[Anirudhneni]

Originally Posted by GKMahajan

Dear Anirudhneni,
Are you sure you brought down the OTR from 11.20 to 11.80?

Girish Mahajan

Oh I'm sorry. I meant 10.80. Anyways I booked a black Abarth for 10.80, delivery is in around a week.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Anirudhneni

Oh I'm sorry. I meant 10.80. Anyways I booked a black Abarth for 10.80, delivery is in around a week.

Congrats ! Is it a 2015 make or 2016? I got mine around 10.80 OTR with self insurance and self registration but that was for a 2015 make car. Also what's the rate of tax in your place ?

[Anirudhneni]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Congrats ! Is it a 2015 make or 2016? I got mine around 10.80 OTR with self insurance and self registration but that was for a 2015 make car. Also what's the rate of tax in your place ?

It's a 2016 make without the touch screen and navigation. The tax was 12% because the ex showroom price for the model without touch is still 9.95. My father opted to get it insured by ourselves so that's around 20k approx. I'm not sure though about the exact insurance cost.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Hey Kanad !! On the onset, my heartiest Congratulations to you on buying the Fiat Punto Abarth which is a dream for many, including me. A very comprehensively written thread which by all means deserves a well deserved 5* with no questions asked as it will work as a bible for many who aspire to buy the Fiat Punto Abarth in the times to come.

I happened to visit one of the FIAT dealers here in Kolkata and was opportune enough to photograph my car along side the Punto Abarth. Sharing the picture (though might be irrelevant) considering the colours on both the cars were matching :


Hope we can click the pictures of our cars together someday in an All India Team-BHP Meet

Please do keep the thread updated and if possible share a Dash Cam (YouTube) Video of the Abarth biting the road with that patented engine roaring away to glory, so that we can see some action. Wishing you endless munching miles with this Italian Beauty !!

[blackwasp]

The Abarth did a small trip to Kolhapur, Panhala and Miraj. Unfortunately I couldn't go. Dad and Mom took her. Dad drove solo for the entire trip. Except for one small moment, the entire trip was perfect.

On the way to Miraj from Kolhapur, on the narrow highway, someone came in the way and dad had to brake suddenly from highway speeds to a standstill. Abarth didn't lose her composure and came to a stop well before the obstruction without any fuss. But a biker following a bit too closely couldn't brake in time and banged into her on the left hand side. Expecting much damage, dad came out to see and was surprised to find out only a small scratch of the rear panel, just below the tail light. The biker had some minor injuries.



Attaching some Mid shots. Not to mention the fuel consumption of the car on highways is superb.











Also, undertaking another trip in Dec. This time I will be the one driving her.

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Also, undertaking another trip in Dec. This time I will be the one driving her.

Glad to have been invited for the trip!
Was truly awestruck after driving it also in the process changing my opinions about Fiat!

[blackwasp]

So, I know I'm very late with updating this thread, but better late than never.

The never ending desire to go on a road trip


The route map

As you all know, the itch for a long drive was finally about to be done with. Had planned a short 3 day trip on 6th, 7th and 8th of Dec. Initial plan was a colleague, my college friend (AD), Bhpian johannskaria and I would head down to Udaipur for a nice but welcome break from the hectic city drive. However, just 12 hrs prior to the trip my colleague dropped out and we were frantically searching for his replacement since hotels were already booked (RTDC Kajri). Finally, at around 10 pm, one Fiatian (AP) agreed to come with us.

With the people sorted, went to sleep at 12am after packing. Departure from Navi Mumbai was at 6 am. After a bit of delay, we finally set off around 7:15am from Vashi, first stop being at Fountain Hotel to pick up AP. we were lucky to not have to wait for more than 10 mins at the under repairs Creek Bridge. The roads post leaving the bridge were superb. This is the NH48 and needs no introduction.

The super smooth road



At a breakfast place, somewhere near Bharuch



The Lunch place - Its on the Vadodara-Halol highway. It was way better than our expectations and decently priced as well. Location - 22°27'50.6"N 73°25'43.7"E

We reached the Hotel at around 8:30pm and checked in. The dinner time was about to get over hence rushed to have some food. The food was good and well priced.

