Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review

ghodlur · 5th February 2016, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

Is it a good idea to get bumper through 99rpm.com, since they are selling Fiat OE bumper

Sure it would be cheaper but provided you know a good FNG who would fix it for you. AFAIK the bumper from 99 rpm also comes unpainted so any ways you will have to get it painted either from FASS or from outside. Add to that labour cost for installation.
Bumper= 2.5K max
Painting= 2.5k max
Labour=500 to 1K
Total 6K. You will save around 3K from FASS cost (8k + 1K labour).

If this suits you, you should go for it.

90Horses · 12th February 2016, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by 90Horses

Hey Guys,

I am facing "Steering Pull" issue on my Punto 90Hp from Day 1. It's behavior is like this, the Steering pulls itself to the right side, I have to keep my hand always on the steering to make sure it is straight. It is worse if the road is tilted towards the right side, like the tin factory to kr puram station road in Bangalore.

I tried alignment at showroom, then steering became weird, while breaking the steering would veer to right and had no life at all.

I recently did an alignment @ Madhu's Langford Rd. All parameters were Green, tyre rotation done, balancing done. After the alignment, it felt like car is set to factory settings & the steering veers itself towards the right.

My Observations (May be way wrong!):

I am a rightie, I hold my steering with my right hand (most of the times) & left hand is busy with gear (thanks to BLR traffic), my right hand will be busy to counter the steering's push towards the right.

If I drive with left hand, I see that the steering is always aligned and not putting any pressure on my left hand. What I mean is, by holding the steering with left hand countered steering's right pull! Can the alignment be done to comfort the driver of left hand driven cars (i.e. car is comfortable to drive with left hand but not right)? Were the alignment machines optimized for LHD cars? I see HUNTER equipment @ Madhu's had LHD settings to it.

Gurus please comment, all my tries to fix alignment have failed & I have learned to live with it.

God bless Tyre Empire HSR layout, especially Farooq. 2 out of 4 tyres were in bad condition, he swapped twice to get the best combination, so that the pull is ain't there. After his fix, car isn't pulling, I literally broke down to tears with happiness as I had drove with one side pulling for 10K kms & No one including Madhus could fix it. I have to change my tyres in few months as this is a temporary fix.

sgautam · 12th February 2016, 20:37

Hi, I am posting after a long gap, just wanted to share my 90HP's health. After serving us like a loyal and cheerful dog for 4.5 years it broke down for the first time today.

The water pump failed and had to be replaced costing me 6k incl labour and fluid replacement. After Turbo Fiat has put up shop in Vijayawada my life became quite easy and hassle free. Have to appreciate their standard of service and friendly advisors. I had stuck a good rapport with one SA Mr Ramakrishna and he is quite good at his job.

I had to report a few things for everyone's benefit. If the water is not circulating it may be a simple fix like changing the coolant tank cap. These caps may fail sometimes restricting buildup of pressure. More importantly I noticed that while testing the coolant system the mechanic very casually filled water from a nearby pump in a very dirty oil can and was surprised when I stopped him. He remarked that its only for testing and he will drain the water later. AFAIK fair sized sand can easily clog or damage the radiator. He only had to fill from the RO system nearby instead of resorting to the dirty water next to him. Such things indicate loose monitoring or training. I usually try to stay with the mechanic during unscheduled repair works to avoid such things.

Coming back to the car it had crossed 81k now and is ready for second time tyre replacement. The car has held up my rough driving quite well and kudos to the build quality. It has aged very gracefully and may be good for another 4/5 years. No discernable drop in pickup or mileage till date and after some time may go for a performance chip to increase the power. BTW I don't like Fiat ruining the classic front end looks with the new upgrades. The cars have lost the distinct styling I feel. Its a personal opinion, new owners pl pardon.

Keep up the good work guys, hope I will be more active in the forum henceforth. Cheers

sridharj · 22nd February 2016, 12:52

Hi,

I have a tough situation with my Punto 1.3 2012 model. In November 2015, I left my car in RDC Motors, Chennai for a general check up as I was taking the car for a long trip. I was informed that the oil cooler is not working and it needs to be changed. As I was in a hurry, I did not check for external warranty and proceeded with the change of oil cooler.

After a month I started to notice few drops of oil below the car after parking it overnight, I took the car back to RDC motors and I was informed that the problem is again with oil cooler and it was changed under warranty.

Even though the quantity in leakage of oil came down, I was still seeing few drops of oil in the floor after parking the car overnight. I again took the car back to RDC motors. Again after 2 to 3 visits it was found that it was leaking from the drain nut and it was fixed.

