[Ferrari1976]

Prash:

You will need to change the Cluth kit. It will cost you @8000 + Labour 2500INR. All Lineas have this problem and we will all have to change the clutch kit every 30-35 K KM.

Same is true with the elastic pads. They will be required to replace every 20-30 K KM as well.

I firmly believe that this is pure cost cutting. The quality of brake pads ( replace every 30K KM), elastic pads & clutch kit means that we will be required to spend @20K every 2 years.

[sukrit7]

Originally Posted by Prash

Since the days of delivery I have been facing a problem. In night drives I could always hear this particular noise but could not explain it to the service guys. Moreover this noise use to increase with the number of hours the car was driven. But this argument fell on deaf ears to the service advisor all these years as in day time even I could not hear that sound. Finally I gave up thinking the noise being just unrepairable. In fact there is one more very prominent tak tak noise that comes whenever car hits potholes on its front tyres. For this very problem my linea has blocked parking space in Fortune cars, Andheri for collectively 10 days and at BCMA for 5-6 days. But none of the dealers could find where the noise was from. So I still live with these 2 noises coming from lineas front and under belly which at times gets on my nerves in night peaceful drives.
Now for the noise coming from the front side of the car, which gradually use to increase after couple of hours of run has become prominent and can get to human ears in day time with noisy surrounding. So now I can make the service guys to listen to that noise. Hence along with the timing chain replacement issue I went to BCMA. Explained the problem of noise from the front suspensions emiting (to the service advisor) and he was quick to endorse that this noise is of the elastic pads and the more car is driven the more noise increases. I wanted to ask him where was he all these years???????????? But no point as now my linea has crossed 38000 kms and the deadline set by extended warranty guys is 35000 kms.
What do I do now? The elastic pads will cost Rs.7000 approx and I will have to pay for it, even though I always knew that this problem was there. And after surfing few sites and reading team bhp reviews I came to know that Lineas had this problem since initial days. Need to decide what can be done now.
Also if you guys could help me with the gear box issue with my linea. The gear shifting has become harder and at times gets difficult to shift the gear. I realized this when I drove a friends Linea. What could be the problem with it? Do I need to totally replace overall gear and clutch parts or just one thing that is giving me this problem.

Please write to FIAT telling them about this problem and point out the fact that it is a common problem in the earlier batches. As far as I remember, my elastic pads were also changed after 35000kms and FIAT willingly covered it under warranty. FIAT has changed the design of the elastic pads and you should rightfully get the updated design free cost.

Is there a grinding noise when you shift, especially while engaging first or reverse? You could try getting the cable lubricated but you might just have to get the entire clutch system changed. It'll cost you around 8k.
35,000 kms is early though.

[GT500]

Ok, Linea is a good car, but there are serious issues with it , clearly FIAT is not interested in the passenger car segment as is evident from the falling sales and quality issues.
In my opinion they are more interested in the engine business rather than passenger cars, or else they would have been more proactive in improving their image.

But then again this is my opinion only.


Here are "some" of the issues we have faced with our car:-

1.Ignition lock jamming up requiring change of Lock,downtime of about a month.

2.Brake pads went bust at 22k.

3.There was no cooling in the AC during PDI of the car,rectified at the time of delivery.

4.Wiper rubber came of the blades and the metal bit scratched the windshield during rains.So much for the German make of the blades.

5.All door handles have been changed(read: all ) Either they broke or stopped functioning, as of now again one of them is not working(passenger side)

This includes an embarrassing moment when I took the car to a 5 star hotel and while opening the door the guard at the porch managed to separate the plastic lever from the door.

6. The indicator stalk does not shut by itself after a turn(read: the indicator does not disengage automatically after taking a turn) , Have taken this up with the workshop, yet to rectify, as usual parts are coming.

7.The drivers side door does not close properly in the first go, it has to be hammered shut.

8.The lock of storage compartment above the glove box gave away due to shoddy build quality, was replaced.

All the above issues are either pending for want of parts from pune or I simply havent had the time to get them resolved as the frequency with which they occur is high.You buy a car for moving about, not moving about the workshop.

Phew.This is irritating, I seriously suggest FIAT to shut shop rather than dishing out such cars.
I suggest all non enthusiasts to put their hard earned money elsewhere.

Cheers

GT

[Prash]

Originally Posted by autocrat

If your friends Linea is a 2012 model, the clutch for 2012 models is redesigned - the clutch is very light. I am not sure what are the changes made. Your service advisor may have the details.

He is using a September 2011 Linea

[Prash]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

Please write to FIAT telling them about this problem and point out the fact that it is a common problem in the earlier batches. As far as I remember, my elastic pads were also changed after 35000kms and FIAT willingly covered it under warranty. FIAT has changed the design of the elastic pads and you should rightfully get the updated design free cost.

