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-   -   2014 Fiat Linea T-Jet: Initial Ownership Experience (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/157529-2014-fiat-linea-t-jet-initial-ownership-experience-3.html)

Can anyone assist with where one can find the running in procedure suggested by fiat for the T jet ?
I just picked one up yesterday, and could not find any reference in the users' manual about running in procedure.

There is no run in procedure as such. Don't rev the nuts off the engine for the first 1000km or so. Feel free to drive the car at whatever speed you wish, just take it easy getting there. Go easy on the brakes too.

No run in procedure advised by Fiat so you will not find anything , atleast not in the older manuals which we have prior to the facelift. Patience and a light foot for the first 1000-1500 Km's is enough.

Hi friends,
Sorry about the long silence, just couldn't help it.

Anyway, since i recently crossed >10000Kms with my T Jet, i thought of taking some time out to update this thread.

I took delivery of the T Jet at the beginning of October 2014. I crossed the 10K mark in the second week of May 2015 - that makes it approximately 8 months, averaging 1250km/month. Not very far from the initial calculation i had made, prior to buying the car. As i mentioned in my first post, i own a Maruti Alto LXi (2008), which take care of my day to day commutes to work and to the supermarket. Like my earlier Baleno, the T Jet is almost exclusively used for highway trips, out of town.

Issues faced till now:
Practically nothing, other than the initial few issues i described in my initial post. Those issues were sorted out then and there.

• The fuel lid do 'misbehave' once in a while, but i have now learned how to close it, in case it doesn't close with the first attempt.
• The 'wobbling' of the steering was taken care of in the first service (5K kms) and is barely noticeable now. It does feel somewhat 'wobbly' when my speed exceeds 120kms - planing to address it at the next service (15k kms)
• I got a call from the Fiat service center in April 2015, asking me to take the car to them, for a 'voluntary recall' for replacement of the 'electric cable' of the mobile charging / cigarette lighter socket. The replacement was done in less than half an hour and the whole thing took barely a hour at the service center.
• There was an issue with the wind shield washer pump - while trying to clean the windshield by activating the pump (and the wiper), the water hose carrying the water from the reservoir to the nozzle used to get disconnected, apparently from the pressure developed. Initially i thought the pump has stopped working or the nozzle had got blocked, but i soon found out that the water hose is getting disconnected. I initially fastened it with a thin plastic cord and informed the issue at the time of the first service and it was corrected. The issue has not come back after the first service.

The experience so far with the T Jet:

I drive the car myself all the time and each time it is a pleasure to get behind the steering wheel!

The car takes off like a 'jet' leaving everyone behind, including two wheelers :D . The car is 'agile' and you practically never feel short of power. Even when cruising at upper three digit speeds, if you need to execute a quick overtake, there is still power for you to tap!

I have tried high speeds for brief periods on empty stretch in the highway. My usual driving speed is between 110-120km/hr on the highways. You feel 'in control' all the time. And i use the cruise control extensively. One added benefit from the cruise control i am finding out is that it prevents me from over speeding (further) - if i am already cruising at say 110kmh and someone else zooms past me, i do not step on the accelerator as a 'reflex' (which i used to get tempted to do)!

There were a few instances where i did engage in some sort of a 'race' on the TN highways, esp in response to someone trying to overtake me 'aggressively' - i know it is 'childish' to engage in this sort of thing, but i guess it is OK to have some fun, occasionally. Every single one of them have learned a hard lesson after such 'races' - do not mess with a T Jet on the highways, esp if the guy driving is not averse to speeding!

Negotiating the curves on the highways, even when driving at 120km/hr with the cruise control on, do not require you to slow down / disengage the cruise control - the T Jet manages the corners as if (to borrow someone else's words) on rails! (The only thing you need to worry about is the stray cow/animal who may not have the same regard you have for traffic rules!)

The ground clearance is so good that you will never hit your belly anywhere, even in village roads. The only one instance where something hit the underbelly of my T Jet was during our recent trip to Kodaikanal. I was trying to park my car off the road, on a muddy patch, and failed to notice a rock jutting out from the mud. The T Jet, even when fully loaded, will go over the most ill-designed sharp hump without scraping it.

