[Mr.Boss]

Wait,
What's the explanation from A.S.S for the caster values? They knew it is out of spec and still delivering the car in same condition?

PS: instead of entering a dummy value for SAI they could have left it blank

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by pdma

These are the current quotes I have received for my car. All the quotes are for NIL depreciation. I am considering only these 4 vendors as they have cashless tie up with FASC in Hyderabad.

FG was hopeless when I was shopping around for renewals. I must have called them over 10 times and all I got was either a frustrating conversation with an office boy, or if I did get someone in charge got a promise that an inspector would arrive within 24 hrs for an inspection which never happened.

On a known agents recommendation I finally went for HDFC Ergo and paid a shade under 20k for zero dep and a 7.05L IDV on a 2014 T-jet. RS was the other choice but was about 22k for the same features.

[pdma]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Wait,
What's the explanation from A.S.S for the caster values? They knew it is out of spec and still delivering the car in same condition?
PS: instead of entering a dummy value for SAI they could have left it blank

That's a good catch, I totally missed it. Let me get this sorted out.

Originally Posted by keroo1099

FG was hopeless when I was shopping around for renewals. I must have called them over 10 times and all I got was either a frustrating conversation with an office boy, or if I did get someone in charge got a promise that an inspector would arrive within 24 hrs for an inspection which never happened.

Thank You Keroo for the input.
I will take call by the first week of Feb on the renewal.

Cheers,
Pradeep.

[pdma]

Update on Insurance Renewal

Current Vendor : Royal Sundaram.
Insurance expiry date : 23-Feb-2017

After a month long search the Insurance vendor is finalized and I paid the amount today. Prices have certainly gone up this financial year and I ended up paying close to Rs 1000/- more this year in-spite of having an NCB of 25%.

Best quotations received from Vendors



I have decided to continue with RS this year too (you can see the reason why from the chart). They managed to give me the best deal after some pestering from my end. They threw an initial quote of around Rs 21,000/- and finally budged close to Rs 19,000/-.
The advantage that I had was the time, as I was in no hurry and I started my search way early so that I can negotiate hard and get the best price as per current market rates.

The car would be completing 2 years on 19-Feb 2017 and I will be putting up a detailed report shortly.

Cheers,
Pradeep.

[pdma]

2 Years Update :

My lovely car completed 2 years on Feb 19 2017 with the odo clocking around 32K. The current odo reading is a little over 34K.

The ownership and experience with the machine has been a bliss and I cherished every min spent with the car all this while.

Tyres

With 2 new tires (had to change due to reasons posted earlier) and 2 stock tires the car is doing fine and I plan to change all the 4 tyres may be after another 10k or early next year.

Brake Pads

As per the recent checkup at the pre summer camp the brake pads would still hold good for another 3000km so I will change them when needed.
For everyone who thought or mentioned that the brake pads are made of wax and the lifetime is less than 20k, I would like to mention again that it all depends on how they are used / driving style.

The Clutch

Continues to be butter smooth and as mentioned earlier as well, the clutch on this car can put some of the clutches on the petrol cars to share. The clutch position is so well placed that I need not lift my foot press the pedal, all I need to do is slide my foot and the job is done. I did get used to the long travel.

Dents / Scratches

I would like thank all my guardian angles and stars as the car till date had picked only 2 scratches due to over enthusiastic two wheeler and an auto rickshaw. I too am least bothered about drivers who have adrenaline rush in peak traffic and I mostly stick to a safe corner and drive at my pace leaving way to anyone who wants to pass.

Quality - Fit & Finish

Cabin noises, rattles, squeaks what are they .
With 2+ years and 34k+ on the odo, the car is as quite as the day I drove it from the dealership. There were some minor squeaks that showed up in between as mentioned in my earlier posts, but they all were addressed to satisfaction at AV Motors and thankfully none resurfaced till date.

Engine & Performance

The engine is getting smoother with every click on the odo. There is almost no noise from the engine compartment and the refinement of the MJD is pretty good.
The car can pull and reach speeds close to two tons with 4 adults on board and stay absolutely stable, and as a drier you will not hit the nervous zone. The engine can definitely put up some decent competition with other cars in the same category in spite of smaller displacement and the weight of the car.

All Fluids change @ 2 years

The car went to AV motors on 17th Feb to get all fluids changed as per the service manual.
The service was prompt again and I was out in flat 2 hours. The service center was proactive and they placed some extra fluids in the boot so that I can check the next day and give the needed top up.

Regular checks in progress



Transmission Oil being drained.



