[puchoo]

What happens when you decide to drive in a relaxed manner with a T-Jet - it gives you about 11.5 KMPL in office hour traffic as i discovered today! For once i managed to wake up in time to get to office and there was no reason to rush and this is what the car returned during that drive

A question and request for advise from all T-Jet owners. How much flexibility does the chrome exhaust have in terms of movement. When the car got delivered to me in noticed it moved around quite a bit (left & right) - i checked with one of the guys there and they said its normal.

Today i had a colleague driving behind me for the last 2-3 minutes and he also checked with me on if it is supposed to move that much. There is no noise etc that comes but wondering if its loose or if fiat has given this much movement - it can probably move about 2-3 inches left and right.... any thoughts?

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by puchoo

A question and request for advise from all T-Jet owners. How much flexibility does the chrome exhaust have in terms of movement. When the car got delivered to me in noticed it moved around quite a bit (left & right) - i checked with one of the guys there and they said its normal.

Today i had a colleague driving behind me for the last 2-3 minutes and he also checked with me on if it is supposed to move that much. There is no noise etc that comes but wondering if its loose or if fiat has given this much movement - it can probably move about 2-3 inches left and right.... any thoughts?

The chrome exhaust will sometimes shake a bit at lower rpms during acceleration or lugging. Don't bother too much about it. This is absolutely normal in T-Jets, given the length of the exhaust pipe and the way it is suspended below the body.

[puchoo]

Thanks , that eases the mind a bit!!

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The chrome exhaust will sometimes shake a bit at lower rpms during acceleration or lugging. Don't bother too much about it. This is absolutely normal in T-Jets, given the length of the exhaust pipe and the way it is suspended below the body.

[Speed Pujari]

Originally Posted by puchoo

The interiors are completely spotless right now and i tend to keep a close eye on it. I also have a free dry cleaning voucher which is available.

Drive with the windows up all the time hence ensuring that even light particles of dust etc are kept out of the car.

Was asking only from the point that its easier to keep the car clean if one starts of while its clean rather than reacting to it only when there is a dirt mark. I wipe the car down every weekend , all my cars in fact but since i have not owned a car with leather upholstery so far was wondering if a simple wet wipe would be sufficient or something stronger required.

This is the sign of a real Fiat'an (or a real enthusiast) whose purchase did not happened accidentally. I know many people who bought a Fiat by accident and have been crying since day one due to some niggling issue. Those are people whose Fiats are dirty, dented, ill maintained, broken, noisy, vibrating, and ugly ! . (they should have bought a Beemer instead lol)
Jokes apart, I see you are highly particular about the cleanliness and detailing of your car just like Karthikk (and me too).

So here are the list of specific items to keep my car looking new. You can let me know if u need more detail. All the items work wonders.
(will post the pictures once I shoot them)

1. Sonax high gloss metallic polish for body polish.
2. Sonax concentrated body wash shampoo.
3. Sonax Leather cleaner. It is really worth it. I use it quite often to clean the arm rest which gets dirty quite easily. Once in a month I clean the seats.
4. Sonax upholstery cleaner to clean the seat belts and other misc parts.
5. Sonax dashboard cleaner to clean/polish the interior plastics.
6. Sonax Alu-chrome paste for polishing alloys.
7. Sonax Tyre polish for tyres, mud flaps, exterior plastics (in and around wipers). Same for polishing the Fiat logo, front grills and tail lights.
8. 3M rubbing compound to remove small scratches.
9. 3M glass cleaner for windshields.
10. Sonax soft cloth for removing the dust from dashboard. I forgot the product name, it is yellow color towel kind of material which sticks in dust pretty easily. A must buy.

It is the first time I have made a list and I can see now where my money goes which I do not have any account of lol ! ..

[TheTeacher]

SP, it will be helpful if you can tell us where you source this stuff.

I cannot do all of this myself; the apartment car cleaner cleans my car as well, and it is questionable with how much care he does it. He at least had the brains the very first day he did it to wash the car with water first since another car had splashed muddy rain water on mine the previous night.

I can at least handle the leather and other interiors, and the occasional wheel / badge areas.

I haven't yet been able to go to 3M for the paint sealant and the protective plastic film for ORVMs, headlights etc.

[A.B]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The chrome exhaust will sometimes shake a bit at lower rpms during acceleration or lugging.

I noticed it shaking a lot when our SA was reversing our car once. Are you sure it's normal?

I have seen similar shaking of exhaust tips in Grid 2 (video game) but only after the cars would get somewhat damaged.

[puchoo]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

This is the sign of a real Fiat'an (or a real enthusiast) whose purchase did not happened accidentally. I know many people who bought a Fiat by accident and have been crying since day one due to some niggling issue. Those are people whose Fiats are dirty, dented, ill maintained, broken, noisy, vibrating, and ugly ! . (they should have bought a Beemer instead lol)

Thanks for this exhaustive list SP - i use some of this stuff though not from the Sonax brand since i dont see that in the shops around my place , maybe i will pick it up online now. Waiting for the pictures!!

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by puchoo

it can probably move about 2-3 inches left and right.... any thoughts?

