[neoonwheels]

Wow... got a second call from FIAT Italy. Last time when they called me for ownership feedback, I mentioned a problem in the Fog lamp and told them I will visit the service center in couple of weeks. Yesterday got a follow up call from them and they asked me about the status on the Fog lamp issue. I told them it was the fuse problem and they have recorded it. A great gesture from FIAT definitely.

[neoonwheels]

Its been almost 5 months since I bought the car. This car has surely made me travel like never before. I have completed 5000km in 4.5 months. This car is a real all rounder and it has really done well on my parameters. She just loves to munch miles. Following is my brief ownership report so far:

Ownership: I have covered 5000 km in just 4.5 months now and I always look forward to her for spins. I have done almost 6 trips to Mumbai and couple of to Mahabaleshwar. She just loves to munch miles. Its a pleasure taking her on open highways. Typically I stick to around 100 kmph and she is a delight to drive. Initially the engine noise was well notived above 100 but since few days now (After 3800 km), the engine noise has reduced consderably post 100 kmph. I have touched 155 couple of time for a brief period but after 130 the engine just shouts at you. I really enjoy it but then not everybody like engine noise. She takes time to reach 150+ but then you can maintain that speed without much an issue. So for past few days the noise has reduced a lot. This is surely welcome and prospective customers
can be rest assured about it. Many guys on the forum mentioned it.

Since I bought the car, I have spent only 300/- on the servicing (1st - oil topup). Apart from that not a single penny on maintanance. I have done the 3M sun filming on sides (3500/-) and undebody treatment (2800/-).

My driving is typically mix of City and highway. In 4.5 months, I have done 15
tankfuls. The best FE till date is:- 17.8 kmpl and worst is: 13 kmpl. So these days, I get 16.5-17.5 kmpl on a city-hw run. I keep the ACC always on and mostly set to 22C.

Issues: Of course I faced few issues since I bought her. First it was the the "Krrr" noise from rear right. The service guys changed the suspension for that but the main problem was with the seats. I did not fix it properly and this caused the "krrrr" sound. The servicing guys were very helpful during the dignosis. The another issue was when the front right Fog stopped working on its own. When I took the car to the service, the issue was diagnosed as a blown up fuse. They changed it immediately and voila it started working again. Apart from this no other issue. I did not face any falling plastic part, misaligned dashboard drawer problem etc.

Service: The 1st servicing was done in Jun and I did not face any dealer related issue as of now. I am a regular customer of this A** since 2007 as I had Palio before Punto. I know few of the guys since couple of years now. I never found the A** a problem here.

In Jun, I had received a call from FIAT Italy about the ownership feedback. It was a half hour call about the overall feedback about the car, issues etc. I had mentioned them about the fog lamp and I said I will be going to the service center in due course. To my surprise, after 3 weeks, I again got a
call from FIAT Italy. They asked me about the fog lamp status. I told them it is fixed now and the reason was blown up fuse. They have registered this in their system.

Overall, I would rank the ownership experience as 9/10. I did not find the plastic quality to be as horrible as writting off the car. Probably the interior needs to be cleaned every 3/4 months to keep it in good shape. I can happily say that I did not make any mistake by going in for Punto. Its certainly a VFM car in its category.

Positives:
1. Great handling and brilliant ride quality
2. BluenMe system - A fun and convenient way to stay connected
3. Auto climate control - No playing around with knobs. Set and forget
4. Good Fuel Economy - Highway economy is brilliant. Around 20 kmpl
5. Good and easy to drive in city - Thanks to MJD torque

Negatives:
1. A pillar at times creates a blind spot
2. 2nd gear could have been better
3. USB pen drive location

MODS: Could you please rename the thread as:- Every P has its story !! P2P : Palio to Punto (MJD) - 5000km Update

[manish7]

@ neoonwheels

Just wanted to know how is your Punto now? Are you happy? I am in the process of finalizing my car in a month or so, so just wanted to know your feedback. Anshuman's long term ownership thread is making me a bit concerned!

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by manish7

@ neoonwheels

Just wanted to know how is your Punto now? Are you happy? I am in the process of finalizing my car in a month or so, so just wanted to know your feedback. Anshuman's long term ownership thread is making me a bit concerned!

Hi Manish,

I am very very happy with my black beauty. I have driven 6500 in 6 months now. No rattling at all from anywhere. Initially I had faced an issue of squeaking noise but then it was because of the seats not properly fitted by me when I was going through folding seats functionality.

The engine noise has reduced quite a bit and the car has become smoother post 4500 km. My only concern as of now is, BUB in Pune has decided to move on to VW. I hope TATA would be able to appoint a competent dealer in Pune. BUB has done a good job for past few years.

[neoonwheels]

These 11 months with the car has been a wonderful experience. Had some glitches but not so serious which can spoil the relationship. Touch wood, all my 6 years with FIAT have been a wonderful experience. From 2005-2010, I had a Palio 1.2 Sport and then since Mar 2010, I have a Punto diesel. The shift from Petrol to Diesel was mainly because, the torque the diesel offers at low speeds, the difference between Petrol and Diesel Emotion pk was 55K, and finally my running has increased.