The brakes, to lay man like me, is simply too good. In fact, the only instance of someone 'scratching' my T Jet happened when a two wheeler tail ended me in the town, when i braked at a red light. Luckily it was nothing bad.

No 'rattling' issues till now, i hope it stays that way for many thousand kilometers more!

The 'Blue and Me' system is a bit complicated, i should admit. I use the blue tooth connectivity to talk on my phone while driving, but i am yet to utilize the full potential of the 'Blue and Me' system.

Overall, as you might have understood by now, i am enjoying my time with the T Jet. clap:

The only 'fly in the ointment' with the T Jet is the mileage - rather expectedly! The best mileage i have measured is about 13.5km/l - on a drive of about 540km from Pondicherry to Kottayam (Via Villupuram, trichy, Dindigul, Theni, Kumily). The mileage for drives within the town is a lowly 8.8-9km/l. All with AC on all the time. I have not made any conscious effort to increase the mileage by altering my driving style, till now.



The Car at the fiat showroom (Manakular Motors) ready for delivery:


The snap was taken when we stopped for tea somewhere between Batlagundu and Periyakulam, on our way from Kottayam to Pondicherry, via kumily - Theni - Dindigul - trichy.


On the ghat road to Kodaikanal, from Batlagundu.


The car crossed 10000km by 15th May 2015 I have added another 1000km, since then)


The boot is quite voluminous and swallows a lot of your luggage and other stuff!

My T jet came on the 15th January this year & has just crossed 6000 Kms. As you state, the car is excellent in all aspects, the ride & power delivery are phenomenal, as are the brakes. However, the relative low mileage has been of some concern to me. I echo your readings, about 7 to 8 Kmpl in city, and about 12 to 14 kmpl out station. I wonder why this is so. The engine is quite torquey, and with the turbo, it really should be much more fuel efficient on long runs. I also beleive even with the 16" wheels, the car is under geared for its potential. I intend to get the engine checked for right mapping, perhaps it is running too rich, or the turbo is not delivering complete boost perhaps to a faulty recirculating valve....I will keep you all posted.

@Shramik: I don't know whether I should be surprised with the mileage of my T Jet. The 13.5km/l mileage was not bad, I thought, because: 1) Almost 350km of the 540km was covered at a speed of mostly 120km/h 2) The rest of the distance was either ghat road, or broken roads in and around towns (Villupuram, Theni, Periyakulam, Gudalur etc and the KK road). My Baleno used to return a image of 13.8-14km/l for this trip. In comparison, I felt that the T Jet did give an acceptable mileage.

To be honest, I am yet to spot a T Jet other than mine, on the road!
I do see MultiJets, even the new generation ones. Do get to see Puntos as well, but not the T Jets. Any idea how many T Jets Fiat has sold in India? The monthly sales posted in the form club all 'Lineas' under one head and I guess most of it will be the MJD version. One thing keeps nagging me at the back of my mind - after a few years when Fiat replace the Linea with the upcoming Aegea, are we, the T Jet owners going to get spares easily?

Any car, after de-commissioned, should be supported for 10 years with respect to the parts. With sites like 99rpm, I would not be worried much. Plus, Fiat will take its own time to bring a new product. This should be continued for at least 2 more years and they might even continue as T-Jet classic even after launching a new version.

The T jet is a 1.3, with the forced draft (turbo) co-efficient of 1.4, this equals a capacity equivalent to a 1.8 litre engine. For its weight, and with the higher efficiency of forced draft induction, I would expect at least 20% higher fuel efficiency at rpm which is around its maximum torque. As I said, I will check tank full to tank full mileage to re check the accuracy of the on board computer, and after this is established, will take to to Fiat for a mapping check. Any advise would be grateful !

There is quite a lot of subjectivity in this area given the numerous dynamics involved , everything from road to weather to foot heaviness conditions :) , but there is no harm in taking her in for a look.