2-3 inches doesn't sound normal to me. I checked my car and there is hardly any play. On applying mild force (can't quantify ), it moved for less than a cm. Now I checked with my hand when the vehicle was stationary and can't say that the characteristics won't change in a moving vehicle. Even if it moves/oscillates in a moving vehicle, it can't move to the extent of 2-3 inches. The maximum allowance will be 1 cm. You should definitely get it checked.

[puchoo]

Thanks!! I am going to go test it while the car is not running as well in a bit to see what the movement is like and if its excessive will take it to the workshop and have them take a look.

Originally Posted by Biraj

2-3 inches doesn't sound normal to me. I checked my car and there is hardly any play. On applying mild force (can't quantify ), it moved for less than a cm. Now I checked with my hand when the vehicle was stationary and can't say that the characteristics won't change in a moving vehicle. Even if it moves/oscillates in a moving vehicle, it can't move to the extent of 2-3 inches. The maximum allowance will be 1 cm. You should definitely get it checked.

[puchoo]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The chrome exhaust will sometimes shake a bit

Originally Posted by A.B

I noticed it shaking a lot when our SA was reversing our car once. Are you sure it's normal?
.

Originally Posted by Biraj

2-3 inches doesn't sound normal to me.

Ok , so just ran down and took a quick look and grabbed a video. Sorry for the quality but between it being dark , squatting and using the phone camera i think i end up shaking more than the exhaust

But observations - not too much play it appears when the car is not running , i used a decent amount of force and the only movement which i got was what you see in the video - definitely not 2-3 inches.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_v36ooBek&feature=youtu.be

[Speed Pujari]

Originally Posted by TheTeacher

SP, it will be helpful if you can tell us where you source this stuff.

I cannot do all of this myself; the apartment car cleaner cleans my car as well, and it is questionable with how much care he does it. He at least had the brains the very first day he did it to wash the car with water first since another car had splashed muddy rain water on mine the previous night.

I can at least handle the leather and other interiors, and the occasional wheel / badge areas.

I haven't yet been able to go to 3M for the paint sealant and the protective plastic film for ORVMs, headlights etc.

TheTeacher Shell petrol bunks are the official dealer of Sonax products. You will get everything over there except the chrome and alupaste. I sourced it through the Methods Automotive warehouse. Seems they got it imported but was not selling through.

I have a cleaner who sometimes come to water wash the car. I have taught him how to clean and use proper clothes and foams for different section and also the order (glass first, next body, next tyres).
He find it hard to fathom how can someone ask to soap wash the tyre treads lol ! .

I polish the car myself and somehow I have felt the end result is better than what I got at 3M when I got the body polish done there once.

No offense I am not convinced with the quality of 3M and Formula-1 products since I have used them before switching to Sonax. I have a few 3M stuff but desperately waiting for them to get over.

Originally Posted by puchoo

Thanks for this exhaustive list SP - i use some of this stuff though not from the Sonax brand since i dont see that in the shops around my place , maybe i will pick it up online now. Waiting for the pictures!!

Your Wc.
A T-jet owner should be a loyal customer of Shell petrol bunk lol! .

About the vibrating exhaust tip, I think mine's too might have that issue. I simply tried to oscillate them with hands and felt its quite free. May have to do some jugaad such as U clip kind of thing.

Will post the pics tonight.

[TheTeacher]

Thanks SP, there's a Shell about a km from my home (thankfully); I'll pick these up there the next time.

[puchoo]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

A T-jet owner should be a loyal customer of Shell petrol bunk lol! .

About the vibrating exhaust tip, I think mine's too might have that issue. I simply tried to oscillate them with hands and felt its quite free. May have to do some jugaad such as U clip kind of thing.

Will post the pics tonight.

Thanks and i would happily go to only Shell if we had them here.

Originally Posted by TheTeacher

Thanks SP, there's a Shell about a km from my home (thankfully); I'll pick these up there the next time.

Lucky , i will have to buy them online fortunately there are enough sites selling them , alternatively i might stop and see if i come across a shell pump in Punjab / Chandigarh or a shop selling these products when i drive up later in the month.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Ok , so just ran down and took a quick look and grabbed a video. Sorry for the quality but between it being dark , squatting and using the phone camera i think i end up shaking more than the exhaust

But observations - not too much play it appears when the car is not running , i used a decent amount of force and the only movement which i got was what you see in the video - definitely not 2-3 inches.


http://http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_v36ooBek&feature=Youtu.be

I don't find anything abnormal. I'd say forget about the exhaust and enjoy the drive . Some mild shaking will be present at lower rpms on all T-Jets, but that's about it. If you want it to be tighter than it is now, you could get the metal hook (holding up the last part of the pipe) adjusted the next time you visit the service centre, but I would really just leave this thing alone. Meddling with it may loosen it even further. Why fix it if it ain't broke?

[puchoo]

Thanks!! Maybe being a bit paranoid thanks to that 800 Km drive coming up , dont want to deal with anything on the way there.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I don't find anything abnormal. I'd say forget about the exhaust and enjoy the drive .