[sanjaymugur]

@Ice, one more question, has the engine become more silent after you put PETE's ? is it smoother ?

[Ice]

This last weekend allowed me to evaluate the benefit of the Pete's box to the fullest. The wife and I did a whirlwind trip to Sakleshpur, in the Shiradu Ghats. We took a scenic route there:
Bangalore - Mysore
Mysore - Madikeri - partly ghat section
Madikeri - Somvarpet - ghat section
Somvarpet - Sakleshpur - ghat section

The entire trip was around 420 km., and Forza performed admirably. The Mysore highway was heavily trafficked, so I couldn't push the car over 130 kmph. However, once we hit the Mysore-Madikeri highway, the roads opened up and I was cruising at nearly 140, taking the car up to 160 a couple of times before better sense/the wife's cold stare slowed things down. A funny thing happened on this stretch: there was this Innova that kept up with me for the most part. I initially figured it to be a Pete'd Innova, but it turned out to be a petrol version. Man, those things fly!

The 2nd half of the Mysore-Madikeri leg was ghat section, with sub-par roads as we neared Madikeri. We turned off for Somvarpet just before Madikeri, and the road transformed into a mini expressway! Smooth as a baby's bottom, with great shouldering and little or no traffic. It was here that Forza came into her own. The torque blew me away, and the accelaration in 3rd and 4th allowed me to hit 140 even on short straights.

The 185 Potenzas did their job well, with no squealing and great grip. There was one sticky moment when a KSRTC bus came barelling at us out of a turn with nary a honk, but the tyres held well enough to see us to safety.

The Somvarpet-Sakleshpur stretch was not as great, with a lot of potholes and surprise speed breakers. However, the scenery was gorgeous right through.

We stayed at the Munzarabad Club at Sakleshpur. Its a gorgeous, old english-style club dating back to the 1890s. The rooms have been renovated recently, and the bar is definitely the best in the Shiradi Ghats!

We drove back the next day, taking the following route:
Sakleshpur - Hassan
Hassan - Mysore
Mysore - Bangalore
However, since we were driving back with a relative (who unfortunately drove relatively slowly), the drive back was nothing to write home about.

The car returned a mileage of 14.5 kmpl over the entire trip distance of 790 KM., which I'll attribute to spirited driving in the Ghat section. The mileage is definitely improving! It could be the result of the magic box

[lejhoom]

Hi Ice,
Thank you for the write up. I just finished a Bangalore-Mysore-Waynad trip in my Palio MJD. Your photos reminded me of the roads that I took. It was great fun. However, I got a shade over 22 kmpl with ac on most of the time. I tried it, but I don't think anyone can drive Palio with windows down. It gets too noisy. When I returned home my odo showed around 7900km. Time for second service.

[shantyrocks]

hey !
nice pics dude!

[parimal_g]

Hey really nice pics..MJD looks grt in Red...
can u just tell us how the headlights hold on the highways.

[Bubby]

Nice write up.

Even my Palio MJD SDX has completed 3500kms but that is all city driving, yet to go on a long-trip.

Has the engine become much more smoother and quieter after the Peteeing?

[kuriananoop]

Checked the reading on the panel and realized that I had crossed 3k. Took me a good 6 months + to cross 3000 kms though. Thought i would share my feel of the car will everyone.

1. Performance - excellent. I thoroughly enjoy driving it whenever i can. I feel guilty that i cant drive more that 70 odd kms per week. This beauty needs to run around a lot more than what i give it. I have to give it a chance to open up.

2. Control - Good. The Palio has been designed to give good control. I recall an incident when i was at about 100+ kms on HSR Road. I had to brake suddenly when a car tried to take a U turn out of the blue. The Palio did shake a little and then steady itself and stopped well short of the "enemy". I must confess, i had my heart in my mouth for a few seconds. The turning radius sucks. I feel the pain when i have to take a sharp U turn and the horns from all the other cars start hooting.

3. Mileage - Not sure. I need to seriously check the mileage. The first time i checked (about 1000 kms), i was under 13kms per litre. I have a feeling that it has gone up but i need to confirm the same. The manager at Greentracks said that mileage will go up only after 10,000 kms. Although i am sure i am way below the mileage quoted of 15+ in city and 21+ on highways. I may need to check my gear shift pattersn.

4. After sales service - I did my first free service at Green tracks. I did not have any complaints and they did a good job of it. Babu at Greentracks is very friendly and knows a Palio at the back of his hand.

5. Routine Problems - The battery drained when i left the inside lamp on (for a week !!). I did not take the car out for a week and when i came back to the car, it refused to start. I got the Exide Bat Mobile guys to check it and the gave a replacement while they recharged it and then replaced the replacement with the original.

