[noopster]

Thread moved from Assembly Line to Long Term Ownerships section. Thanks for sharing!

[prateekswarup]

Nice review! The 1.6 is always a great car to drive and quite a head turner. However, sad to see the cost of the upkeep. For a 2002 car, that has been driven only 39k, the wear and tear as well as replacements have been on the higher side.

Reminds me of the time when I was using my Uno.

But, having said all that, the sheer joy of pushing such a car on twisty roads, is priceless.

Is this by any chance the 1.6 SP with ABS?

Wishing you fun times with the Palio and hoping that the slew of expenses have righted all the probable wrongs for the next umpteenth kilometres.

[rajeev k]

I was thinking that you drive a swift and never knew that you had a furious machine till I came across this thread. But subsequently I noticed that this thread is out only today, which means that it was in the Assembly Line for quite long.
Nice that you have a wonderful car, though the ownership costs are a lot higher.
As the adage says, those who own a Palio loves them.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

...However, sad to see the cost of the upkeep. For a 2002 car, that has been driven only 39k, the wear and tear as well as replacements have been on the higher side....

I think the age is doing the damage here, rather than the kilometers. My mechanic told me that unless the car clocks decent mileage, I'll have issues with parts failure; so keep running without keeping it idle.

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

...Is this by any chance the 1.6 SP with ABS?...

Unfortunately, not! As I wrote, finding an SP variant is like searching for a needle in the hay stack. I believe I came across just 1 SP variant so far, while browsing the forum.

I'll mostly go for a wider tyre with my next upgrade. Doesn't look like the Adventure parts upgrade is going to happen as some of the parts (new) are already out of production. I would rather look at performance brake pads next time.

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

...Wishing you fun times with the Palio and hoping that the slew of expenses have righted all the probable wrongs for the next umpteenth kilometres.

Thank you. Am more of a "mechanicals" guy than a "cosmetic" guy and hence quite finicky about any / all wrong sounds from the vehicle. One of the reasons there are quite a few replacements too. I need my cars in top shape mechanically.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

I was thinking that you drive a swift and never knew that you had a furious machine till I came across this thread. But subsequently I noticed that this thread is out only today, which means that it was in the Assembly Line for quite long...

I have had this car for 2 years now. The thread lied in the Assembly line for quite long too, was busy with sorting issues out and then some laziness!

Originally Posted by rajeev k

...Nice that you have a wonderful car, though the ownership costs are a lot higher.
As the adage says, those who own a Palio loves them.

True, I already thought multiple times on selling off the car; it used to be a pain since I come from a brand new Swift which hardly had such issues. But I think it's just a matter of time & money before it starts serving me like the Swift.

The car manages to put a smile while driving; I'll stick with it for some time to come.

[SunnyBoi]

Great Read, wishing you all the best with the ownership of your Palio!

I need to finish my ownership thread soon! Your thread just fueled the desire to finish hehe

[Wildy]

Thank you for sharing your experience with this good old 1.6.

I heard Mumbai atmosphere is not good for the cars. Please take precautionary care to avoid the rusting issues.

Hearty congrats and wish you to have many more thousands of happy munching miles with this great car.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Great Read, wishing you all the best with the ownership of your Palio!...

Sure please. Am sure there are enough reasons for you to bring it out.

Originally Posted by Wildy

...I heard Mumbai atmosphere is not good for the cars. Please take precautionary care to avoid the rusting issues...

Thank you!

The car was initially in Chennai and that might have contributed to the rust issue. I am thinking of the underbody treatment from 3M, but otherwise, the under side does look neat. Even the interior space when A/C water drains, was told to be in good condition.

[swiftnfurious]

Insurance Renewal time.

The car had 3rd party cover when I bought it & again renewed it with the same last year (Reliance to IFFCO-TOKIO). Last year, I paid 4600/- or so and this year, I had risen to 5800/- for a 3rd party insurance with 0 IDV.

It prompted me to check for other options / vendors and all the vendors had a very similar rate. However,a quick check on Policy Bazaar site showed an interesting 7500/- (New India Assurance) for a comprehensive cover with an IDV 1,00,000/-! It was a pleasant thing to note that just for an additional 1700/-, you get a decent cover for your car with a reasonable IDV too. But I failed to get a thumbs up from my friends on the efficiency of these guys, as they deal with multiple insurance vendors.

HDFC was offering 7800/- for an IDV of 65,000/- and Bajaj Allianz - 8800/- against an IDV of 1,85,000/-.

Decided to go with Bajaj itself but there was a huge confusion on the premium amount given by the call centre compared to what was listed because this was a transition from 3rd party to comprehensive coverage (something to do with NCB calculations).

