[dj_turbo]

Hi Friends

Exactly 5 months and 15 days back, I got into a long commitment with one Italian beauty who promised me to take care of me whenever I take her out and keep me safe with all the bells and whistles which others call ABS and airbags. I chose her because I wanted something different that the masses and I loved the beautiful curves and voluptuous styling. I was bored being a petrolhead for a long time and was eager to convert to Dieselism. I wanted to take her out every time I step out of home and wanted to say good bye to any opportunity to meet millions of people in buses or trains.

I have a childhood dream of doing a cross-country driving expedition in my own car, but earlier I did not have one and then when the self earned vitamin M crossed the BPL mark, the nomadic nature of my job didn’t allow to think about buying a car and settling in one place. But as they say, everything is written and when it is written, it has to happen, I went thru some tough time and wanted to come out of that by keeping myself happy J (a reason to ignore all the reasons for not buying a car). So in March this year, decided to buy a car; The purchase decision process was something which you read in every initial ownership report, I did not have any fixed budget, the choices ranged from a i20D to Safari and to Cruze. I was even eying a Vento but dealer response in Gurgaon and 6 months of waiting period was a big turn off (TL variant was too basic which had 3 months of WL) and as we already have a Hyundai at home, i20 was ruled out (the steering rattle issues was a turn off too). Safari was said to be replaced soon, so were the Fiesta and Verna, so did not consider them. Then the preference changed and decided to go for a small one so that if I am not there tomorrow (of course, I meant going away for work) my parents could use the car, who are more comfortable in driving and parking a small car.

So test drove the 90HP and loved the power in that ride. The looks were awesome and features were just perfect. Went ahead and booked it but then the Gurgaon dealer spoiled the fun by delaying the delivery and I got the car only after waiting for 25 days, that was first week of April’11.

Since then, we have seen so many ups and downs together and we managed to have 6200 (s)miles together. I have been on a long honeymoon with the beauty, where two of us went to different places, two times to Agra, two times to Jaipur, once to Kasuali, three times to Jodhpur and back (all from Gurgaon) and the last one was from Jodhpur to Mumbai. All the trips have been non-stop kind of trips where we were not together only for the times I went to de-fuel or she wanted to re-fuel.

At times I wish she had even more power as the weight she carries to keep me safe is just too much for the smaller engine and even variable geometry turbo add-on is not enough. Possibly I will gift her some help from Pete’s and some other stuff (my friends here can help me in deciding).

The service experience so far has been very disappointing to say the least. The car met with an accident where I had to get the front bumper replaced, Dhingra motors in Gurgaon made a big mess which was finally cleaned after some mail communications and four visits to their workshop. More on this can be found out here (Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community). The experience with Marudhara motors in Jodhpur also have been bad as they returned the car with a big dent on the tail gate, possible done by over-enthusiastic mechanics in the workshop, for which I will have to shell out money to get it repaired.

In few days I will be touching 10,000 Kms mark and just contemplating replacing the engine oil now when I visit the service center next week, will go for Fiat recommended Selenia. I also need to address one issue of fender lining at the right front side, which somehow touching the tyre and getting wasted again and again. This will be the third time I am getting it replaced.

What I like:

• Stunning design. I wanted a great looking car which stands apart from the crowd and yes, there is no match (IMHO) to this beauty and the tuscon wine color is just too good.
• Solid build quality and superb ride quality, feels like a segment above, when I drove my dad’s Santro, it felt like a toy (no offences to Santro, it’s been my lovely ride for 6 yers)
• Low Running cost of a diesel, have done 5 Mumbai-Jodhpur drives and one to Mumbai so far.
• Love the power steering with proper feedback, City and Vento were let down for me in that segment, but this hatch is way ahead.
• Blue & Me is great to have for a person who drives solo most of the times.
• No complaints for the build quality and the interior’s plastic feel.

