Team-BHP - Fiat Palio MJD - Known Problems

Folks,

I saw a similar thread out for the Vista, and figured it would be useful for us Palio MJD owners, as well as prospective buyers.

Kicking off the thread with a couple of issues that I have seen:

1. Rear rattling - Its the roof-mounted stop lamp!The plastic cladding that houses the lamp assembly is made of a quality plastic last used to make 5 rupee sunglasses for kids. It cracks after a few weeks of Bangalore-esque roads, and comes undone if you continue to drive over bad roads. The rattling also gets progressively worse.

FIX: Change the housing, not the lamp. Either get it done at Fiat/Tata service stations, or at a roadside mechanic after picking up the housing from a spare-parts store. Note: Change only the housing - the A.S.S. guys will try to convince you otherwise. The housing costs Rs. 450/. Note: Don't try pulling the housing off yourself if the rattling becomes unbearable. You can end up pulling off the main bolt that fixes the entire unit to the body. (Don't ask me how I know about this....)

2. AC - Ice formation - Once the AC runs continuously for 45 minutes to an hour (especially on the highway), the cooling reduces drastically. Prerana told me that this was because of ice formation, and was part and parcel of the design. I tend to agree with him, because I had the same issue with my Petra's AC.

Fix: Nothing exotic, just irritating. Switch the compressor off every 30 minutes or so on the highway for a minute or so, and the ice melts.

Look forward to hearing from the rest of you!

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ice (Post 1188308)

AC - Ice formation - Once the AC runs continuously for 45 minutes to an hour (especially on the highway), the cooling reduces drastically. Prerana told me that this was because of ice formation, and was part and parcel of the design. I tend to agree with him, because I had the same issue with my Petra's AC.
Fix: Nothing exotic, just irritating. Switch the compressor off every 30 minutes or so on the highway for a minute or so, and the ice melts.

I am sure in both cars you would have driven the car with the AC temperature control in the extreme end of the blue. Reduce it once it cools and you may not get the 'icing' and the related reduced cooling.

If you really need that much cooling while you travel, switching off the compressor may be the only option!

I too hear a very irritating creaking noise from the rear of my MJD. It has done about 9000 km. I inspected the rear parcel tray, its hinges, rear seat lock and seat belts etc. Even the lock in the boot was checked. Couldn't pin point the source so far. Thanks to Ice, I have the work cut out for tomorrow morning. The warning light assembly was once removed by the guys fixing LLumar film. However, I vaguely remember the creaking sound even before I fixed the film. A careful inspection is in order to unravel the source.

Another annoyance I noted was the foul smell emanating from the AC with only the fan running in the internal circulation mode. It kicks off soon after starting the engine after it has been switched off for a while. However, it doesn't occur every time. Most of the time I drive alone and the odour comes out infrequently. However, the car doesn't fail to embarrass me when I have a co-passenger. Deodorants can do only so much. Someone in the Palio User Group griped about it and suggested that before cutting the ignition it is wise to run the fan for a while with the lever moved to the fresh air position. I don't know how practical it will be to remember to run the fan prior to switching off the engine.

Fiat has really surprised me with this bit of engineering. This morning, I tried starting the car and it was dead. The sound and lights show was non-existent! No warning lights at the 2nd position on the ignition, no nothing.

So, I popped open the hood and adjusted the battery terminals. Voila! She fired up. But the negative terminal was very loose. And the fastening mechanism for the negative terminal is made out of ....wait for it....plastic! You can't take a spanner to it (though there is a supremely well crafted plastic nut for aesthetic purposes) So you have to remove the negative terminal, open the plastic clasp, refit the terminal to the battery's negative, and then re-fasten the plastic clasp. Brilliant!

I've attached a picture showing you folks the thingummy that I am talking about. Please note that the positive terminal has a pucca metal nut and bolt setup.

I wonder why the fastener is plastic. Cost cutting? Or a safety mechanism? The latter actually has some merit, as in the case of an accident, its very simple to disconnect the battery quickly, without tools.

Five sources of sounds. No hurry to fix them as they are too minor and I rarely drive without the ICE on.

1. AC console rattles if I am at 1000 RPM on 3rd, 4th, 5th gears. Stops at 1200 RPM.

2. Rear Parcel Tray rattles faintly. Maybe the rear stop light does too, but not sure.

3. Some sound from FR / RR door. Could be the glass.

4. Driving seat spring squeaks.

5. Squeak from the under the steering wheel when the indicator is switched on.

I don't go about extolling the virtues of the Fiat "tank-like build quality", but when I look at the Alto at home which has done some 13,000 kms, it rattles way, way more than this.

Touch wood, no other problems, defects.

Its surprising to say the least. I have never ever heard of these issues coming out from an S10 Palio. The car has been abused on A'bad roads and roads in Saurashtra. But still its real tank like.

Now along with the Swift, I think Palio must also join the rattling club. Till now I thought it was rumor that Palio Stile is not as well built as earlier Palio, but this is a confirmation of the negative fact.