6. Interiors - this was the part i used to dislike the most. But i am getting used to it. I rarely use the racks on the door. My mobile resides in the crevice next to the gear shift. The luggage space is great and it comes useful time and agaiin. The body is strong and steady and it feels good on rough roads.

7. Noise - The engine seems to be noiser that the Swift. But again i am getting used to it.

8. Issues - I noticed the following issues:
a. There seems to be an irritating sound from the back seat when there are 4 passengers in the car. It is either the springs of the seat or something wrong with the chassis or the woodden plank (of the music system speakers) tapping the glass of the hatch. This sound disappears when there are only 1 or 2 passengers. I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem. It can also be a problem with the seat belt holder in the rear seat. Babu fromm Greentracks confirmed that it was not the plank.
b. There seems to be a grinding noise when the car is turning (from a stationary position). Wonder if it a problem with the differential. Do any of you guys have a similar issue?
c. The right indicator is not working. The bulb may have fused. This is not a serious problem but i wonder why it may have fused. I guess it wont cost much to replace it. It could have fused due to the battery issues mentioned above.
d. Clock - the clock seems to be losing time. It does not show correct time for more than 1 day. Are you guys facing the same problem?
e. Engine noise - the engine seems to be vibrating more than normal. I asked Babu at Green tracks and he said that the noise was normal. he then openined the bonnet and saw that the engine was vibrating more than normal. Said it needed some cushioning to damp the vibrations. I went to Green Tracks on Hosur road to check on the 2nd service. I realized that i was a good 20 odd days late for the 2nd free service. The manager said that it would be a paid service. He will try to get a refund and would reimburse the money if he managed it. i wanted to check with everyone if there is no grace period for the same. The reason i was late was that i was out of town for a couple of week and additionally i have completed only 3000 kms as against the 7500 kms requried (i compelted the 6 months though). Any inputs into this will be helpful.

Will this also void my warranty and extended warranty?

Also the cost of the 2nd service will come up to around 3000 odd rupees.
Engine oil (3.1 ltrs) = 900 odd, about 500 for other consumables. In addition i will have to shell out 750 ruipees for the service (since i missed the 6 month cut off date). It should total to around 3000 odd rupees including a wheel balancing. Is this the normal cost that everyone had to shell out?

How do i get access to PUG (Palio User Group)?

Moderator, please delete my post on "Fiat Palio Stile 1.3 MJD review. Now updated to 5000 kms". I realised that I posted in the wrong thread.

[kiren]

What is the size of your upgraded tyres? 185/60 or 185/65 (R13 or R14). Stile sport is with R14 hence could we upgrade to 185/65 R14?

[Bubby]

Originally Posted by kuriananoop

Moderator, please delete my post on "Fiat Palio Stile 1.3 MJD review. Now updated to 5000 kms". I realised that I posted in the wrong thread.

Whats going on here, i got completely confused.

Mods please delete this post from kurainanoop.

[vikasb]

Originally Posted by kuriananoop

8. Issues - I noticed the following issues:
a. There seems to be an irritating sound from the back seat when there are 4 passengers in the car. It is either the springs of the seat or something wrong with the chassis or the woodden plank (of the music system speakers) tapping the glass of the hatch. This sound disappears when there are only 1 or 2 passengers. I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem. It can also be a problem with the seat belt holder in the rear seat. Babu fromm Greentracks confirmed that it was not the plank.
b. There seems to be a grinding noise when the car is turning (from a stationary position). Wonder if it a problem with the differential. Do any of you guys have a similar issue?
c. The right indicator is not working. The bulb may have fused. This is not a serious problem but i wonder why it may have fused. I guess it wont cost much to replace it. It could have fused due to the battery issues mentioned above.
d. Clock - the clock seems to be losing time. It does not show correct time for more than 1 day. Are you guys facing the same problem?
e. Engine noise - the engine seems to be vibrating more than normal. I asked Babu at Green tracks and he said that the noise was normal. he then openined the bonnet and saw that the engine was vibrating more than normal. Said it needed some cushioning to damp the vibrations. I went to Green Tracks on Hosur road to check on the 2nd service. I realized that i was a good 20 odd days late for the 2nd free service. The manager said that it would be a paid service. He will try to get a refund and would reimburse the money if he managed it. i wanted to check with everyone if there is no grace period for the same. The reason i was late was that i was out of town for a couple of week and additionally i have completed only 3000 kms as against the 7500 kms requried (i compelted the 6 months though). Any inputs into this will be helpful.

Will this also void my warranty and extended warranty?

Also the cost of the 2nd service will come up to around 3000 odd rupees.
Engine oil (3.1 ltrs) = 900 odd, about 500 for other consumables. In addition i will have to shell out 750 ruipees for the service (since i missed the 6 month cut off date). It should total to around 3000 odd rupees including a wheel balancing. Is this the normal cost that everyone had to shell out?

