Fiat Linea - Various niggling issues? Post your experiences here.

VahanPujari · 13th June 2009, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Yeah, it was free but in the love for his chic Fastlove has forgotten that long back.
I have an issue and thats Tyre Noise which Goodyear can only help or Fiat can improve sound insulation. Nothin till now.

Its not a question of Rs. 400 only. Its about integrity. If the dealer does it for a meagre Rs. 400/-, what can one expect from him in future?

FastLove · 13th June 2009, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Its not a question of Rs. 400 only. Its about integrity. If the dealer does it for a meagre Rs. 400/-, what can one expect from him in future?

Yes mate ! absolutely. I payed the Rs.400 & took the bill . Have written a mail to Fiat Service (Mangesh k i guess). No Reply yet. I will not let that rest as i have reported that to TataMotors during feedback call & they promised me a call back. Awaiting call.

I agree completely that all issues must be raised but it should not snowball into us all doing research on turkish adhesives & all that & then some new members showing fear at looking at Linea as their next car for these reasons.

I am completely with you on making a joint effort to make FIAt - TASS listen

coolboy007 · 13th June 2009, 17:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by FastLove

new members showing fear at looking at Linea as their next car for these reasons.
I am completely with you on making a joint effort to make FIAt - TASS listen

Yes fastlove, am with you in this thought. Agree Fiat is slow at resolving complaints but one should tell all "good" things about the car which are much more than just mere plastics and chrome strips.

If we are enjoying the car why deprive others who wish to buy the car, one should get to read the whole story and not just the villainous part.

New members or prospective buyers should know all positives and negatives about the car and not just reject Linea on the basis of their thought
"only Linea has a niggling issues thread" and not Fiesta or ANHC.
How many reviews on other C segment cars like ANHC or Fiesta are there in 1st 2 pages of tbhp leaving Linea? Not even 1

Everyone is out with a microscope to find even the minute fault in the car and seeing the quantum of linea reviews here we will get more and more points from members and newbies should understand that.

neotraveller · 13th June 2009, 18:27

Have sent out a mail highlighting the major issues to Fiat officials.
Lets see if they respond.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,

I have purchased Linea Emotion Pack in April (much against the wishes of my family who had no faith in Fiat).
Although I like the car and stand by the decision I made,
I want to highlight some niggling issues that I and several early Linea buyers are facing (discussed in automotive forums like TeamBHP, autocarindia etc)

1) Plastics quality is very poor. These are very fragile and seem like they will come apart in a few months.
the seat adjustment levers,
The seatbelt holders
glove-box lid,
fusebox-lid under the steering etc.

2) The seat-height goes down automatically after 3-4 days.
The adjustment lever is either not strong enough to hold a person's weight!
OR
The "adjustment lever" is designed incorrectly. It is too long and whenever I put my foot outside the car, my thigh goes over it. There is just no way to avoid it.

3) The chrome plates from the quarter panels are falling off.
Not enough glue? Come on!

This shows that Fiat has missed proper quality control for Linea. This is unpardonable on a 9 lac car.
I hope you have rectified these issues in upcoming models and have a solution for existing owners like me.
People like me contributed to Linea's early success by taking a risk buying an unproven car, we feel you need to address these issues ASAP to paint a success story with Linea and Grand Punto.

FastLove · 13th June 2009, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolboy007

New members or prospective buyers should know all positives and negatives about the car and not just reject Linea on the basis of their thought
"only Linea has a niggling issues thread" and not Fiesta or ANHC.
How many reviews on other C segment cars like ANHC or Fiesta are there in 1st 2 pages of tbhp leaving Linea? Not even 1

Everyone is out with a microscope to find even the minute fault in the car and seeing the quantum of linea reviews here we will get more and more points from members and newbies should understand that.

i remember that many (almost all i think) of the Linea ownership threads mentioned that when they first drove out with the linea , apart from themselves , people who saw it thought that it was a much higher priced car than what they actually bought it for . At the same time , i see some of the Linea owners not happy with what the "8 Lakh" put into Linea is giving them. Thats the Irony ! We are actually strange when it comes to this price vs quality discussion . The Honda JAzz thread is a great proof to that. Anything in excess is bad as they say , so i guess as we dont excessively praise FIAT , we dont criticize the little niggles to the extent where a good car looks like a lemon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

Manish

I would have been happier if some existing Linea Owner has started this thread and it would have been more credible.

