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Old 28th January 2010, 18:18   #31
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It was the blue stile one but I didnt get it since it was a 4 pin logo and wouldnt fit
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Old 28th January 2010, 18:20   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bottle View Post
It was the blue stile one but I didnt get it since it was a 4 pin logo and wouldnt fit
Thanks. I now have a reference price. But for the life of me, I can't understand why they have a 4 pin logo when the original one is 2 pin.
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Old 29th October 2010, 10:27   #33
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Palio Stile 1.6 long termreview - 3 years 34,000 kms & time for tyre change

Hi all - This October 23rd, it has been 3 years with the FIAT Palio Stile 1.6. The car has been performing admirably... I do mainly city driving and weekend travels to Pune and a yearly trip to Goa. I had a Palio 1.2 before the 1.6, and so I did know that the FIAT cars do not give much trouble, if you do your usual regular service and maintenance. The Palio 1.6 was no different, well almost ...

1) Breakdowns over 3 years
The only breakdown I had was when the fuel filter went kaput. The much battered A.S.S had the spares in stock and i had the car back in a day. I read in some posts that the fuel filters used in the new Palios are prone to giving up after 2 years. I do not know. I also suspect my insistence on pushing the car till the reserve glows. And one more tiny irritant : The roof light has a mind of its own and will decide to switch on , or refuse to switch off at its own will. Will deal with it in Dec - next service. Anyway other than the above, zero issues in the car to date & I use it daily.

2) Fuel Efficiency
In the city of Mumbai, I get between 8.5 and 9.5 km/litre. This with the AC on I would say 75% of the time. However on my long drives to Pune and to Goa, the Stile gives quite easily a fuel economy of 15 km/litre at an avg speed of 110 km/hr.

3) Regular services that I do
3.1) Change engine oil every 6 months - I use Castrol MAgnatec mineral
oil. Once someone used a different grade oil (meant for diesel
engines) and I sought some help on this forum and was advised to
change it immediately. Did so. Thanks. Did a lot of reading on the
Synthetic vs Mineral oil thread in this site. Mineral made sense to
me. Stuck with it.
3.2) Change oil filter during oil change
3.3) Change air filter during oil change (even though FIAT does not
recommend it)
3.4) Changed spark plugs at recommended kms.
3.5) Changed gear oil at recommended kms.
3.6) Changed coolant completely at end of year 2.
3.7) Polish the car once in 18 months.
3.8) Rotate tyres every 9000 - 10,000 kms with tyre alignment &
balancing.
3.9) Do injector cleaning every third service (18 months)
3.10) Change fuel filter as per recommended interval (once a year)

I think I do sufficient and do not go overboard. The car is smooth as
ever.

4) Planned changes ?
Tyres .. I am not happy with the Goodyears. But they have dealt with the rough and tumble and still have some life in them. I want to know if I should upgrade (is that the right word, or upsize) ? I want a slightly smooter ride and some grip at speeds between 100-110 km/hr. I have distinctly felt the goodyears loosing grip somewhere in that range and the steering feels very light. Any suggestions are welcome. I intend to get the tyres changed around end Nov or early Dec.

5) After Sales
Well, mixed bag really. I used to go to Shaman since 2002 & they were good. Nothing outstanding , and nothing to complain about either. However towards the end of 2008, I believe they switched to becoming a Honda service center, but would still service FIAT cars. That's when the step motherly treatment began. They would service my car in the dusty adjacent shed, while the Honda's were serviced in the usual clean workshop. Took my business to Bharti. They are good.They do not try to push for unnecessary things to be done - like flushing etc ..


I'll post pictures later.
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Old 29th October 2010, 11:16   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seeler_Rebeiro View Post
Did a lot of reading on the
Synthetic vs Mineral oil thread in this site. Mineral made sense to
me. Stuck with it.
Having had the car for around 3 years, would seriously suggest you move to synthetic ( the car definitely becomes smoother). In cabin noise was always an issue with the Stile 1.6.....esp on days you want a quieter drive with no music and synthetic greatly reduces this.

