[Sommos]

Many congratulations for the best looking hatch in the market.
Finally you are bitten by the Fiat bug.
Wish you many happy miles with the Punto and absolute niggle free performance.

The true character of the Punto comes out on the highway rides and you'll enjoy the car everytime you take it out on the highways. For the irritating B2B traffic you may have to add the RD box at a later date.

[ghodlur]

Few queries regarding the Punto.

1) Whats should be the run in for the new diesel car? 1K or 1.5kms? Is the same as that in petrol car?
2) Right now I am driving under the 1.5K rev mark, should I continue doing that? Till what time? Whether turbo idling is required?
3) What seat covers (colours) should I opt for black interiors of Punto? Still running with the plastics on, intend to get it off ASAP.

[powertrain]

Hello Girish,
Thought of calling you on Saturday to know when your ownership report is coming up. Couldn't do so due to work. The first thing in see on a Monday morning is your Punto thread!!!
CONGRATULATIONS, my man If there any car that begs for a full photo shoot,it's the Punto!!! Wish you miles & miles of satisfying ownership.

To answer your quries:-
1 & 2.- I run in my engine for 1K kms on both SX4 D & Etios D. So I suggest you the same. Is turbo idling required? ABSOLUTELY.

This thread will help you a lot :-http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...rged-cars.html

Regards,
Varun

[parimal_g]

Hi Girish,
Heartiest congrats for the great Purchase, and welcome to the club, the brand which has amazing fan following, many dedicated forums, but poor sales.

1> There is no running in period for these engines, just till 1000 kms don't cross 3k RPM and then you car stat ripping it no issues at all, 1.5 is too low you are doing open up the engine no issues at all, these are already tested in factories at Full RPMS.
2> Turbo idling is good for the first start and after log drives.
3> Seat covers i really like the original Fabric, i don know what color in your car its black and grey in my Punto.
4> the car is absolutely fun to drive on highways am about to complete one year and the Odo is almost 33k

Do feel free to ask any doubt regrading the Punto.


Regards ,
Parimal G

[KarthikK]

Congratulations on the purchase Girish! Here's wishing you many happy miles with the Punto. Very nicely detailed ownership report there, loved reading through it. Eagerly awaiting a proper photoshoot of the Bossa nova white Punto now .

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Few queries regarding the Punto.

1) Whats should be the run in for the new diesel car? 1K or 1.5kms? Is the same as that in petrol car?

There's no formal running-in period specified for this car. Use it normally like you always do with any car, but just make sure not to redline too much (I doubt the diesel clatter will encourage you to do that anyway )

2) Right now I am driving under the 1.5K rev mark, should I continue doing that? Till what time? Whether turbo idling is required?

1.5K is way too low. At that RPM, the turbo is not in spooled-up state yet. Even the pull will be a tad too sluggish at 1.5k, almost in the lugging zone. For a normal cycle, I'd suggest you rev to 2.5k in all the gears before upshifting, that's a decent balance which will also see good FE figures.

Turbo idling is required during startup and shutoff. If you've been gunning the car on the highway and need to stop somewhere, wait at least a minute or two before you shutoff. In normal city traffic (can't have ripped the car anyway in the city), if you approach a signal/junction, wait for 20-30 seconds before you shutoff. This should be sufficient. If the signal duration is lesser than a minute, don't bother shutting off. Let it idle and you can carry on from there.

3) What seat covers (colours) should I opt for black interiors of Punto? Still running with the plastics on, intend to get it off ASAP.

Try to strip the plastics off ASAP. They are not only sticky to sit on, but some parts of the plastic covers especially below the seat will get hardened with dust, etc over time. It is easier to remove them now when they are new.

In my opinion, black seat covers with red stitching would look fab on the Punto and give it a sportier look on the inside, though I'd leave color up to individual choice. Beige leather or light grey fabric/suede leather would look nice too, although they will give the insides a more mature look than black. Good luck with the seat cover decision; I'll be watching to see if I can pick up any pointers and use them for my own Punto *winks*

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by stringbh

Congrats on your new car and white is indeed the best color (or because my better half says as well ). Enjoy the ride and happy mile munching!

Thanks stringbh. When it came to colour there was no argument at all. In fact my choice for Punto was Tuscan wine, but then I had get home unhurt you see.

Originally Posted by Sommos

The true character of the Punto comes out on the highway rides and you'll enjoy the car everytime you take it out on the highways. For the irritating B2B traffic you may have to add the RD box at a later date.

Thanks a lot for the wishes. I am yet to take the car on the highway (although my daily ride is on the EE highway),waiting for the opportunity which is the 3rd week of July (trip to Pune). I am adjusting to the B2B traffic, wife says I have become a sober driver, not zipping at the signals. Hell I cant, the car takes ages to wake up to do that.

