[NutsNBolts]

I have a doubt. Is seat height adjustment in Linea hydraulic?
During flying, we leave the seats in zero-zero position and if someone forgets it, it is brought to zero-zero by servicing staff. Is it not advisable to do the same in Linea too?

[rhenius]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

He is in my Friends List.
He is very helpful and often he or me call and exchnage pleasantries.

Hi, I too am from Chennai and am waiting for my Fox Trot Azure Emotion Pack 1.4 Linea to be delivered. I would be grateful if you could put me on to your contact in Fiat, I would like to ask him a few queries on the car.Thank you in advance.
Madhu

[geeash]

good to see your height adjustment is resolved. mine is still in pending with no word from fiat to concorde!!!

[coolboy007]

Its been a long time since i updated this thread mainly because i was out of India and my father hardly drives this car, he prefers his Scorpio and i was preparing for a big 30k kms update as everything has been smooth till now and the car is pampering me with a good FE of 15-16 everytime and there has not been a single rattle or squeak anywhere but i would update this thread with a bad news - the car had a complete breakdown today afternoon.

Went to Gurgaon for some work today afternoon and was negotiating a speed breaker when the car jerked badly and shut down, within a second i realised, damn its the slave cylinder as the clutch was proudly buried into the floor and i had read numerous posts on tbhp about it.

Everyone started honking badly and thanks to those who experienced this mess and have fought with it, i too had a small idea on how to deal, i switched the car off, slotted in first again, cranked and with some jerks took the car out on the main road all in 1st gear and switched off by the side.

Nearest service centre was ABS motors and i have visited them a couple of times so gave a call to their works manager at 4 PM telling him about it, he said he is on leave and asked me to call another guy, i called him and these guys were very helpful, i told them it would be impossible to drive the car for 10 kms in traffic in first gear so asked them to tow the vehicle.

Informed me they would send some one and charges would be 550 and i agreed, did i have any option and the charges were reasonable? I was feeling helpless seeing how bad these guys are in towing etc and the delays it would cause, at 5 PM a Sumo Grande came, the mechanic came, joined the chain and started towing advising me to brake when he does and steer behind him all the way to the service centre with huge jerks and strange noises being made by that chain with my heart in my mouth.

Meanwhile called dad to pick me up from the service station and he was on his way, reached the service centre, waited 15 mins for some one to come as usual and prepare a jobcard, also mentioned them to replace the fuel filler lid and was advised it would cost 700-800, they were even charging me for CSC but i told them its under extended warranty. Car will be handed over tomorrow evening.

Am amazed that after so many CSC failures, FIAT has still not worked on this CSC, i know the parts can fail etc but this was a complete breakdown which i have never experienced in any car since last 15 years of owning hyundai's maruti's and Mahindra. Our 80k old Scorpio or 1 lakh old Santro never had a breakdown, infact i was embarrassed in front of my father when he said "Thank god i didnt take your Linea to himachal, what would have happened there, the clutch gave away in 26,000 kms, what kind of quality is it" and no i had no answer. If in 2011 a company has so many cars breaking down in the middle of the road with the same issue, it should start working and seriously think about doing something about it, even Tata Nanos dont breakdown like this, i spent 7.5 L for it.

This incident has taken a big hit on my confidence in the reliability of the car, just last week i was 1300 kms away from Delhi in some hills and shudder to think of what would have happened if this breakdown took place there, the old workhorse Scorpio is still 80k old and never ever did it break down, the reason why everyone trusts it more than my car which has had strange issues.

Dont know if FIAT did any modifications or the same design CSC would be fit again and which would again fail a few thousand kms later, whatever it is i wont be comfortable taking the car again on long drives for sometime as this clutch failure would be on the back of my mind every time i drive.

Getting towed in a 2 year old car, sitting inside like an idiot with people giggling around is not at all a good feeling, we wanted a hatchback for our family and Punto was out in an instant - i ousted it, am fed of TASS attitude and until fiat opens its independent workshops, no am not buying a fiat. Infact i will send a strong worded mail to fiat about the whole CSC fiasco.

Is the new CSC metal one? It was replaced at 4k kms by the svc themselves during the recall but it came out to be the plastic one, broken in pieces.

Just hope i get the car back as it is without any nicks or scratches, thats all, 30 k kms update would come later now, all good experience with the car washed in a single day.

