[kirans]

Thank you for your responses. I'm sorry for your loss during the floods. I hope you managed to get something from the insurance write off. It must be gut-wrenching to be in that situation. I hope you have fun with a new car soon!

Originally Posted by Aceman82

My decision has nothing to do with the car , it is as wonderful as it can come.

The dwindling sales of Fiat, expensive TJet spares, fuel economy in single digits in city conditions, massive opposition from family and finally service centers of Fiat closing down made me drop the Jet from my list.

Tamilnadu has good/excellent FASS in terms of Ramkey and Marvel but how long can they survive in this market with no new launches from Fiat is the question. A question for which I am not interested in finding the answer.

This is unfortunately the story with every FIAT. I have always owned a FIAT in the family with two Padminis in the 90s and then a Palio. The Palio only does out of town trips, and stays well protected in the garage otherwise. For city duty I have a trusted Alto which is able to go anywhere a two-wheeler does, and believe me its necessary in Bangalore.

I've been debating about giving away my Palio for a new T-Jet or continuing to maintain the Palio. I've had no issues with it ever, and its as reliable as it can get. However the T-Jet has been haunting me for over a year now, and somehow, I never get around to buying it.

I've never had a problem with spares for the FIATs, there is always 99rpm.com for the odd spare, and I manage to do a lot of small work myself at home. The main concern I have is that FIAT may suddenly decide to end-of-life a car, and the Linea T-Jet being around since 2012 may fall under the category. At this time i'm in a dilemma whether to wait and see if they release something new (perhaps the Tipo!!) or keep the Linea going longer. At an investment this high, I would wish to not get into spares/service trouble in the first 5 years itself, and FIAT has not proved itself well in this area, so I exactly understand the opposition from your folks.

I was given a 50k discount for being a current FIAT owner, but no others. Even with that, the emotion comes up to 11.5L on road, which is a massive amount of money for me. The Dynamic seems to be a good 70K lesser, but the 16" alloys are too tempting.

[Aceman82]

Originally Posted by kirans

Thank you for your responses. I'm sorry for your loss during the floods. I hope you managed to get something from the insurance write off. It must be gut-wrenching to be in that situation. I hope you have fun with a new car soon!

Thanks , I got a good deal in insurance with they paying the full IDV value of around 7.5L considering that I used it for 2.5 years @40K kms including a Leh drive.

I paid ~9.25 L when I bought the car, hence I did not lose much.

Originally Posted by kirans

I was given a 50k discount for being a current FIAT owner, but no others. Even with that, the emotion comes up to 11.5L on road, which is a massive amount of money for me. The Dynamic seems to be a good 70K lesser, but the 16" alloys are too tempting.

TJet is not worth buying at 11.5L, I would recommend the Vento TSI at those prices. The car has got a gem of a engine and an even better DSG gearbox. I had my doubts on automatics before driving the Vento but the DSG below my mind.

Note that TJet spares seems to be pretty expensive (compared to MJD) and Linea itself is pretty old. Plus the uncertain nature of Fiat with poor sales makes the TJet a huge gamble.

[kirans]

Originally Posted by Aceman82

Thanks , I got a good deal in insurance with they paying the full IDV value of around 7.5L considering that I used it for 2.5 years @40K kms including a Leh drive.

I paid ~9.25 L when I bought the car, hence I did not lose much.

Thats pretty neat. You got more than what you might have even if you sold the car I guess.

I'm thinking I'll wait for a price slash, if at all, or else continue with my trusted Palio. I paid 4.95L for my Palio back then and its been a great ROI with its reliability and ride. It still rides like a gem, and i'm at 40k kilometres and still on the original everything except tires. I'm pretty sure it still has a lot of life left in it with proper care and maintenance. I've heard Palios can go all the way to 1.5L km with good care.

I'm not too keen on the VW, my sister has a Vento, and didn't have a very good experience with the cost of spares and service - they seem to overcharge everything at VW.

Thanks for your inputs, really did help me.

[prokinetic]

Originally Posted by kirans

However the T-Jet has been haunting me for over a year now, and somehow, I never get around to buying it.

