[nkrishnap]

Mileage update:

89th Refill: 379.3 kms - 21.94 liters - 17.29 KMPL (MID 17.7 kmpl) - Average Speed 26 kmph - Rs. 57.69/- per litre from IOCL - Woodlands

[nkrishnap]

An update after some time.

Firstly: Mileage update

90th Refill: 356.8 kms - 24.02 liters - 14.85 KMPL (MID 15.2 kmpl) - Average Speed 22 kmph - Rs. 58.30/- per litre from HPCL - near CBI Road.

Second Update:

Used the Meguiars quick detailer on the car and wax, the results after the efforts.











Third Update: A drive up to my friends farm near Doddaballapur. A Ninja 650 too accompanied us to the farm. Drove up to Thondebhavi and returned to the house for lunch. A Sunday morning well spent. Thanks Mohan for inviting me to your farm.

[nkrishnap]

Another small milestone during the past week.

33,000 kms mark on the odo.



The driver seat has started to squeek a bit, need to get that fixed, hopefully in the coming week

[nkrishnap]

Mileage update:

91st Refill: 330.6 kms - 23.89 liters - 13.84 KMPL (MID 14.2 kmpl) - Average Speed 19 kmph - Rs. 58.30/- per litre from IOCL - Lalbagh Road.

[pdma]

Only some people take the time and effort to keep their thread alive and frequently updated.
I really appreciate your efforts in this context and thank you for constantly providing the mileage updates it shows the real time fuel efficiency of the car.
For sure you are taking good care of your loved one and I wish to see many more updates and feedback about the car.

Thanks,

pdma

[nkrishnap]

A two part update on the car.

First Part - Seat Squeaking, Rattle from like the cabin light assembly and soft dead pedal issue.

Had an appointment booked at Vecto through the online app (found it a more convenient than talking to the lady behind the phone explaining its a running repair and not service )

1. Seat squeaking - The seat was removed and everything was checked. Anti rust sprayed on the seat rails. The seats were put back and the noise is gone for now. Lets see how long it is going to be that way with this fix.

2. Cabin light rattle - The cabin light assembly removed, the reverse camera light wiring was a little lose and was making weird noises. The wires were taped up and neatly placed along with the cabin light wires and put back. No more rattles now.

3. Soft Dead pedal - The center bessle ornament (whatever that is called) had one of clips not in place. This was making the dead go soft and not take the pressure of the foot. The clip was put back in place and it is now fixed. The clip picture is for demonstration from the spare part not the one in the car, the one in picture is from active not the emotion variant.







Second Part Update

The winter in Bangalore are quick dusty. The car was parked from Saturday night and there was dust film that had formed on the car. So used the two bucket method for a quick wash and used the Meguairs quick detailer first, then later thought a cool evening warranted a few more calories burnt. So applied the Meguiars tech wax 2.0

The end result of the effort.











Decided to cover it up and use the bike for the next couple of days for the office run.

[nkrishnap]

Had an unplanned meet up with buddies for street side food in V V Puram today evening. Nice yummy food and on the return journey back home got this on the odo.

[nkrishnap]

Mileage update:

92nd Refill: 309.3 kms - 20.74 liters - 14.91 KMPL (MID 15.5 kmpl) - Average Speed 18 kmph - Rs. 58.90/- per litre from IOCL - Lalbagh Road.

[nkrishnap]

On the 30th Afternoon I was on my way to pick my wife up from Office in ITPL. Under the KR Puram bridge, met with a minor accident which I actually realized a lot later. A bit of traffic under the flyover, I was behind a sand lorry which had stopped due to the moron Innova (TN 07 xx) in front who had stopped abruptly for no reason. The sand lorry rolled back and hit the bonnet (mostly the guard rail). I reached my wife office and during the wait realized the damage to the car.





Decided to get the bonnet and the scratched grill replaced with insurance. Raised a claim, gave the car to Vecto, Claim was approved, work order issued and the repair was done. The hole in the pocket 16xx bucks as I had zero depreciation policy.









PS: The car was dirty when the pics of the bonnet was taken, so the pictures seem to show a paint mismatch which actually isnt there. Did not get the car washed at the service center for obvious reasons. Will get the paint sealant and interiors wash done after a couple of weeks to ensure the car is back to top notch condition on both the exteriors and interiors.

Since the car was already given to Vecto had asked the service to check the clutch as there was a bit for juddering and weird noise. Had instructed him to change the clutch plates with clutch release bearing if required. My guess was correct, the pressure plates had a bit of scoring which was causing the judder, though the plates were in good condition. Now the clutch is back to prime shape.





