[blackwasp]

We have a 5 year old Punto and the only time it broke down was when rats chewed some wires. Otherwise it's been a very reliable car. You have mentioned that you liked the 75hp as well as the 90hp models, and the small price over Honda and Hyundai will get you a car that you love more.
So I think it's definitely a sweet deal.

[sandeepmohan]

This December will mark 4 years with a Linea and till date, not a single fault or warranty claim. Reliability has never been a issue with a Fiat. Service experience isn't great and that is all I can say. You will have to identify the better of the two outlets in your city.

8lac is a good deal for the top spec Evo diesel.

There is one thing you must know. The space on offer on the i20 and Jazz is more than a Punto. In the case of the Jazz, it is the size of a football field in there.

[deepakhon]

Close to 1.5 years into Linea T-Jet ownership and I love it every time I drive it. Touchwood, no issues so far. There were no issues with my Palio which I had for 10 years too. The only time it gave up was when some valet parking guy didn't understand its reverse gear engaging mechanism and did some mischief which broke the gear bracket. Once that was fixed, all the car needed was regular maintenance. So is the Linea. I would say, reliability is not an issue with Fiat cars, speaking from my personal experience.

[Blow Horn Ok]

If you buy the i20 or the jazz you heart will skip a beat when you will see the punto. If looks and driving dynamics/handling is top on your requirement, go for the EVO. If Space, reliability, practicality tops, settle down for the honda/i20. I personally prefer the Jazz between the two for reasons not specific.

You can also wait for a month for ford to announce the prices of the figo aspire (if you prefer compact sedans) or the figo (later launch). The specs and features are too brilliant to ignore.

[riturajsharma19]

The Elite i20 and the new Jazz are perhaps going to be more reliable in terms of service and overall ownership experience. With dwindling sales and their refusal to infuse some freshness into their product line, Fiat's future in India seems unpredictable, to put it mildly. I own a Punto myself, not the new EVO but the earlier Grande Punto and have had to endure the worst in terms of after-sales service for a prolonged period. Customer satisfaction and accountability aren't terms that I would associate with Fiat India.

[tabrez]

I am close to completing 2 years of ownership of my 2013 Grande Punto Sports & I can vouch for the cars reliability. Never had major troubles - neither the Mechanical nor the electrical aspects.

I agree with fellow members on this thread that their after-sales isn't something to write home about but that is something which is changing or at-least they seem to be making an effort. If your concern is more on availability of spare's or overall cost of ownership, then be at peace - those fast moving or the one's in demand are available over counter at the Service Center (at the very least here in Bangalore, should be no different to you in Hyderabad either).

Punto, as a whole does have it's kinks - the rear isn't the best place nor the most spacious, the clutch travel might be a little off to your liking, the foot-well is cramped, gear-shift isn't as slick as competition but then, there is no single perfect product out there. It's just that you've evaluate if you can look over these & actually enjoy what this car does the best - drive.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

Is FIAT worth going for after all the things it has been through (Keeping in mind the price)?

Absolutely, if you ask me. Especially at a sweet price point like 8 L on road.

I heard there were some updates done to the engine parts post 2012 upgrade which supposedly made it more "reliable". Is this any true?

Sorry, no idea about it. My Punto is pre 2012 (the lower GC model).

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate Punto EVO on the reliability factor? And how would you rate the other two cars?

My Punto have never given me any headaches, zilch warranty claims, zilch issues.
Have a Jazz in the family, same story - Zilch headaches, Zilch issues.
Have no i20, but have a Santro in the family and coupld of close friends have santros, i10s and i20s - never heard any reliability issues.

So, I would rate all of them at same level.

Has there been any improvement in the spare part availability post 2014 announcement that they will stock up spare parts to improve customer experience?

I have never faced any spare parts availability issues. I have seen the spare parts department of Vecto and KHT and they looked pretty well stocked to me. I think most of the spare parts are readily available.