Finally, I managed a 9000/- for the same IDV, though they started with an 11K quote. The dealing with Bajaj call centre was quite positive. Made the payment online by clicking on a link they sent to my id as the website didn't allow a different price to be opted for.

I think this is another downside for the 1.6L engines. The premium is notable hefty compared to the less than 1.5L engines.

[Mr.Boss]

Congrats on the beauty. A well maintained specimen from a true Fiat Enthusiast / motor head. Wish you happy miles ahead.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I think this is another downside for the 1.6L engines. The premium is notable hefty compared to the less than 1.5L engines.

I'm sailing on the same boat (with a Baleno 1.6) Insurance premium for a 10 year old sedan with 1.xxL IDV is almost same as a couple of years old car (less than 1.5L engine) with more than 3L IDV

[swiftnfurious]

Got an interior & exterior treatment done at Motoshines, Sakinaka, Andheri East. The details are provided in the directory.

Interior cleaning
Exterior polishing
Ozone treatment

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...ml#post3963351

Current Problems:

I need to replace the combination switch, the headlight ON switch has gone off the thread and pops out. A new one is going to cost me 4K, but I think it's a good investment rather than getting the old one from Kurla market.

The stage 1 fan needs to be fixed too, only the stage 2 fan is working as of now, after a wash in the engine bay was done.

Went to Orchis, Powai and checked on the leather steering grip work. They told me that they can't replicate the factory finish covering all the spokes in the steering and their leather will primarily wrap the circular portion of the steering. I declined the offer and moved out. I'll probably get the normal 500/- lace steering grip done somewhere after removing the factory grip.

I am also getting a bit restless on the de-registration discussion of the 15 year old car. This is still going very strong at 40K kms and I'd like to hold onto it for a longer period. The FE is dismal for my city driving, but then a new car doesn't even make sense for the same drive. The car has done just 5K kms in the past 1.5 years.

Hope they don't force owners to scrap 15 year old vehicles.

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Hope they don't force owners to scrap 15 year old vehicles.

Congratulations on maintaining the Palio for so long. This is and was one of my favorites.
I don't think the Government can force any private car owner to scrap a vehicle. That rule, if it ever applies, will apply to commercial vehicles. The best that they can do is raise taxes for cars which are more than a decade old (which happens in Singapore).
The part failure you mentioned could be because of low usage. I hope the FASS serves you well. My ex-boss has a 1.6 Palio and he is still reluctant to change. I suggested the Ciaz and the Zest AMT but he drove both the cars and came back dissatisfied-he said the ride quality is better in the Palio!
Wishing you more happy miles with the Palio.

[swiftnfurious]

Today, I went to Straightline @ Santacruz West & got the wheel alignment / rotation / balancing done. The details are updated in the directory section. To sum up, a happy experience.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...ml#post3965974

[swiftnfurious]

Time for the yearly maintenance routine. Will update the odo reading soon, guess it's around 41K kms as of now.

The car sees very little running on an yearly basis, primarily due to the office being close to my stay - just a 0.5 km though I do take a longer route in the night (after the shift) to enjoy the drive + make the car run longer. So, I guess the car has run just around 7K kms from the time I bought it (in Jul 2014).

I religiously do the yearly service irrespective of the kms done over the year as I want the car in pristine condition.

Issues Reported:

1. A loud noise in my last drive (the car was idle for close to 3 weeks as I had my vacation. I thought it's either some belts / pulleys rubbing or a loose contact for the horn. It was so loud that people walking would look at the car what's the noise.

2. Stage 1 fan (low speed) doesn't work. This happened after the engine bay was water washed (me not being around).

3. The LH ORVM was broken by some low lives and I had replaced just the mirror (the internal adjustment cable was broken too) and a moron in an i10 hit my RH ORVM in his eagerness to overtake with 0 space and damaged the internal adjustment. Have asked to replace both. I might choose to wrap these in glaze finish black stickers as of now (till point # 4 is taken care of, as a whole).

4. Some sewage water was dripping on the right fender in my underground parking and have left white trails (one spot has paint damage) and might require a buffing. Am going to hold it for the time being. Someone had scratched the rear bumper too, from the middle to the left (passenger) side. This will have to wait a bit more as I may need to repaint the rear bumper, bonnet & RH fender along with the ORVMs; but nothing on priority.

For those who are wondering, I always prioritise the mechanical fixes over cosmetic ones. My cars should "perform" better than they look.

Service:

Opted for Maithri motors for the service. Bought 4L of Shell HX 7 10W 40 (semi synthetic) from Gauri Sales Corporation in Powai (opposite Powai lake), oil filter & coolant from Castrol (Radicool heavy duty). Sourced airfilter from Prem motors, Sakinaka and passed on all the stuffs to the garage to do the work.