Originally Posted by powertrain

Hello Girish,
CONGRATULATIONS, my man If there any car that begs for a full photo shoot,it's the Punto!!! Wish you miles & miles of satisfying ownership.

To answer your quries:-
1 & 2.- I run in my engine for 1K kms on both SX4 D & Etios D. So I suggest you the same. Is turbo idling required? ABSOLUTELY.

Varun - thanks a lot man. I may need you shooting skills (if you have it), the initial pics have come so hazy. Thanks for the idling tips too.

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Hi Girish,
Heartiest congrats for the great Purchase, and welcome to the club, the brand which has amazing fan following, many dedicated forums, but poor sales.

1> There is no running in period for these engines, just till 1000 kms don't cross 3k RPM and then you car stat ripping it no issues at all, 1.5 is too low you are doing open up the engine no issues at all, these are already tested in factories at Full RPMS.
2> Turbo idling is good for the first start and after log drives.
3> Seat covers i really like the original Fabric, i don know what color in your car its black and grey in my Punto.
4> the car is absolutely fun to drive on highways am about to complete one year and the Odo is almost 33k

Parimal - thanks for the wishes, feels great to be a part of an elite club. Thanks for the tips too. My Punto also has grey & black interiors. Wife wants beige coloured seats, I wanted to go for black n red combi ones. We havent come to any agreement as yet.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Few queries regarding the Punto.

1) Whats should be the run in for the new diesel car? 1K or 1.5kms? Is the same as that in petrol car?
2) Right now I am driving under the 1.5K rev mark, should I continue doing that? Till what time? Whether turbo idling is required?
3) What seat covers (colours) should I opt for black interiors of Punto? Still running with the plastics on, intend to get it off ASAP.

Congrats on the car, the Punto is a beautiful car, was sad to let mine go a few months ago.

1) Be careful for around the first 1000 or 1500kms. The Fiat engine will keep getting more silent, and faster till about 5k kms.

2) Keep it under 3k, like Karthik mentioned. After 1 or 1.5k kms don't worry about the revs.

3) Unless you are going for something like Stanley leather, which keeps seats original shape, don't get any seat covers. The fabric is nice, and easy enough to clean too. Cheap art leather covers will take away the seats support, and just be sticky and uncomfortable to sit on. Once a year getting the fabric steam cleaned brings it back to new.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

3) Unless you are going for something like Stanley leather, which keeps seats original shape, don't get any seat covers. The fabric is nice, and easy enough to clean too. Cheap art leather covers will take away the seats support, and just be sticky and uncomfortable to sit on. Once a year getting the fabric steam cleaned brings it back to new.

I completely agree with this view on art leather covers. Fabric is far better to use, although it may not look as sporty. Art leather is not only sticky and uncomfortable to use (don't mention the awkward sounds when people move around ), but also I've seen a few low cost variations emit a rubbery smell when the car is left under the sun for long. Perhaps the only advantage of art leather v/s fabric is the easy maintenance (no issues of stains) and the leather-like looks. Everywhere else it gets beaten hollow.

Seats have to be either Fabric or full-leather in my opinion. I'd seen some cars with suede leather fabric, although those are pretty rare. They felt soft and good to use, but suede leather will look good only in grey or beige. Suede in other colors may look tacky.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Thanks a lot for the wishes. I am yet to take the car on the highway (although my daily ride is on the EE highway),waiting for the opportunity which is the 3rd week of July (trip to Pune). I am adjusting to the B2B traffic, wife says I have become a sober driver, not zipping at the signals. Hell I cant, the car takes ages to wake up to do that.

The Fiat engine does take time to open up, and once it does (around the 10K mark) it will become more silent. Second, the engine does not take ages to wake up provided you keep it within the revv range. If the RPM is within the range at 2K mark it will respond sooner.

Driving a diesel is slightly different.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Congratulations on the purchase. Eagerly awaiting a proper photoshoot of the Bossa nova white Punto now .
1.5K is way too low. At that RPM, the turbo is not in spooled-up state yet. I'd suggest you rev to 2.5k in all the gears before upshifting, that's a decent balance which will also see good FE figures.
Turbo idling is required during startup and shutoff.
Try to strip the plastics off ASAP.
In my opinion, black seat covers with red stitching would look fab on the Punto and give it a sportier look on the inside

Karthik - Thanks a ton for these tips and also answering my queries earlier too. When I showed your thread to my wife for the mods, she firmly said that I am not supposed to go that far.
By 1.5K rpms I mean after upshifting. During upshifting I take it to 2.5K rpms and then change gears. After upshifting, I am maintaining around 60-70kmph which brings the revv needle to 1.5K. This is what I was referring to. Sorry for the confusion. Reg seat covers, I agree with you. Will try to source them. Reg photoshoot, I will have to take help of BHPians.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

1) Be careful for around the first 1000 or 1500kms. The Fiat engine will keep getting more silent, and faster till about 5k kms.

