[epicenter.rulez]

hi gaaij,
phainally managed to give the car for service.
odo read somewhere near the 124000 mark.
had to replace the front left damper and rear right bulb for the taillight, the damper was covered under warranty.
all fluids, lubricants were changed and so were the filters. egr cleaned as always.
didnt get the v belts replaced. will be doing it the next time.
bill amounted to 7k.
not bad at around 125k eh?
drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

[Sweet Chariot]

Originally Posted by epicenter.rulez

hi gaaij,
phainally managed to give the car for service.
odo read somewhere near the 124000 mark.
had to replace the front left damper and rear right bulb for the taillight, the damper was covered under warranty.
all fluids, lubricants were changed and so were the filters. egr cleaned as always.
didnt get the v belts replaced. will be doing it the next time.
bill amounted to 7k.
not bad at around 125k eh?
drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

hey great to see punto clocking 110,000 kms, amazing ride you have both have gone through.
was there a requiremnent of EGR cleaning or do you routinely get it done? do you forsee any issues to get a V belt replaced in the near furture?

cheers drive safe and happy miles

[Concorde]

Started reading this thread at around 21:00 hrs with just a dinner break in between. Very informative. Do you have a voice recognition program installed on your PC?? Kudos to your patience to keep the thread updated and so detailed. Perfect mods for the Punto really, although personally I would prefer the standard tail lamps. I am amazed at the number of complimentary and under warranty services and replacements you got for your car. Not only that, every time the car was delivered to you, it was perfect with no delays in procuring spares. And with Fiat, that is saying something. It does come down to the relationship you've been able to build up with the service center guys. I drive the Punto too and love everything about it except the after sales. So much so, that I have actually considered selling off the car than deal with the bunch. At the end of this thread, I found myself looking at the map from Calcutta to Ahmedabad.. Who knows! Waiting for the 2L update. Cheers!!

[epicenter.rulez]

Originally Posted by Sweet Chariot

hey great to see punto clocking 110,000 kms, amazing ride you have both have gone through.
was there a requiremnent of EGR cleaning or do you routinely get it done? do you forsee any issues to get a V belt replaced in the near furture?

cheers drive safe and happy miles

Hi,
Thanks for going through the review. I just make it a point to get the EGR cleaned every 15000 kilometers. The V Belt replacement is on the service schedule. It was just that i didnt want to get them replaced as i was short on time and had to get the car back fast. The next time the car goes for service, the v belts are priority no. 1.

Originally Posted by Concorde

Started reading this thread at around 21:00 hrs with just a dinner break in between. Very informative. Do you have a voice recognition program installed on your PC?? Kudos to your patience to keep the thread updated and so detailed. Perfect mods for the Punto really, although personally I would prefer the standard tail lamps. I am amazed at the number of complimentary and under warranty services and replacements you got for your car. Not only that, every time the car was delivered to you, it was perfect with no delays in procuring spares. And with Fiat, that is saying something. It does come down to the relationship you've been able to build up with the service center guys. I drive the Punto too and love everything about it except the after sales. So much so, that I have actually considered selling off the car than deal with the bunch. At the end of this thread, I found myself looking at the map from Calcutta to Ahmedabad.. Who knows! Waiting for the 2L update. Cheers!!

Hi Concorde,
Getting the car delivered perfect every time is no issue at all. I do give the guys a piece of my mind now and then but generally whenever i get the car back, it is as i want it to be.
I do not have any voice recognition software on my pc and the only voice i recognise is the one that comes from my heart
Aftersales is not that bad when it comes to it. The service center here has had its own share of troubles and complains, but it has never been that serious with me. Almost everybody there knows me, and about 50 percent of them migrated from the earlier TASS where i was their boss, so that helps too. They know how i've always wanted my cars so they strive to get to nearly where i want them to be. A treat once in a while zips it all up.
About the map, you'll have to drive down a little lower to Valsad because that is where i stay. Ahmedabad is somewhere we go to when we just want to hang out with friends.
Incidentally, while you were thinking of sellling off your car, let me tell you that today is the day when a 5th Punto joins the family. We are a group of friends more closeknit than most of the families. A friend bought one and on his say so i bought one. Another friend bought two because i got one and since, he got two, another friend got one and now since he has one, his brother wanted one too and bloody hell, he got one.
I hope these numbers keep on growing.
Thanks for going through the thread.
Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

[headers]

Originally Posted by epicenter.rulez

A friend bought one and on his say so i bought one. Another friend bought two because i got one and since, he got two, another friend got one and now since he has one, his brother wanted one too and bloody hell, he got one.
I hope these numbers keep on growing.

Wow Mandeep, Thats very nice to hear. God Bless all of you. I've rarely known 5 cars of the same make within a group!

[Concorde]

Originally Posted by epicenter.rulez

Hi,

About the map, you'll have to drive down a little lower to Valsad because that is where i stay. Ahmedabad is somewhere we go to when we just want to hang out with friends.

Incidentally, while you were thinking of sellling off your car, let me tell you that today is the day when a 5th Punto joins the family. We are a group of friends more closeknit than most of the families. A friend bought one and on his say so i bought one. Another friend bought two because i got one and since, he got two, another friend got one and now since he has one, his brother wanted one too and bloody hell, he got one.
I hope these numbers keep on growing.
Thanks for going through the thread.
Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

Thank you for the invite. Although I am very inclined to make a few long road trips, I haven't done so before. Let's see when it materializes.

