[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Good to see this beauty is still being nicely cared for!

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

Issues Faced: The LCD display screen in the dashboard which also serves as the odometer has gone blank. I had faced this problem in the past when there was high humidity in the air during the monsoons. The display went back to normal after the monsoons. However this time even even a few months after the monsoon I don’t see that the display is showing any signs of showing the characters.

Hope you have seen the below thread -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...ml#post4924295 (Fiat Linea & Punto DIY: Speedometer Cluster LCD Repair)

[RajBajwa]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Congratulations! Your Linea is indeed very well maintained and nice to see this beautiful car. Linea is one of my favorite cars from that era of NA petrol cars.

I can totally relate to your thread. I am in the exact same boat. I am got a 2010 Maruti SX4 and then a 2017 BMW 320d. The simple mechanical charm of old fashioned NA petrol engine coupled with a manual gearbox is what still attracts me to my SX4. This is in total contrast to the powerful turbo-diesel and the sleek ZF in the BMW. But this is what makes both the cars special in their own ways and I enjoy both of them.

You have got a great garage. Wish you many more happy miles on both the cars!

Thank You Doc.

I must tell you that I have been a silent follower of your BMW thread. I enjoy seeing pictures of your car from all those trips that you make with the other TBHP buddies in Bangalore. I am glad to learn that you too have a similar second car or I can say that we have a similar garage. I love the combination of having one automatic and one manual car in the garage. The BMW is fun in it’s own league but sometimes coming back to our old workhorse is calming in its own way. If we want to have a leisurely drive and can make do with far lesser horses the old beater is great.

I wish you too happy miles on both your cars. Do keep those pictures coming it. A BMW fan boy can never get enough of Bimmer car pictures!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Good to see this beauty is still being nicely cared for!



Hope you have seen the below thread -

Thank You Sujai!

Thanks for pointing me towards the thread on how to get the LCD repaired. I see that it is a common problem. I am in two minds if I should repair it. I suffer from OCD and I like to fix things immediately but when it comes to Fiat I tread with a bit of trepidation where in trying to resolve one issue something new shouldn't pop up. FIATs are notorious to give a lot of troubles. I guess that is the reason in US they have earned that ill famed monicker where FIAT stands for, ‘Fix it Again Tony’ owing to the constant breakdowns. Now at 11 years I have made peace with the fact that there will be somethings which won’t work fine in the car and as long as they are not serious in nature which can compromise safety I might just live with them. I however do appreciate you guiding me on how to resolve the problem in a cost effective manner. Maybe in the future I might repair it.


Cheers,

Raj B

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

Update:
11 Years completed on 15th October 2020. (From Delivery

Wonderful update for your Linea. It definitely doesn’t looks like a decade old. You have a perfect garage there. Both the ones crafted for driving enthusiasts catering in different spectrum. Happy further miles!

[RajBajwa]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Wonderful update for your Linea. It definitely doesn’t looks like a decade old. You have a perfect garage there. Both the ones crafted for driving enthusiasts catering in different spectrum. Happy further miles!

Thank You Abhi. I wish I had the TJet instead and I would have gotten a Stage II remap to enjoy the beauty even more. The Indian auto market is slowly maturing. More buyers are giving priority to performance than just the mileage and fancy features. Hopefully the manufacturers are taking note of this changing preference. Some are fans or NA engines but I am not. I hope Turbo Charged petrol engines become the de facto norm in cars before the internal combustion engines find their way to the grave and we have the era of electric cars. Let's enjoy our cars a bit more. Let's listen to the sweet growl of engine exhaust notes before they become museum pieces!


- Raj

[RajBajwa]

Update:

The Linea completed 13 Years in October 2022. I am sharing the pictures of the how the car looked in October 2022 after a DIY wax polish session.

The car serves me well as a beater car. With the age there are the usual problems.

I changed all the Tyres in September 2022 (Yokohoma Earth 1). These are the second set of new tyres which I got in the last 13 years. First replacement happened at age 6. I got them online from the tyresnmore.com. I found the pricing competitive compared to retail stores and I liked the service of them changing tyres with wheel balancing done at your doorstep.

The other work which I did was the suspension overhaul. The car feels firm as new now.
There are some other minor niggles which come up. AC cooling drops and I have to get a coolant gas topped up.

I am tempted to get a replacement but it the brain wins over the heart. I don’t see the value of spending 20 lacs on a new car when my usage is limited. I like sedans which sit low with a low ground clearance as they are more fun to drive with low body roll and corner carving ability. If I were to replace today the car which I would consider would be the Skoda Slavia 1.5 MT. I am old school and like manual transmission over automatic. The only gripe with the Slavia is that it is not low enough and I feel it will have some element of body roll and won’t feel stable enough during high speed cornering.

