[BigBrad]

Hey, congrats on your new milestone. Guess you are having some good time with Linea.

And, you have managed to keep this thread frequently updated. Kudos to that.

How's the STAR mats doing? Even I got the same OE floor mats as yours and from your experience, looks like they are pretty lousy. I think you should change them to 3D Kagu mats or the 3M Nomad mats.

And good to see Mr. Mangesh doing his duty well. He's indeed a blessing for FIATians i guess.

Congrats again and happy driving!!

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

Hey, congrats on your new milestone. Guess you are having some good time with Linea.

And, you have managed to keep this thread frequently updated. Kudos to that.

How's the STAR mats doing? Even I got the same OE floor mats as yours and from your experience, looks like they are pretty lousy. I think you should change them to 3D Kagu mats or the 3M Nomad mats.

And good to see Mr. Mangesh doing his duty well. He's indeed a blessing for FIATians i guess.

Congrats again and happy driving!!

Thanks Bigbrad for all the compliments.
Yes I'm enjoying the Linea.

I'm not fully satisfied with the Star Mats because they do not fit perfectly in my case. Nonetheless they are sturdy and doing the job well. I would shift to the 3M ones once this wears off.

I agree with you that Mangesh is blessing for the Fiatians but it is a pity that one has to ring him up for such petty issues.


Just completed an TL on my visit to Puri during March end.
The link : A drive to the Sea : Bhilai to Puri for a splendid holiday

[Sommos]

The car was nearing the 15K mark on the odo and also a couple of problems crept up in the car. So decided to have the Second Free Servicing of the Linea on Saturday the 25/05/2013. This was the first real oppurtunity to experience the new exclusive showroom and service centre of Fiat at Raipur. Got the confirmation over phone that prior appointment will not be required and hence reached the showroom at 10:20AM on Saturday.

The experience was not at all very satisfying one for me. The attitude of the SA and the staff are the same as earlier. They still behave as they are dealing with taxi drivers, the staffs have been brought over from the existing Tata-Fiat dealership, so old habbits die hard but they must be overridden.

The left side front door lock was not working properly. The issue was attended first and resolved (never explained what was wrong), but the same have reappeared on Monday. Then the USB drive was not working in my car. The same was also attended and I was informed that the assembly needs to be replaced. The part has to ordered and will be informed on arrival.

Then came the intimidating part, the engine oil change. As I have changed the engine oil at 11K mark, I had specifically mentioned in the job card not to change the same. The SA tried to persuade me to get the same changed and went on to further advice me that it will affect the warranty issues in the future. Failing to persuade me, they did change the air filter and rotated the tyres. Pollen filter was not changed as it can still be used.

The brake pads, the underbody and the alignment were not checked. I was told that the brakes and the alignment was checked during the test drive and both are OK. Ther was no problem with the brake and the alignment and so I did not raise an issue. The car washing took most of the time as there was an Lancer in the queue ahead of me.

The dealer had a HM-Mitsubishi showroom in the same premises earlier. Though the HM-Mitsubishi showroom has shifted to a nearby premises but the paint shop and the washing facilities are not yet operational there. So all the denting painting jobs and washing of HM-Mitsubishi cars are done in this showroom, and the private owners of Mitsubishi cars are reported to be close freinds of the dealer, so they always gets priority in washing.

Multi brand "FIAT" service centre at Raipur, Chhattisgarh

A Mitsubishi Lancer being serviced at Fiat exclusive dealership


An HM Ambassador undergoing body repairs at Fiat exclusive dealership




The Amb and the Lancer together in the Fiat exclusive dealership


I do not have any idea whether the Fiat Regional Service Manager or other senior person are aware of this fact of HM-Mitsu cars being serviced at Fiat "EXCLUSIVE" dealership.

Overall I should say that there is a lot of expectations from Fiat and the company does not really seem to have learnt anything from their past failures. At the present level of service, when their existing customers are not satisfied, how do Fiat expect to draw new customers to their showroom.

[Sommos]

My Linea crossed the 15K mark on 03/06/2013, exactly 10 months and 7 days from the date of purchase.



During this period I've extensively used the car both in the city as my regular ride and also on the highways. My observation about the car is as follows :

What I like about the Linea :

1. Stunning looks, though the charm have dried down in the market.
2. Build quality is solid, and the car feels sturdier than most of its competitors. In fact, the Linea feels like a "tijori-on-wheels".
3. Urban ride quality is excellent and highway stability at triple digit speed is the best in the segment. The suspension’s calibration is sheer brilliance. The result is that the car provided best-in-class ride comfort, handling & dynamics package.
4. Fiat's pure hydraulic steering is an absolute joy to use. This is amongst the best steering our side of 20 lakh rupees
5. The MJD Emotion comes with 205/55 R16 tyres, actually the exact size that the Mercedes C-Class & BMW 3 series come equipped with.
6. The collapsible rear curtain works like a charm on sunny days. It’s a segment first and does a fantastic job in keeping the harsh sun away from the rear bench occupants.
7. The compressor is more powerful in the 2012 model than in the earlier ones and the air-conditioner is an absolute chiller even in the summer.
8. The level of standard equipment is a Linea USP. The car comes with dual front airbags, ABS + EBD brakes, Italian leather seats, steering-mounted audio & phone controls, height-adjustable driver seat, height-adjustable driver armrest, climate control, MP3 / CD audio system with "Blue&Me" and USB input, rear air-con vents, a collapsible curtain for the rear windscreen, electric mirrors, foldable key with boot release button and 16" alloy wheels.
9. The Linea is equipped with “Fuel cut-off mechanism”. In case of a crash, the fuel gets cut off so that the engine shuts off. Once this is done, the doors unlock automatically and the cabin lights come up to facilitate safe exit.
10. The 2012 Linea delivers 185MM of ground clearance tall enough to protect the undercarriage of the vehicle on the roughest of roads. It additionally has an engine guard / sump guard.