Meanwhile, I also asked them to complete the yearly service, this is my cars 4th year service. So, while leaving the car for service I only had the problem of leaking engine oil. But after getting the car delivered to home after service, the engine leak has stopped, but the engine was loud and I was getting a whistling noise from engine when I was accelerating.

I took the car back to RDC, when checked the service advisor said they did not fix the air filter properly and hence the noise. After fixing the air filter, even though the noise has gone down, there was still a mild whistling noise when accelerating, when I complained it to SA, he said it is normal and insisted to take the car back. There was also some rattling noise from dashboard. They also said that they have changed the extensioner belt and power steering belt.

Even after driving the car for a week, the whistling noise was still there. So, I made a complaint to RDC motors and they asked me to bring the car back. Meanwhile, got a call from Fiat enquiring about the service experience and I explained them everything, the customer care executive from Fiat said that they are opening a complaint and I will get a call back from complaints department within 24 hours. Its been more than 10 days and I’m yet to get a call from the Fiats complaint department.

I took the care back to RDC motors last Thursday, after checking the car for 3 days, now they say the problem is with Turbo. I’m not sure how a car with no issues before service have developed all the complications after service.

They said it will cost Rs 30,000 to change the turbo. As this time I had the extended warranty list with me, I said that turbo is covered under extended warranty and also asked them that I need a explanation on how this happened after service.

Finally they said they will send an email to Fiat attaching the service history of the car and get approval from Fiat to change the turbo under warranty. I’m really skeptical based on the recent experience with RDC that the RDC guys will make an honest effort on this.

I need advice from Fiat owners on how to deal with this situation. Should I wait for reply from RDC or should I send an email to Fiat? If so, to whom?

Here are the details about my car

Model – Fiat Punto 1.3 Dynamic
Year – 2012
KMs – 34600

In the last 3 months I have already spent around rs 9000 for oil cooler, rs 15000 on service and rs 4500 for power steering belt and Extensoner belt. I believe its high maintenance for a hatch and the frustration is none of them is solved even after spending so much.

I would highly appreciate your valuable advice.

Thanks,
Sridhar

sgautam · 23rd February 2016, 00:36

Hi, you can ask for the concerned Fiat service engineer's number and talk to him, they may not divulge the info but press for his no. Secondly you can talk to the dealer owner directly and explain what happened. But never forget to write a mail with the scans of bills to either fiat cc or to the engineer's mail id. Usually car dealers are wary of the company's cc guys.
Coming to the problem you can insist on the fiat trained engineer to check the instead of the regular mechanic. They should replace the turbo since they have screwed up the service. Its rare that oil leaks from the drain nut. They would have not tightened it properly (under or over tightening). Anyway pl write a mail with proofs in chrono order so that the decision maker has a clear understanding of the situation. Hope it helps, other friend may pl chip in with your advise.

sabby · 29th February 2016, 11:02

Hi Guys,

Need an advise please. The left front passenger side power window has developed an issue; the window rolls-down, however it doesn't roll-up.

I have got this checked with the FASS and they have identified the issue with the power-window controller unit located near the glove box. As a temporary fix, the controller from another car was used to roll-up the window and disconnected the power window switch on the passenger door.

The power window controller unit is a single unit controlling all 4 windows and hence the whole unit needs to be replaced. The replacement unit costs approx 9400 INR excluding labour charges. FASS mentioned they cannot repair the unit.

Is there any trusted FNG who can have a look and try repairing the controller unit in Mumbai?

tud · 7th March 2016, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabby

Hi Guys,

The left front passenger side power window has developed an issue; the window rolls-down, however it doesn't roll-up.

I have the same issue on my 2011 Punto, back left window rolled down with a noise and refused to roll up. Had to use some force to pull it up.
I'm thinking it is due to some water seepage during the high pressure water wash I got done after the Chennai floods. I'm yet to show it to FASS. I didn't have this issue before.

sabby · 9th March 2016, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by tud

I have the same issue on my 2011 Punto, back left window rolled down with a noise and refused to roll up. Had to use some force to pull it up.
I'm thinking it is due to some water seepage during the high pressure water wash I got done after the Chennai floods. I'm yet to show it to FASS. I didn't have this issue before.

Thanks Tud, it seems in your case the issue is most probably with the winder motor.

After multiple failed attempts trying to using an electrical contact cleaner, visits to nearby FNGs in my area and searching kurla market for an used module, I gave up and got the module replaced from the FASS.