The other part is that the Slavia will cost me roughly 20 lacs on road in Mumbai. The annual servicing costs will be in the range of Rs. 12,000 – 14,000 and the insurance cost will be in the range of Rs. 40,000. I don’t see the value of spending that kind of money to replace a car when my current one serves the need.

As of now I am focussing on my career to have the requisite funds to replace my cars in the garage. I do not take car loans and I believe that I should buy a car only if I have savings which are a certain multiple of the cost of the car or in other words use only a small percentage of savings to buy a car.

Based on the cars available in the Indian Market today I would want to replace my garage in the follow manner:

Fiat Linea 1.4 Petrol > Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI MT
BMW 320d > BMW M 340i

I’ll get there!

[Apolo4409]

Kudos to you for maintaining the Linea in such stunning condition. The Linea was always a rare sight on the road and most examples are in a deplorable condition and it makes me really glad to see one that looks like it just rolled off the factory floor! I wish you many more happy miles!

[caffeineAM]

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

Update:

The Linea completed 13 Years in October 2022. I am sharing the pictures of the how the car looked in October 2022 after a DIY wax polish session.

The car serves me well as a beater car. With the age there are the usual problems.

Looks great! I'm keeping my 2009 1.4 NA going as well. Where are you getting the vehicle serviced now? My last contact in RS Motors, Kandivali has quit.

[RajBajwa]

Originally Posted by caffeineAM

Looks great! I'm keeping my 2009 1.4 NA going as well. Where are you getting the vehicle serviced now? My last contact in RS Motors, Kandivali has quit.

I do not have a fixed work shop. I get it serviced from the FNG. Since the car is outside of warranty, I do not stick to the regular intervals of 12 months. My running is in the range of 3000 kms in a year.

[RajBajwa]

15 Year Update:

Car completed 15 years in October 2024.

I paid the Road Tax for the next 5 years. The car hence now has the registration valid until October 2029.

Car serves me well as the beater car. It is used regularly by me. I am based out of Malad, Mumbai. I mostly work from home. I sometimes go to office which is in BKC with a commute of 25 kms one way. The monthly running is in the range of 250 Kms.

In the last two years I have worked on the car suspension again as they had become weak and there were too many rattles. The car drives like a charm.

I haven’t yet fixed the display of the digital odometer panel in the car. I hence do not know the exact kms that it must have run but it must be in the range of 90,000 kms.

Latest Car Pictures from October 2024.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

15 Year Update:

Car completed 15 years in October 2024.

I paid the Road Tax for the next 5 years. The car hence now has the registration valid until October 2029.

The car is looking good in the pics and your total running seems to be low and hence it is good that you keen in keeping it.

How much did you pay for the renewal of the registration? Asking because I have a 2010 Laura and will need the same next year. I know it may cost a bit more than the Linea but just trying to get a ball park figure.

[mobilecentric]

Linea is a keeper, head turner.

[RajBajwa]

Originally Posted by sunilch

The car is looking good in the pics and your total running seems to be low and hence it is good that you keen in keeping it.

I think the main reason for which I am keen to keep the car is that is that I am quite frugal with expenses. As I have aged, I have set a rule that the amount of money I can spend on upgrading my car will only be 5% of my bank balance.

Originally Posted by sunilch

How much did you pay for the renewal of the registration? Asking because I have a 2010 Laura and will need the same next year. I know it may cost a bit more than the Linea but just trying to get a ball park figure.

I had registered the car originally with a Thane District Address in 2009 to save the Mumbai Octroi charges. After Octroi was abolished I transferred the registration to the Mumbai address.

I paid a total of Rs. 12,000 to an agent for the renewal valid for 5 years. The official fees for the taxes are lower. The 12K included the agent fees. I think it should be the same for the Laura as well.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by RajBajwa

I think the main reason for which I am keen to keep the car is that is that I am quite frugal with expenses. As I have aged, I have set a rule that the amount of money I can spend on upgrading my car will only be 5% of my bank balance.



I had registered the car originally with a Thane District Address in 2009 to save the Mumbai Octroi charges. After Octroi was abolished I transferred the registration to the Mumbai address.

I paid a total of Rs. 12,000 to an agent for the renewal valid for 5 years. The official fees for the taxes are lower. The 12K included the agent fees. I think it should be the same for the Laura as well.

Thanks for sharing the details.

That 20x factor of your bank balance is a good conservative approach. I personally take 11x into account. I never thought someone else too would be using this same approach

But it should ideally be that of your liquid assets and not only bank-balance. I hope that is indeed the case with you. You need to enjoy cars within your reach

[FiatDiesel]

Such cars are masterpieces which are rare and getting extinct now. My opinion is you don’t need an upgrade for the sake it’s 15 year old if it’s serving you well.
Linea is one of the iconic superbly designed cars we are blessed to have in our generation.

[NavtejS]

Your car is looking very nice. Really well maintained. I always liked the design of both linea and Punto.

Many more years of driving with this beauty!