[pk_del]

Hi Coolboy,

Sorry to hear about this. I have been through this mess couple of times in my Punto and I know how it feels.

Make sure that the clutch is not hard after the CSC replacement. For me they had to replace the complete clutch after two CSC failures.

Do write to Fiat about this and ask them why didnt they inform you about the recall on CSC which was issued by Fiat in Nov-Dec 2009. If they did then check the part against the new replacement part and make sure the new one is the modified one.

-PK

[luky_13]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Am amazed that after so many CSC failures, FIAT has still not worked on this CSC...

Is the new CSC metal one? It was replaced at 4k kms by the svc themselves during the recall but it came out to be the plastic one, broken in pieces.
.

If I recall correctly my Linea MJD had its slave cylinder replaced under some kind of a recall during my visit to the dealership for its first service at 15k way back in 2009, No charges. Then last week during my visit to the same dealership for the 70k service the manager informed me that the slave cylinder replaced earlier had a plastic sleeve and was prone to failure and recommended that it be replaced to the new CSC with a metal sleeve, the did so again at no charge. My car is 34 months old and dealership is Concorde motors, Dairy circle, Bangalore.

[coolboy007]

Well i have come home as a happy man today, more so with the service offered by TASS which has not happened before. The service station in question is ABS motors, Gurgaon. I had handed over the car to them yesterday evening after it broke down and got a call today at 2 PM that car is ready and they are getting it washed, i should collect it when i want - now some pointers :

1. The CSC was replaced under warranty with the new steel one, i wasnt charged for the brake fluid as well as it was claimed under warranty. The fiat warranty system was down so the tass took special effort and raised a manual claim with tata motors. I definitely expected to shell out for the brake oil.

2. I wasnt charged the towing charges - seems it was a goodwill gesture by them or they just forgot , the charges were 550 + tax but they didnt charge me.

3. A free wash was given to the car without my request - i have heard some TASS do it only when car is given for service. Full points to ABS.

Was in and out of service centre in 30 mins and for the car:

Once i sat inside and pushed the clutch - geez it has now become lighter than my Santro. Wonder if this happiness is for a few days but at present the clutch is a dream clutch and is as it should have been from day 1, ultra smooth and less travel.

In addition, the steering feels light and the am experiencing better pickup, maybe more so because my old CSC was about to go bust.

Even my father was surprised after driving the car and was amazed at the difference in clutch smoothness. I paid 0 rupees in the end.

ABS motors have done a really good job, kudos guys.

Originally Posted by pk_del

Make sure that the clutch is not hard after the CSC replacement. For me they had to replace the complete clutch after two CSC failures.

Its butter smooth, infact am loving driving the car as before the clutch had become really hard. Did your steel CSC also failed? I will definitely write to fiat, in mine the new CSC is steel but i will go and check the engine bay tomorrow to visually confirm.

Originally Posted by luky_13

Then last week during my visit to the same dealership for the 70k service the manager informed me that the slave cylinder replaced earlier had a plastic sleeve and was prone to failure and recommended that it be replaced to the new CSC with a metal sleeve, the did so again at no charge. My car is 34 months old and dealership is Concorde motors, Dairy circle, Bangalore.

Am glad atleast your dealer informed you, no one told me and thats why i had a breakdown yesterday. Will definitely tell fiat about it.

[GTX007]

Is there any visual difference between plastic and steel CSC? My CSC was replaced in September this year. But after the replacement clutch was not as smooth as other Lineas. Also my earlier CSC used to make creek sound when depressed and the new one is also making the same sound. Also my car did'nt breakdown completely like in your case. It gave me a hint only. Once the clutch got buried to the floor and then I pulled it back. After that I was able to run my car normally and the next week I gave my car for CSC replacement. But now I am worried whether they replaced my CSC or not. Because just like my old CSC this was also making the same krr krr sound from day one. It was not so smooth also. After using the car for sometime clutch becomes hard. All the characteristics of my old CSC is shown by the new one also. The only difference that I felt after CSC change was clutch becoming a little bit more harder. I didn't feel any improvement in pick up also. I am afraid whether this will fail again or not.

[Crazy_Eddy]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Is the new CSC metal one? It was replaced at 4k kms by the svc themselves during the recall but it came out to be the plastic one, broken in pieces.