On the bright side, I can now operate the power windows for a minute or so even after switching off the car, quite handy in case you forget to roll-up the windows after you have parked the car. This feature wasn't available in the 2009 version punto

samsan02 · 9th March 2016, 23:16

Hi All,
I recently had the blue & me unit not responding. I had gone for service to Vecto Motors last week. Mine is a 1.4 Emotion Pk 2009 model. Morning I left the vehicle for service at 10 a.m and later 3 p.m the service guy calls up and says that the ODO is flashing and Blue & Me is not working. I go back assuming that its some niggle, usually we have the NO MEDIA found issue often. Now when I checked at the service center they say they didn't do anything it is all dead now. I am not entirely convinced thou, it worked nicely for last 6.3 years and now today how can it suddenly stop working. The service was done. And they told me the same story that only option is replacement and they don't have that part. And it would cost 13k or so. Since I need the vehicle urgently, I had to leave it like that.

Now I have tried resetting it with disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes. It didn't respond. I am planning to get it removed and reinstalled, I tried it to unscrew the unit but the flower head screws are not easy to unscrew. Has anyone removed the unit , knows how to do it please share.The ODO is continously flashing, will removing the B&M unit and disconnecting it stop it from flashing.

Any other advice on this please? its definitely out of warranty as it has been 6.3 years. Got used to it so much hands free calls, and music that, now feeling the inconvenience.

I want to exhaust all options before I think of replacing one. Any pointers please let me know.
Thanks

sabby · 9th March 2016, 23:30

Samsan02, are you still able to browse the blue and me options? For example are you still able to pair your phone via Bluetooth?

Arjun Reddy · 10th March 2016, 08:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsan02

Hi All,
I recently had the blue & me unit not responding. I had gone for service to Vecto Motors last week. Mine is a 1.4 Emotion Pk 2009 model. Morning I left the vehicle for service at 10 a.m and later 3 p.m the service guy calls up and says that the ODO is flashing and Blue & Me is not working. I go back assuming that its some niggle, usually we have the NO MEDIA found issue often. Now when I checked at the service center they say they didn't do anything it is all dead now. I am not entirely convinced thou, it worked nicely for last 6.3 years and now today how can it suddenly stop working. The service was done. And they told me the same story that only option is replacement and they don't have that part. And it would cost 13k or so. Since I need the vehicle urgently, I had to leave it like that.

Now I have tried resetting it with disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes. It didn't respond. I am planning to get it removed and reinstalled, I tried it to unscrew the unit but the flower head screws are not easy to unscrew. Has anyone removed the unit , knows how to do it please share.The ODO is continously flashing, will removing the B&M unit and disconnecting it stop it from flashing.

Any other advice on this please? its definitely out of warranty as it has been 6.3 years. Got used to it so much hands free calls, and music that, now feeling the inconvenience.

I want to exhaust all options before I think of replacing one. Any pointers please let me know.
Thanks

My Punto MJD Blue & Me is also not working. It's the same odo flashing symptom. You cannot reset it by disconnecting the battery. It has to be replaced and it does cost somewhere between 12-13k. I was told that it is not covered by warranty or even the extended warranty. My car is just under 4 years.

samsan02 · 10th March 2016, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabby

Samsan02, are you still able to browse the blue and me options? For example are you still able to pair your phone via Bluetooth?

No the keys on the steering dont work either, only volume keys work and mute works for the radio. But you cannot access B&ME menu or something.

sabby · 10th March 2016, 13:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsan02

No the keys on the steering dont work either, only volume keys work and mute works for the radio. But you cannot access B&ME menu or something.

Trying re plugging the cable connectors behind the head unit and also check for the fuse number (F51) in the fuse box near the steering wheel. Try replacing the fuse if it has gone bad.

samsan02 · 21st March 2016, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabby

Trying re plugging the cable connectors behind the head unit and also check for the fuse number (F51) in the fuse box near the steering wheel. Try replacing the fuse if it has gone bad.

Thanks @sabby
Today, I took it again to service center, removed the unit and connected another B&M unit they had, it seemed to work fine but the ODO was still flashing thou. But the technician tried pairing a phone and it worked.
The part is not readily available and it costs 13.5k and has to be booked by paying some advance.

They tried giving the old one air blow clean hoping it may work, but it didn't. They re plugged it back and it is still the same with the ODO flashing.
They were not too keen to open the entire unit. They said only they can replace the part.