Fresh transmission oil being pumped in.



Weird that the oil says for automatic transmission, a few questions did not lead to proper answers



Coolant being changed.







Brake / Clutch fluid being pumped out.





New oil being filled.





The next day as anticipated there is a dip in the level for coolant & brake / clutch fluid. I promptly topped them to the max level with the supplements already available in the boot of the car.







Stock Interiors

The car continues to be in the stock interiors and I do love to flaunt the way they have held up (off course the beige fabric layout takes some exhaustive maintenance to keep them spic & span)



.

The Exterior

Well I invest equal time and effort on the exterior too and absolutely no regrets for the same. I love the looks and attention my car gets when we roll out together.

My seven year old posing after a good session with the car.



I would like to take the opportunity to introduce the new member of the family, our 5 months old pup. Yes he too loves driving in the car, and that just makes keeping the interiors sparkling a little more tougher .





and the love continues...



Cheers,
Pradeep.

[pdma]

Its been quite sometime I updated the thread. The car has been doing absolutely fine except for an awkward noise from the suspension which started about 4 weeks back. I have been postponing the checkup ever since, however the Odo was fast approaching 40K and I though the checkup should not be delayed any further. Also it was time to get the break pads checked along with WA & WB.

Date: 05 Aug 2017
Odo Reading : 39,300KM
Service center : Pride FASC - Miyapur. (I chose Pride over my regular SC AV motors to check how good they are and also the SC is 2-3 KM from my home)



I reached the SC by 9AM (little early) and it took about 10 min for the SA to be assigned and the job card to be opened. Went for a longish drive with the technician and he confirmed that the noise from the suspension was there and there is no fault with my ears.

Job card details.

1) Check Shock absorber mounts.
2) Check Elastic Pads.
3) Break pads (They were confirmed to be at end of life and would not have lasted more than 1k KM).
4) General Checkup.
5) Engine oil leak was observed (traces of the same were found on the metal guard)
6) WA & WB

I met the GM service @ Pride FASC, and after exchange of pleasantries he was very kind to personally take me on a tour of the new facility. I should admit that the center is massive, loads of space all around. He showed me their new automated under body wash system and also the paint booth. He also showed me the adjacent Mitsubishi service center which is also run by Pride. Right next to the Mitsubishi SC, pride has their Honda SC, where Iam a regular.









The Compass line up



Jeep is certainly trying to give the customers some experience, while the customer lounges @ Hyderabad have always been good and there is a constant check by somebody, in case you need any hot beverages, the Bisleri bottle for each customer and snacks is something new I observed.





While I made myself comfortable at the customer lounge I saw the car pulled onto the shop floor. It has always been hard for me to sit and relax when I know that work is in progress on my car, it was just a matter of a few minutes before I ended up next to service bay.



My baby sharing space with its new cousin



The mounts and elastic pads were found to be worn out and I was advised replacement. I asked to check the scope of warranty and within a few min I got an affirmation that these parts would be replaced under warranty. A sigh of relief, as it would have costed 5-6K including labor.

New Mounts.





They checked the shock absorbers and I was clearly able to see that the piston was not returning to normal position quick enough, this meant that the shock absorbers have weakened and I may have to replace them sometime in the future (may be after 15k KM), the same was advised by the works manager. I asked them to check for warranty again, I was informed that the shock absorbers would be covered under warranty only upto 2 years / 40k KM.

My car is now 2 years and 5 months old with 39,300 KM on odo.
I requested them to check for other possibilities and I insisted politely on warranty. After a few to and fro's by the works manager & the warranty advisor to GM's cabin, I was called in and informed that the best that can be done is a 50% discount as good will warranty. Without any hesitation I gave my nod.
This is where my appreciation towards FIAT keeps picking up, Iam not sure how many manufacturers honor warranty like FIAT does.

New shock absorbers in place.





The rear shock absorbers were found to be fine, however there was a plastic part on the rear shock absorber which has gone out of shape and I have asked for the same to be replaced.





The leak of the engine oil was a result of the O ring failure in the oil filter, unfortunately the O ring doesn't come as a separate child part and so had to get the a new oil filer.

Metal guard with oil deposits being cleaned, before fixing it back.



The coolant level was found low and was promptly topped up. Thankfully no much engine oil was lost and the dip stick showed that its close to the max mark, the gap was topped up.

New break pads in place.

The stock set lasted close to 40K and proves again that the break pads on FIAT are not made of butter , all depends on the style of driving.



Post the work completion, the car was taken for WA &WB, followed by a quick body wash.