Cross check the replacement part numbers in your invoice. Thats what I did when they were replacing mine.
AFAIK these are the part numbers (courtesy Team-Fiat India) :
059117024 - KIT CLUTCH SLAVE PETROL (STEEL)
059117025 - KIT CLUTCH SLAVE DIESEL (STEEL)

Apparently there are 3 generations of CSCs. The 2nd one they replaced cars with was defective too, which is perhaps what you got.

Originally Posted by GTX007

Is there any visual difference between plastic and steel CSC?

The CSC body is still ABS plastic. Its the rod inside that was plastic too and this bit is what fails. Its covered by a rubber boot, so I guess visual differentiation won't be easy.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by GTX007

Is there any visual difference between plastic and steel CSC?

I saw a youtube video wherein the guy was pushing the rubber cover back which revealed the steel rod inside. If you feel the clutch has become hard, go get it checked, my clutch had become extremely hard and thats when i had a breakdown. Do get it checked.

Originally Posted by Crazy_Eddy

Cross check the replacement part numbers in your invoice. Thats what I did when they were replacing mine.
AFAIK these are the part numbers (courtesy Team-Fiat India) :
059117024 - KIT CLUTCH SLAVE PETROL (STEEL)
059117025 - KIT CLUTCH SLAVE DIESEL (STEEL)
Apparently there are 3 generations of CSCs. The 2nd one they replaced cars with was defective too, which is perhaps what you got.

Thank for the part nos but mine are different - it shows

0055237794 - Clutch slave cylinder (Steel) - 2254 Warranty.
I called the SA and he said there is no more stock of the plastic CSC and mine is indeed the steel one.

I was on 2nd generation CSC which failed - correct.

EDIT : Just checked another thread, what team fiat quoted is wrong i guess, here is the link, its indeed xxx7794 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2611487

[coolboy007]

38k kms update

It pains me to see that i have totally neglected this thread, so much that last photo on this thread is of 5000 kms, now am close to 39,000 kms, a bunch of reasons being - my busy schedule, new entries into my garage (a Vento and a GT650R) and the Linea being CNG'ed

Hell yeah, the CNG decision was made in May when the fuel prices were soaring every month and the running of car being around 900-1000 kms, it started to hurt badly every time the car entered a fuel bunk. Dad and I had a series of discussions and the primary options were -

1. Sell the car and go in for a hatch - it was dad's opinion and not mine. Am so attached to this car that i may never let it go, its as if my soul is connected to it. Still we looked into deals and the max we were getting was around 4.0 to 4.15 max and to get a good diesel hatch, we needed to spend atleast 3 lakhs more from our pocket while letting go of a wonderful car like Linea and buying the new age flimsy hatches.

2. Exchange for a Linea MJD - this would have costed around 6.5 L more but i was happy here, i would get a diesel car, a better FE and better engine as thats where the 1.4 L lost out but mom and dad werent happy - according to them, spending 6.5 and get the same car again was a boring decision and deal was henceforth closed.

Meanwhile we decided that the only option was to get a sequential cng kit fitted. I was worried about the consequences - poor pickup, shuddering, damage to engine, check engine lights etc. Also a friend gave in his Linea for a cng fitment, the installer messed up, blew his ECU but thanks to FIAT India and his service centre, they repaired everything under warranty.

A friend referred me to this place, New Line motors in Paschim vihar.

Fitment of CNG kit - New Line Motors
I talked to this guy in detail about the kit - he told me about the M-sequent kit with a 14kg cylinder. It would be reliable, wont cause any engine check lights or anything and wont give me a reason to complaint. He gave me a quote of 50k, everything included with RC endorsement, thought the price was on the higher side by 3-4k but seeing his work, i was willing to shell out the extra amount.

Left the car with him and went to collect it the next day, checked the car for any nicks or scratches first - yeah team bhp teachings. Then we started with the drive, i asked him to switch it to CNG and he said it already was and i was like - you serious.

The engine was smooth as before, revved neatly to 5000 RPM and the difference in pickup can only be felt once you switch to petrol after driving on CNG but still its very very less.

The work was neatly done, all wires properly routed and to the installer's credit i got the kit fitted at 30,000 kms and now the car is close to 39,000 kms.

I have never visited him for any tuning or any issue since 9000 kms/7 months and to give you an idea of the kind of money i save, i regularly get 18-19 km/l on CNG without AC and 15-16 with AC.

