[sidindica]

The love marriage of Italian and JDM

• The initial impressions of the C drive are very good. Excellent grip, wet weather traction and cornering abilities. Would recommend this with eyes closed.
• Oil changed to liqui moly fully synthetic 5w40, continues to rock.
• Few interior leather parts (gear knob, boot and co driver underseat base cover) had to be changed as the latter was torn.
• Usage has gone down a bit, and got the insurance renewed from HDFC Ergo general insurance, for a simple comprehensive policy.
• FE continues to hover around 15-16 in city, 21-23 on highway with 60% AC usage.

Will be completing 2 years shortly.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by ad3952n

We pledged there itself that we will never refer or recommend this outlet to anyone. Yaar, We skipped our lunch too because of these morons. Pathetic work!

Thanks

They ruined my Puntos' wheel balance too: earlier it had traces of vibration at 80 plus. After the balancing, the car vibrates at 60kmph! What I now remember is, they did not even feed the mandatory measurements of the wheel before loading the wheels on the balancer. Before my car, there was an Alto which was balanced. God knows if the same settings went for my car wheels! Unfortunately I lost the invoice, otherwise I would have raised hell! Krishnakant, the owner is not present: I hear things are different when he is around!

By the way 5617 looks stunning as usual, and congrats on the new shoes.
And AD bhai, are you a weekly visitor to Indirapuram/Klenz ? Or even more frequent ?

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

AD bhai, are you a weekly visitor to Indirapuram/Klenz? Or even more frequent

Sir, how is your tooth pain now? Hope you are doing well. As for visiting Klenz, I am a maniac when it comes to cleaning of my car. Actually, as the car is driven by my driver and the PSO so the way they keep it is not something that I like so when ever I feel the urge for special cleaning, I visit them.

During summers and monsoons, the car has to bear a lot of harsh weather which I feel is bad. So, detailing, cleaning and washing are done on it frequently.

Thanks.

PS: get your car checked for balancing at some reliable outlet nearby but not Resham Tyre.

[Hulk]

Originally Posted by sidindica

The love marriage of Italian and JDM



Will be completing 2 years shortly.

Hi Sid, those seat covers look fantastic!

Can you please share where did you get those done from and approximately how much did it cost? I am looking to get seat covers done for my Punto as well.

[esteemedpunter]

From my personal experience C drives don't have very good side wall strength. Lost two of them in just 20K of driving them. One developed a side wall bulge while going over a pot hole (not a huge one but maybe the angle at which I hit the pot hole was responsible) at 60 kmph and another developed a cut on the side wall gash. The road where this happened was a near my home and thereby frequently used by me. For the life of me could not fathom out what happened. Spoke to a few dealers about the side wall issues and they said C drives side walls are quite prone to bulges.

[sidindica]

The car completed 2 years of ups and downs recently. Go the front bumper resprayed from an FNG in Okhla (makhdam), gave a brilliant finish.





Something which I had to do long time back. Better late than never.



Fiat service is nothing still to write home about, kashyap is still better, Oberoi just became worse. Engine performance is strong at mid range, though top end is nothing to write home about. C drives continue to delight with their excellent a rounded ability.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Fiat service is nothing still to write home about, kashyap is still better, Oberoi just became worse. Engine performance is strong at mid range, though top end is nothing to write home about. C drives continue to delight with their excellent a rounded ability.

Congrats on completing two years! It still looks new.

Completely agree with your assessment on Oberoi. They have gone from bad to worse. All the praise that we used to shower on the lone technical expert (Ishender) seems to have got to his head. He now has more attitude than perhaps Nagesh would have.

[sidindica]

On the right track?



September 21-it was a seemingly long wait for an opportunity to take it to BIC super sunday. Better be late than never. Paid 4k+250 for transponder and drove the car for about 9 laps in a 30-35 minute session, which got delayed due to somewhat poor management and lots of cars. Talking about the steering, we were two in the car (me and BHPian forester) with no weight at the back. No spare wheel or subwoofer or tray or dicky mat. Fact is you can't defy the laws of physics and a nose heavy diesel car with all that weight up front, plus the uplifted suspension, does show body roll at corners. The C drives were squealing hard on cornering and it was always tricky to judge turn 2 and the final turn before the pitlane.

In tight turns, understeer was prominent and it does feel tricky to manouvre the car with precision. Plus, driving for the first time, it did feel tricky. But, the steering feel was direct and well weighted, though somewhat heavy and ponderous feeling plus the car fishtailed at heavy cornering.





