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-   -   Fiat Grande Punto : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/60626-fiat-grande-punto-test-drive-review-461.html)

Hi, Linea's fogs use H1 right? Is it fine to use H11 in them?

The Sinolyn projectors use H11 bulbs. I'm told Stock prefacelift is H1, but changed to H11 on the facelifted version.

Reinhard, since you've used both Osram and CrystalEye kits, which ones would you recommend?

Is the CrystalEye excessively bright being 55W? I'm planning to use the CrystalEye ones for my Linea's fogs as the cost is lesser. Also, since the low beams are quite useless, the 55W output may not be an overkill I think.

BTW, are the projectors you used for the Punto 3 inchers?

55W HID any day (night). Any brand you get is fine, its alp Chinese. Its way better than Osram 35W. And absolutely not excessively bright. They are exactly what is needed. And the projector cutoffs are so good, oncoming traffic will thank you.

Yep, used the standard 3inch units in Punto :).

I too own a decade old Fiat Linea 1.3 MJD. Wolfed, 1.5l clocked on ODO and going strong. Replaced all suspensions recently. HID projector fogs installed, H1/H7 LEDs for headlights, Fox Trot Azure floor lighting matching the car color, 3-Way front stage active setup. Not planning to sell her as she is really close to my and family's heart even if FC renewal is not provided.

What a great car it was. The first gen Punto is the most beautiful hatchback to have graced our Indian roads. It also had a superlative ride and handling balance with a delightful steering.

What is the engine oil (brand and grade) that Fiat service centre uses in Punto MJD 75 hp? It used to be Petronas 4-5 years back (last time I checked). Has it changed or are they still sticking with the same brand?

I am planning to give the car to a neighbourhood garage for the next service. But I want to stick to the same engine oil since the car was serviced by Fiat service centre throughout its life. Can we procure this oil easily (from any online or offline store)?

Selenia 5W-40 engine oil is the one FIAT uses since 2009 for Punto.

https://www.99rpm.com/fiat/selenia-wr-5w-40-1l.html

If going for aftermarket engine oil, I only know of Mobil Delvac1 fully synthetic as I used it in my punto in 2013 and it met the specifications of engine oil used in MJD engines.

Is it possible to get the petronas selenia off the counter from FASS?
The delivery charge is a bit too steep in 99RPM.

You can try your luck at the nearest FASS. Maybe dealer level policy could be to not refuse over the counter spares for simpler things such as engine oil and coolant etc.

FASS generally do not give over the counter spares. They get very few cars as such so giving OTC spares will put them out of business.

Even in 2017-2018 (when they were still selling cars in the market), they refused to give 1 liter coolant bottle for top up and asked me to bring the car and get a job card opened for a trivial thing such as a coolant top up.

This monsoon has been brutal to my 2009 Grande Punto. Found a leak happening through the tail light with water collecting in the spare tyre well.
This past week has thrown up the following issues
1. Central locking decides to stop working. The minute I lick it it automatically unlocks. The passenger and rear left passenger doors also don't seem to be opening from the outside.
2. Then the tail gate struts decide it's time to die.
3. Today the left rear passenger window decided to stop working.
The car is spending it's first Monsoon in Bombay and parked without cover. Suffice to say it's been brutal. Looking forward to some sunshine and DIY work.

Any suggestions for good local FNG's are welcome. Based in Dadar E for reference.

A picture of the trouble makers.

Exactly the same issues I had with my Palio about a decade ago! (I was in Chembur, BTW)

Issues & fixes -

1. Leakage of rain water will be due to worn out rubber beading / gasket on the back of the tail lamp assembly. Luckily, I had a spare (replaced the tail light earlier due to damage and had retained the gasket). Simple DIY to unscrew the tail lamp unit and replace the worn gasket. Trick is to find out which one is leaking - left or right or both.

2. Defective central locking could be due to faulty actuator. The first time it got fixed on its own when I disconnected the battery (the locking system stays active even after the door is locked) and cutting the power supply must have resulted it reverting to default state. Subsequently (after a year or so) the problem recurred - had to open the right side door to find that the actuator power cable was not seated correctly. Refitted it and no more problems.