At this time i'm in a dilemma whether to wait and see if they release something new (perhaps the Tipo!!) or keep the Linea going longer. At an investment this high, I would wish to not get into spares/service trouble in the first 5 years itself, and FIAT has not proved itself well in this area, so I exactly understand the opposition from your folks.

If your heart is set on the Tjet then the correct time to buy one is this year itself. Even I was in the dilemma whether buy the Tjet or keep the Petra. Finally decided to buy the Tjet this year, just waiting for the 125S. No point in waiting till the next year as the chances are only old stock will be left by then. The grand siena is replacement model for linea which I may not consider after experiencing the good old siena aka petra for a decade.

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by kirans

Thats pretty neat. You got more than what you might have even if you sold the car I guess.

I'm thinking I'll wait for a price slash, if at all, or else continue with my trusted Palio. I paid 4.95L for my Palio back then and its been a great ROI with its reliability and ride. It still rides like a gem, and i'm at 40k kilometres and still on the original everything except tires. I'm pretty sure it still has a lot of life left in it with proper care and maintenance. I've heard Palios can go all the way to 1.5L km with good care.

I'm not too keen on the VW, my sister has a Vento, and didn't have a very good experience with the cost of spares and service - they seem to overcharge everything at VW.

Thanks for your inputs, really did help me.

Petrol fiats are mostly not troublesome. The only car ever in our household is our 2002 Fiat Palio. It has currently run 1.2L kms and all that has been changed is clutch plate, timing belt, shockers and brakes. The engine might need some work in the future as it is losing some steam compared to what it was like 5yrs ago.
My trusted Fiat trained mechanic and 99rpm is all I need these days. The same mechanic has told me to stay away from new Fiat products, because despite the fantastic build quality and engine, the cost cutting has resulted in the Linea having some niggles. He swears by the quality of parts used in Palio and was himself astonished to see how stuff like power windows had become substandard on Punto and Linea while the ones on Palio are still working flawlessly even after a decade.
Personally, even I have been bewitched by the Linea but I am gonna stick to using our Palio for now and switch to an SUV when needs and money permit.

[TheTeacher]

Guys, need some advice pronto here.

I'm leaving on a long trip (including ghats) Monday morning. My T-Jet never drinks oil, and I used to have a small can of Selenia in the trunk (loose-dispensed). Just checked now, oil level is at the 40-45% mark, no oil can in the trunk (must have been discarded at one of the previous services for being more than two years old). I should have checked earlier in the week - absolutely my fault.

Plan was to leave before 8 am; local FASS opens only at 9 am, and going by past experience (lethargic billing, etc.) I'll not be able to get away before 10. I have 4 options:

1. Leave as planned; after doing ~ 510 km (includes highways and Agumbe ghat, mostly going downhill), I can go to the FASS in Mangalore and get the oil topped up.

2. Top up with another brand - eg. Shell Ultra Helix. Shell station is 1 km from my home, on my way out of town. But don't know if it's prudent to mix-n-match. Car is due for service and oil change in June.

3. Go to Vecto Motors at 9am, get the oil topped up and then leave at 10. It'll muck up my plans big time.

4. Leave at 8 for Mysore, top up there at the Mysore FASS and go to Udupi via Madikeri, Sulia, Puttur, Mangalore.

Recommendations, please?

[biju1971]

You could go with Option 2, make sure the grade of oil is right. If the original grade was 20W50 stick to the same grade from Shell or Castrol. It would not harm your engine.

[TheTeacher]

Thanks biju1971. Whether I'll get the same grade is unknown. Further, not sure about different chemicals in different oils playing well together.

At this time, I'm almost resigned to option 3. Working on changing the schedule for all the other days.

[biju1971]

What i found is the grade for the T-Jet seems to be 5w40. Shell Helix of the same grade should work out. I have worked as a marine engineer and when there are crunch situations, one could do some substitution. If they are of different grades there could be some sludge formation and clogging of filters. In an emergency where you do not have 5w40, Castrol 20W50 should take you home. However one should change the oil at the earliest opportunity. If you can wait, option 3 is the best.