I Haven't decided what to do, will take some more time to decide I guess.

sriramr9 · 11th April 2016, 20:43

I am facing issue in my 2012 Jan MJD Punto 75HP which has run 36000km. Car takes longer time than usual to pick up speed. But i am able touch 100kph in 2500RPM (turbo zone).

My mechanic suspects it could be weak clutch and needs full replacement and since he is non FASS he says he will source part form outside and charge can come upto 8k.

What i am experiencing is either due to bad diesel or weak clutch, but during our test drives there was no shudder or no slip, the revv was smooth, there is no leak in any hoses as well, inter cooler, turbo plumbing were tight no air leaks.

What could be the reason ?

12th February 2016, 20:37	#6678
sgautam Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Nellore Posts: 20 Thanked: 94 Times	Hi, I am posting after a long gap, just wanted to share my 90HP's health. After serving us like a loyal and cheerful dog for 4.5 years it broke down for the first time today. The water pump failed and had to be replaced costing me 6k incl labour and fluid replacement. After Turbo Fiat has put up shop in Vijayawada my life became quite easy and hassle free. Have to appreciate their standard of service and friendly advisors. I had stuck a good rapport with one SA Mr Ramakrishna and he is quite good at his job. I had to report a few things for everyone's benefit. If the water is not circulating it may be a simple fix like changing the coolant tank cap. These caps may fail sometimes restricting buildup of pressure. More importantly I noticed that while testing the coolant system the mechanic very casually filled water from a nearby pump in a very dirty oil can and was surprised when I stopped him. He remarked that its only for testing and he will drain the water later. AFAIK fair sized sand can easily clog or damage the radiator. He only had to fill from the RO system nearby instead of resorting to the dirty water next to him. Such things indicate loose monitoring or training. I usually try to stay with the mechanic during unscheduled repair works to avoid such things. Coming back to the car it had crossed 81k now and is ready for second time tyre replacement. The car has held up my rough driving quite well and kudos to the build quality. It has aged very gracefully and may be good for another 4/5 years. No discernable drop in pickup or mileage till date and after some time may go for a performance chip to increase the power. BTW I don't like Fiat ruining the classic front end looks with the new upgrades. The cars have lost the distinct styling I feel. Its a personal opinion, new owners pl pardon. Keep up the good work guys, hope I will be more active in the forum henceforth. Cheers
	(5) Thanks

22nd February 2016, 12:52	#6679
sridharj BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 78 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review Hi, I have a tough situation with my Punto 1.3 2012 model. In November 2015, I left my car in RDC Motors, Chennai for a general check up as I was taking the car for a long trip. I was informed that the oil cooler is not working and it needs to be changed. As I was in a hurry, I did not check for external warranty and proceeded with the change of oil cooler. After a month I started to notice few drops of oil below the car after parking it overnight, I took the car back to RDC motors and I was informed that the problem is again with oil cooler and it was changed under warranty. Even though the quantity in leakage of oil came down, I was still seeing few drops of oil in the floor after parking the car overnight. I again took the car back to RDC motors. Again after 2 to 3 visits it was found that it was leaking from the drain nut and it was fixed. Meanwhile, I also asked them to complete the yearly service, this is my cars 4th year service. So, while leaving the car for service I only had the problem of leaking engine oil. But after getting the car delivered to home after service, the engine leak has stopped, but the engine was loud and I was getting a whistling noise from engine when I was accelerating. I took the car back to RDC, when checked the service advisor said they did not fix the air filter properly and hence the noise. After fixing the air filter, even though the noise has gone down, there was still a mild whistling noise when accelerating, when I complained it to SA, he said it is normal and insisted to take the car back. There was also some rattling noise from dashboard. They also said that they have changed the extensioner belt and power steering belt. Even after driving the car for a week, the whistling noise was still there. So, I made a complaint to RDC motors and they asked me to bring the car back. Meanwhile, got a call from Fiat enquiring about the service experience and I explained them everything, the customer care executive from Fiat said that they are opening a complaint and I will get a call back from complaints department within 24 hours. Its been more than 10 days and I’m yet to get a call from the Fiats complaint department. I took the care back to RDC motors last Thursday, after checking the car for 3 days, now they say the problem is with Turbo. I’m not sure how a car with no issues before service have developed all the complications after service. They said it will cost Rs 30,000 to change the turbo. As this time I had the extended warranty list with me, I said that turbo is covered under extended warranty and also asked them that I need a explanation on how this happened after service. Finally they said they will send an email to Fiat attaching the service history of the car and get approval from Fiat to change the turbo under warranty. I’m really skeptical based on the recent experience with RDC that the RDC guys will make an honest effort on this. I need advice from Fiat owners on how to deal with this situation. Should I wait for reply from RDC or should I send an email to Fiat? If so, to whom? Here are the details about my car Model – Fiat Punto 1.3 Dynamic Year – 2012 KMs – 34600 In the last 3 months I have already spent around rs 9000 for oil cooler, rs 15000 on service and rs 4500 for power steering belt and Extensoner belt. I believe its high maintenance for a hatch and the frustration is none of them is solved even after spending so much. I would highly appreciate your valuable advice. Thanks, Sridhar
	() Thanks

