[venkyhere]

Hi Dr. Parameswaran ,

I am sending you (and others who have participated in this ownership thread) this long query because I too am bitten by the T-jet bug and have a tough time deciding. I came across your very informative ownership review. I would be glad if you, as a long term owner, could help me with a few questions I have before I make the plunge ?

A bit of background about me :
I used to own a 2014 skoda rapid, which met with an accident which led to total loss. I am looking for a worthy replacement. I escaped a 100kmph collision with the rear of a underrun-bar-less full-load lorry going at 30kmph, all because a biker jumped into the fast lane from the bushes on the highway and my reflexes saved his life => bottom line = car took the hit very well, front completely gone, left A-pillar broke into two. Rest of the body shell intact, I escaped without even a scratch, steering column did not move even a cm.
The accident completely justified my 'unpopular' choice of going for a skoda (VW). So when I look for a replacement, this is the priority order for consideration :
1. Safety
2. Brakes, road grip, ride and NVH insulation - the linea ticks all these boxes stupendously
3. service center quality & parts reliability
4. price
5. acceleration and speed
6. fuel efficiency
7. looks

I used to be a speed nut and have had fun with my K10 estilo - but then as I matured, I learned to control the urge to aggressive driving and made peace with a max speed of 110 kmph. So even when I am considering the Tjet (110 kmph is barely tickling the engine, I know) , in my mind, I plan to stick to my current driving habits. (I don't care whether I reach EKM @12 noon or @1pm or @2pm for a 4am start from bangalore - I used to take 9 hrs with a 20 mins breakfast break on my rapid. Hence I am not really a 'pusher' of the car - atleast I think so).

So you get my drift. I am roughly in the same boat as you were, a few yrs ago. Battle between the head and heart. The heart is no longer swung by the speeds the beast can do, but by (2) above. I am ready to face some disappointments if I go with the heart, but I need your help to know whether I would absolutely beat myself to death in the future, if the disappointments are going to be ultra-mega-giga scale. Salaried guys like me don't get to blow cash very often. My basic fear is, how much is the probability that I might end up with an absolute lemon or an absolute peach.

Below is my current opinion of the linea, please review them, there are questions for you as well :

A) product quality wise (engine/chassis/safety) the linea seems well engineered. Having a too-lazy-to-update india division, the indian car is more or less similar (design of the parts, actual parts would be too costly to import) to international (turkey/argentina/brazil) version, so cost cutting is on things like audio system, upholstery quality, steering reach adjustment absence etc. I am hoping that the other countries have stricter enforcement of safety standards (do they ?) and hence, safety wise, probably the curtain airbags are probably the only ones to get the axe for indian model. Hence, I am assuming safety wise, this is as safe (or actually better ?) as my previous skoda rapid. Hence this answers (1) for me. Or does it ? Please let me know if I am off the mark here.

B) the factory standards seem awful in india - I can find online as many stories of people who have done nothing more than regular service over 5 years, to absolute lemons where the owner breathes a sigh of relief if there is a no-niggle week. I think this is the "mega-gamble" that friends and relatives warn me about. Do you agree with me ? Do you know of any attempts by fiat to improve factory standards ?

C) there is no contest regarding (2), the linea is the best in class for the price

D) I am seriously concerned about (3) - it is here where I would deeply value your experience and feedback. It is on this point, where I can imagine the smirk on the faces of friends and relatives thinking - "so this guy thinks here is smarter than the rest of the car buying population" - this is where I shiver my worst fears would come true - "I hardly see any linea on the roads, particularly the facelift version; people buying the VW twins, the city and the ciaz can't all be swung by herd mentality - nobody blindly ignores a supposedly good product like the linea, unless (3) is absolutely horrible - there must be a HUGE risk (much larger than what I think it is) in choosing FIAT as a brand - maybe people dont use it as a daily drive". Am I right or am I day dreaming ? Please let me know your thoughts on this. I am ready to mollycoddle the car to a "certain extent" - following the turbo idling rule, regular dipstick oil check, coolant check, tyre pressure maintenance, not abusing over rough roads etc. I am even ready to spend a day in the service center babysitting the car, if it helps. I also don't mind a week or two's wait for critical parts. Do you think I am in for nightmares ?

E) considering the lowly priority for (5) and (6), I don't really care which engine. But then, the test drive of the Tjet has me hooked to it - might as well go for the T-jet, since my yearly run would be less than 12k kms. Is atleast the engine/gearbox/suspension of the T-jet as reliable as the bulletproof 1.3MJD ? (not asking about electricals)

F) If I decide to go for it, how much do you think I should start my bargain process w.r.t (4) - is is a few k's , a few n x 10k's or close to a lakh ?

G) Most important question - do you know of anyone who has the 2014 facelift Tjet and had a worse/better experience than yours w.r.t parts reliability ?