I had reported a problem to them where I hear loud grinding noise at times from the bonnet (during the last drive) and suspected either some belts rubbing or a loose contact from the horn. At one time, the sound stayed ON even after the car was switched off and Mr. Poulo (Maithri Motors) said it could be the fan as that's the only thing that runs after the car is switched off. And I also had told them that the stage 1 fan is not kicking in and needed a check. While checking the resistor for the fan, Mr. Sunil told me that the fan is jammed a bit and hence probably not kicking in for low speed; he checked and found the resistor was indeed working fine.

He has to dismantle the fan and take it to the shop for them to identify the part and get a replacement piece and this should be done by Monday.

Price details:

4 x 1L can of Shell HX 7 - 465 x 4 = 1860 (you can get it cheaper from one seller on Amazon.in)
2 x 1L can of Castrol Radicool coolant = 300 x 2
1 x Oil filter = 164 (same price as 99 rpm)

Total = 2450/- after discounts (from Gauri Sales Corporation)

1 x Airfilter = 280 (MRP = 300, from Prem Motors)

Labour (Maithri Motors) = 300/-

Total = Rs. 3030/- (2450 + 280 + 300)

The ownership experience for the last 7K kms / 3 years:

It's a mixed bag. The car does seek attention every now and then (in terms of parts / maintenance required) but once in nick, it's just FANTASTIC.

Do I find it worth holding onto it? If I have the time & resources, then it's a definite YES! With the low re-sale value it commands (probably except in Chennai where the car is registered, where I can bargain for a good price), & my low running, it doesn't make sense to sell it off and pay another 8L to get something similar (in terms of fun / utility). I'd rather hold onto it till it dies and scrap it later is my thoughts as of now (unless there is some solid itch to upgrade).

However, it's so coincidental that the car continues to have a low running with all who has owned till date. Nobody would believe this car has done a genuine 41K kms in its time with 5-6 owners so far. Yes, the performance will SCREAM of the cream left for those who get behind the wheel.

[Abhi_abarth]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

It's a mixed bag. The car does seek attention every now and then (in terms of parts / maintenance required) but once in nick, it's just FANTASTIC.

Do I find it worth holding onto it? If I have the time & resources, then it's a definite YES! With the low re-sale value it commands (probably except in Chennai where the car is registered, where I can bargain for a good price), & my low running, it doesn't make sense to sell it off and pay another 8L to get something similar (in terms of fun / utility). I'd rather hold onto it till it dies and scrap it later is my thoughts as of now (unless there is some solid itch to upgrade).

Hi Swiftnfurious,
I echo the same sentiments. Bought a S10 (from 2nd owner) with 67K Km on the clock, spent close to 50 K in preventive maintenance like changing all the belts, timing kit, brake booster, battery and clutch. Am itching for an upgrade as can't use this as my primary car but the prices people quote are ridiculous. It makes more sense in retaining the car after having spent close to 2 Lakh (including purchase cost, yes I was crazy enough to buy it for 1.5 Lakh. Sigh). But, again but I am thinking should i sell it off even for that meager amount i get and go for an upgrade for peace of mind.

By the way, can you tell me how is the performance after switching over to the Shell semi-synthetic. I read in other forums that a fully synth or semi-synth isn't recommended for 1.6 engines since they are decade old engines and prone for damage. My s10 is due for a service and i have used Motul mineral oil last time.

Would love to hear from you.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

...But, again but I am thinking should i sell it off even for that meager amount i get and go for an upgrade for peace of mind...

Ah, tell me about it. Every time I hear an unwanted noise from the car, this is exactly what I feel! I have decided that there will probably be no Fiat in my garage again, whatever I'll buy, it has to be something reliable or something I can fix easily without looking for experienced mechanics.

But the kind of support I get from Fiat'ians is very very heart warming. They take up my issues like their own and provide me solutions / contacts who can resolve issues.

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

...By the way, can you tell me how is the performance after switching over to the Shell semi-synthetic. I read in other forums that a fully synth or semi-synth isn't recommended for 1.6 engines since they are decade old engines and prone for damage...

The car has been running on Shell HX7 10W-40 from the time I got it (rather, even before it). Honestly, this is the first time I heard about semi-synthetic not being preferred for the car. The guy who restored the car never raised a concern neither did the service guys.

Logically, I don't find a reason why this can't be used in the car. Is it that people advise against using synthetic / semi-synthetic on an 'old' car with a lot of miles on it? In that case, I read this is the same for new age cars too, the reason being the seals etc getting used to a particular grade of oil for a long time and then someone upgrading to higher viscosity oils may cause damage to the seals.