So please dont bring bad name to car that you dont even own/or dont have experience with.

and why is there a Thumbs Down to this thread ??! Is the Thumbs down put by a Linea owner here ?!

finneyp · 13th June 2009, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by neotraveller

Have sent out a mail highlighting the major issues to Fiat officials.

Good job Neo, that is the best thing to do!
Hope you have sent the mail to: ceodesk@fiapl.com; service@fiapl.com

I hope Fiat management will look into these minor issues & fix them at the earliest!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FastLove

and why is there a Thumbs Down to this thread ??! If someone does not own a product , he / she cannot comment on it with a Thumbs up or a Thumbs down .

I also highlighted the same earlier, but Mods are yet to take any action!

coolboy007 · 13th June 2009, 20:16

I have sent a mail today afternoon to fiat and tatamotors highlighting all Linea threads here especially this one and one of our fellow member who is facing issues. here is a copy
LINKS HERE ARE NOT WORKING as its a copy from other thread, i have sent page specific links to fiat and waitin for response.

Dear Mr Rajeev Kapoor,

I am a proud owner of a FIAT Linea emotion pack 1.4 and also a member of Team BHP (Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community - Home) which is India's biggest automotive forum with 47,691 members. I have noticed that Fiat-Tata are helpless in servicing or removing faults from Linea cars. The complaints regarding Linea are increasing day by day and as a result sales figures for Linea have come down to around 1000 units from significant 1500-1700 units in starting months. My own friend from Pune is having a lot of problems with his Fiat Linea 1.3 MJD ( Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Black Fiat Linea MJD Emotion Pack - Delivered after a long wait!)). Here is a link to his thread and his helpless posts reflect what he is going through driving around in an Indica car for a week after spending 9 lacs on a Linea.

May i know why Fiat is not helping out its customers? I dont think your responsibility ends as soon as the car exits the factory, if Tata is not taking care why is fiat not able to help out or work out something for its customers. The member in his own words has stated that " Hate to say this but don't think Fiat will suceed in India. They just don't have what it takes. I'm wondering if I should cut my losses and sell the car. I can probably get Rs. 8 L OTR for it so a loss of Rs. 1 L but at least I will have piece of mind!"

This is the frustration level that one man is facing after not buying a Toyota and believing in FIAT that this time things will change. Fiat has broken the trust and i wonder whether anyone in his good state of mind would buy a Linea after going through all these posts regarding so many problems in 1 car. Its a shame that every customer has to escalate the issues to you or Mr. Mangesh to get things sorted out which shouldnt happen. Why are Tata service engineers so incompetent and unproffesional? Fiat was almost dead in India but Linea showed me and some other Linea owners like me that things will change for good but am sorry to say that old habits never die and this type of customer service is not expected by a person who spends his harn earned money on buying something.

All this bad publicity will not help Fiat and nor us Fiat owners who took the risk and still plunged in with our decision to buy a Fiat as we believed in you and your company. Dont you think you are betraying Linea customers who believed in Fiat by not providing them basic services. Punto is getting ready for launch and i dont know whether you have time to even read my mail but my only advise to you is to change and provide some services to your customers. I tell you this as a Linea owner myself as i care for my car and its manufacturer and dont want Linea and Punto to end like other Fiats which were killed by poor servicing and lack of spares. Bad word of mouth is not good for any co. especially Fiat which has to make up for what it has done in the past. Already on TEAM BHP people have started saying that they love Punto but seeing how Fiat deals with its customers they dont want to buy one. Please do something for this member's car and tell others that Fiat cares for its people and set a good example.

HERE ARE SOME THREADS ON THE FORUM
1. Niggling Linea issues - Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Niggling Linea issues)
This thread has already had 5621 views from people and all bad things about LINEA which tata-fiat should try correcting in newer batches.

2. Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Black Fiat Linea MJD Emotion Pack - Delivered after a long wait!)
Thread about poor man who is facing all issues in his Linea and tata not helping him out. Read last 2 pages to know his plight. Views 9000 + people have seen this thread.

3. 3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-linea-14.html
Thread about extremely poor plastic parts in all Lineas which are very fragile.

