[tortoiseNhare]

Decided against trying to get the Stile serviced outside TASS and took her to Abhishek Motors this morning for the 60K service. Got to know that they already applied for an exclusive Fiat dealership and finalized a different location in the city.

The original engine coolant was not replaced in the three years and seven months of ownership. Due to oversight I missed the recommendation in the owner's manual that the coolant should be changed once every year. The temperature gauge didn't indicate anything untoward in that period but when checked this morning the coolant fluid seemed like plain water.

Engine oil replacement was again with mineral oil. Diesel filter element was available and its price had not been hiked any further. Brake fluid was replaced for the first time; earlier it used to be topped up when necessary.

Some other routine checks like condition of brake pads and belts were also done. Total bill came to Rs. 5,700 that included Rs. 1,250 as labour charge. The cost of labour being charged item-wise tends to be rather steep vis-a-vis the work done. In particular, I had to shell out Rs. 300 merely for having them check the brake pads to be ok.

About the harshness in shifting to reverse gear the SA remarked that changing the pressure plates in the clutch would solve it and it will cost about Rs. 9,000. I am not getting it done at least until the exclusive Fiat sales/service outlet is operational. Is the amount quoted fair?

[architect]

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

About the harshness in shifting to reverse gear the SA remarked that changing the pressure plates in the clutch would solve it and it will cost about Rs. 9,000. I am not getting it done at least until the exclusive Fiat sales/service outlet is operational. Is the amount quoted fair?

IIRC, the clutch plate + pressure plate + release bearings all together used to cost Rs 9,000/- or so. Maybe the prices have risen.

How's the suspension doing. Mine was doing fine except for the replacement of one lower arm and two sets of caliper pins but the now the shock absorbers are practically finished, the car is making noises over every bump and hump. It has done 89,000 km now.

[tortoiseNhare]

Originally Posted by architect

IIRC, the clutch plate + pressure plate + release bearings all together used to cost Rs 9,000/- or so. Maybe the prices have risen.

The SA told me that the job was major and involved dismounting of the gearbox etc. I assume that he meant changing clutch plate + pressure plate + release bearings when he said change of pressure plate, in which case the amount quoted is fair.

How's the suspension doing. Mine was doing fine except for the replacement of one lower arm and two sets of caliper pins but the now the shock absorbers are practically finished, the car is making noises over every bump and hump. It has done 89,000 km now.

The suspension is working to my satisfaction till now. I generally cross potholes and speed breakers at a dead slow pace. On highway trips I did jump over rumble strips and potholes at 70kph in some instances but those have been few and far between. I believe the suspension took them in its stride.

[tortoiseNhare]

UPDATE

The clutch failed totally yesterday morning. It is not even possible to take her out of the parking space. The reverse gear did indicate some signs of imminent clutch failure but the forward gears were shifting smoothly till the car went to TASS for servicing. I had seen at least one watchman handling my car in a very rough manner in the name of parking her. She must have had to endure the likes of that guy for the whole day.

Now the preliminary diagnosis is that the pressure plates have worn out. Instead of just replacing the pressure plates I want to get the whole clutch system replaced as it was reported by many MJD owners that the new modified clutch worked better.

[tortoiseNhare]

After much dilly-dallying I have got the car towed into the local garage this morning and had the clutch system opened by my old M800 mechanic. Bought the clutch kit from an auto parts shop after matching it with the original one. It is of Valeo make, as was the oem part, but the part number as provided by TASS is not visible anywhere in the package. I was told that the clutch kit is identical with the ones in Punto and Linea MJD. The markings in the package indicate that the part was imported from Turkey. The price was about Rs. 800 less than at TASS before taxes. Now waiting anxiously for tomorrow when the actual work will be done.

Some PUGgers had reported that Fiat had modified the clutch kit of Palio MJD and introduced a mounting bracket, which had made the clutch much lighter. Here, neither the TASS people nor the parts dealer have any clue about it. So I guess my mechanic has little chance of solving the hard clutch problem.

[tortoiseNhare]

The car is back home. The new clutch feels marginally softer and unlike the oem fitment this one engages after the pedal has a few millimetres of free travel up from the floor. Hope it remains that way.

In the last week's servicing at TASS I was charged for coolant replacement. The coolant had to be emptied again at the time of opening of the Gearbox and showing me the fluid the mechanic claimed that I was duped by TASS; they didn't change the coolant. So the clutch overhaul also necessitated coolant and gear oil change.

Total amount spent including towing charge and labour = Rs. 9,100.00

[tortoiseNhare]

I had another scare with the clutch today. Earlier in the day as I was backing up the car I was suddenly unable to disengage the clutch by pressing the pedal. I braked and shut off the engine and the problem didn't recur during a 50KM drive in testing conditions afterwards.