If my 9,000 kms were on petrol:

9000/11 * 68 = 55,000

Now on CNG :

9000/17 * 38 = 20,000

A saving of 35,000 within 7 months and by mid next year, i will recover the cost of the kit. More than the kit, the thought of spending 3,000 every refill doesnt scare me now, mental satisfaction.

All good things, now lets come to the bad part :

The clutch feels much more harder while running on CNG, the moment one switches to petrol, it becomes light again. Linea's clutch was always on the harder side but after CNG it does require more effort.

The engine has developed a slight oil drinking habbit, am keeping a close watch but nothing major. Requires a small top of 300-400 ml every 5,000 kms. I make it a point to clean the air filter more frequently these days.

Due to the added weight of the cylinder and fittings, the already low GC became even lower. She started scraping each and every speed breaker so now i either had to get the new GC kit which i wasnt in favour of as i was afraid of losing the old ride quality and brilliant handling or order coil spring assisters.

Thanks to GTO's thread, ordered a pair from Daryll and they fit in perfectly. Made the rear bump up and the same stance as before (bent forward) and solved the GC issues.

Expenses so far
1. The battery conked off 2 months back, it started throwing airbag failure messages - got the Exide Green for 3700.

2. Tyres are breathing their last life, ordered two Bridgestone Turanzas of same size and the rear 2 will be ordered next month (short of funds)

3. The elastic pads seem to have given away-the car makes a metallic clunk every time the steering is turned - should cost around 6,000 to replace.

Scheduled services -

1st service cost - 0
2nd service cost - 5000
3rd service cost - 5400
4th service cost - 8000 (rough idea)

Also had a breakdown due to CSC failure but that was covered under warranty.

Total cost - 18400 for periodic services
3700 for a new battery.

My right side running board was damaged due to 3 drunkards on bike who rammed into me at a high speed but thanks to the solid build, i didnt even feel a thing, infact the door had just 2 small nicks. I was infact shocked to see the condition of the door - this car is built like a tank.

Some low quality bits - the headlamps have turned black like in smoked effect and the fuel lid refuses to close.

And yeah some lowlife removed my rear bumper's tow hook cover leaving behind a big gaping hole - will put some putty there and a dashing team bhp sticker.

Long term report
I still remember that day in March, 2009 when i fought with my father to buy this car, the excitement on delivery day. I can remember it all and to say, this car would turn 4 years old in 3 months time.

Still has the same ride, same handling and the brilliant steering which plasters a grin on my face every time. Even my Vento cant come to this girl, wish i could plonk their 1.6 TDi into this car - that engine surely deserves this chasis and unmatchable suspension set up.

The car has been mostly niggle free and rattle free, just 1 small rattle from passenger side window.

All in all - am a happy man and love the fact that i picked up a Linea in 2009 against other options. A friend of mine casually asked that if they (FIAT) launch a Linea 1.6 MJD, will you buy it and my answer within ten thousands of a second was - YES YES and YES, even if i have to trade in my Vento for this, i will get the 1.6 MJD.

Attaching some pictures from my recent trip to Himachal.

[daredeviljpr]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

3. The elastic pads seem to have given away-the car makes a metallic clunk every time the steering is turned - should cost around 6,000 to replace.

I recently had my Punto's Elastic Pads and front right suspension replaced and each costed Rs. 1,324.44 for pads (part# 0059064034) and 1,272.00 for Shock Absorber (part # 0059089795) incl of taxes. The SA told me that the prices have been reduced in the last couple of days.

I am not sure if the same parts are used in Linea but the price reduction should also apply for the Linea as well.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by daredeviljpr

I recently had my Punto's Elastic Pads and front right suspension replaced and each costed Rs. 1,324.44 for pads

Thanks a lot for your inputs, 1324 is for both the pads or only 1? If its for both, then thats brilliant as earlier a set of elastic pads costed 5k +.

Will get these changed at the next service.

[daredeviljpr]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Thanks a lot for your inputs, 1324 is for both the pads or only 1? If its for both, then thats brilliant as earlier a set of elastic pads costed 5k +.

Will get these changed at the next service.

The price is only for one pad. Earlier the price was around 2500.

[kkg]

Good to know that your linea is performing as it should, even with the CNG. Could you please post a pic of the trunk open, want to see the usable capacity remaining for the luggage.