[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by vibbs

They say every Fiat owner has its Achilles heel. One niggling problem that will keep you busy with the service center. It is just a matter of finding out yours. I think I have got mine.

You got yours, I think I too got mine.

Its the irritating rattling sound coming from left rear seats. Earlier it used to be distinctly hear over bad roads, now its even on smooth surfaces too. Last time I was told it was the case of loose rear seat which was not fitted in the clip properly. The issue had disappeared for a week but reappeared. I think I will ignore this or else I will not be able to enjoy the drive.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Yesterday took the car for a spin on the Mumbai-Pune expressway and the drive was not as comfortable as I would have liked it to be with the car bouncing along on all irregularities on the road. My brother who was at the rear too complained about the car being too bouncy and rolling excessively.

I have not read your thread extensively to know if you are still running on those stock JK cycle tires. I would take a look at the condition of the tires as well to rule out a possible problem. A colleague had experienced a side ways wobble on his Punto and it was tire failure. It was not an easy task to deal with as it required inspectors from JK tire to assess the problem. The service center he was dealing with was part of the "incompetent" club of Fiat service stations too so it took a while, a lot of meddling with the suspension, balancing, re alignment and pushing the chaps at the service center to identify and resolve the issue.

If tires end up being the culprit, I'd bin the replacement tires and get better one's.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

You got yours, I think I too got mine.

Its the irritating rattling sound coming from left rear seats. Earlier it used to be distinctly hear over bad roads, now its even on smooth surfaces too. Last time I was told it was the case of loose rear seat which was not fitted in the clip properly. The issue had disappeared for a week but reappeared. I think I will ignore this or else I will not be able to enjoy the drive.

I am willing to overlook the rattle and the squeak myself. Infact I can live with the noise supposedly coming from the suspension too provided I am sure it is nothing to worry about. However when the service center guys themselves diagnosed this to be because of the pads, I am a bit concerned. It is disconcerting when you have to leave your 9 month old car overnight at the service center to open up the suspension. What more? The problem is not solved either. Now I am doubting if their diagnosis was right in the first place and if it was, then was the replacement done properly?

I just hope this does not become a lifelong project.

BTW have you driven on the Mumbai-pune expressway? How have you felt the ride over it? I believe of late I am bothered too much about the imperfections being transmitted inside. Too much tossing and I just wanted to figure out wether it is the road surface or the car or my paranoid mind that is at fault here.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I have not read your thread extensively to know if you are still running on those stock JK cycle tires. I would take a look at the condition of the tires as well to rule out a possible problem. A colleague had experienced a side ways wobble on his Punto and it was tire failure. It was not an easy task to deal with as it required inspectors from JK tire to assess the problem. The service center he was dealing with was part of the "incompetent" club of Fiat service stations too so it took a while, a lot of meddling with the suspension, balancing, re alignment and pushing the chaps at the service center to identify and resolve the issue.

If tires end up being the culprit, I'd bin the replacement tires and get better one's.

Thanks Sandeep. No I have not changed the tyres. They are still the stock JK tyres. That might be the problem as well. Will look into that aspect too.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by vibbs

BTW have you driven on the Mumbai-pune expressway? How have you felt the ride over it? I believe of late I am bothered too much about the imperfections being transmitted inside. Too much tossing and I just wanted to figure out wether it is the road surface or the car or my paranoid mind that is at fault here.

Many a times. Havent felt the jerks atleast, yes but there are stretches on the E-way where the uneven road surface does transmit the unevenness to the steering. I am too pre occupied with fun of driving that I tend to ignore these small blips.

[vibbs]

Update

Carried out the second service at 14613 kms in just over 10 months.

Total cost- INR 5778

Photo of the work desription being attached for reference.




The ownership has been satisfactory for the major part except for the front suspension noise that was mentioned in a couple of posts before and the persistant rattle from the left side roof.

We have done some long drives, driven the red hard over less thn perfect roads, hit the ghats and she has not let is down. To be fair on the Fiat, after almost 15k Kms of not so good roads, she has held up much better than our Swift which was driven on much better roads. With time I have learnt to handle the car well and it doesn't break a sweat tackling the Ghats even with a full load.

The overall fuel economy has hovered between 15-16 kms/ltr.


Screenshots from Fuel log app.





