Originally Posted by raj_5004

Would they need to import wheel bearings? The cars are made in India right?

My Linea's screw-jack was made in Brazil, which went kaput after single use in December 2010 at Jodhpur. I think, for FIAT India, importing the spares works out to be a better option compared to sourcing from indigenous vendors because of very low sales volumes.

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

My Linea's screw-jack was made in Brazil, which went kaput after single use in December 2010 at Jodhpur.

Having worked in a manufacturing industry, I think I understand the problem. They might be importing 'kits' from Brazil. In order to cater to spares market they might have to 'break' a kit, which means they will produce one less car, and end up holding in inventory, loose items from that kit. Selling a car is more important than selling a jack, from company's perspective.

This might be the case for items like jack, jack rod etc., which are not usual wear and tear items.

[harryms]

Ha this is the second time i am hearing about the Jack failure in Linea. My friends linea's jack failed in first use. He was trying to change the punctured wheel. all ofa sudden the jack failed and the issue was the jack's thread rod slipped. So after hearing this i tried my jack also but mine was fine. thank god i was lucky. So now my concern why the jack failed? even though it was brand new. is this a poor quality issue?

So the second thing is the availability of the spare parts. This is 100% the issue of the TASS. i also had a bad experience from Kulathungal motors in trivandrum. My media player was restarting constantly and the service advisor told me that the spare is not available readily and he will order that and it will take 7 days. i thought the service advisor will place the order but that person never placed the ordered. how i came to know about this is after i received the feed back call from kulathungal. i asked the customer support person did the order is place. to my shock they had any idea and it was never mentioned in my job card regarding the replacement. i was really shocked to hear this. then i told the CS executive that i am not going to give you any good points for the service. then she begged for giving good points. i just simply said "what you do is what you get". But the media player was ordered in the next day and i was informed. The part arrived after 5 days. now from my experience i can only say that TASS is considering FIAT as a 3rd child only.
IF FIAT want to have good sales and good customer relation they have to be independent in the market like other brands. if they are not doing it fast i am confident that they will be out of the market within an year.
so FIAT save your *** before it get burned out completely.

[raj_5004]

UPDATE -

REALLY REALLY REALLY impressed with FIAT's customer service.

All it needed was a mail to the higher ups to get this matter solved in a jiffy. Since my mail, Mr. Mangesh has called me & mailed me thrice, giving me regular updates about the parts... first being being couriered, then about when it is expected to reach the A.S.S. & finally today when it reached the A.S.S.

Got a call from him a while back that the parts have reached the A.S.S. & I can expect a call from them. Then got a call from the SA that the parts have arrived & he is trying to accommodate my for tomorrow itself. And finally got a call from the workshop manager that the parts have arrived... all within minutes. and he even went to the extent of accommodating my car in the workshop tomorrow morning without prior appointment...

Mr. Mangesh is a great chap & indeed a blessing for FIAT. Have never seen such a customer centric person like him before. His attention to each case & follow ups is commendable.

Now waiting for tomorrow morning to deliver my car to the A.S.S.

Yes, it would have been very nice if customers like me never needed to bother people like Mr. Mangesh, but alls well that ends well. If my car is hale & hearty tomorrow, I will remain a satisfied & happy FIAT customer.

[lejhoom]

Good that you got your issues resolved (?). Crying babies do get milk! Tell me frankly, does this prove any real improvement in the customer care of Fiat company? Suppose this great chap is poached by some other rival company, what will be fate of the customers of Fiat?

There are issues which are deeper, for sure. Either Fiat is not able to address these issues or they simply do not want to. In any case, the company is shown in poor light.

Glimpses of just a handful of satisfied customers occasionally extolling the company's virtue may not assuage the other disgruntled customers. To achieve a consensus among the customers Fiat need to work really hard.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by lejhoom

Good that you got your issues resolved (?). Crying babies do get milk! Tell me frankly, does this prove any real improvement in the customer care of Fiat company? Suppose this great chap is poached by some other rival company, what will be fate of the customers of Fiat?

There are issues which are deeper, for sure. Either Fiat is not able to address these issues or they simply do not want to. In any case, the company is shown in poor light.

Glimpses of just a handful of satisfied customers occasionally extolling the company's virtue may not assuage the other disgruntled customers. To achieve a consensus among the customers Fiat need to work really hard.

+10.

Absolutely agree with you. That is the precise reason I have mentioned this-

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Yes, it would have been very nice if customers like me never needed to bother people like Mr. Mangesh, but alls well that ends well.

It would have been really nice if the ground level people were as co-operative & helpful as Mr. Mangesh, that would do wonders for FIAT.

There are many customers out there who would not go through the ordeal of mailing the higher ups, so their parts would get even more delayed.

At the same time, I later read that waiting for parts (the ones which are not in stock) for 3 weeks is common even with Maruti & Hyundai. So this issue is nothing specific with TATA/FIAT.