We have faced spare parts issue with our Jazz, but since it was a low volume seller and it was roughly at the time when their plant abroad was flooded, we write it off as a one time issue. Similarly, my friend was asked to pay a deposit and confirm in advance if a particular part was to be brought for his i20 (the ASC said they don't have it in stock, but can get it within 2-3 days, if he pay an advance). Again, this is a one off case and no one else who I know have faced issues with Hyundai spares.

So, to answer your query, I Fiat don't have spare parts procurement issues, but if you are unfortunate, you can have issues in any brand.

How about the cost of spares of all the cars? Who's the cheapest to maintain?

Fiat spares are not costly. No first hand idea about the spare parts of other two.

What is probability of it giving me hard surprises like breaking down on the road? And what about the other two cars? (Given that I maintain them enthusiastically)

Given that you do take care of your car well (timely services, checking the general health once in a while etc), I would say, the chances are nil.
On the other hand, chances of Fiat plastering a huge grin on your face during a long drive is more - be it on highways or mountains. Also, please note that Fiat comes with a proper full metal engine guard - for our pothole filled roads, this is a much required accessory.

Is FIAT is bad as it is made out to be on the forum when it comes to it's niggles with car or aftersales? Or is it just that the issues are blown out of proportions? Could it be because of the greater number of FIAT owners being on the forum or smaller portion of the actual Honda or Hyundai owners being on the forum?

Sorry - no answer to this. Fiat have its own share of passionate lovers and haters and any post \ thread does become heavily emotion leaden. From my own 4+ year experience and my experience across multiple FIAT ASCs, i would say, I have never faced any issues and they have always been proactive for even the smallest of my doubts. So, I have no qualms in recommending Fiat.

Two small anecdotes from my service:

Last Year:

The call was attended promptly and I got the service booked on the desired date. I was asked to come between 9 to 9.30 and I reached KHT at 9 today, but the SA was yet to come (he was stuck in traffic - completely understandable because the traffic was bad today morning). While waiting, the lady at the reception showed me the accessories catalogue and politely enquired about my interests in any of the items shown in the catalogue (a very nice gesture). I wanted to buy a pair of neck restraints and she promptly showed me the details in her computer ans assured me that it will be delivered when I take the car after the service.

Instead of waiting for SA to come, the gentleman who sits in the glass cabin opposite to the reception (sorry sir, forgot your name) came and took the inventory. By that time the SA (Sateesh) came and the file was handed over to him.
He went through the history and explained to me what all needs to be done as a part of the 4th service. Other than the routine tasks, I opted for AC cleaning and coolant replacement (I foolishly mixed two different brand of coolant some time back). I was promised the delivery by 5 PM.

Got a call by 3.45 from SA - the car was ready. Went to collect the car by 4.30 and the car was ready. The billing took another 10-15 minutes (going over the bill, explanation of all work done, payment etc). All the changed spares where kept in boot and the SA came and showed me the oil and coolant levels, after the change. He also asked me to get in touch with him if I face any issues. The car was really clean, and all the works where done before the promised time.

This year:

While giving the estimate, SA told me that the service charge will be 1900 plus tax, which was higher than what Vecto (another FIAt ASS) charges for the same. I shot a mail to the owner of KHT ASS, asking about this and within minutes, I got his replay asking his service manager to look into this. I got a call from two guys (the Service Manager and the Relationship (or something similar) manager), asking me in detail about the issues. The Service manager promised me that any irregularities will be taken care and he will meet me in person when I will come to take the delivery. True to his word, he was waiting for me when I went to take the delivery and answered all my questions patiently. The disparity was because, the Vector price was without tax and the SA at KHT gave me the amount including tax, but since he did not mention it explicitly, i assumed the rate is without tax. So, at the end, it was not at all an issue, but a misunderstanding from my side. But, I was really blown over by the care they took to answer my queries and the effort they took to make sure that I had a good experience.