[ank.nsit]

Hey Guys,

I took a TD of Linea T-Jet about a week back. As soon as I cranked the engine, I felt as if I am sitting in a diesel car. I mean the engine was nowhere close to being silent as a petrol engine should be.

The car was just 3k KMs old.

So, I would like to ask fellow T-Jet owners, if the engine is a bit louder than the normal NA petrol engines (say that of a city iVtec)? Or it was due to turbo getting warmed up? Or was it just the issue with this specific car?

Thanks.

[ssateesh]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Hey Guys,

I took a TD of Linea T-Jet about a week back. As soon as I cranked the engine, I felt as if I am sitting in a diesel car. I mean the engine was nowhere close to being silent as a petrol engine should be.

The car was just 3k KMs old.

So, I would like to ask fellow T-Jet owners, if the engine is a bit louder than the normal NA petrol engines (say that of a city iVtec)? Or it was due to turbo getting warmed up? Or was it just the issue with this specific car?

Thanks.

From a cold start it sounds loud. After 1 km you will not feel the engine

[Ricci]

Has anyone faced a problem with the fuel lid not locking properly ? After refuelling recently, I found the lid would open if pulled by hand with just a little pressure. I tried pushing to lock and pull out again to try and see if it returns to normal, but no luck.

If I have to change the lock mechanism, any idea what it will cost ?

[carrerastrax]

Originally Posted by Ricci

Has anyone faced a problem with the fuel lid not locking properly ? After refuelling recently, I found the lid would open if pulled by hand with just a little pressure. I tried pushing to lock and pull out again to try and see if it returns to normal, but no luck.

If I have to change the lock mechanism, any idea what it will cost ?

I had this problem twice. Service center will ask you to replace the locking mechanism for about 800+ bucks or so. But it's unnecessary. The design of the fuel lid area is pretty poor as a lot of dust thrown by the wheel gets accumulated there. Ask the service center guys to pull out the lock. There's one screw at the start and then 2 Allen bolts inside, towards the left. You will be pulling out the entire rubber cover around the fuel lid and the drain pipe. Once you open it and get the lock out, tap it on the ground to free the dirt/stones and you should be good to go. 5-10 mins job. It's basically a spring and even a small stone stuck in between can prevent the functioning of the spring. But if the spring is bust (rust etc.), then you have to replace it. When putting it back, make sure that they clip the drain pipe back.

Also there's a possibility that the plastic end of the lock that locks itself into the lid can break. The plastic end is like a wedge at its end, similar to the household doors. When the lid is closed, the lid pushes this wedge to the left and locks itself. In this case as well, you have to replace it.

Hope it makes sense. Pics can help, if needed. Let me know.

[Speed Pujari]

Guys I need some expert info here. I replaced my clutch and gear assembly 2 weeks back at Vecto Motors. My car is 2010 T-Jet, 55k on odo.
The car was doing absolutely fine but today I felt a slight loss of power and knocking while negotiating a speed breaker at dead slow speed.
There were two heavy guys in the car and I normally negotiate a breaker in 1st gear. The car was giving two jerks at dead slow speeds before picking up. It felt as if the ignition would cutoff had I not given some surge with half clutch pressed. There was no judder though. The jerks were more prominent while negotiating in 2nd gear when I was driving alone.

I am taking the car to dealership tomorrow, but need an expert opinion before they do. Unfortunately the jerks are inconsistent so I am not sure if I will be able to reproduce it at dealership.
Can it be component other than clutch such as spark plug or fuel pump? I replaced the spark plugs at 45k kms IIRC.

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

Can it be component other than clutch such as spark plug or fuel pump? I replaced the spark plugs at 45k kms IIRC.

With spark plugs being changed at 45K, I don't think that will be the culprit. These are iridium plugs. It seems like something related to the clutch. The replacement parts can be of quite dubious quality. I faced the same issue with my Tjet. The clutch was replaced and it started grinding while exiting the service centre. They had to spend another day and change another set as the part was faulty.