Two weeks back however, tragedy struck. I saw this on my driver side door.



There is a pillar close to the place where I park my car. Seems when the guy who cleans our car opened the driver side door one day to clean inside, it hit the pillar. Paint has gone and the primer can be seen now. Looks like the only option now is to repaint the whole door.


Thats all for now.

Cheers!!

Drive safe.

[vibbs]

Minor Update.

1000 Kms done since the servicing. The car is performing much better now. It is almost as if she is running a different map altogether. The throttle response is much better and she rushes ahead with a throaty growl as the Turbo spools.

Downside, I believe that the FE has dipped a bit. Dont know it this is because the turbo kick is now suddenly become so addictive that I keep flooring the pedal. However some owners have reported rise in FE which doesnt seem to be so in my case.

The roof top rattle was quite a stubborn issue which was refusing to go away. Finally got the ASS guys to remove the entire headliner to get the issue fixed. Had to leave the car at the center overnight but seems the noise is gone for good as of now.

[vibbs]

Its been quite some time since I updated the thread. The Red has now done 24000 Kms in 15 months. Ownership has been uneventful for most except for the following minor niggles.

1. Something creaks at the front left side every morning for around one minute while turning the steering. This happens only on the morning and the sound does not come back during the day.

2. The rooftop rattle has returned after around 1000 Kms of getting the headliner removed and refitted. Decided to let it be.

3. Looks like there has been a slight increase in the NVH over the months.


Some overall grouses after 15 months ownership which are not exactly niggles.

1. Boomy engine note at higher rpms. Specially noticeable at highway speeds. Has it increased over a period now? Maybe.

2. Wind noise again at highway speeds from somewhere around the ORVMs.

3. Poor ICE.

4. Other normally known issues like poor ergonomics (though I am more or less used to it now), rubbery gearshift and long clutch.

[sidindica]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Its been quite some time since I updated the thread. The Red has now done 24000 Kms in 15 months. Ownership has been uneventful for most except for the following minor niggles.

1. Something creaks at the front left side every morning for around one minute while turning the steering. This happens only on the morning and the sound does not come back during the day.

Known issue with the left front shocker mounts, needs replacement, take a warranty claim. Or get the suspension arm checked. Take a warranty claim if bearings gone bust. Happened in my car.

2. The rooftop rattle has returned after around 1000 Kms of getting the headliner removed and refitted. Decided to let it be.

Tighten the headliner near the cabin light by pressing hard.

3. Looks like there has been a slight increase in the NVH over the months.

Only solution-change to synthetic oil, but at the risk of loosing warranty.

Some overall grouses after 15 months ownership which are not exactly niggles.

1. Boomy engine note at higher rpms. Specially noticeable at highway speeds. Has it increased over a period now? Maybe.

2. Wind noise again at highway speeds from somewhere around the ORVMs.

Known issue due to ORVMs mounted on the door seperately.

3. Poor ICE.

Upgrade your stereo, no option left. Cant believe how you manage to live with CD only system.

4. Other normally known issues like poor ergonomics (though I am more or less used to it now), rubbery gearshift and long clutch.

faced similar issues with my car, so the replies in bold.

Mod Note : Please do NOT reply to posts using bold text within a quoted post, as it leads to visual discomfort for readers. Additionally, it's inconvenient to quote & reply to such a post.

For the correct way to quote, please see this thread.

Thanks!

[vibbs]

Thanks Sidindica.


Time for a small update. 27k Kms and 20 months, I decided to get a drivers arm rest. Linea Armrest was ordered from 99rpm and a small DIY to fix it.







Slightly higher than I would like ideally, but still good enough. What remains now is to get it covered with the something similar to the seat cover.

[vibbs]

This happened today, one year and 9.5 months after the red came home.

Minor issues aside, the car has been holding up well. I get a mileage of 14.5 to 15 kmpl in Pune traffic and close to 20 kmpl on sedate Highway drives.

Got the third free service done last month with the odometer at 29500 km. Front left suspension noise was taken care. It had mostly disappeared on its own with only occasional noise cropping up. After the servicing it has disappeared as of now for good it seems. Roof top rattle has a mind of its own, keeps coming and going. Decided to ignore it.