What I don't:

• Wish it had more power (even 90HP is not good enough for this tank).
• The gearing feels little rubbery, the first gear is too short for me but I love the way she delivers in third cog.
• Less space/bottle holders to keep small items and bottles while on highways and when you are solo traveler, these things are missed badly.
• Engine noise at speed and also the wind noise at the highways.
• Service experience hasn’t been great so far, but thankfully, no major issues so far.
• Navigator’s seat Rattling issue was there for long but now it has been corrected. The glove box rattling has to be looked upon now.

Fuel Efficiency:

This is the area where I need some input from fellow BHPians. In bumper to bumper traffic of Mumbai and slow moving traffic in Gurgaon, I managed to get around 12-14 (AC always on) and on highways, I get around 16-18 Kmpl (either there is huge jams on the way or I drive at speeds more than 120). I am not sure if whatever I am getting so far is good enough for a MJD or it should have been better.
• 12-14 (City) Mumbai/Gurgaon // 16-18 (Highway)
(Always tank-full method used and an Android application on SGS2 is a great way to maintain the records).

Few Pictures:

The D(elivery)-Day, She is standing tall in the crowd:


And looking curiously :


The Footwear, I just love the massive size:


The sad looking friends at the time of Vidayi :


Her Introduction:


The National Engine, our own Fiat 1.3 MJD VGT


Isn't she gorgeous:


On completing first 2000 Kms with me:


Need to have atleast 20 more to that:


At Home :


Way back from Kasauli:




We crunched miles after miles, and sometimes took break off the road:




FatehPur Sikri:


Jaipur:




Attachment 613723



Cheers
Dj

[amtak]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. It is indeed a good car. Care to elaborate more on the service experience that you have mentioned?

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on your car! Some very good pictures there!
I'm almost sure to book the car in a few days, had a longish test drive and found the 1st gear the only problem as you mentioned, its too short. Noise at speeds in excess of 100 is also on the higher side, apart from these grouses the car is brilliant!
Yours is the Tuscan Wine color right ?

[raj_5004]

Congrats on your 90 hp buddy, I too own one, so i know how exactly you are feeling.

Mine has clocked 8200 kms but sadly only 1 highway drive! I took her to 150 kmph & the car felt rock solid & stable. Show me another hatch which can do this! The i20 & swift cant, polo is better but not in the Punto's league. I have not driven the Fabia.

[aks_karthik]

Congrats dj_turbo for the Good Selection.
One of my friend also booked Punto 90BHP in White.
you can try RaceChip Tunning Box www.RaceChip.de which i installed before 6 months and have been enjoying the extra power from Mid Range till red line.

[ryan_wheelz]

Originally Posted by dj_turbo

Hi Friends

Exactly 5 months and 15 days back, I got into a long commitment with one Italian beauty who promised me to take care of me whenever I take her out and keep me safe with all the bells and whistles which others call ABS and airbags. I chose her because

Congrats Buddy , I love the color of your P90hp .. looks full import , i guess you keep her clean all the time. A close friend owns the 90 hp too (white) - did 130 on the sea link once (mumbai) it was so stable & just ran to 90 kmph with no effort.

Nice pic

Cheers!

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by amtak

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. It is indeed a good car. Care to elaborate more on the service experience that you have mentioned?

Thanks Amtak. There were two occasions where I was disappointed with the level of service quality at the dealership. The first instance was at Dhingra motors, Gurgaon where the quality of work done to repair the accidental damage was poor and the skill level of their work force to handle Fiat cars was really poor (details in thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ealership.html. The other experience was at Marudhara Motors in Jodhpur where they returned the car with a big dent on the tail gate and I am still following up on that issue with Fiat. (I will be opening a new thread on that shortly).

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Congrats on your car! Some very good pictures there!
I'm almost sure to book the car in a few days, had a longish test drive and found the 1st gear the only problem as you mentioned, its too short. Noise at speeds in excess of 100 is also on the higher side, apart from these grouses the car is brilliant!
Yours is the Tuscan Wine color right ?