Meanwhile, at 44,000 kms, the car performs as it should, with no issues except, again, the infamous shocker mount issue. The Left front shocker mount gave up third time in 2 years and had to be replaced at kashyap. The symptoms of a failed shocker mount is a khat khat noise while turning the car at low speeds. Another part that will be replaced is the front left shocker, at kashyap, under extended warranty as minor leak was traced in addition to that noise. Also, the rear shocker pads (a rubber part) have started cracking and need replacement, to be done next week.



With regards to service, Fiat remains as it was in its old times. while warranty support is good, the quality of service is just below average. No dealer in particular in Delhi NCR has a good reputation in general, you have to be on your toes to get the work done, though kashyap does have better technical knowhow but old school laggardness is always present.

[sidindica]

Chinks in the "arm"or

And one fine day, the LHS suspension arm gave up when I was getting the 45,000 km WA/WB done from driven, where it goes most of the times. The alignment is normal, plus balancing was done, and late evening, took the car to oberoi Fiat. The bearing was gone and the tak tak noise was coming while taking low speed turns. The arm was replaced, costing 1990, and also on close examining the underbody, the rear shocker pads-the rubber part installed above the rear coil springs, were ripped apart. Got those replaced, costing Rs. 60 per part.

The old shocker pads removed







The new pads installed





The whole job was done in an hour and half, and this time, the running repair experiance was excellent. The bill came to Rs. 2,2XX.

The car is now confined to Local running of late and this does have an affect on clutch becoming somewhat harder due to frequent usage in stop go traffic. With winters on, as a preventive measure, got the clutch bleeding done and brakes checked, and now things work as they should. Thankfully, no untoward niggles, and the car is running like it always should. Stands at 46,500 kms as of today.

Meanwhile, on a chilly, dazzling winter morning.
A red rose.
With a pointed nose...
With the camera saying, "aah, what a pose".

[mustangboss302]

Would love to be at BIC one day to see it perform on the bends

[sidindica]

A milestone, fifty thousand steps of a kilometre traversed.

Febryary 6, 2015, close to 30 months, saw a new milestone being reached on the tripmeter.





This time, the car also underwent a complete service at a FNG, all thanks to poor standards of NCR dealers.
World of service, sector 63 noida.

• Engine oil change (INR 3063)-AGIP I-SINT 5W40 fully synthetic 3.5L
• Oil filter change (INR 450)
• Air filter change (INR 410)
• Diesel filter change (INR 1600)
• New set of brake discs and pads (INR 2200+3290)
• starter motor lubrication
• clutch bleeding and gear oil change (INR 550 for oil)

Driven

• Alignment and balancing (INR 550)
• New Rainbow Soundline speakers installed as part of exchange and discount offer from BBW

The spare parts are all Fiat genuine parts which I purchased OTC from dealers.
This oil is the best I have come across. The engine is devoid of all the unnecessary clatter, is much more silent, responsive and overall performance, especially mid range has improved a lot. The inconsistent box robs it of strong top end though. On the highways, it cries for a 6th cog.



The interiors have held up well, but seat rattles at many occasions are irritating. Another concern remains the weak left side shocker mount design, which sees frequent replacements. Consider this, my RHS mount is what came from the factory and LHS saw it replaced 4 times during this period.
The car continues to drive as well as its made to be, niggles not withstanding, and thankfully, no new warranty claims this time. Only time will tell when Fiat will ever see he light of day on showing commitment towards the Indian market, but this FNG will be my new service place since I get good support from them and quality of work is top notch.
Ride and handling remains its forte, though I am not a fan of the body roll due to increased GC.

Sharing a few pics taken yesterday and today. Crossed 51000 kms as I write this.

[sidindica]

55,555 kilometres and traversing more miles....

....with no issues, except few to report.

• Finally, the left front shocker gave up after it started to leak a few weeks ago. The infamous gadap gadap noise came again, and I thought-my goodness, there goes the left front shocker mount, again. This time, the mount was OK, but the shocker developed a leak. Took the car to oberoi, and they replaced the shocker within an hour. Costed INR 1990 for part and 350 odd for labour. Problem never resurfaced. Happened at 54,200 kms.

• The gearshift action was acting up with inconsistent action at reverse gear. Tried some clutch bleeding and gear oil changed, and the issue vanished. Cost: INR 600.