My Palio could manage only 22K in 5 years of ownership while Punto has managed to cross 10K in 11 months already. When I did all the petrol-diesel calculations, my breakeven point is at around 26K km. I guess within 3 years, I would easily cross this mark. Following are my observations during these 11 months timeline:

Styling: In one word, Awesome. To each his own, but this hatch is truly a masterpiece when it comes down to styling. My favorite angle of this beauty is the low front view. She looks awesome in every shade and each color brings out her unique character. For me, its still the best looking hatch in its category.
Interiors: Nothing has fallen off as of now. The quality is good, though not in the league of Jazz/i20. I am quite ok about it. Everything what has been put together as interiors, works out well for me. As everybody has pointed out, the stock speakers are crap. I am not big fan of listening to music when it comes to driving, so I am not much complaining and can live with it for some more time. The BluenMe is working as expected (Being it from MS, its quite unexpected though) and makes you talk to people even when you are on the move. Sadly, FIAT failed to market it in the early days.

Since last 500 km and my trip to Paithan, there is a slight krrrrr sound near the front left speaker. In my second service (Due next month), I will get it fixed. The Paithan road is a real killer, it sucks big time. The problem is, Punto eats up potholes so well that you tend to drive her at 50-60 on such roads which unknowingly takes a toll.

Engine: Well, as many of Punto owners have pointed out, the engine really opens up post 4-5K km. The engine noise has really come down since then. Even the pick up seems to have improved after 7K km. The usual engine boom in the 1-2 gear has become mild now. This little monster is very fuel efficient. My running is a combination of approx 60-70% of highway and 40-30% of city. While on highway, the car typically shows up avg FE as 23 kmpl (On MID) but when I drive her in City, it typically drops down to 17 kmpl. I have given the FE graph since day 1.

Steering: AWESOME. PRECISE. The steering controls are very handy. Especially, when you are alone and driving at night.

Suspension: Eats up all the potholes that comes up its way. On negative side, this makes you go fast on potholes which essentially takes its toll on the interiors in the form of rattling. Overall the ride quality is very good and this really adds its value in the handling dept as well.

Handling: She makes you love curves, all over again . Straight line stability is in its own league. Max I have clocked is 145 kmph but the car was still game for more.

Gears: I feel , my Palio was better in this dept than Punto. The 1st gear movement is especially very rubbery. Rest all are just fine. It has quite improved over the period of time. I just love the Polo gearing, short, precise and makes you fall in love.

Positives:
1. The engine is very fuel efficient. Makes you smile at every refuel. MID is pretty accurate at calculating the average FE.
2. The ergonomics are really good. Specially the steering mounted controls
3. Awesome looks. I am in love yet again.
4. High speed stability – Even if you are doing 140, you feel like pushing her.
5. Steering is very precise and well weighted. Right amount of feedback all the time.
6. The 195 section tyre really helps in handling
7. Brakes are wonderful and you always feel confident
8. The quality of the tweeters is good, though the speakers suck big time
9. The seat belt alarm is good and it irritates you with a constant mirror breaking freaking noise.
10. The MID throws out all the right information. Be it outside temp, Inst. FE, avg FE, Radio channel freq/name and media file name.
11. Steering mounted controls help you at night. They are very effective.
12. The BluenMe makes you keep talking while driving. The voice quality is quite good. Only issue is, initially the volume is quite low. I need to find a work around for it.

Negatives:
1. Thick ‘A’ pillar. This really irritates me.
2. Engine noise post 130 kmph
3. Headlights not sufficient on highway. Throw is not good.
4. Rear windshield hampers visibility
5. Turning radius is a let down at congested places
6. You cannot play next song from music player if the songs are on USB
7. The position of the USB drive is way out of reach
8. The front slow slung of the bumper scraps at time if you are not careful enough

Expenses so far:

Fuel: Total spent: 24781/-
When bought, the initial reading was 16 km. The current odo reads 10000. The graph captures the refills since day 1. The FE typically hovers between 16-18.5 kmpl.

Servicing and Add on: Total = 6820/-
1. Sunflims: 3M CR 50 on sides and rear windshield – 3500/-
2. 3M antirust underbody treatment – 2800/-
3. First service, 0.5 ltr of engine oil – 300/-
4. Right ORVM mirror – 220/- (Had an impact while going on a single lane road with a swift)

I am not getting enough time from my work schedule these days. Probably by this weekend, I will click pictures (Interiors and Exteriors). Till then happy motoring.

[rock18]

Congrats for completing 10k in your beauty.
Your review is nice and crisp.Wish you many more mile munching days ahead.
Can you post pics of how the interior looks during the night time?

[magnanimousdude]

hey Neo and all,

Could you please share your thoughts about the speed and engine tones of Punto MJD? as i wanted to know about that. You can find my response on my machine in the below link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-update-7.html

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by magnanimousdude

hey Neo and all,

Could you please share your thoughts about the speed and engine tones of Punto MJD? as i wanted to know about that. You can find my response on my machine in the below link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-update-7.html

Sure, will do it this week.

