[VeluM]

Many congratulations on your purchase! Thanks for the well-written review

So many consistent reviews and fans of Fiat's ride and handling abilities is drawing me to them too, despite the niggles and step-relative treatment guaranteed during sales and after.

Now I must TD a 2012 Linea asap!

[ameaa]

Congrats on your new acquisition. Nice write up. Its a solid car and you will enjoy the drive. Wish you many happy miles ahead.

[PremjitS]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Congrats on your new buy! Punto in white looks amazingly huge!

Though a bit off-topic, but might be of some help...

Not sure what B2B (business 2 business, right?) but I have had an experience with Future Generali on three occasions since Diwali last year and the claim was settled directly with zero hassles. (It was my friend's Punto for which he had to claim the insurance and I was the one helping him out with the entire thing). The overall satisfaction level with Future's was good. (I am speaking of Pune region)

Thanks! I was referring to Bumper-to-Bumper insurance coverage. Will be taking this up from next year onwards. If I had to opt for it this year, I had to shell out 8k extra or go for a new insurance all together.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Why couldn't you push the engine beyond 2k RPM?

Rather, did not want to push beyond 2k RPM for the initial few K Kms. Will be taking it easy. I am very sedate driver since I enjoy all the intricacies of driving. This is why even by 2002 Santro used to give me 18-19 kmpl within city .

Originally Posted by gemithomas

My humble request to you is PLEASE DO NOT take the car to the a.s.s for the minor niggles you might face during the ownership. Most of them would settle down on their own. My experience is that the a.s.s almost consistently manage to screw up something or the other while trying to solve such niggles.

Will be following your advice sir!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I used the exact same words (leap of faith) when a friend questioned my purchase decision.

I'm not sure how FIAT will recover - but one thing is for sure - this car (and the brand) will have amazing support online from its fans!

Z-LO's are a good choice. Why change them again when upgrading to alloys? FIAT OEM alloys are very expensive if you plan to purchase them aftermarket. There are better and cheaper options available IMO (You may need to search a bit to get the right PCD options though).

Let's just say: Punto 'ed minds think alike!
The Z-LO's are 14". So going to a 15" OEM Fiat alloy would require tyre switch too.

Originally Posted by VeluM

Many congratulations on your purchase! Thanks for the well-written review

So many consistent reviews and fans of Fiat's ride and handling abilities is drawing me to them too, despite the niggles and step-relative treatment guaranteed during sales and after.

Now I must TD a 2012 Linea asap!

You're quite welcome sir. Do not wait for that TD!! I had to literally control myself not to do the TD of that majestic Linea 2012 after selecing my car. Interiors on that car are simply luxurious and built to last.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Posts merged. Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by PremjitS

Let's just say: Punto 'ed minds think alike!
The Z-LO's are 14". So going to a 15" OEM Fiat alloy would require tyre switch too.

OEM alloys, as per FIAT India website is 9900 for one piece? Are you sure they are worth the asking price?

[PremjitS]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

OEM alloys, as per FIAT India website is 9900 for one piece? Are you sure they are worth the asking price?

I am getting 4 of them for around 14k. That is why I asked the dealer to keep one set for me when available. They regularly have people buying Emotion/Emotion Pack and swapping the alloys for more expensive (read bling) ones. Did not have the budget to get the alloys rightaway.

[shantyrocks]

Congratulations dude! A damn good report too!!

[arrowaby]

Congratulation on your New car..!!
Take good care of it and Happy Driving..!! Some more pics please

[nkrishnap]

Many congrats on the BNW Punto. This variant makes the most sense for people with budget constraints.

Every time you drive the car, it will bring a smile to you.

Enjoy many more happy miles Puntoing.

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by PremjitS

I have taken a leap of faith, only time will tell how well this goes with Fiat.

Many Congratulations on your new acquisition. Excellent choice

On the service aspect, Fiat is doing enough to improve the same & things are going to be better here on.

Going by Punto Sales Nos, it seems we BHPians are one of the major contributors. (I got my 1.3 Emotion on 22nd Feb).

[devil_klm]

Originally Posted by PremjitS

Thanks everyone!

Indeed, with the way backlog is for all Swift variants, it doesn't make sense to wait for 8-9 months only to learn the car you booked is now expensive by 50k. There has got to be some limit to this madness.

Cancellation charge is Rs. 250/- over here.

How much was the booking amount? I heard cancellation charges are around 2000. I was about to cancel my booking by march 16th. Luckly i got a call from dealer today saying my car has been dispatched and will be available within 20 days.

[PremjitS]

Originally Posted by ameaa

Congrats on your new acquisition. Nice write up. Its a solid car and you will enjoy the drive. Wish you many happy miles ahead.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

Congratulations dude! A damn good report too!!

Originally Posted by arrowaby

Congratulation on your New car..!!
Take good care of it and Happy Driving..!! Some more pics please

Will be taking few more snaps. Have been busy in office since getting the car. Would you believe it: have only punt on (see.....I can't seem to avoid the Punto feeling ) 270 on the ODO till now!!!

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Many congrats on the BNW Punto. This variant makes the most sense for people with budget constraints.

Every time you drive the car, it will bring a smile to you.

Enjoy many more happy miles Puntoing.

Indeed, that's what counts: enjoying the drive.

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Many Congratulations on your new acquisition. Excellent choice

On the service aspect, Fiat is doing enough to improve the same & things are going to be better here on.