Clearly I have a lot of doubts. Kindly bear with me. It would be great if I get this points cleared. And I kindly request you to be as factual as possible keeping out your love/hate for all things FIAT.

Thank you in advance!!

Regards,
Ryuu

I hope I have answered your questions as objectively as possible. Now, it is over to you. Happy if I have been of any help.

--Anoop

[pdma]

Hello Ryuu,

Iam been owning a Linea MJD from the last 6 months and there hasn't been any concerning issues so far . AV is definitely a better bet and let me know if you need any help in dealing with them. They are located on Minister Road Secundrabad. Also recently I know some one who picked an EVO 90 HP for 8.3 OTR without insurance cost included so you might want to recheck on the 8L OTR for 75 HP variant as I see there is still some margin for negotiation.
Even the best sellers in the market have multiple issues that are not being addressed in a timely manner or upto satisfaction by their so called reputed after sales teams (please check the official review threads of the market leading cars for complete details). Maintenance schedule is every 15k - 1 year with free service interval extending to 2 years - 30K Km's. I know people still cannot get over the bad FASS experience that they had years back but things now are different for sure. Please don't worry about the resale as you will not be loosing anything at all in comparison with the competition as I have mentioned in some of the previous posts across the forum we somehow miss to calculate the resale value in a proper way. Overall I would say buy a car that you like (be it from any manufacturer) and don't buy it under other pressure's as it is you who are spending your hard earned money & you need to be 100% satisfied with what you are getting for the $$$ you are paying.

All The best with your decision making.

PS : Link to my ownership thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-1-3l-mjd.html

Cheers,
pdma.

[subbarao]

Is any one know from where i can get Petronas Tutela TOP-4 brake fluid, & other Fiat recommended oils in bengaluru other than authorised fiat service shop or from 99rpm.

[Ryuu]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions!

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

I own a Punto myself, not the new EVO but the earlier Grande Punto and have had to endure the worst in terms of after-sales service for a prolonged period. Customer satisfaction and accountability aren't terms that I would associate with Fiat India.

I read about your unfortunate experience, rituraj. It's really matter of concern when you take the spread of FASS. In AP and TG, the service centers are spread across Hyderabad, kakinada, Vizag, and Vijaywada. No centers in Tirupati or Kadapa. It's a different story that they have one in Vellore. At least they ought to cover major crowded places! Even VW's spread is more than FIAT's. That's bad!

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

8lac is a good deal for the top spec Evo diesel.
There is one thing you must know. The space on offer on the i20 and Jazz is more than a Punto. In the case of the Jazz, it is the size of a football field in there.

Ahh! The one thing I didn't test while driving i20 was space in the rear bench! In punto, 2 well built frames and 1 average could snugly fit in the rear bench. Didn't get to test this on i20. Is it really better? The boot is almost the same with the two cars.

Of course, Jazz is in a different league altogether when it comes to space. The thing is we don't need excess space either. Just more than what is required to travel comfortably.

Originally Posted by tabrez

I agree with fellow members on this thread that their after-sales isn't something to write home about
but that is something which is changing or at-least they seem to be making an effort.
Punto, as a whole does have it's kinks - the clutch
travel might be a little off to your liking, the foot-well is cramped, gear-shift isn't as slick as competition
but then, there is no single perfect product out there. It's just that you've evaluate if you can look over
these & actually enjoy what this car does the best - drive.

I found the clutch travel to be okay. I mean it was not uncomfortable for me. Foot well is fine. Gear shift is one area which I admit to have a rubbery and vague feel to it. This was very pronounced after I drove the i20. i20's gear shift is smooth. "makhan" smooth.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Absolutely, if you ask me. Especially at a sweet price point like 8 L on road. My Punto have never given me any headaches, zilch warranty claims, zilch issues.
Have a Jazz in the family, same story - Zilch headaches, Zilch issues.
Have no i20, but have a Santro in the family and coupld of close friends have santros, i10s and i20s - never heard any reliability issues.
So, I would rate all of them at same level.