7th Dec - For this day, we planned to visit the City Palace and Vintage Car Museum. The Palace had an exorbitant ticket just to view some antiques. The parking alone was Rs 200. Finally, we decided not to go inside the Palace antiques room, but rather spend the time roaming around the Palace.

Next stop was the Vintage Car Museum. Since not many people to come to visit the place, the caretaker there was kind enough to not only show us the cars in road worthy condition, but also some of them which were undergoing restoration in their garage.

At the Vintage Museum


At the Vintage Museum

We decided to get food at the Museum itself. The Thali at the restaurant was very tasty. We literally had to fight the sleep to get up from the chairs after finishing the meal. Headed back to our hotel for a Nap. After the Nap, plan was to visit the SajjanGarh Biological Park, but once we reached there by 5:30 pm, it was closed. So we headed off back towards the city to find a place to eat.

But the narrow roads of the City were a bit too small for us. Abandoned the plan for finding a restaurant and headed back to our Hotel for dinner. Post dinner, we decided to visit Dilwara Temples at Mt. Abu on our way back to Mumbai the next morning.

After sunset, we were just roaming around Udaipur city and got this pic while experimenting with GoPro's night photo mode



Abarth going through the narrow roads of the city

8th Dec - Woke up early and had breakfast and checked out of the Hotel by 7am. Due to the detour at Mt. Abu, this was going to be long day.

The roads were butter smooth and had very less tolls as well. Could maintain good pace. Some pics on the way to Mt Abu.

Now comes the best part - The climb to the mount Abu.

After reaching at the top, we went to the Dilwara Temples. Those are really good and makes us wonder about the construction which was done without any modern tools. After the small guided tour of the temple complex, we had some maggi and ice cream and left around 3:30 or 4pm. The goal was to reach Mumbai back by early morning on 9th as I had to report to work at 9am.

Encountered some traffic on the outskirts of Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad. We were crossing the city in the evening peak hours which caused us to lose a lot of time. Headed off towards NE 1. Its one of the best roads in India and has a speed limit of 100kmph. Traffic was really disciplined on this road. Mid way through, stopped at the Reliance petrol bunk to tank up the car as well as to have some tea and snacks.

Pit Stop

We took turns driving through the night and encountered some mad truck traffic on the Bharuch - Navsari section. But no problem as the Abarth has 90/100 lights that ensure the trucks give way when flashed. Finally we made it back to home at around 5:30am.

Reached home

TRIP STATS
Total kms - 1749.5
Avg speed of - 60 kmph
Over all FE - 13.5km/l
Worst FE - 9.9km/l
Best FE - 15.4km/l

Expense per person all inclusive - Rs 5763.


Until the next trip...

[blackwasp]

Another update and the timeline moves forward. I will aim to catch up on this post. Will be a bit long.

Abarth has been slowly munching the kilometres since the Udaipur trip and on 31 Jan 2017, crossed the 14500km mark. Since it was middle of the week, decided to get it serviced (2nd free service - 15k kms or 1yr) ahead of time. This is the first vehicle in our home thats getting serviced at the distance mark rather than the time interval. Got an appointment for 1st Feb at Vroom Pointé as usual and was promised delivery at the end of the day. Total cost was Rs 5055.3.

Meanwhile, we welcome another vehicle in our home - the cute little Spark. This is a 09 model handed down to me by my uncle. As it is, the Abarth is cumbersome to take out for short trips especially where parking is an issue. The Spark has done just 19k on the odo.

However by mid-Feb, we were facing a slight judder while starting up (felt like the car was cranking a bit more than required) and there was power loss (or rather a bit lag) when accelerating after downshifting. This was further tested by my dad who too came to the same conclusion. The car was lagging when accelerated hard especially after shifting from 4th to 3rd gear. We gave the car back to Devendra (Vroom Pointé) on 1st of March. Initially he suspected a fault in starter motor and that was replaced from another car for checking before ordering a new motor. But he called me back on 3rd March explaining that the judder still existed at start-up and said he'll diagnose a bit more.