My only 2 problems with the car had been with 1. Alternator 2. Fuel Filter. Wonder how so many Palio batches have the SAME problem. The OEM for the two components should be fired by FIAT. But similar to your experience, the much maligned A** got the parts and returned the car within 36 hrs

The Goodyears skid under hard braking so I would definitely suggest going for new tyres with better grip

Last edited by Amartya : 30th October 2010 at 12:00. Reason: Fixed quote tag
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Old 29th October 2010, 11:52   #35
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@JishD - Thanks. Will re-think Synthetic vs Mineral. Relating to tyres, did you change your set ? Which manufacturer and make did you go with ? What is your experience vs the GoodYears ?
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Old 29th October 2010, 12:06   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seeler_Rebeiro View Post
@JishD - Thanks. Will re-think Synthetic vs Mineral. Relating to tyres, did you change your set ? Which manufacturer and make did you go with ? What is your experience vs the GoodYears ?
Unfortunately I needed to sell the car a few months back, and I had not changed the tyres till then. My recommendation would be to go with some high grip tyres ( forum suggests Yoko S-Drive) based on my potentially nasty experiences with the gravel filled roads of Gurgaon. But to the GPS2's credit, they did not get punctured even once in 3 years !
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Old 2nd November 2010, 16:13   #37
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Congrats on a happy 3 year ownership..

You said it right. The Palio doesn't need much maintainence unless you don't take care of her.

In my 2 years ownership haven't faced any major issues only minor stuff and still fantastic to drive in city and highways!

Regarding the cabin light, the problem could be due the switch which is present between the door joints. That may need a replacement. Could be due to water seeping in.

I too face a similar problem with the GPS2 tyres. Last rainy season on the Pune expressway at speeds 110-120, the car seems to be floating. Very scary feeling. But yes, no puncture issues till date.

For tyre change, i think you can refer this thread which should help you:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...lrounders.html

On a recent Palio Users Group meet, a member had got new Pirelli tyres for his Palio MJD.

Wish you happy miles driving the beast
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Old 11th May 2011, 16:18   #38
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Guys,

I have a few queries on the Palio Stile 1.6

A friend of mine recently picked up a used one done about 25k kms. The car feels great to drive.

I would like to know the following:
1) What should be the oil level on the dip stick?
2) How to check if the coolant levels are fine?
3) Under decent traffic conditions, without AC, if I drive say 3-4 kms at little higher RPM's like 2-3.5k, approximately, what should be the temperature reading?
4) Until what temperature level is normal in city driving conditions?

We do not have the user manual as of now, it will be available in couple of days, hence we dont have a reference.
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Old 12th May 2011, 07:59   #39
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Answers in italics within the post.

Quote:
Hi - My responses below
I have a few queries on the Palio Stile 1.6

A friend of mine recently picked up a used one done about 25k kms. The car feels great to drive.

I would like to know the following:
1) What should be the oil level on the dip stick?
Ans : If you stick to the manual of 3.8 litres, it should be slightly below max.

2) How to check if the coolant levels are fine?
Ans: Open the bonnet. At the front of the car, near the radiator, and to the left of the battery, if you are standing in front of the car, is a plastic resevoir with a blue cap. This plastic resevoir has MIN & MAX marked on it. The coolant should be between these marks. Please check the level ONLY when the engine is completely cold. Do not open the resevoir, when engine is running or is hot.

3) Under decent traffic conditions, without AC, if I drive say 3-4 kms at little higher RPM's like 2-3.5k, approximately, what should be the temperature reading?
Ans : If you divide the guage into 4 quarters, then it will be above the middle of the guage say from mid-way of the 3rd quarter to almost the 3rd quarter. Depends on driving conditions etc.

4) Until what temperature level is normal in city driving conditions?
Ans : If you are driving normally say between 2 to 2.5 K RPM, then it should be slightly above the middle of the guage.

We do not have the user manual as of now, it will be available in couple of days, hence we dont have a reference.