Originally Posted by rock18

Congrats for completing 10k in your beauty.
Your review is nice and crisp.Wish you many more mile munching days ahead.
Can you post pics of how the interior looks during the night time?

Pics are long due. Will try and capture all aspects. I am yet to get rid of the horrible mud flaps but that is part of second service now.

[neoonwheels]

2nd Service Update:

On 7th Mar 2011, I done the 2nd servicing of my Punto MJD. As BUB has shifted to VW, the only option I had, was to visit Pundit. Many guys on TBhp had bad experience with Pundit, so I was a bit skeptical but had no other option.

I reached at Pundit workshop at 8:15 AM and the gate was closed. When I spoke to the security guard, he said it opens by 8:30 AM. I was surprised to see that at sharp 8:30 AM, he opened the gate and there was a SA assigned to my car. In 10 mins, my car was attended. I had few issues which are as below:

1. There was a krrrr sound near front left door
2. The door beading on rear right door was lose, ditto with rear right
3. The rear left door produce metal soudn when closed hard
4. The driver seatbelt holder - where you fasten the belt, produce a kat-kat noise
5. The regular 2nd service items need to be taken care of

The SA (Rahul) listened to my issues patiently. He immediately rectified the 1st item as some HVAC pipe issue. He said he has fixed this issue in many Puntos. Seems to be a regular niggle. He said, I would get my car on 8th Mar. I did not argue as I was not sure of their expertise on solving issues within a day, so I said, no issues. He insisted on wheel balancing and alignment for whooping 800/-, to which I said OK. After that Amogh mentioned that I can do it outside as well. When I called up one guy, he quoted me 550/- for both. Since the difference was not much, I let Pundit do it for 800/-.

On 8th Mar at 9:30 AM, I got SMS saying my car is ready after service. The SA called me at 2 PM to confirm the same. When I reached there at 5 PM, he explained me the bill. The bill was inline with other forum member's 2nd service bill. Only add on was wheel balancing and alignment (800/-). The total bill is 6068/-, which translates to 1.72/- per KM of usage of my car (At 10455km), which is 500/- per month for a year.

Then we went to inspect the car. I was shocked to see that Pundit guys did a great job on interiors. They waxed it thoroughly and did an above average job with exterior wash. Then I checked all the reported issues, which to my surprise, were all resolved.

Overall, I would rate the experience as 9 out of 10. It was least expected from Pundit. I hope, I wont face any peculiar problem as Pundit is not very famous for solving such issues.

Finally I got rid of the mudflaps . For time being, I clicked only interior pics. Once I wax the exteriors, I will do a photoshoot.

[neoonwheels]

Finally few of the exterior shots...

[sidindica]

Where are the fiat logos?

[krish3]

Nice pics. The interiors after polishing looks good :-) . Feels nice to hear happy ownership reports for the much abused FIAT.

The cost of filters is almost similar to the Getz Crdi, with the difference being the engine oil used; synthetic vis-a-vis normal mineral oil.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Where are the fiat logos?

Check his location. Its Pune.

Another victim to the logo theft gang.

[julupani]

The BUB sticker along with the missing logo makes the rear look a little odd, especially when seen close by. On a second note, I think as the wheel balancing and alignment along with rotation is part of the standard list of works to be performed for the Punto 2nd service, as is mentioned in the manual, I dont think they should charge for it. It was not charged for my parents Punto though. Also, went through the thread, I think there may be some credence to the fact that Punto drivers tend to cause more rattles because they just drive over potholes and bumps at a lot more speed than most other guys due to the confidence the Punto inspires.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by julupani

The BUB sticker along with the missing logo makes the rear look a little odd, especially when seen close by. On a second note, I think as the wheel balancing and alignment along with rotation is part of the standard list of works to be performed for the Punto 2nd service, as is mentioned in the manual, I dont think they should charge for it. It was not charged for my parents Punto though. Also, went through the thread, I think there may be some credence to the fact that Punto drivers tend to cause more rattles because they just drive over potholes and bumps at a lot more speed than most other guys due to the confidence the Punto inspires.

The ride makes you go fast on the potholes . The rattle which cropped up was due to HVAC pipe. Its resolved post 2nd service now.

Originally Posted by download2live

Check his location. Its Pune.
Another victim to the logo theft gang.

Spot on. It happened when the car was parked in the soc parking.

Originally Posted by krish3

Nice pics. The interiors after polishing looks good :-) . Feels nice to hear happy ownership reports for the much abused FIAT.

The cost of filters is almost similar to the Getz Crdi, with the difference being the engine oil used; synthetic vis-a-vis normal mineral oil.

I am one of the satisfied customers of FIAT since 2005 (Palio->Punto). I never faced any issue with service (Initially Jay-Vijay then BUB and last Pandit).

Originally Posted by sidindica

Where are the fiat logos?

Its pretty common in Pune nowdays :(