A bit more exploring and he came to the conclusion that something was amiss in the Gearbox. After opening the GearBox, he found uneven wear on the flywheel !! This being a costly part, took some time to come by. I had to contact someone in Fiat who expedited the whole process. Thankfully, Devendra had kept the Gearbox open despite the delay and the car occupying a bay. The part was dispatched on 8th and we got the car back on 14th March. Entire flywheel was replaced under warranty along with engine flywheel. The difference was noticeable and the car was back to herself.

Had the pleasure of meeting up fellow Abarth owners in Pune on 26 March. The number of Abarth owners is rapidly increasing.

The car is simply too good on the highways

A point to note is that despite the delays, never did we face any problems like SA not picking up calls, not being updated etc. For a major part like the Flywheel to be replaced under warranty on such a new car would take time and we were prepared for the delay. But there is still some work to be done by Fiat for the parts logistics. This is a common story. A friend on mine on a road trip suffered a breakdown and required a part not in stock. This was shipped on priority from another dealer only after making some noise which paints a bad picture. This is where the fellow Fiat owners come through to help and do a very good job of support - at times even better than FCA itself. The common parts are mostly available at service centres though.

Despite being in the garage for the first 15 days of March, car was doing good distances with 3-4 trips to Palghar for dad's work. A small but unfortunate incident occurred when dad was coming back from Palghar on the 31st. While overtaking on a 2 lane road, a dumper truck brushed the rear left side of the car due to something being on the LHS of the road. Dad didn't argue and simply took some pics and left the place. I was at work and when I got the pics I literally felt pained. A quick call to him and understood that he was ok and was really appreciating the car. I suppose this is where the tijori like build quality comes into the picture. He was super happy with the way she was stable and he didn't even feel a thing despite such a big dumper being involved. The funny thing was that the driver was surprised at the truck's bumper being mangled and broken. This was a brand new truck.

Gave the car again to Vroom Pointé and started the insurance work. Despite having Future Generalli, they didn't have tie up with Vroom guys. But Devendra started the work on the car and said to collect the car only once the insurance guys pay us. No need of advance payment. Rear left door would have to be replaced and there was body work to be done on fender and touchup on the bumper. I had the option of getting the LHS side body frame replaced, but went against it as it would be major surgery and I didn't want that. Total damages were around 32k which was paid by insurance. Ironically would be renewing the insurance soon as it would expire in May. There was a delay from insurance company + dad was away on work and I was having a bit of hectic time at work which meant we could collect the car back only on the 17th of April.

Also spotted this Linea which was pushed into a truck at front by an Innova which couldn't brake in time. Happy to see the car holding up well.

Crossed the 17,000 mark on 27 April 2017.

A random pic

With the car back home, she was itching for a ride. Hence went to Tiger Point in Lonavala with a fellow Bhpian and Fiatian. Left before sunrise and we were back home by noon. Luckily managed to avoid the infamous weekend jams at Lonavala.

2 Tjets

Decided on another impromptu trip to my aunts place in Dharwad on May 2-4. The plan was to drive down and simply take a break from the high temperatures in Mumbai.

Some Pics-

Gopro captured image


The backseat view - not bad


Open roads


Got a welcome shower on the way


Looks good in any location


At our usual stop - Sai International


Somewhere after Kolhapur


Trip Stats-

Once again would like to say the same - the Abarth is an awesome cruiser and perfectly suits our style of travelling at max 80-90kmph. Once you start doing the highway trips, you can't stop. The car is doing almost 1-2 highway trips a month and is clocking 1600kms a month on an average. Happy to say that most of those kilometres have been outside the city.

[blackwasp]

It is time for another update.

The car just keeps going on and on... Some important highlights of the journey so far.