How do i get access to PUG (Palio User Group)?

Moderator, please delete my post on "Fiat Palio Stile 1.3 MJD review. Now updated to 5000 kms". I realised that I posted in the wrong thread.

I have driven my palio multijet around 19K till now.
I earlier also faced grinding noise issue when the car is turning (from a stationary position). It comes occasionally.
My clock also loses time. In last 2 months it has lost 8 minutes.
Engine noise..not much but it's not a very silent engine
Also as indicated at several places in the forum, there is some issue with the boot lock. It gets loose after 2-3K kms.
I think in my case only engine oil was changed in second service and may be oil filter..need to check

[lejhoom]

Originally from kuriananoop:
1) The left indicator bulb cost me Rs. 53 at Concorde Hyderabad. It is an Italian make, hence the steep price, I was told.
2) I went for second service with the odo reading 7900 km or so. It was a free service (labour only). The bill came to Rs. 820. The service advisor told me they had changed engine oil.
3) I too got a sort of grinding noise from either the front wheel, and a mild rattling sound from the rear. The former was rectified after the service and the latter happens occasionally, though not in an irritating way.
4) Engine noise is not as alarming as the Indica (old model) but not smooth as Swift. However, with the windows up, I hardly hear any noise.
5) I used to get around 13 km with 100% ac up to my first service (2500 km). There is a considerable improvement after that. In the first long trip (2500 km) I took, I got around 22 km average.

[Ice]

Originally Posted by kiren

What is the size of your upgraded tyres? 185/60 or 185/65 (R13 or R14). Stile sport is with R14 hence could we upgrade to 185/65 R14?

Hey Kiren,


Its 185/60 R14s. Bridgestone Potenzas...

[Ice]

Originally Posted by lejhoom

Hi Ice,
Thank you for the write up. I just finished a Bangalore-Mysore-Waynad trip in my Palio MJD. Your photos reminded me of the roads that I took. It was great fun. However, I got a shade over 22 kmpl with ac on most of the time. I tried it, but I don't think anyone can drive Palio with windows down. It gets too noisy. When I returned home my odo showed around 7900km. Time for second service.

Dude, that's some awesome mileage! Is your car on a diet?
I need to stop pushing my car so much...the 13s and 14s are really killing my wallet. And I love driving it with the windows down, as long as its under 100 kmph. After that, its impossible because of the wind noise.

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Hey really nice pics..MJD looks grt in Red...
can u just tell us how the headlights hold on the highways.

Parimal,
I upgraded my lamps before taking delivery. VST chennai did it for me - all four bulbs for the headlamps are now Philips H4 80W. So they hold up pretty well on the highway. Also, the headlight leveler works only for the high beams (guys, correct me if I'm wrong here), so I used a screwdriver to focus the headlights the old-fashioned way

Originally Posted by Bubby

Nice write up.

Even my Palio MJD SDX has completed 3500kms but that is all city driving, yet to go on a long-trip.

Has the engine become much more smoother and quieter after the Peteeing?

Actually, there's a raucous note to the engine above 3500 rpm. since Peteing. However, the engine has become a lot smoother at lower revs, especially when its still warming up

[architect]

Originally Posted by Ice

Also, the headlight leveler works only for the high beams (guys, correct me if I'm wrong here

Beg to differ, but the leveller works for the low beams. Try it out on against a blank wall. On the contrary, I suspect it's the high beam that is somehow disconnected from the leveller.

I am still unhappy with the focussing of the lamps. Plan to get it done at the next Service (already overdue, actually).

Are you sure your warranty is not void after the Philips H4 80W? I am thinking of an upgrade, but not at the cost of the electricals (Palio electricals are not known to be the best or the most reliable).

One more thing, if you have upgraded to Potenzas 185 R14, how come you are still running the stock wheelcaps (as in the pictures)? Or are you using the R13 wheelcaps on R14s? I am looking at a tyre upgrade around the 25k km mark and I am first exploring my options with stock R13 rims and 185 width tyres. Upgrading to R14 and alloys is the second option for me.

And by the way, congratulations on thr first Peted Palio Multijet on this forum. cheers:

[vinaydas]

firstly congo on your car(sorry for being late),Its really nice to see palio owners increasing on TBHP.I drive a 2004 1.2 palio nv sports version.
After reading your writeup i regret not buying a diesel variant . I get around 9 most of the time in the city and maybe 12 in the highways.
And expert palio owners please tell me how to solve this problem.. my petrol indicator is not accurate.When the yellow light comes up indicating low fuel my car stops a few meters later. I checked with prerana motors he said theres a dent in my petrol tank and they repaired it..but apparently my vehicle stopped again yesterday justafter the yellow low fuel indicater came up.