Its bad that Fiat is not giving consumer services so early in its new car's life, i feel afraid as to what will happen after warranty and what will happen to my car if it develops any problem.

Regards
Sudarshan Sharma

Fiat Linea 1.4 Emotion pack
DL 9C Q xxxx
New Delhi
981853xxxx
Memeber who is having troubles (too many rattles) ,

Name : Mr. Piyush

Chasis number : xxxxxx

pranava999 · 13th June 2009, 21:20

Way to go people.I m glad that we as customers are standing up for what we believe we deserve.

Let's hope something positive and concrete comes of this.It's a fairly simple solution actually. All that Fiat has to do is get to get their hands a little dirty and get the root of the problem and then send out mails to all Linea owners to get their cars checked for known defects, or things to watch out for and rectify them. This will definitely not tarnish Fiat's image and it will definitely come across as a customer centric organisation.

The GP deliveries can surely wait..

Having said that how many times have we in India heard about manufacturers recalling their cars?

FastLove · 13th June 2009, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Also, shouldn't you also include that the service station charged you rs. 400/- for wheel alignment whereas they should have not charged it being part of scheduled 1st free service

BTW, congrats on having fantastic time with her. I'm also having fantastic time but that does not mean taking the issues lying down

Hey , btw , i am still to receive a response from FIAT TATA on this. Meanwhile , can someone who got the first service done for theie linea tell me if they got the Wheel Alignment report? I did get one from the dealer after the service.

neotraveller · 13th June 2009, 22:43

Yes, mods please rename this thread/remove that thumbs down and make it more neutral.

We, Linea owners are sending feedback to Fiat and its not like there are engine issues. We don't want potential buyers to turn away from Linea/Punto as its still a terrific VFM car unlike some Japanese brands out there

I sent the mail to service with mangesh kodalkar, rajeev kapoor in CC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by finneyp

Good job Neo, that is the best thing to do!
Hope you have sent the mail to: ceodesk@fiapl.com; service@fiapl.com

I also highlighted the same earlier, but Mods are yet to take any action!

manish7 · 13th June 2009, 23:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by neotraveller

Yes, mods please rename this thread/remove that thumbs down and make it more neutral.

We, Linea owners are sending feedback to Fiat and its not like there are engine issues. We don't want potential buyers to turn away from Linea/Punto as its still a terrific VFM car unlike some Japanese brands out there

I completely agree on VFM point here. Linea is a much better package than ANHC IMHO. The niggling issues however need to be discussed. And GTO himself has already replied to this thread here -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1337858

Quote:

At the time being, we see nothing wrong in this thread and will let it continue.

I had already given my reasons for choosing the icon earlier and I am fine if mods change the title, I can't do it myself, even if I could, I would probably just add a question mark at the end of the title. Maybe it would have been more apt if Peeyush had started this thread, but since I am a potential buyer and researching Linea, I did that!

For those who say that one has to be Linea owner or experience it firsthand to point out those issues; by that logic we'd never have male gynecologist, right?

C'on guys! We don't have to get very defensive; though problems are petty they do take away peace of mind. Ask VahanPujari or Peeyush. Most importantly, it will just cost 5k to 8k more to Fiast if tehy put better quality stuff in this lovely cars. I am myself in love with this beautiful car and following it since Jan 14 whenever I can. But getting worried with problems reported by few owners and would like to know what is the extent of such problems before I decide to o ahead with either GP or Linea itself. There are other owners here who took it in the right spirit, let's continue this discussion with open mind without getting defensive. Please?

McLaren Rulez · 13th June 2009, 23:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by manish7

There are other owners here who took it in the right spirit, let's continue this discussion with open mind without getting defensive.

You're quite right. This is supposed to be an unbiased forum so refusing to discuss issues with any car openly is not quite what most users want to see.

VahanPujari · 14th June 2009, 01:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolboy007

If we are enjoying the car why deprive others who wish to buy the car, one should get to read the whole story and not just the villainous part.

New members or prospective buyers should know all positives and negatives about the car and not just reject Linea on the basis of their thought

Agreed. Prospective buyers must get entire picture with all positives & negatives. I invite them (if any whoi is reading this thread) to visit my ownership thread which is full of positives - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...iat-linea.html
Its a fabulous car which is slated to do well.