Thank you,
sincerely,
venky

[singleton]

Hi, Like Venky above, I am also bitten by the Tjet bug. Since my budget is low, I am looking for a used one in Bangalore. I test drove one and fund it to be good (I currently have a Fiesta 1.6 Model which is a boon to drive)

The one I checked is a Linea Tjet Plus 2012 model (per RC).

1. Did 2012 Tjet plus come with 15 inch steel wheels (and not alloys) ?

2. Is there cruise control in 2012 model ?

3. What is the estimated cost of maintaining the machine, if I am planning to hold onto this for 4-5 years ?

4. The owner has changed the clutch, front suspension, brake pads, tyres etc. already (below 40K kms). Is that natural ?

5. Anything that I need to specifically look for in a used Tjet ?

If I buy this, this will be my only car (will sell Fiesta). Is that a wise decision ?

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by singleton

1. Did 2012 Tjet plus come with 15 inch steel wheels (and not alloys) ?

No. If it is a 2012 as per RC it is most probably a 2010/2011 manufactured one. There were 2 variants. T Jet and T Jet Plus. 16 inch alloys in the Plus and 15 inch steel wheels in the plain one. Plus, the T Jet Plus got factory fitted leather upholstery.

2. Is there cruise control in 2012 model ?

No

3. What is the estimated cost of maintaining the machine, if I am planning to hold onto this for 4-5 years ?

Just regular servicing would not cost you much. Few wear and tear parts like brakes, clutch cost a bit more than the diesel even.

4. The owner has changed the clutch, front suspension, brake pads, tyres etc. already (below 40K kms). Is that natural ?

All point to driving style and usage.

5. Anything that I need to specifically look for in a used Tjet ?

Probably a thorough TD, and take it for inspection to FASS.

If I buy this, this will be my only car (will sell Fiesta). Is that a wise decision ?

If you like FTD cars, this would sure be a wise decision. Some spares may have to wait till its ordered and brought to your dealer as T Jet is a rare breed.

[singleton]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

No. If it is a 2012 as per RC it is most probably a 2010/2011 manufactured one. There were 2 variants. T Jet and T Jet Plus. 16 inch alloys in the Plus and 15 inch steel wheels in the plain one. Plus, the T Jet Plus got factory fitted leather upholstery.

Thank you DRIV3R.

I checked the RC and it says 2012 manufactured, 2012 Aug registered and Tjet Plus as the variant.

But the owner says it didn't come with Alloy wheels. Any idea how the 2012 manufactured versions came ?

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by singleton

Thank you DRIV3R.

I checked the RC and it says 2012 manufactured, 2012 Aug registered and Tjet Plus as the variant.

But the owner says it didn't come with Alloy wheels. Any idea how the 2012 manufactured versions came ?

I own a 2011 Manufactured Punto 90, my RC says 2012 Dec as Manufacture Date, so do not go by the RC.

Does the car have leather upholstery? Factory fit.

The plus always came with 16 inch turbine blade alloy wheels.

The first stint of the Linea T Jet had this nomenclature. T Jet and T Jet plus.

The second iteration was sometime in 2013 IIRC, and it had the Active/Dynamic and Emotion nomenclature.

[sai_ace]

Originally Posted by singleton

Thank you DRIV3R.

I checked the RC and it says 2012 manufactured, 2012 Aug registered and Tjet Plus as the variant.

But the owner says it didn't come with Alloy wheels. Any idea how the 2012 manufactured versions came ?

Do check if the owner or his friends have a linea with the tjet alloys. I know of a case in Blore where the seller claimed that the 16 inch alloys+tyre were stolen. The car had 15 inch regular linea alloys. Soon we realised that the seller who was selling the car on his friend's behalf, had put the 16 inch alloy s on his own car. cheapskate.

All Tjet Plus came with 16 inch turbine alloys and leather interiors. Do check the interiors.

That said, whats the odo reading and price he is asking?

[singleton]

37k kms done. 4 lks is the final price. Looks very well maintained.

Does it sound decent?

[sparameswaran]

My Fiat Linea T Jet (2014)'s alternator conked off for the second time!
The car is 5 years old now and completed 68000kms recently.
The alternator failed at about 52000kms, somewhere in April-May 2018. The car was still under warranty (extended warranty) and the alternator and the belt was replaced under warranty.
Now, after approximately 16000kms and about 19-20 months, the alternator has failed again.
I was told the tensioner also needs replacement.

Is this really expected for a T Jet?

Rather than the inconvenience caused, from the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere while on a 550kms trip, what I find unacceptable are two alternators failing within a span of 19-20 months and approx 16000kms!

Unfortunately the car completed 5 years and the extended warranty also got over by the end of September. The alternator for T Jet costs a bomb!

Has anyone else's T Jet's alternator failed repeatedly?
What could be the reason for alternator failing?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and views.