Is there a grinding noise when you shift, especially while engaging first or reverse? You could try getting the cable lubricated but you might just have to get the entire clutch system changed. It'll cost you around 8k.
35,000 kms is early though.

Thanks Sukrit7. Yes I have written to FIAT and waiting for their response.
There is no noise while changing the gears. Only that they are a bit hard to shift. More muscle is required to change them. Also the clutch has gone slightly hard. This is all in compared to my friends Linea which is mid 2011 manufactured car.

[autocrat]

I have posted this elsewhere too but I think this thread is the right place to post the issue faced in my Linea.

After driving my 3 week old Linea about 700 km on highways, I noticed severe waterlogging on the passenger side, both front and rear.

A visit to Concorde was fruitful to the effect that the condensation water drain pipe was cleaned and put back (AC switched on and condensation water dropped under the car) , but the solution for a soggy carpet was to 'park in the sun and air it out'.

The thought of soggy carpet was unbearable to me - I feared long term exposure to water and moisture might promote rusting, and started getting nightmares.

Being a qualified mechanical engineer and having access to required proper tools, I worked my way to the insulation under the carpet and I was shocked to see the amount of water in the car

Attachment 918693

Attachment 918694

Used a wet and dry vacuum to suck out the water from the insulation - got almost 15 liters out :shocked

Guys, if you find even a teeny bit of water in the insulation, please act immediately! I dont mind if I have to replace the insulation or the carpet, but there should absolutely be no rust.

I am extremely happy I did not go by Concorde's solution to 'air dry' the car. It would take months or years for so much water to dry from insulation thats not ventilated at all.

After this, NOW I AM WONDERING IF CLEANING THE DRAIN PIPE ALONE IS THE COMPLETE SOLUTION.
Reason: The AC drain pipe is on the driver side. If it leaks then the water must wet carpet on driver side. Since the carpet on passenger side was wet, the block is much higher in the condensation water drain pipe, and water is flowing out to left (passenger side) carpet.

I switched on AC this morning for 15 mins and there is no water flowing out of condensation pipe - blocked again?? :(

Someone kindly PM me Mr. Mangesh' contact details. Wish to discuss this issue with him so a proper RCA can be done, and a permanent fix be made.

[autocrat]

Sorry for b2b post - attachments failed. Images showing soggy insulation:

[kdadi]

Dear Autocrat,

Pls ask your service center to check on the AC outlet pipe. If this is not properly placed, the condensed air results in water dripping inside the cabin (normally it should fall to the ground just ahead of the cabin, behind the front axle.)

[Sunilrj]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Sorry for b2b post - attachments failed. Images showing soggy insulation:

This looks very much like the waterlogging i had experienced in my Linea. the AC drain Pipe comes loose at times from the lock on the floor. get it fixed using the gum which is used for sticking the windshield.

also check if the 'robot' who is in charge of sticking a metal piece on the RHS / LHS transmission tunnel openings ( since the shell is the same for RHS as well as LHS models, you will find holes of around 1 inch diameter on both sides on the transmission hump. in Indian Lineas the RHS holes are closed and in left hand drive Lineas the LHS holes are closed ) has missed the hole and stuck the metal piece somewhere else..

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by kdadi

Dear Autocrat,

Pls ask your service center to check on the AC outlet pipe. If this is not properly placed, the condensed air results in water dripping inside the cabin (normally it should fall to the ground just ahead of the cabin, behind the front axle.)

kdadi, thanks for the quick reply - the pipe was removed, checked and replaced @ concorde. This pipe is on driver side, but flooding happening on passenger side, so I suspect the blockage even before the outlet pipe.

Originally Posted by Sunilrj

This looks very much like the waterlogging i had experienced in my Linea. the AC drain Pipe comes loose at times from the lock on the floor. get it fixed using the gum which is used for sticking the windshield.

also check if the 'robot' who is in charge of sticking a metal piece on the RHS / LHS transmission tunnel openings ( since the shell is the same for RHS as well as LHS models, you will find holes of around 1 inch diameter on both sides on the transmission hump. in Indian Lineas the RHS holes are closed and in left hand drive Lineas the LHS holes are closed ) has missed the hole and stuck the metal piece somewhere else..

Sunilrj, Will get this metal sticker position checked - thanks!. The AC drain pipe to the left of clutch footrest (driver side) has been checked and cleaned.

Did the water logging in your car happen on driver side or passenger side?

[Sunilrj]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Sunilrj, Will get this metal sticker position checked - thanks!. The AC drain pipe to the left of clutch footrest (driver side) has been checked and cleaned.