3. My tail gate struts are 1/4th dead (holds position after rising 3/4th and doesn't drop down). Followed the 'don't fix what ain't broken rule' and left it as it is - make sure to raise it open fully by hand after that.

4. My left rear window winds down only half the way, after which it becomes extremely slow in going down. Lack of usage, I guess. The first time, used WD40 spray to get it going - but didn't work out. Had to remove the door panel, clean the assembly and grease the wires / guides. Guess these window winders have to be used regularly so as to keep them functioning normally.

Two FNGs are listed in directory - Select Auto (Mr. Sunil Shanbag) at Dadar and Devabhai at Chembur. Had given my car to both and was satisfied with their work. Would recommend the latter - can sit with him and get the work done, if you talk to him in advance.

I would think this is some stuck door lock actuator. Have you tried this?

1) Open all doors including tail gate, shut close firm one by one, and then try remote locking.
2) If above doesn't work, unlock the car, from driver's seat manually lock all doors yourself by pushing the lever inwards. Finally try getting out and locking the driver's door.
3) If both above don't work try disconnecting the battery negative for 15 mins and then lock manually all doors, before reconnecting the battery and see if this reappears.

Please order Motherson replacement struts from Boodmo. Fraction of OEM cost and essentially same brand as OEM.

This might just be a stuck relay, there is a DIY fix for this which I did successfully for my car and couple of my friends also tasted success when they tried. Please tell if there is click noise you hear while u depress/lift the power window switch. If yes, its a stuck relay.


These are typical European car quirks, and they don't like to sit idle. They are at their best when used daily. Lockdown and WFH not withstanding. :coldsweat

Ya I managed to solve this about a week ago. Took me a while coz of the weather. It was coming through from a hex bolt holding together the plastic cladding that houses the boot light and helps hold the boot tray. Used Anabond around the rubber beading to make a gasket. Checked it yesterday and it has held up so far.

I tried disconnecting the battery as soon as it happened. Didn't fix the problem. Will check about the actuator.

The tail struts are my lowest concern and it's an easy fix. Figure I ll sort out the window when I take apart the doors for the central locking.

Will check out Devanhai's workshop in Chembur. Appreciate the heads up.

Haven't done this in this order. Worth a shot.

Yes there is a click sound when I press up or down. Hopefully your DIY fix works. Looking forward to trying it out.

Daily running does wonders to the car. Looking forward to some sun and some very long drives.

Sure. Here goes. This applies to any Punto/Linea from 2009-2014 atleast. Few facelift models post that time period have a slightly modified power window ECM.

I was able to try this out thanks to inputs from couple of MFW.com group members, you know who you are.

1) Remove the glovebox, you need to loosen the plastic screw that holds the tray in place and then remove the glovebox tray. This would give us better access.
2) You would be able to see the power window ECM bolted on to the left front firewall. It is held by just one nut, which once loosened will drop the ECM hanging. There would be two connectors running into this ECM, they are one each for front and rear windows. Undo the connectors and get the box indoors. (Picture below)
3) Undo the two pieces of plastic holding the module together to expose the board and other components. You should see 8 black boxes which are the relays for 4 windows, one each for up/down function.
4) Gently pry open the relay cap made up of black plastic, it will expose the pure copper relays underneath.
5) Firstly clean any superficial dust on the board and relays, then use a liberal dose of IPA to clean the board and the relay. Follow up with one more round of cleaning for the relay, and gently blow dry or air dry for 15 minutes. Make sure to cover all sides of the relay, especially the contact points while doing the IPA cleaning.
6) Once dried, you may carry the board as is to the car and just connect the connectors directly and check if it works. If yes, pat yourself on your back and bring back the board for reassembly.

If no, it might mean a problem with the relay or the board itself, which might not be your case since you clearly hear the click noise.

This is a very common problem especially due to lockdown and non usage of cars. Requires a very simple fix, the power window ECM costs 10k odd INR last I checked.

One of the pics would show the final outcome after cleaning and a coating of conforming spray to keep the moisture out.

Also, would suggest use of moisture absorbing material like CZ-it from Amazon atleast during monsoon in parked cars.