23rd February 2016, 00:36	#6680
sgautam Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Nellore Posts: 20 Thanked: 94 Times	Hi, you can ask for the concerned Fiat service engineer's number and talk to him, they may not divulge the info but press for his no. Secondly you can talk to the dealer owner directly and explain what happened. But never forget to write a mail with the scans of bills to either fiat cc or to the engineer's mail id. Usually car dealers are wary of the company's cc guys. Coming to the problem you can insist on the fiat trained engineer to check the instead of the regular mechanic. They should replace the turbo since they have screwed up the service. Its rare that oil leaks from the drain nut. They would have not tightened it properly (under or over tightening). Anyway pl write a mail with proofs in chrono order so that the decision maker has a clear understanding of the situation. Hope it helps, other friend may pl chip in with your advise.
	() Thanks

29th February 2016, 11:02	#6681
sabby Newbie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 17 Thanked: 16 Times	Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review Hi Guys, Need an advise please. The left front passenger side power window has developed an issue; the window rolls-down, however it doesn't roll-up. I have got this checked with the FASS and they have identified the issue with the power-window controller unit located near the glove box. As a temporary fix, the controller from another car was used to roll-up the window and disconnected the power window switch on the passenger door. The power window controller unit is a single unit controlling all 4 windows and hence the whole unit needs to be replaced. The replacement unit costs approx 9400 INR excluding labour charges. FASS mentioned they cannot repair the unit. Is there any trusted FNG who can have a look and try repairing the controller unit in Mumbai?
	() Thanks

9th March 2016, 23:16	#6684
samsan02 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 410 Thanked: 21 Times	Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review Hi All, I recently had the blue & me unit not responding. I had gone for service to Vecto Motors last week. Mine is a 1.4 Emotion Pk 2009 model. Morning I left the vehicle for service at 10 a.m and later 3 p.m the service guy calls up and says that the ODO is flashing and Blue & Me is not working. I go back assuming that its some niggle, usually we have the NO MEDIA found issue often. Now when I checked at the service center they say they didn't do anything it is all dead now. I am not entirely convinced thou, it worked nicely for last 6.3 years and now today how can it suddenly stop working. The service was done. And they told me the same story that only option is replacement and they don't have that part. And it would cost 13k or so. Since I need the vehicle urgently, I had to leave it like that. Now I have tried resetting it with disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes. It didn't respond. I am planning to get it removed and reinstalled, I tried it to unscrew the unit but the flower head screws are not easy to unscrew. Has anyone removed the unit , knows how to do it please share.The ODO is continously flashing, will removing the B&M unit and disconnecting it stop it from flashing. Any other advice on this please? its definitely out of warranty as it has been 6.3 years. Got used to it so much hands free calls, and music that, now feeling the inconvenience. I want to exhaust all options before I think of replacing one. Any pointers please let me know. Thanks Last edited by samsan02 : 9th March 2016 at 23:28.
	() Thanks

9th March 2016, 23:30	#6685
sabby Newbie Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 17 Thanked: 16 Times	Samsan02, are you still able to browse the blue and me options? For example are you still able to pair your phone via Bluetooth?
	() Thanks

11th April 2016, 20:43	#6690
sriramr9 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Chennai, Canada Posts: 216 Thanked: 46 Times	Re: Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review I am facing issue in my 2012 Jan MJD Punto 75HP which has run 36000km. Car takes longer time than usual to pick up speed. But i am able touch 100kph in 2500RPM (turbo zone). My mechanic suspects it could be weak clutch and needs full replacement and since he is non FASS he says he will source part form outside and charge can come upto 8k. What i am experiencing is either due to bad diesel or weak clutch, but during our test drives there was no shudder or no slip, the revv was smooth, there is no leak in any hoses as well, inter cooler, turbo plumbing were tight no air leaks. What could be the reason ?
	() Thanks