About the Icing problem, its true that it happens, but what I really wonder is this : our Baleno AC has sometimes run continusouly for more than 2 hours, no such issues. Wagon R AC has continuously worked for more than 2 hours, but this problem never occured.

I have this slight 'thud-thud' noise from the rear hatch door, only when I go over bad roads though. Mine has run just over 7800 Kms & is due for the second service which 'm planning to get done tomorrow. I'd pointed this out to Babu from Greentracks during the first service as well but they couldn't fix it ('m not sure they were able to locate the source as well).

Confused whether I should take her back to Greentracks or to Prerana (I bought it from them).

If any of you guys have had this noise issue & have been successful in fixing it, please guide.

P.S. 'm also planning to change the oil to Synthetic Oil during the service tomorrow, is this advisable now or should I wait longer?

My comments are in bold below:

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 1191571)

Its surprising to say the least. I have never ever heard of these issues coming out from an S10 Palio. The car has been abused on A'bad roads and roads in Saurashtra. But still its real tank like.
Well, the S10 is a petrol car. Generally diesel cars rattle.

Now along with the Swift, I think Palio must also join the rattling club. Till now I thought it was rumor that Palio Stile is not as well built as earlier Palio, but this is a confirmation of the negative fact.
IMO, it is too soon to generalise. Perhaps a poll would be reliable.

About the Icing problem, its true that it happens, but what I really wonder is this : our Baleno AC has sometimes run continusouly for more than 2 hours, no such issues. Wagon R AC has continuously worked for more than 2 hours, but this problem never occured.
Looks like this is Fiat-specific. I hope the Linea does not have this. I've driven my WagonR and Fiesta for more than 8 to 9 hours with AC continuously on, and never faced this problem

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dud_Dodo (Post 1191575)

P.S. 'm also planning to change the oil to Synthetic Oil during the service tomorrow, is this advisable now or should I wait longer?

Dud_Dodo,

It would probably be a good idea to use mineral oil till the 3rd (15,000 km.) service. After that, you could switch over to synthetic oil. I've read a lot of advice regarding this on our forum. The mineral oil seems better engineered to handle the running of an engine being run in. All the best.

Ice formation on the condenser. That is a new one, but quite possible, I have seen it in some room A/c.s. If ice is actually forming, there are two ways out. First is to set the recirculation mode to off so that fresh air comes in. Second is to set the thermostat to a little below maximun so that the compressor goes off for a few minutes every once in a while.

I have however, noticed that after long hours in A/c. environments (home/office/car), I begin to feel warm and am constantly reducing the temperature till the car/room is almost freezing (unless the other occupants stop me). So it is not that the A/c. stopped functioning, it is some malfunctioning sensor in me. Trick is to stop, stretch your legs and realise how hot it is outside.

A lot of rattles come from odd bits and pieces that are improperly fixed to the car (the stop light on the rear windshield and rear parcel tray being a case in point). Loose things dumped in the car (coins, pens, tools, etc.) cause rattles that we often ascribe to the car. Misaligned doors, latches etc. (like the one dud-dodo is complaining about) are sometimes the culprits. All of the above are easily fixed - for improperly fitted bits, just get appropriate housing and fit them properly, for non-fitted parts like the rear parcel tray get a sponge beading to dampen it. Make sure all tools are stowed away and lashed properly, keep all odd bits and pieces like pens, etc. in a soft area of the car. If the rattling is from the body panels and cannot be fixed, it is time to get worried!

Cheers,

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhibh (Post 1192605)

Well even i have heard quiet a lot of problem in Palio MJD. I wonder whats FIAT / TATA are upto. Too much cost cutting.

I wonder what those problems are. If you could be more specific about the problems that your car is giving you, it would be helpful.

Thanks and Cheers,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra (Post 1192587)

Tried that...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra (Post 1192587)

Second is to set the thermostat to a little below maximun so that the compressor goes off for a few minutes every once in a while.

Tried this too. If the compressor is on max, the ice forms every half hour or so. at minimum (where blue meets red), it takes about 50 minutes. I then switch off the compressor and the after a few minutes, a few drops of water leak onto the dead pedal near the clutcn (ice freezing, maybe?). The moment the droplets of water appear, I turn the compressor back on and it works great!

I've decided to live with this. Knowing Fiat service, and recalling what happened to my Uno's AC, I've psyched myself into actually liking the chore of turning off and then turning on the compressor!

I have however, noticed that after long hours in A/c. environments (home/office/car), I begin to feel warm and am constantly reducing the temperature till the car/room is almost freezing (unless the other occupants stop me). So it is not that the A/c. stopped functioning, it is some malfunctioning sensor in me. Trick is to stop, stretch your legs and realise how hot it is outside.][/quote]

Trust me, I've psyched myself into believing this :uncontrol

Most problems I have encountered in first person, second person are rattles / sounds. And Swift D owners have driven my car and proclaimed these sounds to be hardly anything.

Of course, the engine / gearbox on my car is out of the first 100 that were imported from Poland (?).

Engine / AC / mechanical / ECU issues are few and far between, like Alton's and Ice's.