Quote:

Everyone is out with a microscope to find even the minute fault in the car and seeing the quantum of linea reviews here we will get more and more points from members and newbies should understand that

That should rejoice all of us. When does someone check out everything with Microscope? When he finds something which is extraordinary, right? Enjoy you extraordinary Italian beauty, dude, I'm also enjoying mine.

But then I'm just trying to remain objective here. Only excellent car will not ensure Fiat's success & resurgence in India. It has to live upto the expectation of the owners to build the trust thro' its service & how they address owners' concerns

FastLove · 14th June 2009, 12:54

[quote=manish7;1345734]For those who say that one has to be Linea owner or experience it firsthand to point out those issues; by that logic we'd never have male gynecologist, right?

quote]

well said mate !

i suggest you remain the "Well Learned and researched " Male gynaec here and keep touching and feeling from outside (and by hearsay) what you may never have with you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

That should rejoice all of us. When does someone check out everything with Microscope? When he finds something which is extraordinary, right? Enjoy you extraordinary Italian beauty, dude, I'm also enjoying mine.

But then I'm just trying to remain objective here. Only excellent car will not ensure Fiat's success & resurgence in India. It has to live upto the expectation of the owners to build the trust thro' its service & how they address owners' concerns

VP .. like i told earlier you are perfect with your approach and am completely with you on all your points. You know what it is to own this beauty and also not to take the minor niggles lying down.

FastLove · 14th June 2009, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by manish7

C'on guys! We don't have to get very defensive; though problems are petty they do take away peace of mind. Ask VahanPujari or Peeyush. Most importantly, it will just cost 5k to 8k more to Fiast if tehy put better quality stuff in this lovely cars. I am myself in love with this beautiful car and following it since Jan 14 whenever I can. But getting worried with problems reported by few owners and would like to know what is the extent of such problems before I decide to o ahead with either GP or Linea itself. There are other owners here who took it in the right spirit, let's continue this discussion with open mind without getting defensive. Please?

I actually entered to see this thread from the 5 th page maybe and on doing a good reading from earlier posts here i have found this :
Most important of all this "niggling issue" thread has only 2 Linea owners (CarsPG and VP) with issues and only CarsPG has really had a bad experience ( we are with him on this) and VP is one of the most satisfied Linea owners here just taking a cause to FIAT TATA for more attention.

Now, if you need to read these niggling issues to make your decision , why not do it in the individual threads where its been discussed by the respective owners ( 2 of them for you).

The reason why i am so paranoid about this whole thread is that the subject and the icon implied something that is not true.

Even my fellow Linea owners (20 of them or so) on this forum have mentioned exactly what i thought when i first saw this thread.

I am completely FOR free speech but honestly i hate some channels like the News channel .. "India TV"

. Anyone ??