Last edited by benbsb29 : 12th May 2011 at 09:02. Reason: Corrected quote tags and formatting.
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Old 12th May 2011, 10:11   #40
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

I just re-read what I posted, and let me clarify. If you are driving say at 2K - 3K rpm, without AC, then the temp guage should be around the middle. If you are driving between 3.5K - 4.5K rpm, without AC, it should go beyond the half way mark. I did not do too much driving in that band without AC & so cannot say for certain. However I do remember it going to the near the three quarters mark once or twice that i did drive without AC in that rpm band.
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Old 25th May 2011, 01:16   #41
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by Seeler_Rebeiro View Post
I just re-read what I posted, and let me clarify. If you are driving say at 2K - 3K rpm, without AC, then the temp guage should be around the middle. If you are driving between 3.5K - 4.5K rpm, without AC, it should go beyond the half way mark. I did not do too much driving in that band without AC & so cannot say for certain. However I do remember it going to the near the three quarters mark once or twice that i did drive without AC in that rpm band.
Hi All,

i'm not sure but the temperature readings you have mentioned seem a little too high for a 1.6. My car never goes beyond the half way mark no matter what RPM or with/ without a/c i drive. as soon as it gets anywhere near the halfway mark, the second level fan kicks in and cools it down immediately till the temperature drops to just above the 1/4th mark.

with a/c on, the temp. never goes beyond the 1.4 mark.

hope all others are seeing this as well or is mine a really cool car
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Old 26th May 2011, 13:01   #42
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by lucifer919 View Post
Hi All,

i'm not sure but the temperature readings you have mentioned seem a little too high for a 1.6. My car never goes beyond the half way mark no matter what RPM or with/ without a/c i drive. as soon as it gets anywhere near the halfway mark, the second level fan kicks in and cools it down immediately till the temperature drops to just above the 1/4th mark.

with a/c on, the temp. never goes beyond the 1.4 mark.

hope all others are seeing this as well or is mine a really cool car
This is same way in my 1.6. Only sometimes while driving between 1200-1800 RPM the needle goes near middle mark. However, rarely crosses the halfway mark.

Cheers,
Jagan.
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Old 26th May 2011, 14:42   #43
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Lucifer - Can you please throw some light on the 2nd level fan, which kicks in, and brings the temp down to the 1/4th mark. It happens for me, ONLY WHEN, I switch on the AC. Else it stays near the middle of the guage for normal driving (2K- 2.5K RPM), and if you go to the max torque band (around 4K rpm), it does go over the middle of the guage. I do not see it drop to 1/4th level.
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Old 26th May 2011, 16:45   #44
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Source Thread (check post no 208 onwards): http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...updated-3.html

Temp readings / Driving Condition:

1. when on highway or free road.
2. In city condition and slow moving traffic(w/o AC)
3. Very slow moving traffic, 1/2 gears and with AC (W AC)

Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms-temp.jpg

my observation:

Quote:
1 = OK
2 = OK
3 = Looks Ok, if restarting in stop-go traffic - shouldn't happen when idle. Fan should switch on when needle reaches half mark. Abnormal if with AC

also check the following:

Quote:
it was a blown out O ring in the main discharge pipe
Quote:
Check for leak in the raditor / coolant loss


Overheating issue discussed in Fiat Forum:
Technical: Palio 1.6 overheating - Page 2 - The FIAT Forum
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Old 25th August 2011, 01:51   #45
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Re: Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 review - EDIT: Now 23,000 kms

Quote:
Originally Posted by planet_rocker View Post
1. when on highway or free road.
2. In city condition and slow moving traffic(w/o AC)
3. Very slow moving traffic, 1/2 gears and with AC (W AC)
Hello Planet_Rocker,

sorry about the late reply. the temp. in my car never goes beyond the mark shown in figure 1 and 2. Anywhere beyond 2 and nearing 3, the second level fan comes on and temp goes back to around the 1 level. And yes, the second level fan stays on all the time when running the a/c but also comes on when the temp. goes high as well.
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