Thanks Shashank.nk, yes, the first gear is too short for my liking and the wind + tyre noise at higher speeds is too much. I hope those things will go away when I replace the tyres to Michelin (after 40K kms) and change engine oil to Mobil after the warranty is over.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Congrats on your 90 hp buddy, I too own one, so i know how exactly you are feeling.

Mine has clocked 8200 kms but sadly only 1 highway drive! I took her to 150 kmph & the car felt rock solid & stable. Show me another hatch which can do this! The i20 & swift cant, polo is better but not in the Punto's league. I have not driven the Fabia.

Thanks raj_5004, I have read your ownership threads which I find very unbiased and informative. I completely agree with what you have mentioned, i have taken my car to 160 but ran out of road to do even more, but I felt that it wouldn't do excess of 165. I ruled out Polo (and vento) while choosing the car as there is no VW service center in Jodhpur and the waiting period is too much. Moreover could not convince myself for buying a 3-pot motor. But later on a highway trip, I was doing close to 150 for more than one hour with a Polo and it didn't look any slower than Punto.

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Congrats dj_turbo for the Good Selection.
One of my friend also booked Punto 90BHP in White.
you can try RaceChip Tunning Box www.RaceChip.de which i installed before 6 months and have been enjoying the extra power from Mid Range till red line.

Thanks aks_karthik, I will go thru the link but any modification will come after I cross the warranty period.

Cheers
Dj

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dj_turbo

Thanks raj_5004, I have read your ownership threads which I find very unbiased and informative. I completely agree with what you have mentioned, i have taken my car to 160 but ran out of road to do even more, but I felt that it wouldn't do excess of 165. I ruled out Polo (and vento) while choosing the car as there is no VW service center in Jodhpur and the waiting period is too much. Moreover could not convince myself for buying a 3-pot motor. But later on a highway trip, I was doing close to 150 for more than one hour with a Polo and it didn't look any slower than Punto.

Thanks friend. Even I thought Polo & Fabia being 3 cylinders would not be good & did not bother taking a test drive. But later after driving the Polo diesel, I was in for a rude shock. Polo is much more responsive than the Punto! Of course, the Punto is more refined whereas Polo is noisy & sounds gruffy but the initial pull you get from that 3 cyl motor is surprising! In city, you will enjoy driving the Polo more than the Punto. As speeds increase, Polo's steering turn very light, motor sounds noisy & the car does not feel as stable or well planted as the Punto.

[arvi86]

Congrats dj_turbo on getting into a long-term commitment with the Italian Beauty! She indeed is stunning and gorgeous. Awesome pictures mate, bring more of them on. I love the Punto and Linea, especially in that lovely shade of 'Tuscan Wine'.

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by arvi86

Congrats dj_turbo on getting into a long-term commitment with the Italian Beauty! She indeed is stunning and gorgeous. Awesome pictures mate, bring more of them on. I love the Punto and Linea, especially in that lovely shade of 'Tuscan Wine'.

Thanks arvi86, I am myself looking forward to click more in coming days

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Thanks friend. Even I thought Polo & Fabia being 3 cylinders would not be good & did not bother taking a test drive. But later after driving the Polo diesel, I was in for a rude shock. Polo is much more responsive than the Punto! Of course, the Punto is more refined whereas Polo is noisy & sounds gruffy but the initial pull you get from that 3 cyl motor is surprising! In city, you will enjoy driving the Polo more than the Punto. As speeds increase, Polo's steering turn very light, motor sounds noisy & the car does not feel as stable or well planted as the Punto.

Agreed, I felt the Punto is overall a better package than Polo diesel (IMHO) for my kind of usage. I have seen that you have done quite a things with your BNW jet. I would love to experience the ICE of your car :P
I would also love to know about how you take care of your car and which one is the best TASS in Mumbai for Fiats.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Congrats on your car! Some very good pictures there!
I'm almost sure to book the car in a few days, had a longish test drive and found the 1st gear the only problem as you mentioned, its too short. Noise at speeds in excess of 100 is also on the higher side, apart from these grouses the car is brilliant!
Yours is the Tuscan Wine color right ?