2) Keep it under 3k, like Karthik mentioned. After 1 or 1.5k kms don't worry about the revs.

3) Unless you are going for something like Stanley leather, which keeps seats original shape, don't get any seat covers. The fabric is nice, and easy enough to clean too. Cheap art leather covers will take away the seats support, and just be sticky and uncomfortable to sit on. Once a year getting the fabric steam cleaned brings it back to new.

Akshay - Thanks for the wishes and the useful suggestions. Will keep them in mind.

Regarding the seats, I was looking for the Autoform seats, tried to check in the thread which exists in the forum but no contact details for Thane. Fiat dealer in Thane is selling the usual art leather type seat covers for a bomb (10K+), hence will have to source it from outside only.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Akshay - Thanks for the wishes and the useful suggestions. Will keep them in mind.

Regarding the seats, I was looking for the Autoform seats, tried to check in the thread which exists in the forum but no contact details for Thane. Fiat dealer in Thane is selling the usual art leather type seat covers for a bomb (10K+), hence will have to source it from outside only.

Having seen all of these Autform, etc I can tell you the seat will become flatter and will lose support. It never fits as well as a good leather job. If you are worried about damaging the fabric, let me tell you no need to worry. Like I said once a year steam clean will bring it back to new.

[ghodlur]

Couple of more queries:
1) Is it advisable to keep the Passenger Airbag activated during the city runs?
2) I am confused about the tyre pressure to be maintained. The sticker in the car says 32 psi in all 4, the manual says 29 for medium load and 32 under heavy load. What is the correct pressure?
3) What is the first service interval? Manual shows 3000 kms checks (only).
4) If the clutch is depressed completely I feel the steering column movement. Is it the case?

[julupani]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Couple of more queries:
1) Is it advisable to keep the Passenger Airbag activated during the city runs?
2) I am confused about the tyre pressure to be maintained. The sticker in the car says 32 psi in all 4, the manual says 29 for medium load and 32 under heavy load. What is the correct pressure?
3) What is the first service interval? Manual shows 3000 kms checks (only).
4) If the clutch is depressed completely I feel the steering column movement. Is it the case?

1. Well I always keep the passenger airbag switched on, even though there is nobody in the front passenger seat 90% of the time. I do so because I know that I will forget to switch it back on the 10% of time when somebody is actually in it.

2. I keep it at 30, you can try out different pressures and keep it where you feel is best.

3. The 1st "service" is at 15000kms only. At 3000kms there is an inspection, a sort of check up to ensure everything is fine. More often than not the bill is 0, and it takes only a couple of hours to get this done.

4. I have heard quite a few people say this, though I havnt actually felt it. I guess it is normal.

[VaibhavMJD]

Congratulations Ghodlur on being a proud owner of the Grande Punto.

Reading your thread brought back some sweet old memories when I got hold of my Red 1.3 MJD EPK 2.5 years back. I wanted to book an Emotion but got a December 2010 EPK deal worth 25K discount along with existing discounts/free insurance/freebies etc.. After a few brain-storming sessions with friends and family, bought home the red cherry in Feb 2011, and yes, I did verify the VIN number before purchase, all thanks to Team-BHP.

I have clocked in 30K kms so far and seen the engine really opening up with every 10Ks passing by. With every servicing, you will find the car smoother and fun to drive. Till date, I have driven thru the Konkan Ghats, expressways and a long trip to Gujarat and Rajasthan (all the way to Jaisalmer ) last year and faced no issues at all. This is my first car so can’t comment about drivability of petrol vs. diesel but looking at my friends driving in B2B traffic, I find myself at much ease.

Some experiences I wish to share:
Seat covers: I got art leather covers done with stock black gray combination. Earlier I thought of keeping the stock covers on, but reverted to art leather as my 3 year old son was a menace then. Now, I am habitual of the covers and will live with them for a year or 2 more.
Idling Rule: I prudently follow the idling rule with my Punto – 30 seconds during the morning start and 60 seconds at the end of the journey. Prevention is better than cure anytime.
Tyre pressure: I maintain a pressure of 32 in all tires. Earlier I used to check tyre pressure every 2 months, switched to Nitrogen last year and now do it once in 4 months. Financially, it comes to 30 bucks every 4 months to 15-20 bucks every 2 months whichever way you like.
Service Interval: First service is 3000 KM although it’s more to be on paper. They just do an external checkup and nothing else. Ideally you should get a 0 bill receipt, but in my case I paid a bill of Rs 12 as they filled in distilled water in the windshield fluid container. Also make sure that you clarify with them the rate of car cleaning/washing charges in case you are doing it via the service center to avoid any last minute surprises in the bill.

Rest its smiles all along till now and hope to be the same for many more years/miles to come!!!

[Prodigy07]

Congratulations Ghodlur Nice ownership report!

Any specific reason for not considering Punto 90HP version?