Going by Punto Sales Nos, it seems we BHPians are one of the major contributors. (I got my 1.3 Emotion on 22nd Feb).

Thank you!

Originally Posted by devil_klm

How much was the booking amount? I heard cancellation charges are around 2000. I was about to cancel my booking by march 16th. Luckly i got a call from dealer today saying my car has been dispatched and will be available within 20 days.

Best wishes for your incoming Swift! Booking amount was/is 10K, for any variant.

Off late, I've had people asking me why I didn't go for new Dzire. This just shows people in India will go any length just to get a car with a boot, they will even adopt a Doberman! (that's what the new Swift is, apologies to any owners here. these are of course my personal views). Rarely do people here buy what they actually need and end up what would be better than their neighbour/relative.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by PremjitS

Off late, I've had people asking me why I didn't go for new Dzire. This just shows people in India will go any length just to get a car with a boot, they will even adopt a Doberman! (that's what the new Swift is, apologies to any owners here. these are of course my personal views). Rarely do people here buy what they actually need and end up what would be better than their neighbour/relative.

Hey congrats on your pick Premjit of the Hottest Looking Hatch in the country.

Man you really hit the Nail on the Head there Premjit. Couldn't agree more with you.

I sometimes think that if Maruti would Badge a Bullock cart and import 2 Italian Oxes to pull it around, Indian Mango People (aam junta) will still buy these. Afterall, Maintainance is easy, labour cheap and most importantly "You are Never Far from a Maruti Service Station" !!

You know it just as many True Petro heads, You have made the BEST CHOICE.

Drive Safe and Enjoy the MJD in the Way it is supposed to be Enjoyed...ON PUNTO/LINEA !!

[carwatcher]

Congrats for your good decision of buying Punto. I must say that I started admiring Punto more after I bought Linea. I haven't driven one yet but can understand the feeling.
I feel that the OEM alloys in the Punto are just too good and easily the best looking ones.
PS - I was 99.99% sure that you must have switched to Punto after reading the earlier title.

[PremjitS]

Time for an update!! High-time actually, regular updates from fellow forumer' s like KarthikK, CrazyDriver and others has finally compelled me to update my Punto chronicles. I mean, our 'community' is in minority, so all owners of such a car should spread the gospel around. Have been too lazy at times and terribly busy at others in just going through the forums and not posting updates myself. Here goes...

Just completed 14.5K this month, this done in 11 months of ownership. So got the 2nd free service done by the only Tata/Fiat dealer here (Joshi Autozone, car purchased from them) on 18th Feb. Was too late to learn that the 1st Fiat exclusive showroom/svc center had opened in Ambala, would have loved to visit there and experience further exclusivity . Below is the breakdown of the service cost:

Selenia (Petronas) Synth Oil 5W40: 3.5L 1807.54
Oil filter 365.33
Fuel filter 1777.78
Air filter 267.56
Overall lubrication (suspension, door/boot hinges, etc) 400
Wheel alignment/balancing 600
Front/rear brakepads clean 300
Taxes/labour (for wheel balancing/alignment) 1640

Total came out to be Rs. 6710/-. Interestingly, only 3.5L is required for oil change and Selenia only comes in 4L packs. So they charge for the 'loose' 3.5L amount and not the whole 4L can. I did confirm I could purchase the full can and keep the rest with me. Had to get wheel balancing/alignment done because of two issues: steering wheel pointing to left in centre position by around 5 deg. More importantly, car starts to pull left once over 60kmph. Had reported couple of noise issues: one from somewhere in the dashboard and second from the front left door. Had recently got the crossovers reinstalled with zip ties and it seems something was again left loose on the door. The dashboard noise from result of a recent trip where an atrocious stretch of bad road was encountered. Was on time for the 10.30am appointment and left the car at the dealership by 11.30am once SA had jotted down the issues, delivery was set @ 6PM. When I reached at 7.15pm, wheels were still being checked for alignment issue. Disappointingly and what is actually a norm at the dealership, work began on the car only after 3pm. This was acknowledged by the SA himself. Rest of service essentials had been taken care of, so took the delivery after setting up appointment for later in the week for the remaining left pulling and steering position issues.

Went in again next Monday on 25th Feb for the remaining issues and again got the same SA to jot them down. Since they again had a huge rush, I hinted to the SA that I was ready to leave the car at their place in case the issue was not addressed by evening. Well, in hindsight this turned to be a mistake as the issues did not get resolved in time. I got the call next morning at 11 that they were now resolved. Due to my work schedule, I went to pick up the car at 5pm and found that the steering wheel had now been centered and front shockers again greased (had found them to be too soft). However, the SA said they did not find anything wrong with the car pulling to left above 60Kmph and even their senior SA took the road test to confirm this. I didn't think I was going to get much headway with these guys and would rather have this checked outside from a specialized alignment shop.

Would appreciate inputs for this issue where the car doesn't start pulling upto 50-60Kmph and only starts to do this at high speeds. At around 80Kmph, the pull is immediate so you can't leave the steering for a second as well. Could this be because of the front wheels which I had recently got crossed by the rears (this was done at 10k mark with front right-to-rear left and front left-to-rear right) and one of those wheels having uneven tread? Mind you, I had switched to MRF ZLOs 185/70 R14 immediately upon delivery.