13th June 2009, 18:27	#94
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	Mail to Fiat Have sent out a mail highlighting the major issues to Fiat officials. Lets see if they respond. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello, I have purchased Linea Emotion Pack in April (much against the wishes of my family who had no faith in Fiat). Although I like the car and stand by the decision I made, I want to highlight some niggling issues that I and several early Linea buyers are facing (discussed in automotive forums like TeamBHP, autocarindia etc) 1) Plastics quality is very poor. These are very fragile and seem like they will come apart in a few months. the seat adjustment levers, The seatbelt holders glove-box lid, fusebox-lid under the steering etc. 2) The seat-height goes down automatically after 3-4 days. The adjustment lever is either not strong enough to hold a person's weight! OR The "adjustment lever" is designed incorrectly. It is too long and whenever I put my foot outside the car, my thigh goes over it. There is just no way to avoid it. 3) The chrome plates from the quarter panels are falling off. Not enough glue? Come on! This shows that Fiat has missed proper quality control for Linea. This is unpardonable on a 9 lac car. I hope you have rectified these issues in upcoming models and have a solution for existing owners like me. People like me contributed to Linea's early success by taking a risk buying an unproven car, we feel you need to address these issues ASAP to paint a success story with Linea and Grand Punto.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 20:16	#97
coolboy007 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,852 Thanked: 2,137 Times	I have sent a mail today afternoon to fiat and tatamotors highlighting all Linea threads here especially this one and one of our fellow member who is facing issues. here is a copy LINKS HERE ARE NOT WORKING as its a copy from other thread, i have sent page specific links to fiat and waitin for response. Dear Mr Rajeev Kapoor, I am a proud owner of a FIAT Linea emotion pack 1.4 and also a member of Team BHP (Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community - Home) which is India's biggest automotive forum with 47,691 members. I have noticed that Fiat-Tata are helpless in servicing or removing faults from Linea cars. The complaints regarding Linea are increasing day by day and as a result sales figures for Linea have come down to around 1000 units from significant 1500-1700 units in starting months. My own friend from Pune is having a lot of problems with his Fiat Linea 1.3 MJD ( Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Black Fiat Linea MJD Emotion Pack - Delivered after a long wait!)). Here is a link to his thread and his helpless posts reflect what he is going through driving around in an Indica car for a week after spending 9 lacs on a Linea. May i know why Fiat is not helping out its customers? I dont think your responsibility ends as soon as the car exits the factory, if Tata is not taking care why is fiat not able to help out or work out something for its customers. The member in his own words has stated that " Hate to say this but don't think Fiat will suceed in India. They just don't have what it takes. I'm wondering if I should cut my losses and sell the car. I can probably get Rs. 8 L OTR for it so a loss of Rs. 1 L but at least I will have piece of mind!" This is the frustration level that one man is facing after not buying a Toyota and believing in FIAT that this time things will change. Fiat has broken the trust and i wonder whether anyone in his good state of mind would buy a Linea after going through all these posts regarding so many problems in 1 car. Its a shame that every customer has to escalate the issues to you or Mr. Mangesh to get things sorted out which shouldnt happen. Why are Tata service engineers so incompetent and unproffesional? Fiat was almost dead in India but Linea showed me and some other Linea owners like me that things will change for good but am sorry to say that old habits never die and this type of customer service is not expected by a person who spends his harn earned money on buying something. All this bad publicity will not help Fiat and nor us Fiat owners who took the risk and still plunged in with our decision to buy a Fiat as we believed in you and your company. Dont you think you are betraying Linea customers who believed in Fiat by not providing them basic services. Punto is getting ready for launch and i dont know whether you have time to even read my mail but my only advise to you is to change and provide some services to your customers. I tell you this as a Linea owner myself as i care for my car and its manufacturer and dont want Linea and Punto to end like other Fiats which were killed by poor servicing and lack of spares. Bad word of mouth is not good for any co. especially Fiat which has to make up for what it has done in the past. Already on TEAM BHP people have started saying that they love Punto but seeing how Fiat deals with its customers they dont want to buy one. Please do something for this member's car and tell others that Fiat cares for its people and set a good example. HERE ARE SOME THREADS ON THE FORUM 1. Niggling Linea issues - Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Niggling Linea issues) This thread has already had 5621 views from people and all bad things about LINEA which tata-fiat should try correcting in newer batches. 2. Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community (Black Fiat Linea MJD Emotion Pack - Delivered after a long wait!) Thread about poor man who is facing all issues in his Linea and tata not helping him out. Read last 2 pages to know his plight. Views 9000 + people have seen this thread. 3. 3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-linea-14.html Thread about extremely poor plastic parts in all Lineas which are very fragile. Its bad that Fiat is not giving consumer services so early in its new car's life, i feel afraid as to what will happen after warranty and what will happen to my car if it develops any problem. Regards Sudarshan Sharma Fiat Linea 1.4 Emotion pack DL 9C Q xxxx New Delhi 981853xxxx Memeber who is having troubles (too many rattles) , Name : Mr. Piyush Chasis number : xxxxxx Last edited by coolboy007 : 13th June 2009 at 20:19.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 21:20	#98
pranava999 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 845 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	Way to go people.I m glad that we as customers are standing up for what we believe we deserve. Let's hope something positive and concrete comes of this.It's a fairly simple solution actually. All that Fiat has to do is get to get their hands a little dirty and get the root of the problem and then send out mails to all Linea owners to get their cars checked for known defects, or things to watch out for and rectify them. This will definitely not tarnish Fiat's image and it will definitely come across as a customer centric organisation. The GP deliveries can surely wait.. Having said that how many times have we in India heard about manufacturers recalling their cars? Last edited by pranava999 : 13th June 2009 at 21:25.
	() Thanks