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Old 7th June 2013, 08:24   #5851
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by coolkurt View Post
Good to hear that. Parts availability is an issue. I got my a/c repaired but I've yet to test it in extreme conditions. They were sidestepping my pleas of getting faulty parts replaced under extended warranty owing to scarcity of parts. Very poor service too. The service adviser did not even call me Once to provide information and changed parts without my go ahead. Tata was better imo
Had a similar issue where the SA tried all stunts to delay the process. Surprisingly the Plant Service head replaced the part within 3 hours flat!! The email approval [their internal process] took more than that
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Old 8th June 2013, 13:23   #5852
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Had a similar issue where the SA tried all stunts to delay the process. Surprisingly the Plant Service head replaced the part within 3 hours flat!! The email approval [their internal process] took more than that
Typical Fiat. I got the O rings changed paid 3k for the whole thing and the airconditioning still sucks. Compressor trips in stop-move traffic and a/c is far from chilling. Any idea why the a/c is not cooling in stop-move-stop kind of traffic? The folks at kashyap fiat okhla themselves are clueless :/

2 things that I've read could be possible.

1. the radiator fan is the culprit. it doesnt cool it down fast enough

2. Fiat had tuned the ecu for fuel efficiency. so compressor trips are frequent. and it takes long for it to start again. There is a new update that's available that fixes

without an a/c in delhi heat is killing!
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Old 8th June 2013, 13:46   #5853
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolkurt View Post

Typical Fiat. I got the O rings changed paid 3k for the whole thing and the airconditioning still sucks. Compressor trips in stop-move traffic and a/c is far from chilling. Any idea why the a/c is not cooling in stop-move-stop kind of traffic? The folks at kashyap fiat okhla themselves are clueless :/

2 things that I've read could be possible.

1. the radiator fan is the culprit. it doesnt cool it down fast enough

2. Fiat had tuned the ecu for fuel efficiency. so compressor trips are frequent. and it takes long for it to start again. There is a new update that's available that fixes

without an a/c in delhi heat is killing!
I think the best bet is to go screw the dealer..usually they accept to replace the cooling coil / condenser and will charge for gas refill.

If you got extended warranty, chances are bright for a new complete replacement

there is no connection with the radiator fan or ecu settings afaik

Last edited by headers : 8th June 2013 at 13:47.
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Old 8th June 2013, 18:17   #5854
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

O ring costs around 87INR.

Anyways, some pictorial updates at 12345kms on the GP1.2 dynamic, 2012 model

Now this is with 75% AC on at "3"...Not bad at all!!!

Others:

Niggles : Countless !

Rattles : Rear seat, dashboard, all window glass. Few alien/ghost types as well!

Squeaks : Many; seats, clutch and accelerator pedal, some alien types. But these are audible with all glasses rolled up, no music playing, and no one else in car, empty road only. With everything rolled down, it is the occasional rear seat or parcel tray rattle on uneven roads.

Minor problems:

1) Rear left door lock would not open from inside. Solved at ASS during camp yesterday.
2) Some acid spill over from battery. RESOLVED.
3) TAK sound when releasing clutch in first gear only. NOT SOLVED, seems is normal, doesn't happen if I follow 5-4-3-2-1 rule of gradual release.

Ride quality : Maintains original quality!

A$$ experience : Need to go twice for all issues, but resolved, except for rattles. In fact right driver door rattle increased after I asked the tech to fiddle with it. Never charged any money for these niggles. Doesn't still have a scanner at the branch I visit.

AC : Really good.

Overall : 8/10 but definitely not like I can claim a "solid, rattle free car" like I could a year back; my friends here and elsewhere know I am a boringly sedate driver. Even then...

Happy weekend!
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Last edited by lapis_lazuli : 8th June 2013 at 18:28.
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Old 8th June 2013, 20:48   #5855
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Of late I have been facing issues with engine startup. On occasions, the engine would just not start in the first attempt. However, in the second or third attempt it does start. Initially, I thought it could be due to suspect quality fuel. It doesn't matter whether it is a cold start or otherwise. The other day, the car refused to start after a 100 km drive. However, this doesn't happen regularly. After the 3rd free servicing, the issue had vanished for a few days, but now it is back with a vengeance. During the service, the starter motor was checked, the alternator was checked and the battery was checked too. Since the fuel filter air filter etc. are all new, I wonder why this startup problem persists. There is no point complaining to Fiat as the matter would only be referred back to the TASS, which is anyways clueless.
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Old 8th June 2013, 20:57   #5856
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riturajsharma19 View Post
Of late I have been facing issues with engine startup. On occasions, the engine would just not start in the first attempt. However, in the second or third attempt it does start. Initially, I thought it could be due to suspect quality fuel. It doesn't matter whether it is a cold start or otherwise. The other day, the car refused to start after a 100 km drive. However, this doesn't happen regularly. After the 3rd free servicing, the issue had vanished for a few days, but now it is back with a vengeance. During the service, the starter motor was checked, the alternator was checked and the battery was checked too. Since the fuel filter air filter etc. are all new, I wonder why this startup problem persists. There is no point complaining to Fiat as the matter would only be referred back to the TASS, which is anyways clueless.
Dear friend,
I can very well relate with you as I have been through all this .My advice is do escalate the matter with fiat , they would take their sweet time but they would coordinate with taas .
Regards
Praveen singh
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Old 8th June 2013, 21:06   #5857
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Dear friend,
I can very well relate with you as I have been through all this .My advice is do escalate the matter with fiat , they would take their sweet time but they would coordinate with taas .
Regards
Praveen singh
Thanks Praveen. Did they solve the issue? If yes, what caused it?