Atleast with FIAT, I got a good response from the higher ups who ensured that the parts are delivered ASAP & also did regular follow ups. I have not seen many manufacturers whose higher ups are so approachable.

Yes, but all in all, I would definitely say that there is scope for improvement. But I would dismiss the hearsay that FIAT has poor customer service. I would say TATA has poor customer service, FIAT tries to make up for it. If FIAT breaks it's bonds with TATA, then it would do wonders for itself.

Anyways, have given my car to the A.S.S., lets see what's in store.

[raj_5004]

Also, I got a call from the SA that there is a rear axle upgrade for my Punto which will be done free of cost in my car.

Again, brownie points to FIAT for this.

[raj_5004]

Update:

Problem solved!

FIAT not only replaced the rear wheel bearing but also did two upgrades on my car free of cost.

Everything in detail is mentioned over here.

[nixie89]

My nine months old Punto 90 hp has been a war lord so far, already done 18,000 kmtrs including a 5000 kmtrs round trip between Chennai and jharkhand. Very much satisfied by the performance do far unless one fine day the engine refused to wake. I was in tirupati on a day trip and had no idea what has gone wrong. I came out to the parking slot and tried to start the car...it simply refused without a cry. With little help from other drivers around me,I gave it a push, started the car and drove it back to chennai

Day 1- I called up Fiat Road side Assistance and within he's they sent a flat bad towing truck. By evening I called up the service centre guys to ask what has go e wrong and what actions have been taken forward. I was told by the service engineer that starter motor is stuck and they need to replace it. A purchase order will be placed as the dealer had no stick of the spare part

Day 2 - no update from TASS...I was expecting them to confirm if purchase order has been placed or not

Day 3 - no update from Tass ...all my calls to the service advisor remained unanswered.

Day 4 - furious and irritated,I made a visit to the service centre and asked for an update. Service advisor handed over the purchase order ref number and a job card number.i was told Fiat will take another 4-5 days to confirm the dispatch details , another 2-3 days for the spare parts to arrive and then Ina day or two they will fix it. I simply couldn't accept this and wait for another 7-8 days. I registered an official complain with the customer relationship manager and surprisingly things turned totally
Within an hour the CRM called me back and confirmed that requested parts have been dispatched by fiat upon his escalation

Day 5 - to my surprise, I was told the car is ready for delivery and they were willing to have it delivered at my home as well

Moral of the story - Fiat and Tass are changing, they are getting more sensitive towards customer needs. This incident certainly shows their commitment to deliver but given their past record, they need to take along way
Having read all the horrible stories around TASS, availability of spare parts and step motherly traeatment of Fiat customers , this story will sure bring relief to quite a few Fiat owners

[greatmana2000]

For the past 1 week I have been trying to get a clutch slave cylinder kit for my palio 1.3 mjd .

I tried VST motors for getting the vehicle serviced , but it seems that they stopped servicing palio .
second , I tried TAFE and they categorically told me FIAT spares are not to be sold across counters .
Third , I tried Concorde and they also said they do not stock FIAT parts . On top of that I felt weird when they asked me for the VIN number to order parts . I remembered that the VISTA also uses the same engine and gear box , so thought that I could buy the slave cylinder meant for the vista. they also said they have a mail from TATA motors instructing them not to sell "fast moving " items like clutch , clutch cylinders . Actually I wanted to leave my car for service , but the SA parroted that the job would take atleast 1-2 weeks as they do not have stock . Did not want to leave my car because I felt they might rip apart some other part from my car . They inturn asked me to check with VST as they are the official distributors for TATA parts in Tamil Nadu .

Called VST for the FIAT part and they also said they do not stock FIAT parts . Then asked him for the VISTA part and he said that it was avaliable . But , the biggest problem is that the hose nozzle is a different one and I asked him if I could get the hose as well . He wanted a "Sample " .

Finally , people who are expecting that once FIAT has their own dealers things would improve .. I am sorry to let you all know that TATA will be managing the dealerships . So do not expect any change in the attitude or the way in which the service dealerships will function .

Now , I am off to make my own modifications to the clutch slave cylinder .

NOTE : People who have been experiencing hard clutch , Difficulty in changing gears ..

Even if the ASC changes the clutch slave cylinder the probability of the clutch working properly is not guranteed . The HOSE also has to be changed .
For any info on clutch problems pm .. I might be able to help .. Kind of researched quite a bit on the clutch . Actually there is a better cast iron slave cylinder .. where the air can be bled on pressure ..dunno why FIAT insists on using "USE and THROW " parts . For reference I have give the metal part as well as the plastic part link

Slave Cylinder, clutch Fiat Linea (323) 1.3 D Multijet from TRW - PJF174

Fiat

46541667
60801973
55196189
The part no. in the bold is what is fitted and is not servicable . the pjf174 is the metal one which can be serviced .


