FIAT Petra 2004 - 5th and reverse gear do not engage

rudrah · 2nd November 2009, 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by rikhav

@ Rudrah
I called up Wasan, Fortune, Tata Motors(Concorde). Everyone answered in the negative. Infact the store keeper at Wasan Kandivali gave me few contacts at Charni road and told me to try there. No one even told me once that they will check and see how they can help me out. It was a flat NO

I dont think Wasan@Kandivali is of any help. Thats why I specifically mentioned Wasan@Deonar i.e. before Chembur. They have most of the parts stocked and the person I mentioned guide you better regarding availability and placing order immediately if you are interested.

paharino1 · 2nd November 2009, 11:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRC

Looks like most problems faced by Petra owners are similar.
Fuel tank hit by bad road, failed throttle body stepper motor, Clutch master cylinder failure, failed gear shift bracket, ...
Only problem I have faced and not read in this forum is broken accelerator cable! Has any one faced and not reported here?

I will be taking my 2004 Siena for the 60k kms service next week - i did notice that gears are not as smooth as earlier & i think i have to push the clutch more while changing gears...
Would this mean a clutch change ( havent done so yet) & gear shift change ?

anything else i should be doing as preventive maintainance ?( had the front brake pads, timing belt changed @ 55k kms service)

rikhav · 2nd November 2009, 23:10

Hi Rudrah
I thought all Wasan Service centre would have same stock. Will keep in mind Wasan Deonar when i need any spares next time. Thanks for the ingo

rikhav · 29th May 2010, 23:30

Okay guys,
Time for damage update
Last time it was Hotel Sun N Sand. This time Four Season
Brother had gone there yesterday, when he gets the car back the gears feel real strange. He understood something has gone wrong, He immediately called the front office manager. The valet who took the car accepted that when he took the car all was fine. They pleaded to keep the car over there overnight and next day they will have it inspected by some technician and then only they can say anything
As expected the mechanic checked. This time it was the gear lever bracket cracked. The hotel manager says this is a mechanical damage and that could have happened due to wear and tear. My brother tried to explain him a lot how it can happen in just 2 hours when he visits the hotel and how teh valet forcefully must have engaged reverse gear. The manager replies that their staff is fully trained and they have a fleet of BMW's, so they cant commit such mistake.
After realizing its no point wasting time with people who are hell bound to cover up, I called up Kava Automobiles and they arranged the part immediately. The technician who came to inspect the part agreed to replace the bracket
Forgot to add that as it was highly expected, TATA Motots, Worli Naka did not had the part in stock. The store manager replies that they dont stock Palio, Petra parts. So all Fiat owners who feel Fiat India is commited, think again

Cost of the bracket - Rs. 350/-
Labour charges to replace it - Rs 700/
Labour cost was on higher side but was too busy to argue and more important I had to pay all the more if i would get it towed and get to my desired mechanic

I think it would be wise to say that never give your Palio/Petra to the valet guys specially in 5 stars . You can instruct the guy who takes the car about the tricky reverse but you cant instruct the guy who gets it back and he screws it big time as if it was his one last chance to engage the car in reverse

SirAlec · 31st May 2010, 13:52

the question is, Is the reverse gear or lever mechanism of FIAT, that flimsy. ?
I doubt it. can any fiat owners comment on this?

clevermax · 31st May 2010, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirAlec

the question is, Is the reverse gear or lever mechanism of FIAT, that flimsy. ?
I doubt it. can any fiat owners comment on this?

No not at all. The reverse gear lock can be flimsy though. (A plastic thingy) but it doesn't have to do anything with the reverse gear or the stick.

SirAlec · 31st May 2010, 14:49

So this can be touted as a case of "a branch fell just when the bird sat on it".
and this can related to this car only.

I wanted to know this as a fact for the sake of knowledge. Other Fiat owners please comment.

rikhav · 31st May 2010, 21:54

As far as i understand there are very few cars in india in which you need to press a ring on the knob in the upwards direction and then engage reverse. In almont all cars its that you have to press the gear knbo down and then engage reverse
So when the reverse gear does not engage by pressing the knob down its done with force and might because its the valet's duty to get the car as soon as possible to the owner

. They break the bracket or in worst case the gear cable and claim that the car was like this when it was here. He thinks i could have driven for 30 kms to get to his HOTEL with the gear in such condition

No words to describe their level of ignorance and that too just to cover their mistakes. Atleast accept what has been done.

@Sir Alec, i am dead sure the bracket cracked because excessive force was applied to engage reverse as he was doing it in a totally wrong way. No way that bracket would get cracked if done in a proper way. I have this car for 6 years and why it has to happen only when the car comes back from the parking of a hotel. Agreed the system is different but since they would be driving so many cars they should have just asked for helped or used their head a little bit rather then doing it by force just for the heck of it

Red Liner · 31st May 2010, 22:04

Yeah, this has happened with a LOT of Fiat owners who have handed their cars over to the Valet.

Which is why I staunchly never give my cars to the Valet. I dont even hand my keys over to them.

rikhav · 31st May 2010, 23:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Yeah, this has happened with a LOT of Fiat owners who have handed their cars over to the Valet.

Which is why I staunchly never give my cars to the Valet. I dont even hand my keys over to them.

Hi Red Liner
Sam here, will never give the keys to the valet even if he insists the car is supposed to be parked quiet far
Enough is Enough

rudrah · 1st June 2010, 11:48

When you give any FIAT car to the Valet service, you need to specifically mention them about the Reverse Gear lock method.