Given that you do take care of your car well (timely services, checking the general health once in a while etc), I would say, the chances are nil.
On the other hand, chances of Fiat plastering a huge grin on your face during a long drive is more - be it on highways or mountains. Also, please note that Fiat comes with a proper full metal engine guard - for our pothole filled roads, this is a much required accessory.

Thanks, theexperthand, for sharing your experience! I fully agree that the car is charmer of kinds! Handles so well that I'm floored. One thing though- when I drove 75 HP there was pronounced lag under 1.8K RPM. There was one occasion where I had to shift down to 1st gear on an incline. Drive was nonetheless good. But, when I drove 90HP, it was like a huge change. There was eagerness. More responsive under low rpms than 75HP. Didn't need to shift down this time. I though 90 and 75 HP both behave the same under 2k RPM. But this was like a different car itself. Any thoughts on this?

Note: 75HP had run 10k, while the 90, 20k.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Sorry - no answer to this. Fiat have its own share of passionate lovers and haters and any post \ thread does become heavily emotion leaden. From my own 4+ year experience and my experience across multiple FIAT ASCs, i would say, I have never faced any issues and they have always been proactive for even the smallest of my doubts. So, I have no qualms in recommending Fiat.

I fully agree with this. That's I had to open a new thread to get it clarified.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

I hope I have answered your questions as objectively as possible. Now, it is over to you. Happy if I have been of any help.

Your valuable inputs have been of great help! Thank you!

Originally Posted by pdma

Hello Ryuu,

Iam been owning a Linea MJD from the last 6 months and there hasn't been any concerning issues so far . AV is definitely a better bet and let me know if you need any help in dealing with them. They are located on Minister Road Secundrabad. Also recently I know some one who picked an EVO 90 HP for 8.3 OTR without insurance cost included so you might want to recheck on the 8L OTR for 75 HP variant as I see there is still some margin for negotiation.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-1-3l-mjd.html

Cheers,
pdma.

Thanks much, pdma. I have been through your thread. Have you visited Butta for service or have you been sticking to AV? The guy who came brought the car for Test Drive was Kiran from AV. He was patient. And he explained all things well. I hope the mechanics are knowledgeable! There being only two FIAT ASCs it is absolutely required that at least one of them has competent mechanics. Do you think AV qualifies?

My dad started going through the sales figures of Punto. I knew he was in for a surprise. I don't know whether autoportal's data is accurate or not, but it says 300/month on average. He was aghast and started asking me "What if they close the shop in India?"

Valid question. I know Abarth, Jeep and Tjets are lined up, but still can't seem to shake that question off when thinking about long term. What if Punto becomes the next Palio when its replacement arrives! I hope it doesn't wind up that way!

All your inputs have been of great help. Thank you!

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

One thing though- when I drove 75 HP there was pronounced lag under 1.8K RPM. There was one occasion where I had to shift down to 1st gear on an incline. Drive was nonetheless good. But, when I drove 90HP, it was like a huge change. There was eagerness. More responsive under low rpms than 75HP. Didn't need to shift down this time. I though 90 and 75 HP both behave the same under 2k RPM. But this was like a different car itself. Any thoughts on this?

Note: 75HP had run 10k, while the 90, 20k.

Have not driven 90HP extensively, so cant really comment about how it feels in city traffic - but yes, I agree with your observation of lag. There is a lag under 1.8K RPM and it becomes evident if you try traffic light GPs or spirited city drives. But on the other hand, it is nothing drastic and you will get the hang of it within couple of days.

My dad started going through the sales figures of Punto. I knew he was in for a surprise. I don't know whether autoportal's data is accurate or not, but it says 300/month on average. He was aghast and started asking me "What if they close the shop in India?"

Valid question. I know Abarth, Jeep and Tjets are lined up, but still can't seem to shake that question off when thinking about long term. What if Punto becomes the next Palio when its replacement arrives! I hope it doesn't wind up that way!
as

Yes, the sales number is dismal but I dont think they will shut shop any time soon, especially since they are on the verge of launching Punto Abarth and Avventura TJet. Also, as you said, they have lot of long term plans. So, I will not worry about them shutting shop.