What I did not like :

1. Overall, the interiors of the 2012 model are acceptable for the segment. Still, there is ample scope for improvement.
2. Fiat should equip the Linea with a reach-adjustable steering, just as VW does the Vento.
3. For a car that's so large on the outside, cabin room is surprisingly conservative. Fiat should learn a lesson in space utilization & packaging from Honda.
4. I’m not at all satisfied with the Linea’s storage solutions. Such a big car does not have a single bottle holder (I mean normal 1 Ltr. Bottles).
5. There is a fair amount of turbo lag below 1800RPM.
6. The gear throw is fairly long while the shift quality is rubbery too. It’s not a slick, short unit like the Vento. The clutch pedal is fairly light to use though and won’t cause grief.
7. Audio quality is strictly average.
8. Fiat needs to put in a real effort to improve their after sales service.

[Sommos]

The USB drive was not working at all in my Linea. The part was not available during the second service, so had to be ordered. The dealer wanted to replace only the USB socket but it was not to be. Even after replacing the USB socket the media player did not work. Finally the whole "Blue & Me" assembly was taken out from a showroom car and placed in my car and it worked. The part that was replaced looked something as follows :





There was another problem with the left side door lock. During the second service, they did some "jugaad" which could not hold for more than a couple of days. This time they diagnosed the problem with the lock assembly. As the part was not readily available, it has been ordered and the wait continues.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Sommos

The USB drive was not working at all in my Linea. The part was not available during the second service, so had to be ordered. The dealer wanted to replace only the USB socket but it was not to be. Even after replacing the USB socket the media player did not work. Finally the whole "Blue & Me" assembly was taken out from a showroom car and placed in my car and it worked.

Personally I'd not have accepted this replacement. I'd still suggest you to write to Fiat about this. Currently you are working with a "used" component taken from another car - no matter how new it was. As a warranty replacement for a defective component you should seek a brand new part IMHO.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Personally I'd not have accepted this replacement. I'd still suggest you to write to Fiat about this. Currently you are working with a "used" component taken from another car - no matter how new it was. As a warranty replacement for a defective component you should seek a brand new part IMHO.

I agree with you about the replacement from another car but it was not from a brand new car from the yard. Actually the dealer had no idea about the part no. to be ordered and was sitting cool. It was then that I had written a mail to Fiat that I was asked to bring the car to the dealership (which is 40KM from my city) for the replacement of the part. Only when I reached the dealership did I come to know that I have been called only to ascetain the part no. that is to be ordered. When I showed my anger on the Service Manager, The MD stepped in and offered to replace the whole "Blue & Me" from a brand new car lying at the stockyard.

Actually under the circumstances I thought it was the best I could get

[Sommos]

The "White Knight" completed one year on 27th July.
It was raining in the state of Chhattisgarh for over a week during that period.
So there was no point in cleaning the car and hence no picture of the birthday baby could be posted.

However, my Linea crossed another major milestone in it's journey.

[Sommos]

Another milestone was achieved in the life of my Linea :

[Sommos]

Another milestone worth sharing with all.

[Sommos]

The White Knight crossed another milestone in it's life.

[Sommos]

The White Knight crossed another milestone in it's life.

[Rohit_Quad]

Congrats on completing another milestone.
Can you please post the following data-
1. Avg Mileage. In city & on high ways.
2. Your driving style. So that i can understand the mileage figures better.
3. Any changes done to the OEM speakers ?
4. Any niggling/ repetitive issues ?
5. any mods or after market investment in the engine? Oil? Filter?

Thanks in advance.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

Congrats on completing another milestone.
Can you please post the following data-
1. Avg Mileage. In city & on high ways.
2. Your driving style. So that i can understand the mileage figures better.
3. Any changes done to the OEM speakers ?
4. Any niggling/ repetitive issues ?
5. any mods or after market investment in the engine? Oil? Filter?

Thanks in advance.

I'm extremely sorry for the delay in reply. Actually if you want an instant reply in the future, you would better use the "Reply with quote" feature.

1. My average mileage from purchase till date is 16.33KMPL. I get an average of 14/15 in the city and 17/18 on the highway.
2. Aggresive, but never tried to break any record.
3. Absolutely stock.
4. Nothing, had to go for some part replacement, all done under warranty, and all are mentioned here.
5. Got the reverse cam installed at the TATA dealer itself and replaced the horns with roots windtone and the headlamps with NB+.

[Sommos]

The White Knight crossed another important milestone in it's life.