Congrats! That is one big Fiat family. Hope the numbers multiply. 2 of my friends had bought Fiat on my suggestion earlier but haven't done so after I the after sales experiences. Hope things to change for the better soon.

[epicenter.rulez]

Originally Posted by headers

Wow Mandeep, Thats very nice to hear. God Bless all of you. I've rarely known 5 cars of the same make within a group!

Yep, now since that we have the cars, and fiat parting ways with tata, it is the blessings that we need. About the 5 cars of the same make, well the thing is that there is no other car in the country that does things the punto way. So when you dont have a choice, you'd definitely recommend whats the only option. :-)
No, but seriously speaking, this just goes on to show that Fiat has a winner if they can just manage to keep their spares and service networks intact and pro active.

Originally Posted by Concorde

Thank you for the invite. Although I am very inclined to make a few long road trips, I haven't done so before. Let's see when it materializes.

Congrats! That is one big Fiat family. Hope the numbers multiply. 2 of my friends had bought Fiat on my suggestion earlier but haven't done so after I the after sales experiences. Hope things to change for the better soon.

Concorde,
Recommend the punto by all means. If we dont trust a brand how do we expect them to know what we need out of it to make it even better.
About the invite, its open for anyone who'd like to munch up the miles and bear with my mumblings. My home is your home.

Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt!

[epicenter.rulez]

Hi gaaij,

Picked up a set of struts and dampers (2 front + 2 rear) for the Punto. These are the stock ones that some guy had removed to get the gc retrofitment kit.

They are about a 1000 kilometers old and i picked them up for 4500 bucks plus free installation whenever i want to get that done.

The odo crossed the 126k mark and the car may be on a round trip to Bhopal Sunday onwards.

Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

[magnanimousdude]

Hey Epicenter,
Can you Please suggest whether i can go for K & N Stock Replacement filter, i have one. if i put that the car feels a lot better and breaths easily, But i am worried about the dust particles getting inside the engine cylinders since i can see visible pores in the filters, the filtering doesn't seems to be good in K & N. I need to know the disadvantages of it... I see you have been using it quite a long period so how about the damage it does to the engine? i am from Chennai, where dust is a bit more. Could you please comment?

Most people comment about the dust entering into the engine cylinders and filtration part which is not good...i am really confused. Heart says to use K & N, Mind says to use Stock Filter :(

[headers]

Originally Posted by magnanimousdude

Hey Epicenter,
Can you Please suggest whether i can go for K & N Stock Replacement filter, i have one. if i put that the car feels a lot better and breaths easily, But i am worried about the dust particles getting inside the engine cylinders since i can see visible pores in the filters, the filtering doesn't seems to be good in K & N. I need to know the disadvantages of it... I see you have been using it quite a long period so how about the damage it does to the engine? i am from Chennai, where dust is a bit more. Could you please comment?

Most people comment about the dust entering into the engine cylinders and filtration part which is not good...i am really confused. Heart says to use K & N, Mind says to use Stock Filter :(

I would say go for it if you already have the stock replacement filter.

OT:
I am using a universal type K&N filter in my offroad vehicle, where dust is the primary source of breathing, for the past 6 years - No complaints as long as you keep a clean filter!!

[magnanimousdude]

Originally Posted by headers

I would say go for it if you already have the stock replacement filter.
Well i have both Stock Filter and K & N Stock replacement filter.. Now??

OT:
I am using a universal type K&N filter in my offroad vehicle, where dust is the primary source of breathing, for the past 6 years - No complaints as long as you keep a clean filter!!

What is your vehicle? Does that matters for the K & N filter?

I have heard numerous rumors about engine will be ceased due to excessive dust and engine life will be gone for a toss

When this happens, engine warranty will be void and things will be messed up. I have the stock replacement filter that is the reason i am worried!

[epicenter.rulez]

Originally Posted by magnanimousdude

What is your vehicle? Does that matters for the K & N filter?

I have heard numerous rumors about engine will be ceased due to excessive dust and engine life will be gone for a toss

When this happens, engine warranty will be void and things will be messed up. I have the stock replacement filter that is the reason i am worried!

Just go ahead and use it bro. As you very rightly said, whatever you heard are just rumors.
It doesnt matter which vehicle it is unless you are using the correct stock replacement filter. My car is just round the corner to the 130000 mark and ive been using the k&n since atleast 127000 kilometeters without any issues.
Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

[epicenter.rulez]

hi gaaij,
crossed the 131k mark yesterday.
noticing a few things since the last 500 kilometers or so.
the car seems to have lost its grunt, looks like needs a decarb as its been carried out around 50000 kilometers ago.
the front suspension seems to be a bit under the weather. the tires want to go their own sweet way and the car wallows when going over irregularities in the road. looks like the elastic pads or insulators, whatever one may call them are acting wise once again.
since the car is already past the 130k mark, just wanted to enquire about the parts pricing from outside the authorised service and spares network.
called up kawa and the price difference was shocking. the clutch plate and pressure plate set is available for 2k without the original packing.
even the insulators that cost around 2400 bucks each in the genuine range are available for 1200 bucks per set without the original packing.
was tempted to get them from kava and try the replacement.
contemplating..contemplating.
even the tires are up for a change. will go back to the v550s i think. or maybe the c drives again.
drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.

[h14]

Congrats on the 1.3 :-) Yes, for the first time you are sure to be shocked with kava's pricing.

Continue rocking!!!

[epicenter.rulez]

Hi gaaij
Was doing a sedate 70 - 80 kph today without the ac.
And this is what i got.
Posting it here just for kicks.



Drive safe, always wear a seatbelt.