With the power of hindsight I now have this theory:

A couple of days before the clutch failed, my car had the 60K km servicing in which the brake oil had been replaced. Since Palio MJD uses the same fluid for both clutch and brakes I guess the clutch cylinders ought to have been bled properly, which the TASS didn't do. However, as soon as gear shifting became impossible both the TASS and my own mechanic where prompt in declaring that the clutch had lived its life and I ended up replacing it.

My mechanic's companion remarked after opening up the gearbox that there was some more life left in the clutch disk itself though the release bearing looked bad. Though the oem clutch was hard I didn't have any problem of shifting the forward gears but the reverse gear showed some symptoms of problems. There was absolutely no issue with pickup in any gear.

After the experience I had today I must get the hydraulics of the clutch system checked immediately.

[tortoiseNhare]

The clutch problem gradually became more pronounced. On Saturday last I had taken the car to the TASS and demonstrated it to the SA. They replaced the clutch slave cylinder more as a heat and trial method. The problem with the clutch pedal/clutch engagement still remained unsolved. The SA then had asked my permission to open up the clutch disk/pressure plate assembly again but I refused.

Today in the morning I took the car to the mechanic who did the clutch disk job and he detected the clutch master cylinder to be leaking. Now he is in the process of replacing it. Hopefully, this time everything will be alright. The good news in this gloomy state of affairs is that the required part is available both with TASS and with Sanjay Auto (stockists of parts of less popular cars).

[tortoiseNhare]

Today in the morning I took the car to the mechanic who did the clutch disk job and he detected the clutch master cylinder to be leaking. Now he is in the process of replacing it.

I'm back home after getting the master cylinder replaced. The problem seems to have been sorted out now. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Cost breakup:
Clutch Master Cylinder (TVSE make): Rs. 1700.00 (purchased from Sanjay Auto)
Brake fluid (DOT4, 500 ml): Rs. 160.00, Labour: Rs. 400.00 + Rs. 100.00 tip

Total: Rs. 2,360.00

Grand total in the clutch issue (till date) Rs. 9,100 (Clutch kit) + Rs. 1,160 (Slave cylinder) + Rs. 2,360 (Master cylinder) = Rs. 12,620

[h14]

Hope things will be back to normal now. Thanks for your detailed info!

[vijaycool]

It is always advisable to replace Master/slave clutch when the clutch is overhauled.

[dutta_d1]

So has the exclusive FIAT service opened in Guwahati yet? I heard the Tata-Fiat joint venture is now finished and Fiat already opened an exclusive service center in Pune they call the Millenium Drive.

[tortoiseNhare]

Originally Posted by dutta_d1

So has the exclusive FIAT service opened in Guwahati yet? I heard the Tata-Fiat joint venture is now finished and Fiat already opened an exclusive service center in Pune they call the Millenium Drive.

Abhishek Motors will open a Fiat-only outlet some place near Himatsinghka Ford on NH 37.

[tortoiseNhare]

Exactly a year ago I had shod the wheels of my car with a set of Michelins. Just after the change of tyres I felt an overwhelming improvement in comfort, stability and overall ride quality of the car. I am now used to that improved quality, I mean, this is now the minimum standard I would always expect. I have done about 13,000 KMs with this set of tyres.

I have been blessed till now that with this car I have not seen any tyre puncture yet. However, of late, I have noticed that one of the tyres (now at rear left) keeps losing pressure. The local tyrewallahs could not spot any puncture. One said that the nozzle had to be changed and demanded Rs. 180. Another claimed that the rim has some problem which I could not comprehend. Till now I have not done anything except refilling air every week. On this weekend I'll first swap the rim of this tyre with that of the spare one to identify the problem.

Ownership of 4 years will be complete on 23 December. The last year saw the lowest no. of clicks in the odo. She has till now done 63,094 (on odo) + 1,000 (odo disconnected) KMs.

A few pics:





There she stands, rather uncared for.

[architect]

I have done 50,500 km on my set of Michelin XM1+. The first 39,000 km were without a single puncture and have had two punctures since then. The second one was a nozzle issue. Changed the nozzle and they are fine. Tyre loses pressure about 2-3 Psi in 5-6 weeks of running so it the nozzle in your case too, most likely. But 180/- is too much for it, no?

On another note, car stands at 99,250 km as of now. Shifting homes this weekend and by then it will have crossed one lakh kilometres. The Michelins are good for another 5,000 km.

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

I have been blessed till now that with this car I have not seen any tyre puncture yet. However, of late, I have noticed that one of the tyres (now at rear left) keeps losing pressure. The local tyrewallahs could not spot any puncture. One said that the nozzle had to be changed and demanded Rs. 180. Another claimed that the rim has some problem which I could not comprehend. Till now I have not done anything except refilling air every week. On this weekend I'll first swap the rim of this tyre with that of the spare one to identify the problem