--Anoop

[neoonwheels]

Have had 2 major issues so for with my Punto 75HP Mar 2010 car. It has covered 56K KM and always serviced as per the schedule. Following are the issues that I have faced:

1. Car refused to start after running for 2.5 hrs and then had a stop for 15 mins for tea while returning from Mbai to Pune. Called up RSA and the help arrived in 40 mins. Jump started the car and went home. Next day the car started as usual, so visited the ASS and the service manager told me that starter motor has gone bad. Since the engine was hot it did not start. The motor is covered under extended warranty so I did not pay anything. Have not faced this issue in last 18K KM and 2 years now !!!!

2. The outer ball joint of the steering rack started making "kkkccchhhh" noise when going over pothole. Now since my car is 2010 made, it had RANE made rack and this item does not come with child items. FIAT has shifted to SONA make racks since some time now. Since RANE is no more rack supplier, ASS said they will have to change the whole rack which costs around 16K. By this time, my car was out of warranty and so mentally prepared for this big expenditure. Dropped a mail to FIAT through one of my friends and FIAT gave me a GOOD discount on the new rack. It was around 70% discount . This was commendable since its a wear and tear part and car was out of warranty with 54K on ODO.

Both the times, the parts were readily available and car was on road the very next day !!! I am a FIAT car owner since last 10 years now and never ever faced any parts issue. If your City has good FIAT ASS, go for it !!!

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by ameyawaghmare

If I am correct, Fiat Punto would need 3.5 liters of oil only?

The exact quantity from the original workshop manual (e-Learn) is 2.7Liters, while from the owners' manual it is 3.15 liters with the filter included. In my opinion, buy 3 liters, and the oil will be at most a notch below the max mark on the dipstick. The 1.2 does not consume oil in normal running, so you save quite a bit.

Little OT : I own a 1.2 too, and I will shift to Shell HELIX HX7 10W40 from next service. The viscosity at practical running temperatures for both 5W40 and 10W40 is similar. I mean for Delhi NCR temperatures spanning 0-45 degrees.

[GrayBerry]

Could not stop myself from my comments:

I have owned 4 cars till date:
1. Maruti Omni - Excellent with regards to space and city drives - loved the car.
2. Maruti Zen - well cannot complain as it was a 10 year old car
3. Honda Accord - Great car (was in the US though)
4. Punto - The best till date

I have had my Punto for about 2.5 years with 48K on the odometer - no issues till date. I have not changed a thing expect for oil, filters, front brake pads and one bulb with fuse. Awesome highway car and love the sturdy build. Somehow you get connected with the car like none other.

My suggestion - Go for it.

[ameyawaghmare]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

The exact quantity from the original workshop manual (e-Learn) is 2.7Liters, while from the owners' manual it is 3.15 liters with the filter included. In my opinion, buy 3 liters, and the oil will be at most a notch below the max mark on the dipstick. The 1.2 does not consume oil in normal running, so you save quite a bit.

Little OT : I own a 1.2 too, and I will shift to Shell HELIX HX7 10W40 from next service. The viscosity at practical running temperatures for both 5W40 and 10W40 is similar. I mean for Delhi NCR temperatures spanning 0-45 degrees.

Thanks for the details... I guess another 300 ml of oil would be required during change of oil filter so I wish to keep a buffer for the same and avoid any last minute problems.

I will check Fiat e-Learn to get more details on any issues and get better educated on our own car.

As an alternative to Shell, you might try Petronas. They own 2 range of products - Selenia (which is Fiat recommended) and Sentium. It is turning out surprisingly cheaper than others. (Sentium is available in online stores)

Co-incidentally, My Punto was purchased in Delhi/NCR and spent a considerable time there, but due to relocation it is now in Pune!