Now since the service advisor brought this up, I asked him to check the center AC vents too which had a crack, the vents were literally unused for a year and the edges were broken on closer inspection. The service advisor and checked and told it cannot be covered under warranty . The wear and tear part is covered but the AC vents aren't covered. Weirdo. Anyways the vents were not in stock so left it for now, will replace when the stock arrives.

[F150]

Wow. clutch replaced under warranty without any push from the customer. Way to go Fiat.

Krishna those AC vents may be worth just Rs 300 - 500. Look at the brighter side.

Why did you not get the bonnet repaired ? You lost your NCB.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by F150

Wow. clutch replaced under warranty without any push from the customer. Way to go Fiat.

Krishna those AC vents may be worth just Rs 300 - 500. Look at the brighter side.

Why did you not get the bonnet repaired ? You lost your NCB.

Yeah brigher side for the vents is only 1500 bucks hole than a 8000 odd for the clutch.

I was not confident of getting the bonnet back in shape. The box as what they call in the boonet was damaged. Though repairable, I did not want to take chace of having an out of shape bonnet. The bonnet + painting costs around 11k. So NCB being much lesser than this amount, claimed insurance. More so, windshield too needs to be replaced soon.

[rohittunga]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Yeah brigher side for the vents is only 1500 bucks hole than a 8000 odd for the clutch.

I was not confident of getting the bonnet back in shape. The box as what they call in the boonet was damaged. Though repairable, I did not want to take chace of having an out of shape bonnet. The bonnet + painting costs around 11k. So NCB being much lesser than this amount, claimed insurance. More so, windshield too needs to be replaced soon.

The perfectionist that you are, it was a good decision claiming insurance and getting things sorted out. Regarding cracked AC vents, I assume this is because of the intense heat, especially when parked under the midday sun. Now the difficult part is to source the new part. Good luck with that

[nkrishnap]

Mileage update:

93rd Refill: 244.4 kms - 17.31 liters - 14.12 KMPL (MID 14.6 kmpl) - Average Speed 17 kmph - Rs. 58.72/- per litre from BPCL - RR Nagar.

[nkrishnap]

Disclaimer – Long post

Customary Milestone Picture



Let me pen this down in the below order

1. How the likes and dislikes have turned out in the 500 days of ownership
2. Issues Faced and resolutions provided
3. Service experience, body repair and parts availability
4. Accessorizing the car
5. Cost of ownership

Part 1 - Likes and Dislikes

Likes

• Looks good from any angle and the Bosa Nova White color suits the car quite well. I would not have picked the current Pearl White color, somehow dislike it
• 16" Turbine blade alloy wheels with meaty 205 section tyres go well with the car, though it robs a bit of the performance
• Ride, handling and stability quite good even with the raised suspension and slightly more body roll than the pre 2012 version.
• Steering feedback and the steering wheel is perfect
• Chiller AC
• Light clutch
• Comfortable front seats
• Good quality High beam
• The speed masking capacity is superb with good noise insulation inside the cabin.
• Blue n Me comes handy along with steering controls
• Hand rest is a boon on long drives.
• Auto headlamps quite useful when entering the basements or tunnels.

What could have been better

• When launched it was fully loaded, but now the segment has moved on with more features, time for Fiat to pack in some more features
• Not so good brightness for the low beam, but the spread is decent. Projectors with HID would have been very good
• A nice slick gearbox would have been better as the shift is rubbery but the gears slots perfectly fine.

Dislikes

• No bottle holders in the car.
• AC Blower is a little too noisy at full speed for comfort
• The rain sensing wipers has a mind of its own and no option to disable it.
• Atrocious audio quality from the stock speakers

Part 2 – Issues faced

Issue - Rattle from driver side door
Resolution – 2 attempts, it was finally nailed and fixed, the power window wiring was the culprit
Service Center response – Co-operative in fixing the issue, though it involved multiple attempts

Issue – Right rear window making weird noise
Resolution – Window rubber beading changed under warranty
Service Center response – had to pressurize them to change it under warranty after the rubber treatment spray failed to resolve the issue

Issue – Front left door making noise when the glass is fully down
Resolution – The glass has slipped out of the glass guide. The guide put back in place, the noise has disappeared for good
Service Center response – Co-operative in fixing the issue, it was done at the first attempt

Issue – Brake shuddering
Resolution – The rotors and brake pads replaced under warranty, the issue has not reappeared
Service Center response – Co-operative in fixing the issue, it was done at the first attempt

Issue – Weird noise while closing the boot
Resolution – First the lubricant was sprayed and it did not resolve the issue. The hydraulic struts changed under warranty
Service Center response – had to pressurize them to change it under warranty after the lubricant spray failed to resolve the issue

Issue – Dead pedal plastic not fixed in place
Resolution – The clip that holds the dead pedal was loose, it was fixed properly and the issue was resolved
Service Center response – a quick fix