Did the water logging in your car happen on driver side or passenger side?

The flooding was on Both Sides. after removing and putting back the seats more than 3 times, finally we (the ASC and Myself) decided to put the car on a ramp and do a water spray test and cabin smoke test. both showed the presence of a hole on the RHS side transmission tunnel. the flooding was on both sides. the water from the AC drain pipe (near the footrest) used to fall on the centre of the transmisison tunnel and move to both sides. also check for a missing gromat (rubber Patch) in the engine bay / near the firewall and below the cowl- this may have been removed either during PDI or for fitting accessories.

the AC drain pipe doesnt get clogged. it gets pushed in to the cabin as it is just held there with the help of the raised up portion that you will find on the end of the drain pipe.. due to virbations / wind pressure it comes into the cabin and the water drips inside.

also the quanity of water as illustrated by your pics is quite a lot and may not be from the AC drain. there has to be a missing gro-mat on the floor / misisng metal patch somewhere

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by Sunilrj

also the quanity of water as illustrated by your pics is quite a lot and may not be from the AC drain. there has to be a missing gro-mat on the floor / misisng metal patch somewhere

Thanks a lot for this input Sunil, back to Concorde tomorrow!

Its also possible that they pressure-washed the car with doors open and it might have resulted in water collecting inside the car, but I will definitely check if any gro-mat / sticker is missing - better be safe than sorry.

[Sunilrj]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Thanks a lot for this input Sunil, back to Concorde tomorrow!

Its also possible that they pressure-washed the car with doors open and it might have resulted in water collecting inside the car, but I will definitely check if any gro-mat / sticker is missing - better be safe than sorry.

The ASC do not pressure wash the cars with doors open. i would bet on a dislodged drain pipe or a missing metal sticker. if u had recently got your car underbody washed, then the water is due to a missing sticker / gromat on the floor.

if the AC drain is clogged then the cooling will be affected. if the AC cools well, then the drain is dislodged either at the floor board end or the condensor end. also note that the condensor end does not have a lock on the drain pipe (like a lock on the rubber hoses in the engine bay) if the floor board end is dislodged the water flow gets restricted by the floor and the insulation, then the water overflows from the condensor end of the drain pipe.

[Prash]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

Please write to FIAT telling them about this problem and point out the fact that it is a common problem in the earlier batches. As far as I remember, my elastic pads were also changed after 35000kms and FIAT willingly covered it under warranty. FIAT has changed the design of the elastic pads and you should rightfully get the updated design free cost.

Is there a grinding noise when you shift, especially while engaging first or reverse? You could try getting the cable lubricated but you might just have to get the entire clutch system changed. It'll cost you around 8k.
35,000 kms is early though.

I finally got the timing chain and elastic pads changed. Fiat didnt charge me for elastic pad and changed it as 'Goodwill' written on the bill. Also timing chain was replaced free of cost. TSC carried out other few regular service procedures and replaced fuel fiter, oil filter, etc. Thankfully engine oil was not changed as i had my periodic yearly service done in March itself. Still i had to pay some Rs.9600 which included parts and labour charges, and one more part. Lower arm left was replaced as I had asked to check few suspension noise. After making the payment, taking the delivery and driving just few hundred metres I could hear some noise coming from front right suspension side. Now the problem is that this noise is there in my linea since delivery and till now no one could ever figure out what the problem is. My linea was kept at fortune for over a week, BCMA motors for few days and is now at worli centre for another 5 days (collectively). So for this particular noise I had to rush back to TCS after 2-3 days of collecting the car.
So i have asked them to check for that particular noise from the front right side (which i am sure they will never be able to find it out) and second for the hard gear shifting problem.
For the gear shifting problem I have been told that they will first try to resolve the issue by lubricating the clutch cable and if that doesnt work than will have to go for complete change of clutch assembly which will cost me 10-12k. Checked the extended warranty booklet (as my linea is now 3+ years) and in the section 'Parts covered' under 'Transmission' it says 'Internal gears, shafts, synchromesh rings and hub, bushes, selector forks, gear lever, Bearing and bushes (failure due to worn or burn out clutches are not covered)'. So now here is the confusion. Will the problem of hard shifting of gears come under extended warranty or in 'worn and torn' and will not be covered and me being asked to pay ???

[vikrantj]

Today morning my Linea first gave a message "Brake fluid low do not proceed" . I did not take Linea and used the other car. After couple of hours went home and checked all fluid levels seemed OK. Then tried ignition and drove 15kms no messages. Only wierd thing is when I turn on the Left turn indicator the AC blew at full speed then went back to original speed and cooling.

Looks like it has go t a mind of it's own.