P.S - Mods delete or move it to the appropriate section if found inappropriate here ..

[vijaycool]

It looks like palio clutch. The only difference is, palio has diagonal mounting holes and this has inline mount holes

[hummer]

If the concern is availability of spares, then irrespective of car brand/company, the problem remains same for all cars which are low on sales.
Kizashi, Sonata, Aria, Optra Mangum, New Fiesta, Linea, Rio, Force1 etc - all would be facing spares availability issue due to lower volume of sales, isn’t it?

I guess these car owners also would be waiting for weeks/months for major spares. Why in that case only FIAT cars are made to look like spares keeps owners waiting longer?

Let me know if I am missing something here.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

UPDATE -

REALLY REALLY REALLY impressed with FIAT's customer service.

All it needed was a mail to the higher ups to get this matter solved in a jiffy. Since my mail, Mr. Mangesh has called me & mailed me thrice, giving me regular updates about the parts... first being being couriered, then about when it is expected to reach the A.S.S. & finally today when it reached the A.S.S.

Got a call from him a while back that the parts have reached the A.S.S. & I can expect a call from them. Then got a call from the SA that the parts have arrived & he is trying to accommodate my for tomorrow itself. And finally got a call from the workshop manager that the parts have arrived... all within minutes. and he even went to the extent of accommodating my car in the workshop tomorrow morning without prior appointment...

Mr. Mangesh is a great chap & indeed a blessing for FIAT. Have never seen such a customer centric person like him before. His attention to each case & follow ups is commendable.
.

Dude.. you are seeing the best service only beacuse FIAT is putting lot of pressure on Fiat employees and on Tata Service centers.

You havent seen the type of service that you would get, if FIAT relaxes a bit.

In the year 2007, when i was in similar soup, Mangesh tried to skip the service by just quoting a dumb reason. At that point of time, i was damn busy, so had to let the issue go. Cost was hefty on my pocket. And 5 years down the line, i see people praising him for his excellent service Guys, i am not complaining. just saying that, the service is still the worst. they are doing just because FIAT is watching everyone of them.

What would happen if the Torch goes off for couple of weeks/months? service guys would say to themselves "Aaj kuch thoofani karthe hai ....is car se" (Thums up Advert) Then you would be left out in complete DARKNESS

[ARAY]

I dont know my dear bhpians but these team-bhp babys make the Fiat dealers in Hyderabad tremble .... Spare parts arrive in a jiffy.
However is there any Indian/not so Indian website for Fiat spares to order online ?
babys=stickers

[nihasbabu]

Hi Fellow Bhpians,

This is my first ever detailed post in Team Bhp. But unfortunately this post is based on my bad experience with my favorite brand "FIAT". I am a big fan of Fiat products. This craziness forced me to buy Fiat Grande punto 1.3 MJD on Oct 2012 from Marina Motors, Calicut. Needless to say Teambhp's reviews added fuel to my buying decision. While buying I was least bothered about ASS. As always objections came from everywhere "Why Fiat?, Parts are expensive, less service centres" etc. But i never listened to them because i want a tough vehicle. Punto has that toughness. I was in love with Punto. No need to mention about its handling ability. I was totally happy with my buying decision. Till now my Punto has clocked 13200 Kms.

Real story begins from now onwards. On 05/06/2013 I was taking a u turn from my work site in Calicut, kerala .Before taking a U turn I looked at the orvm and front side to make sure anything was coming.when I was at the middle of the road suddenly a bus came and collided on the RH Fender side. The bus was in full speed and the driver didnt get enough time to stop the bus. Those who lives in kerala knows how fast the bus travels? Driver said he saved my life by turning the steering . I thought my car was entirely damaged. But when i stepped out of the car i was surprised to see that the impact has not gone to the engine side. Damages seen was on the RH Fender, Hood, Bumper and headlight. After solving the issues with the Bus owners I took my vehicle to Marina Motors, calicut. They inspected the vehicle and suggested for Following parts to be replaced.
RH Fender
Front Hood
Front Bumper
Rh Headlight.
To my surprise none of the parts was available with them. They said they have to order for the parts and it will take 2 weeks which i agreed. Insurance was claimed. Till now my car is lying there untouched. Its been more than 3 weeks and they have no idea when the parts will arrive. Reason they are saying is the breakup of Tata Fiat Joint venture. They are not the dealers of Fiat now but they can service Fiat vehicles till Sept 2013. They said they have ordered for the parts the next day itself . But Fiat has not dispatched the parts.
I have send a mail to Fiat mentioning all these things. After 1 week they are responding saying that they will take necessary action. As it is heavily raining in kerala it is very difficult to travel without a car.Those who were against my buying decision are behind me.

What should I do? help