Issue – Wet Carpets due to water logging
Resolution – Carpets removed and dried.
Service Center response – Took about 4 days to get his dried and put the interiors back in place

Issue – Clutch judder
Resolution – Clutch plates replaced under warranty.
Service Center response – it was replaced under warranty though I thought I had to pay for it

Issue – Broken Center AC vents
Resolution – None yet as the chrome AC vents not in stock
Service Center response – Part ordered, awaiting delivery. The status has been the same for a month now :A

Issue – Driver Seat squeaking issue
Resolution – Lubricate the seat rail and tighten the bolts. But appears again after a month or so. Permanent fix not found yet.
Service Center response – Co-operative, but no permanent fix found yet.

PS – The issues listed are not in chronological order and I did not have to visit the service center individually for these issues

Part 3 – Service experience, Body Shop & Repair and parts availability

Service Experience
First Service (5000 kms) Experience – Link
Second Service (15000 kms) Experience – Link
Third Service (30000 kms) Experience – Link

Body Shop and Repair

Bumper painting experience – Link
Carpet drying experience – Link
Bonnet repair and paint experience - Link

Overall Impression and Parts availability

My Linea has been serviced by Prerana Motors/Vecto Motors only. Routine service has not been an issue, the experience has been satisfactory. To be fair, the car has not given trouble (touch wood) to replace something critical and hence it would be unfair to judge on how it would have been dealt with. The regular spares are not an issue, however the critical and not so fast moving parts will need anywhere between 7-10 days to procure but this observation is not holding good for the AC vents

The myth that one has to wait for months get parts from Fiat has not been true at least in my case.

On a different note, it’s a good thing that a few parts can be picked up from 99rpm as backed once the car out of warranty or if one chooses to forego warranty. I am from the former category.

Part 4 – Accessorizing the car

Exteriors

I have opted for the CF wraps and the PPF at a few places on the car. The CF wrap on the doors and mirrors above the PPF. The PPF for door edges, running board and the boot lid.

CF Wrap – Link

PPF – Link

Interiors

In Car Entertainment

The stock speakers are nothing but a piece of crap if you are an audiophile. The car saw two stages of audio set up and dampening.

Initial set up – Link

Front ARC Audio 6.5 components with cross overs; rear Cerwin Vega 5.25 co-axial, Cerwin Vega 4 channel amp and 12 inch subwoofer in compact box for tighter bass

Current set up thanks to water logging issue and a conked amplifier – Link

Front ARC Audio 6.5 components with cross overs, rear Stage Audio 5.25 component, ARC Class D 4 channel amp, Stinger RCA converter and 12 inch subwoofer in compact box for tighter bass

With the current set up, it’s really hard to even hear the stock audio for a min

Foot Well Lights – Link

Gear boot and hand brake lever leather upgrade – Link

Part 4 – Cost of ownership

The odometer currently stands at 34013 kms which I have approximately split into city, mixed (40% city and 60% Highway) and Highway



Fuel Costs

The car has been quite economical to run and it is one for the reasons for the success of the Multijet engine. Total fuel cost as on date is Rs. 111,041 The car has been refueled at the PSU and a couple of times at Shell bunk.



Mileage



Mileage over 12 months



Mileage for all refills



Diesel cost over time



Service cost – Rs. 24557

Total Running cost has turned out to be Rs. 3.99/- per km.





All costs



All other costs incurred as of today from the date of purchase has been tabulated



I am paranoid about the car getting dirty and I have depended on the car care. I have spent a bit on the detailing part. Of the overall expenditure, detailing has 4% share which amounts to 13001. I do get the car washed often mostly depending on how dirty it is and would have spent for about 15 odd foam washes costing around 450 each.

The amount spent in keeping my car as good as new till date amounts to Rs. 13,001 + (15 *450) = 19,751/- for 500 days and amounts to a shade below 40 bucks a day which I find it quite reasonable.

Overall Impression

The car has been fantastic to drive, quite reasonable to maintain and with above average levels of service back up. I have traveled quite a bit with the car and it has helped travel across 11 states and 2 union territories. The Linea has given me fair share of driving fun, got me a good set of new friends and last but the least, the family loves the car very much. Hoping that the Linea continues to serve me well as long as I own it.

Signing off with a few pics of the Linea

[nkrishnap]

Issue – Driver Seat squeaking issue
Resolution – Lubricate the seat rail and tighten the bolts. But appears again after a month or so. Permanent fix not found yet.
Service Center response – Co-operative, but no permanent fix found yet.

The issue is back again. I will be raising a complaint with Fiat for this, lets see what they have to say. I guess the seat vendors will be called to look into the issue.