Last edited by riturajsharma19 : 8th June 2013 at 21:12.
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Old 8th June 2013, 21:17   #5858
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riturajsharma19 View Post

Thanks blueeblooded. Did they solve the issue? If yes, what caused it?
Dear rituraj , the culprit was broken cam shaft and cracked cam case .They did solved the problem and both the shafts sd well as cam case were replaced under extended warranty. Do mail the details to Mr .Vikram cairae his mail id is vikram.cairae@fiapl.com. He could route you to proper person
Regards
Praveen singh
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Old 9th June 2013, 08:46   #5859
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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I think the best bet is to go screw the dealer..usually they accept to replace the cooling coil / condenser and will charge for gas refill.

If you got extended warranty, chances are bright for a new complete replacement

there is no connection with the radiator fan or ecu settings afaik
I think I'm going to do just that. buggers!
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Old 9th June 2013, 14:42   #5860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolkurt View Post

Typical Fiat. I got the O rings changed paid 3k for the whole thing and the airconditioning still sucks. Compressor trips in stop-move traffic and a/c is far from chilling. Any idea why the a/c is not cooling in stop-move-stop kind of traffic? The folks at kashyap fiat okhla themselves are clueless :/

2 things that I've read could be possible.

1. the radiator fan is the culprit. it doesnt cool it down fast enough

2. Fiat had tuned the ecu for fuel efficiency. so compressor trips are frequent. and it takes long for it to start again. There is a new update that's available that fixes

without an a/c in delhi heat is killing!
I think the culprit is the radiator fan. As someone wrote couple of posts back the fan is a dual speed unit. The fan will start at a lower speed as soon as the a.c.is switched on. Once the system requires additional cooling like in stop and go traffic the same fan switches to a higher speed intermittently. It's the higher speed which is not working and as I have heard this is a common complaint for the kale make fans. I myself have suffered this twice and my car is currently in sc for fan replacement. The other make of fan is better than the kale one but unfortunately both cannot be used in place of each other, that is what I was told.
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Old 9th June 2013, 18:30   #5861
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My 90HP Punto's clutch pedal squeaks when I release it. It's a very low volume sound but annoys me like all noises inside a Fiat.

I sprayed the spring with WD40 but it did not help at all. Does any body know what type of lubrication would be best here - grease or Oil?
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Old 9th June 2013, 19:39   #5862
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Getting my 90 hp delivered tomorrow. Hope all's gonna be well !!

Isn't that the best I can do ? Hope !!
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Old 9th June 2013, 22:37   #5863
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by mrohit17 View Post
I think the culprit is the radiator fan. As someone wrote couple of posts back the fan is a dual speed unit. The fan will start at a lower speed as soon as the a.c.is switched on. Once the system requires additional cooling like in stop and go traffic the same fan switches to a higher speed intermittently. It's the higher speed which is not working and as I have heard this is a common complaint for the kale make fans. I myself have suffered this twice and my car is currently in sc for fan replacement. The other make of fan is better than the kale one but unfortunately both cannot be used in place of each other, that is what I was told.
This is useful information. But how do I make the folks at kashyap understand this? They took 3k and changed the o rings and now say it's fine! Nobody has a clue.

I read on carwale that there's an ecu update too that fixes intermittent cutoff of compressor.

Any ideas how I can go about handling the issue? Whom can I approach?
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Old 10th June 2013, 11:07   #5864
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

Kale radiator fans are the culprit here. Mine too was replaced under
e-warranty. High speed wasn't working. If service centre guys are not replacing it under warranty, other option could be to get an aux fan fitted in front of condensor and get a switch inside cabin for turning it on/off whenever you feel cooling isn't upto the job. This shouldn't cost you more than 3-4K. Atleast this is what i was quoted by an AC shop for fitting a safari fan in front of condensor. You could search for least priced fans from other models too or secondhand also. Goodluck!
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Old 10th June 2013, 23:00   #5865
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Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

But the point is, when I've paid for extended warranty, the problem needs to be rectified by the Fiat folks.I'm going to make life hell for the folks at kashyap!
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