Other than that, I gave the car for detailing (paint sealent-wolfgang-basic) to Jaspreet (notorious) at his newly opened dazzle car detailing studio, and as always, he did a brilliant job of restoration and paint correction owing to age. The overall cost came out to be INR 6k rounded off.

Went on a holiday to the Himalayas, and there the car shows its real talent. Superb driveability, hill climbing, mid range, surefooted handling and brilliant steering and chassis balance. Once you get accustomed to the 185 mm GC, its actually a fun to throw her around on hills at curves and ghats and cliffs. Old school HPS works wonders, as always associated with Fiat cars.
Overall, using a good synthetic oil has changed the overall behaviour of the engine. Top end disappoints, and the first two cogs feel useless, but mid range remains its strong point and on the hands of an experianced driver, the power can be harnessed to its fullest. And yes, the unwanted clattery sound is not present. Plus, the performance is way better than what is made out to be.

• The interiors have held up well, and now with the seat rattles corrected, not a screw or bolt has gone loose.

• The Audio system saw a lateral upgrade. Digital Designs C4C was swapped with a pre owned rainbow i paul 4.300 4 channel amplifier. Better acoustics and sound quality, and more power to the speakers and subwoofer. The car now has a full rainbow setup.

Yes, it still has flaws like weird ergonomics, average rear legspace and inconsistent gearshift and weak top end, but it grows on you. And I personally see Fiat making strides in improving its service. What I want, I get it on time, and no issues faced on part procurement so far. Oberoi for me is somewhat becoming better, no point now going to kashyap since its far off and work is slow paced, its a waste of time. For small issues (hope no more), the FNG is always there in Noida 63.
But, it does have its one best trait. That vault like build. And that feeling of safety and invincibility not present in many hatches.

The car has done 55,555 kms and counting, and he more it ages, the more fresh it feels as a daisy. It depends on just a simple formula. How the maintenance standards are adhered to.

Simply put, the way she takes care of you depends on how well you take care of her. And that timeless design just cannot be matched by many quirky hatches on sale in India.

[saurabh041086]

sidindica even i been visting World of Service in past for my MJD. How is the performance of this "i-Sint" engine oil. i was in the delima whether to opt for it or Mobil fully synthetic which they offer. Not having much info about this oil i straightaway went for Mobil Super.

Did your Punto come with 170mm ground clearance shocks and you changed them to 185mm shocks because both of my front two shocks have gone kaput and WOS is suggesting me to go for higher 185mm shocks. If so how does it ride on highway with increased height.

[arun_josie]

Your car looks in pristine condition or may be even better

Originally Posted by sidindica

55,555 kilometres and traversing more miles....


Overall, using a good synthetic oil has changed the overall behaviour of the engine. Top end disappoints, and the first two cogs feel useless, but mid range remains its strong point and on the hands of an experianced driver, the power can be harnessed to its fullest. And yes, the unwanted clattery sound is not present. Plus, the performance is way better than what is made out to be.

How do you manage the warranty claims after moving to Synthetic? FASS is cooperative on this? Even I want to move to Synthetic but holding it for now to meet the warranty claim condition.

And I personally see Fiat making strides in improving its service. What I want, I get it on time, and no issues faced on part procurement so far.

Even I feel the same, they are improving, no doubt on that. But they should improve their QA.

[sidindica]

Experiance at 58,000

A lovely weather made me click few pics of her today. The whole experiance at 58,000 kms service is penned here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi-...ml#post3730575

Originally Posted by saurabh041086

sidindica even i been visting World of Service in past for my MJD. How is the performance of this "i-Sint" engine oil. i was in the delima whether to opt for it or Mobil fully synthetic which they offer. Not having much info about this oil i straightaway went for Mobil Super.

Did your Punto come with 170mm ground clearance shocks and you changed them to 185mm shocks because both of my front two shocks have gone kaput and WOS is suggesting me to go for higher 185mm shocks. If so how does it ride on highway with increased height.

The oil performs beautifully as ever, and overall lubricating qualities is superior. The car is fast and smooth, with no unwanted clatter. Its upto you to go for 170mm or 185 mm shocks. My car came with factory fitted 185 mm shocks. The handling is not as good as the pre 2012 punto due to increased body roll, but if you are willing to compromise, then for the high ground clearance benefit, they are extremely helpful. On highway, with the C drives, its extremely stable as it should be.