecto is crowded - I can't visit without an appointment, and I've decided to visit Harish mostly . Many FIAT owners visit him, and most of them are quite satisfied with his work.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Ah! The satisfaction of not being tempted for an upgrade.

I know CD!! Although I've not done half your Miles on my Punto (Its at 46K in 2.5 years), I can echo your thoughts.

Had given the car for the 45K service last month. Same day went to check out some other cars with my colleagues. In the evening while picking my car back from the service center I could hardly think of a single reason to upgrade to any of the recent cars. The Punto still feels as good as new, if you disregard the small scratches here and there.

Congrats on the 1.2 and wish you many more happy trouble free miles with her.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Many FIAT owners visit him, and most of them are quite satisfied with his work.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by vibbs

I could hardly think of a single reason to upgrade to any of the recent cars.

The most tempting proposition for me till now has been the S-Cross 1.6 and the XUV 5OO. While XUV is a totally different sort of vehicle and is way above in budget requirements, SCross is as close to FIAT as Maruti could get - except the cracker of a 1.6 engine. And the only real advantage seems to be that engine for which we would need to shell out an additional 12-13L.

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

1,20,000 kms update -

Crossed the 1.2L kms milestone yesterday.

Congratulations CD, great going

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Ah! The satisfaction of not being tempted for an upgrade.

Originally Posted by vibbs

I could hardly think of a single reason to upgrade to any of the recent cars. The Punto still feels as good as new, if you disregard the small scratches here and there.

100% with both of you
In my 14 years driving, average holding period of my cars was 3 years before I got myself Punto in Feb 2012 (now 60K kms). Every time I think of an upgrade, I do not find a worthy one (in my budget) and feel contended and happy with what I have. Will carry on with this at least for another couple of years.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

In my 14 years driving, average holding period of my cars was 3 years before I got myself Punto in Feb 2012 (now 60K kms).

In our family, we had a Maruti 800 earlier which was sold after 57k kms, then a WagonR which did 70k kms and now the Xcent as well which has done about 8k kms now. My projected usage for the Punto before purchasing the car was around 10k kms per year.

However, in reality (if all goes well)- Punto will cross in five years what these cars did in 16 years, combined!

[samsan02]

Originally Posted by samsan02

Thanks ! for the suggestions.
I already tried disconnecting the battery for 20 mins and it didn't work, I will try next to check the connections again.

Is the B&M unit removable from glove compartment, I am hoping I should be able to do it myself. Mine is out of extended warranty already.

Worst case scenario, will have to rethink if at all will get it replaced at all or not. But does the blinking ODO stop if the unit is removed altogether?

Finally, I was able to get hold of a screw driver with a T25 bit to open up the Blue & Me unit.Upon further investigation by having a look at the unit what I discovered was the integrated circuit inside has gone dead due to some kind of moisture seeping in thru the plastic casing. Refer to pictures below, My guess is that the AC moisture might have spoiled the same. This is a design flaw, and is totally unacceptable. Its an electronic equipment which has to be secured properly.
Even if replacing a new unit for 13K, don't know how long it will last. I will contact Fiat and see what they have to say.

[sdp1975]

samsan02 - AC condensation ruining the Blue&Me unit is a known problem in FIATs. There was a recommendation from Fiat ( read about it in the TFI forums ) for a Butyl Pad to protect the unit from AC condensation. Not sure if all ASCs are even aware of it or if customers were informed. I wasn't informed about it by the ASC although mine has been running well so far.


EDIT : Relevant thread on TFI : http://www.teamfiat.com/threads/buty...-upgrade.3091/

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by samsan02

Even if replacing a new unit for 13K, don't know how long it will last. I will contact Fiat and see what they have to say.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

. Not sure if all ASCs are even aware of it or if customers were informed.

It's a shame really that they did not perform a recall for this defect.

Surprisingly I haven't missed the 'blue&me' unit ever since I changed the HU though. It's a lot more than a normal Bluetooth module, but most of the Bluetooth enabled players these days handle the basic functions really well, plus they sound a lot better than what the stock FIAT head unit does.