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Old 21st December 2005, 17:40   #1
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Problem with Siena gears & clutch

Last week I gave my car for denting and painting work. As this involved claiming Insurance, It took longer than expected.

Today, I received a call from the service supervisor that the car is almost done but a new problem has arised. The gears are not getting engaged and the clutch pedal is completely pressed. They tracked the problem to Clutch cylinder (or Master cylinder?). There is some oil leak from the cylinder. Replacing it will cost Rs.1000 + labor charges (On the higher side for a Fiat).

The car was perfectly fine till I gave it to them and the service people also drove it to a different workshop for the painting. I argued with the supervisor that this was caused on their side. If it was a wear & tear problem, i would have noticed long back. It cannnot be a sudden break down. I did not nitice any oil leak earlier.

Can you guys suggest how I handle this?
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Old 21st December 2005, 17:57   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by satish_appasani
The gears are not getting engaged and the clutch pedal is completely pressed.
You've lost clutch fluid. Since this wasnt part of the complaints registered by on the job card when the car was taken in, they have to sort it out themselves.

Are they charging you Rs.1,000 for the clutch fluid or for fluid + some spares (clutch fluid hose, maybe?). Anyway, you dont have to pay for damage caused by them.
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Old 21st December 2005, 18:02   #3
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Since the problem was not reported earlier and has errupted now, there is no reason why YOU should pay for it. They have to fix it at their cost, if they have broken it.
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Old 21st December 2005, 18:02   #4
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They say, they have to replace the cylinder.
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Old 21st December 2005, 18:26   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by satish_appasani
They say, they have to replace the cylinder.
Rs.1,000/- for the master cylinder + fluids???? That sounds too good to be true!
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Old 21st December 2005, 19:00   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steeroid
Rs.1,000/- for the master cylinder + fluids???? That sounds too good to be true!
Actually!!! I do not believe this. Forget FIAT, even Maruti with its cheaper spares won't do it this cheap. I suspect something else. They are not telling you the exact problem they have caused but making it sound so bad that you do not think twice before shelling out the money.

I suggest you go to their workshop (unannounced) and insist on seeing the vehicle then and there. See what the problem is.
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Old 21st December 2005, 19:38   #7
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Probably they are just talking about replacing the Oil Seal Kit for the Master Cylinder. A couple of 'O' Rings Might be. Good thing to go over to the workshop and check the Part being replaced yourself
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Old 21st December 2005, 20:07   #8
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how many days your vhecile painding without running , those things depands, if a long time your car in non use that time master cylender can get jam if engien side is dimage that time do not pay singal paisa & say the person to supllymentry claim to insurance co.
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Old 9th June 2006, 12:19   #9
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Ok, Just realised that I didn't update this.

In Palio & Siena, both Brakes & Clutch share the same lubricant. I mean, the brake oil is also used to lubricate the clutch. Few days before I gave the car to service center, i noticed that brake oil level was falling down. When I asked the great folks at Fiat *** to check that, they told me that they have checked the whole brake setup and they can't identify the cause of problem. I was just filling the oil every 200 KMS. As I was filling the oil at slightest drop in level i couldn't notice any problem with clutch.

When the car was with the service center for 10 days, the oil drained completely and so the clutch stopped working. Then they figured out that the problem is clutch cylinder. True, i paid only Rs.1000 for that. They said it's some outer cylinder. First they said they don't have the stock but when i threatened them seriously, they got the spare in 3 hours time.

I could have hidden the truth that the problem was there earlier and got a free replacement, but i did not have the heart to cheat those guys.

Anyway I sold the car now and bought a nice Viva CRDI for my Dad.Thought this info would be useful for members owning Fiat cars.

Last edited by satish_appasani : 9th June 2006 at 12:21.
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Old 9th June 2006, 14:46   #10
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My Siena has also had the clutch cylinder replaced a few months ago.. Seems to be a common problem around 50K KMs.. Started the car one day and the clutch pedal simply went in all the way. Called Sundaram. They came with a spare, oil and fixed it. Time taken - 2 hours from my call. Bill was 1400 RS for service at home !!! Was quite impressed.

Of course, Sundaram's Fiat service levels have gone down since then and they are closing shop. The Rajajinagar workshop is becoming a GM body workshop now.
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Old 9th June 2006, 23:17   #11
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My Sienna went to the paint booth for a touch up and the next morning....... No clutch. As the owner was a friend I did not really create a stink, but after reading this, I think that the Sienna clutch slave cylinder just fails at around 50K Km. Cost me Rs 1100/- if I remember right.
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Old 10th June 2006, 20:51   #12
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Be a resposible customer

[quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by satish_appasani
When the car was with the service center for 10 days, the oil drained completely and so the clutch stopped working. Then they figured out that the problem is clutch cylinder. True, i paid only Rs.1000 for that. They said it's some outer cylinder. First they said they don't have the stock but when i threatened them seriously, they got the spare in 3 hours time.

quote]
I presume that they must have replaced the MC kit. Have'nt they returned your old damaged part. Make sure you collect all your old replaced parts unless ofcourse it is under warranty. This way you will be helping yourself and others. If the dealer is dishonest he would show your old part to some other customer and take him for a ride or it could be you yourself. Secondly even if they don't use it they will just sell the whole lot of old parts to some bidder and these will come back to us as reconditioned parts.

Be a resposible customer and make sure you damage these old parts before disposal. I make it a point to smash old spark plugs with a hammer before discarding them. Same with mineral water bottles, shampoo bottles, Stab them with a knife to ensure that they don't come back to us with spurious fillings.

So long....
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