Finer details .

The nozzle caps for my tyres are broken and FASC gave me a new set, I like to keep the car the way everything is supposed to be no matter how big or small the part is.



Overall I would say a very satisfactory experience at pride and they have made sure things were thoroughly checked and I was constantly updated on what was being done. With anticipated growth in the number of vehicles at FASC going forward, I really look forward and wish that they maintain similar customer experience at FASC which would help me continue my dream run with the car.

[bharatbits]

Nice to see your positive feedback on Pride Fiat's service. We have to meet sometime.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by pdma

The rear shock absorbers were found to be fine, however there was a plastic part on the rear shock absorber which has gone out of shape and I have asked for the same to be replaced.

What is this mark? Looks unusual

[simplysaj]

Great going @pdma!
I keep yours and @nkrishnap 's threads as bechmark for Linea maintenance!

[pdma]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

Nice to see your positive feedback on Pride Fiat's service. We have to meet sometime.

Sure, we can certainly catch up, let me know when .

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

What is this mark? Looks unusual
Attachment 1664205

Its the plastic casing which was not in order, this was sorted out when they fixed that plastic part.

Originally Posted by simplysaj

Great going @pdma!
I keep yours and @nkrishnap 's threads as bechmark for Linea maintenance!

Thank You Saji,
Arunjoise and Nkrishnap are at a different level, Iam way below their bench mark .

Cheers,
Pradeep.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by pdma

They checked the shock absorbers and I was clearly able to see that the piston was not returning to normal position quick enough, this meant that the shock absorbers have weakened and I may have to replace them sometime in the future (may be after 15k KM), the same was advised by the works manager. I asked them to check for warranty again, I was informed that the shock absorbers would be covered under warranty only upto 2 years / 40k KM.

No extended warranty?

Also, isn't it a bit too early for shock absorber damage? Unless you use it on bad roads regularly. My Punto is still running the factory set, though I might need to replace them during the next service. There is a thud sound coming from the suspension, which I'm hoping - turns out to be a damaged rubber bush.

That service center looks miles ahead of what I've seen with FIAT till date! Hopefully the service quality matches the look and feel of the place.

[pdma]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

No extended warranty?

Also, isn't it a bit too early for shock absorber damage? Unless you use it on bad roads regularly.

Hello CD,

The car does some bad roads on daily basis, also this was proactively changed before 15K KM (so that I can avail good will warranty, under which they were replaced).
I was one of the lucky last set of customers to get the extended warranty on the car, which would be intact till 2020.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

That service center looks miles ahead of what I've seen with FIAT till date! Hopefully the service quality matches the look and feel of the place.

The Jeep effect . We will have to wait for more feedback in the coming months, from other customers to find out how the service holds up.

Cheers,
Pradeep.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by pdma

Arunjoise and Nkrishnap are at a different level, Iam way below their bench mark .

Cheers,
Pradeep.

I am paranoid with preventive maintenance and go fix the issue even if there is a slightest hint of damage or wear. My maintenance costs are higher for this reason and should not be a basis for decision making on maintenance costs.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

No extended warranty?

Also, isn't it a bit too early for shock absorber damage? Unless you use it on bad roads regularly. My Punto is still running the factory set, though I might need to replace them during the next service. There is a thud sound coming from the suspension, which I'm hoping - turns out to be a damaged rubber bush.

That service center looks miles ahead of what I've seen with FIAT till date! Hopefully the service quality matches the look and feel of the place.

On a lighter note. Isn't your car giving you a softer ride like the Hyundais?

150K kms and you expect only rubber bush damage, too much When you replace the rear struts, do replace the mounting rubbers pads too. With fronts, check the status of elastic pads and the struts. I suggest replace it together to get the best and save a bit of cost. How you save cost? They remove the elastic pads to replace struts, replacing both ensure you dont need to pay separate labor for strut pad replacement. They will add it anyways, but you can knock it off for the above said reason . Do not be an unsuspecting customer.

[bharatbits]

I wanted to purchase the extended warranty but was not available during my purchase. I heard they had issues with the third party vendor. Is the extended warranty option likely to come up anytime soon?

[pdma]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

I wanted to purchase the extended warranty but was not available during my purchase. I heard they had issues with the third party vendor. Is the extended warranty option likely to come up anytime soon?

MOPAR may be coming up with EW. There is no confirmed news on the same, but an assumption as they have ties up with FCA for many services and Iam hoping that they take up EW as well for Fiat like what they are doing for Jeep.

Cheers,
Pradeep.