As Rik mentioned, its not about flimsy piece but the amount of force applied to push it to reverse in the lock mode. Thats when the gear bracket breaks.

I had once mentioned when I had been to ITC but the guy said "Sir, I'm aware of FIAT cars" with a smile

I still prayed he doesnt mess it up and thankfully he didnt!

rikhav · 1st June 2010, 15:45

Rudrah
You can instruct the guy who takes the car, but they have so many people working. So for sure someone else will get it and he is the one who messes up with the gears.
Man, my bro argued with them for over 2 hours, still they were not ready to accept their mistake. All they said that our drivers drive even BMW's , how can they mess up with a Fiat. This is nothing but a mechanical fault due to wear and tear.

2nd November 2009, 23:10	#33
rikhav BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 220 Thanked: 113 Times	Hi Rudrah I thought all Wasan Service centre would have same stock. Will keep in mind Wasan Deonar when i need any spares next time. Thanks for the ingo
	() Thanks

29th May 2010, 23:30	#34
rikhav BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 220 Thanked: 113 Times	Okay guys, Time for damage update Last time it was Hotel Sun N Sand. This time Four Season Brother had gone there yesterday, when he gets the car back the gears feel real strange. He understood something has gone wrong, He immediately called the front office manager. The valet who took the car accepted that when he took the car all was fine. They pleaded to keep the car over there overnight and next day they will have it inspected by some technician and then only they can say anything As expected the mechanic checked. This time it was the gear lever bracket cracked. The hotel manager says this is a mechanical damage and that could have happened due to wear and tear. My brother tried to explain him a lot how it can happen in just 2 hours when he visits the hotel and how teh valet forcefully must have engaged reverse gear. The manager replies that their staff is fully trained and they have a fleet of BMW's, so they cant commit such mistake. After realizing its no point wasting time with people who are hell bound to cover up, I called up Kava Automobiles and they arranged the part immediately. The technician who came to inspect the part agreed to replace the bracket Forgot to add that as it was highly expected, TATA Motots, Worli Naka did not had the part in stock. The store manager replies that they dont stock Palio, Petra parts. So all Fiat owners who feel Fiat India is commited, think again Cost of the bracket - Rs. 350/- Labour charges to replace it - Rs 700/ Labour cost was on higher side but was too busy to argue and more important I had to pay all the more if i would get it towed and get to my desired mechanic I think it would be wise to say that never give your Palio/Petra to the valet guys specially in 5 stars . You can instruct the guy who takes the car about the tricky reverse but you cant instruct the guy who gets it back and he screws it big time as if it was his one last chance to engage the car in reverse
	() Thanks

31st May 2010, 13:52	#35
SirAlec Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: zxc Posts: 3,393 Thanked: 726 Times	the question is, Is the reverse gear or lever mechanism of FIAT, that flimsy. ? I doubt it. can any fiat owners comment on this?
	() Thanks

31st May 2010, 14:49	#37
SirAlec Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: zxc Posts: 3,393 Thanked: 726 Times	So this can be touted as a case of "a branch fell just when the bird sat on it". and this can related to this car only. I wanted to know this as a fact for the sake of knowledge. Other Fiat owners please comment.
	() Thanks

31st May 2010, 21:54	#38
rikhav BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 220 Thanked: 113 Times	As far as i understand there are very few cars in india in which you need to press a ring on the knob in the upwards direction and then engage reverse. In almont all cars its that you have to press the gear knbo down and then engage reverse So when the reverse gear does not engage by pressing the knob down its done with force and might because its the valet's duty to get the car as soon as possible to the owner . They break the bracket or in worst case the gear cable and claim that the car was like this when it was here. He thinks i could have driven for 30 kms to get to his HOTEL with the gear in such condition No words to describe their level of ignorance and that too just to cover their mistakes. Atleast accept what has been done. @Sir Alec, i am dead sure the bracket cracked because excessive force was applied to engage reverse as he was doing it in a totally wrong way. No way that bracket would get cracked if done in a proper way. I have this car for 6 years and why it has to happen only when the car comes back from the parking of a hotel. Agreed the system is different but since they would be driving so many cars they should have just asked for helped or used their head a little bit rather then doing it by force just for the heck of it Last edited by rikhav : 31st May 2010 at 21:59.
	() Thanks

31st May 2010, 22:04	#39
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,209 Thanked: 18,044 Times	Yeah, this has happened with a LOT of Fiat owners who have handed their cars over to the Valet. Which is why I staunchly never give my cars to the Valet. I dont even hand my keys over to them.
	() Thanks

1st June 2010, 11:48	#41
rudrah BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 644 Thanked: 47 Times View My Garage	When you give any FIAT car to the Valet service, you need to specifically mention them about the Reverse Gear lock method. As Rik mentioned, its not about flimsy piece but the amount of force applied to push it to reverse in the lock mode. Thats when the gear bracket breaks. I had once mentioned when I had been to ITC but the guy said "Sir, I'm aware of FIAT cars" with a smile I still prayed he doesnt mess it up and thankfully he didnt!
	() Thanks

1st June 2010, 15:45	#42
rikhav BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 220 Thanked: 113 Times	Rudrah You can instruct the guy who takes the car, but they have so many people working. So for sure someone else will get it and he is the one who messes up with the gears. Man, my bro argued with them for over 2 hours, still they were not ready to accept their mistake. All they said that our drivers drive even BMW's , how can they mess up with a Fiat. This is nothing but a mechanical fault due to wear and tear.
	() Thanks