The AC will typically lower economy by about 20-25% , the effect of this is exaggerated within the city than on straight long runs obviously.

I just did a Delhi - Himachal- Delhi, in excess of 14.5 one way and 17kmpl the other way , peaks of 18-19kmpl achieved enough times as well.

I quite agree to what you say, but this "subjectivity" factor should get diluted over a longer mileage. Now, at about 6,000 Kms, with long drives city driving combined the car is decidedly thirsty for its power & weight. It returns today from a tankful to tankful 500 Kms trip. I will refill it to the brim again tomorrow, & will revert. Then, next stop, KHT Motors (the dealers !!)

Any suggestions to prevent the Italian leather upholstery from getting dirty? They came in off-white color and I think is getting a 'worn' appearance (esp the driver's seat). I had inquired about seat cover at the time of buying the car and was told that it is not necessary.

The T Jet runs the same 1.4l block found on the naturally aspirated petrol Punto/Linea. The engine internals have been reworked to support the additional power and to accommodate a turbocharger. It is not a modern engine by today's standards and if you were to compare it to competitor technologies such as Honda iVtec, Ford's Ecoboost and VW Tsi. The engine sold in India does not get direct injection too.

Stock factory tuning goes no higher than 190bhp for the 1.4l T Jet. Very impressive.

On the subject of economy, it is poor. To start with, it is hauling a over weight car and with a ton of drag added by those wide foot print tires. The widest tires on offer in the segment. The best economy I have managed is 15.6kmpl, tankful to tankful method with a low load from the air conditioner. It is the opposite in the city cycle where the economy can drop as low as 7kmpl. When the engine is off boost, it behaves exactly like the naturally aspirated unit, which in any case was known to be a gas guzzler even on a Punto. There is nothing you can do and I would not ask the service station to meddle with anything to boost economy.

The downsizing trend with petrol engines, slapping them with a turbo sure equals and probably betters the power of engines of similar and higher capacity. What has not been a success is economy. They are about the same as their bigger capacity engines. I have observed this even with the higly advanced VW Tsi. It is economical when driven right, else, it drinks as much gas as a 1.6l engine. Ford's Ecoboost should manage to get close to the economy numbers of an Alto K10. It is nowhere near it. Only one engine delivers on power and economy, Honda's iVtec.

Don't put a seat cover. Get this to keep the leather clean and conditioned.

http://www.meguiars.co.in/product/428

Thank you, Sandeepmohan.
First of all, I stand corrected, the Linea T Jet is a 1.4, not a 1.3 as I had erronously qouted.
However, with twin cams, 4 valves/cylinder, & variable valve timing, the engine itself sounds pretty efficient, and with turbo boost, it should certainly breathe better. My mileage is nowhere near 16 kmpl on long journeys unless I am very, very careful with the throttle, & this is not always possible....Therefore I suspect something with the mapping. I suspect it is either running richer than it ought to, or there is not adequate boos (faulty gate valve setting ?) Another suspect is valve timing.
KHT have agreed to re look at the internals, and I do hope they have someone competent to decipher the mapping.....
Will keep this forum updated.

It is after feathering the throttle and with speeds not exceeding 100kmph did I manage 15.6kmpl. On a drive to Hyderbad and back last December, I maintained 120-130Kmph where possible, the economy was 11.5kmpl which I thought was okay. If your highway driving pattern is similar to mine, then you should get these numbers.

I don't believe KHT or any of the authorized service outlets have the ability to play with engine maps. I say don't meddle with it.

While it is hard to do, one mileage run, each side covering a distance of no more than 100km should confirm your engine is healthy or not. I have managed around 270km with half a tank of gas, as indicated by the fuel gauge on the meter console.

The air intake plumbing is also one of the reasons for low city economy. It ends behind the headlamp assembly. When you are idling along, the engine is basically pulling in hot air from within the engine bay. This is a sure shot way to kill economy as turbo's and engines perform best with a higher density of air or cooler air.