The brakes were beginning to loose bite, got the pads changed and the disks skimmed.
NVH is still higher than I would prefer. But not brave enough to shift to synthetic oil and loose warranty.





Total charges were 13. 5k. Break up attached.

Soon after the servicing got the tyres changed. The stock JK tyres had worn out and were in bad shape. Michelin energy xm 2 replaces the stock rubber. Size 185/70 R 14. Decided not to upside the rims.

Some immediate observations wrt the tyres

1. Road noise has come down significantly. They are yet to be tested on the highway though.

2. Ride has improved.

3. There has been a 1-1.5 kmpl improvement in the mileage


Next in line.

1. Leather wrapping of the steering, gear knob and stick and the front drivers arm rest. Any leads in Pune for the job is welcome.

2. Find a solution for the pathetic OEM HU. Don't want to mess with stock look of the center console so toying with the idea of getting an amp which has Aux input. Intend to play songs directly from mobile through Aux input on the amp.

Will it work? Who knows?


That's all for now.

Cheers

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Got the third free service done last month with the odometer at 29500 km.
The brakes were beginning to loose bite, got the pads changed and the disks skimmed.
Total charges were 13. 5k. Break up attached.

I too had to get the 30K service done last month with only 23K kms on the odo but it was two years. I paid a total of Rs 6.5K for the service which when compared to yours did not include brake pad replacement. Did you inspect the brake pad yourselves or relied on Pandit? Can see a lot of Smart repair being done on your car by external supplier? Can you elaborate?

How much did the Michelin cost?

[vibbs]

Not just the brake pad replacement. I got Engine coating done and also needed to replace the front left side Mud liner as it had got torn. That is what you will see as work done at external supplier along with Rotor skimming. Total cost of all above is approximately 7 K. Engine bay coating could have been avoided though.

Regarding Brake pad replacement, it was infact changed on my insistence. The pads had started making noise around 22k Kms. Did some searches on net and in the forum too and found that it indicates pads being worn out. Additionally the discs themselves had some grooving. Did not want to take risk with an important item specially with some long drives in the pipeline. So decided to get the pads changed and the rotors skimmed. Next up would need to change the rotor too I guess.

It is just the last smart repair item that I am unable to remember now :O

Michelins costed 4.5K a piece. What I am surprised at is how the JK tyres completely lost all tread so quickly within 30K Kms :O

[vibbs]

1000 Kms are up after the tyre change. Got opportunity to head on the highway and the Tyre has proven to be a worthy replacement. Much better than the stock JKs.

Road noise is less, ride comfort is quite good and much better than the JK Tyres both on good surface as well as broken roads. This was amply tested when we lost our way while going to Bhimashankar one of the weekends. What was supposed to be a easy drive took a turn when Google decided to send us on a wild goose chase and we ended up in places like these.










The road was mostly non existent as can be seen from some of the above photos. With four on board, Punto did scrap the under body at some occasions. Finally we did not reach Bhimashankar because as we hit the main road, we saw a huge line of vehicles probably going to the temple which had resulted in a Jam. Since it was a near perfect day despite getting lost we did not want to spoil it by getting stuck in traffic so did a U turn and took the normal route via Pune Nashik road.

Some breathtaking views









Lastly a couple of Photos of Red in green.






The car as such is fine except that I feel at times as the turbo spools, the kick is less pronounced than normal. This is very unpredictable and happens randomly. As you rev, the rpm climbs but you dont feel the corresponding increase in torque just that the engine screams. As I said this is not a regular occurring and just happens randomly out of the blue

[vibbs]

45000 Kms was up yesterday, 5 months short of 3 years since the 'Red' came home. Has been a satisfying ownership till now.

The 45K Kms service was done at 44xxx Kms earlier last week. This was also the first Service after Pandit Auto shut shop in Pune.

A more detailed post regarding the service experience at Jay Vijay Fiat and the new HU (which was changed a few months back) will come up soon as soon as I get time over the weekend.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by vibbs

A more detailed post regarding the service experience at Jay Vijay Fiat and the new HU (which was changed a few months back) will come up soon as soon as I get time over the weekend.

Posting the much delayed 45K Kms service update. As mentioned in the previous post, Pandit Auto has shut shop in Pune and this is my first Service post that (their Pimpri workshop still does paid service for Fiat Cars).