Shashank.nk, did not notice your question earlier, yes; it is Tuscan Wine color.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dj_turbo

I have seen that you have done quite a things with your BNW jet. I would love to experience the ICE of your car :P
I would also love to know about how you take care of your car and which one is the best TASS in Mumbai for Fiats.

sure buddy, anytime. since, you are from mumbai, we can meet up easily.

Right now, I am not doing much to take care of my car. I am a sucker for clean black tires, so i have bought Cyclo tire foam & Armor all tire shine. Every sunday, i give my car a good wash & clean with micro fibre cloth. I have hired a cleaner for the other days

But now, I am taking knowledge from this thread for taking care of my car. I am planning to buy Armor All or Formula 1 products for washing & waxing.

Apart from that, I plan to detail my car from Concepto Carz spa once in every 6 months. You can see my thread here. I have heard that 3M has also opened store in borivali. I spoke to one of their representaives & they said they have various Meguiars producs for sale too.

Regarding TASS, I have read from this & other FIAT forums that Fortune (Powai/Sakinaka) is the best & since its quite close to my place, I go there. I have no complaints with them. Please note that I have gone there thrice only, twice for bumper repairs & once for first service.

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

But now, I am taking knowledge from this thread for taking care of my car. I am planning to buy Armor All or Formula 1 products for washing & waxing.

Apart from that, I plan to detail my car from Concepto Carz spa once in every 6 months. You can see my thread here. I have heard that 3M has also opened store in borivali. I spoke to one of their representaives & they said they have various Meguiars producs for sale too.

I will also try to learn from this thread now. Right now I also have hired a person to daily clean the car but I have to take some more care now as once cleaning itself left some spiral scratch marks because of abrasive sand particles :(

This Tuesday I will be visiting Om Sai Motors in Kandivali West for removing the dent on the back. I hope they are better than the previous ones.

Dj

[C300]

Congrats DJ - This is the first time I seeing a Punto in Tuscan wine colour and man..its hot. I was under impression that the colour is only available for T-Jet.
Thanks for sharing the pics. Do share some interior pics.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by dj_turbo

I will also try to learn from this thread now. Right now I also have hired a person to daily clean the car but I have to take some more care now as once cleaning itself left some spiral scratch marks because of abrasive sand particles :(

Same here. these guys are always in a hurry & they never care for the car as we do! Anyways, it can be removed by a good waxing job, so no worries.

How did the dent happen? did i miss something?

EDIT:
From where did you get the sensors fitted? dealer? Why dint you opt for body coloured ones?

[dj_turbo]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Same here. these guys are always in a hurry & they never care for the car as we do! Anyways, it can be removed by a good waxing job, so no worries.

How did the dent happen? did i miss something?

EDIT:
From where did you get the sensors fitted? dealer? Why dint you opt for body coloured ones?

The dent happened at Marudhara Motors Jodhpur. I have mentioned the details in this thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...s-jodhpur.html

Yes, I got he sensors fitted from Dealer (Dhingra, Gurgaon) He promised me genuine Fiat ones, but gave a non-Fiat one. He also said that those are available only in black and would lose the sensitivity, if painted. I checked at other dealers also and they said the same thing about painting the sensors and only black/white being available.
These sensors are working fine but only problem is the snap-on kind of rear-view mirror, which, on hot days, proves too heavy for standard RVM and becomes loose. As a work around, I keep once AC vent directed towards this to make it cooler.

Originally Posted by C300

Congrats DJ - This is the first time I seeing a Punto in Tuscan wine colour and man..its hot. I was under impression that the colour is only available for T-Jet.
Thanks for sharing the pics. Do share some interior pics.

Thanks C300, interior pics will also come soon.