Pandit is considered the best Fiat service center in Pune by many. My experience has been OK with them. Nothing great, not the Maruti levels that I had experienced in Delhi with our Swift, but on the whole defenitely not Negative. With them gone, I was definitely worried about whome to go to in Pune. Finally I decided to go with Jay Vijay Fiat purely due to the fact that their Service Center is on the way to my Office.

I booked an appointment and got the car. Surprisingly, came to know that they need one full day to service the car. It would be ready only the next day. Experience strictly Average, dont know if I would be comfortable with going to them for any Major work though.

Problems reported while handing over the car were, squeak from the front suspension, foul smell from AC, Indicator stalks not disengaging automatically after the turn and replacement of the front and rear Wipers.

The total cost came INR 11845. All reported issues were attended to, except the Suspension squeak. The SA thought its normal

He also recomended AC disinfection for the foul smell, however the end result was not sattisfactory.

The service center did a shoddy job of making the service recomendations too. Despite the WA and WB being done, they had mentioned in the remarks that it is pending. Got it removed after arguing with the SA for long.

Is it a scam by Fiat Service guys to always recomend replacement of Brake pads and disk? I had got the same done in the 30 K service, yet it was recomended this time too. Hard to believe the Brake pads dont last 15K Kms. Told them to leave it as it is. Another recomendation is the replacement of C Mount. However the SA said this can be done during the next servicing. So decided to let it go for the moment.

Like always, the WA was messed up. I could feel the car distinctly pulling to the left and steering not centered correctly. Got the wheels alligned from outside. Battery was changed a week after the servicing.

All in all, the experience is strictly average and like I said earlier, not really sure if I can trust them with some major job if required. Need to look for alternatives for future jobs.

Stock HU Replacement
Few months back, I had also replaced the stock HU. My main grouse was the inability to play songs from USB. The aim was to find a HU which would help retain the stock look as much as possible and also is compatible with the CANBUS (else find a way to connect the replacement HU via a CAN decoder). After a lot of searching came across this link. The unit comes with a CAN decoder. Decided to bite the bullet and purchase the Unit (for INR 23K).

The connection was a simple DIY as the unit is plug and play, all steps were given with the Unit. Have made three small videos to show how the unit is connected.

First one here shows how to remove the stock HU. There is a tool to remove the HU, it needs to be pushed into the holes and the HU clicks out.

https://youtu.be/B80v0ayJHM4

Second one showing the connections on the stock unit that need to be removed. Ther are three connections. Two on the left (CAN and the speaker connections) one on the right (Radio antenna).

https://youtu.be/l6wPME2JQ1Y

Third one showing connections to be made on the new unit.
The CAN and speaker connections go to the exact same place as th stock unit. So does the radio cable (there is a connector that needs to be used for radio).

Three new connections come.

The CAN decoder, RCA connections and the GPS.

In the third video you can see the CAN decoder cables connected in the right side. The black cable running on top is for IPOD. I have not yet connected the RCA cables.

https://youtu.be/ydgs8OKlUPs

The colour is not an exact match. Can live with it though.



Here is the stock for comparison.



Audio Quality is Strictly Average. FM quality does not match up to even the stock level. Playing through USB however I felt the quality is at par with the stock playing same file from CD. The touchscreen interface is slow and at most times Laggy. So before one decides to go for this, he really needs to be clear what the priority is. If you expect a superior Audio experience and a seamless touch screen interface, better to give this one a slip.

The Unit takes approximately 20 Seconds to power up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1N_Kbr6r08

Finally Some pics of the different screens.









The FM screen.




The equaliser screen



The USB Playlist.


There is a car info screen that shows door status.



There are a few other gimmicks too like a calculator and a calender.

The Unit can be paired with the cellphone. You can sync your paired Android to the unit and access the contact list etc from the unit. The phone pairs automatically with the unit. You can speak on your phone while entering the car and once the unit is powered up it automatically takes over and the call continues through the unit now. However if you are playing a song on USB and a call comes, the song does not pause, it continues in the background (ofcourse muted) and when you finish your call it starts playing the song again but from not from where you were when the call came.

There is a GPS reicever that you can use for Navigation. The maps are to be loaded on a SD card for navigation.

Thats all for now.

Cheers