This logo brings up a smile on your face every time you see it:


June 4-6 - Decided to head to Kolhapur and visit the Panhala Fort as well.
Exaggerated range said by the MID on route Kolhapur:


20,999 km mark:


At the Kolhapur Hotel parking lot:


This is how it looks on a weekday:


Awesome view from the Panhala Fort:


Can’t stop taking pictures - At the Panhala Fort:


Building in the Panhala Fort Complex:



June 11 - Team-BHP meet at Sunny da Dhaba (Mumbai -> Lonavla meet & drive on Sunday, 11th June). Good company on a Sunday:


Another Abarth and an AMG:



June 18 - 22,000 kms up:



June 30 - Meeting up with BHPian Tanveer_2558:


The mighty 530d:


Another pic at the meet:



July 2 - Airport drop? No problem, always happy to stretch her legs:



August 5 - Lonavala mini meet to plan the Spiti Trip- Early morning blast to Lonavala:


This is what happens when you take the Abarth on the ghats:


24,000 km mark crossed later in the evening somewhere in Powai:


Just after a wash:


More than a year done, glad to keep her spotless:


All DIY - worth the effort:



When you got company - Spotted this Abarth near my home (Pic taken by dad):


August 9 - All set to head to Spiti:


2 Abarths on the way to Spiti:


At the GJ-RJ Border:


Somewhere in RJ:


Kishangarh Toll plaza:


To be continued....

[blackwasp]

Continued from the above post...

At our hotel in Barog:


We couldn't complete the Spiti circuit, but did go till the confluence of Spiti and Sutjej at Khab:


Some random pic on the trip:


Checked out the Compass at Jeep Karnal, new showroom, they have a long way to go. But the staff was enthusiastic, not one, but 2 Abarths came to see them:


The Spiti trip in one picture:


4647 km done in 10 days:


27 August 2017 - Since the car did such a long trip, thought of getting her checked and got the 30,000 km service done as well:


All fluid changed = Bill came to Rs 8166:


Customary pic after the service:


September 1 - 29,000 km done:


The itch to roam is never totally scratched, so headed to Thokarwadi Dam and met with a bunch of Bhpians from Pune:


Poser:


Black Abarth says - Why is the White one still following me?:


Good weather, good cars and good company:


Meanwhile on September 4, 2017, the Spark clocked 24,000 km as well:



When you are stuck in Mumbai traffic 5 days a week, you just want to escape the city. So a bunch of Abarth owners decided to meet up at Lavasa on 17 September 2017:






Found this sparsely used parking lot:


The Gang:








Also crossed the 30,000 mark in 16 months, 10 days:


Any complaints ? NONE so far. Despite the car usage reducing due to Spark and rising fuel costs, she's clocking around 1850 km a month. Wish to keep it that way...

Quoting myself-

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Once again would like to say the same - the Abarth is an awesome cruiser and perfectly suits our style of travelling at max 80-90kmph. Once you start doing the highway trips, you can't stop. The car is doing almost 1-2 highway trips a month and is clocking 1600kms a month on an average. Happy to say that most of those kilometres have been outside the city.

Can't really say anything different. Supremely satisfied with performance, service, and almost everything about the car. Despite having the opportunity to drive other high performance cars, I will never trade the Abarth. Such direct connection with the road and lack of electronic nannies is refreshing. 5 years down the line, the car will still be performing as today, only the driver would have aged.

Until the next trip...

[nehaagg]

I aggree. Nothing will come close to that visceral feeling. This is a car that takes the experience to you, and reminds us that driving is an art. With more electronic aids and the ghastly portent of autonomous driving on rhe horizon, I'm glad we went with the Abbie.

Can't believe Really mind-blowing pics. Proves that FIAT is more reliable now than percieved. Also, not bad service cost.

Forever Abarth!

[ragh_bhushan]

Excellent update there blackwasp.

Is all fluid change at 30,000 km recommended in the manual or you did it yourself? Surprised to see coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid changed so early on.

[pdma]

Originally Posted by ragh_bhushan

Excellent update there blackwasp.

Is all fluid change at 30,000 km recommended in the manual or you did it yourself? Surprised to see coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid changed so early on.

All fluids change is after every 30,000km or 2 years as per manual. This is standards across all FIAT models.

Cheers,
Pradeep.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by ragh_bhushan

Is all fluid change at 30,000 km recommended in the manual or you did it yourself? Surprised to see coolant, brake fluid and power steering fluid changed so early on.

Even this was new to me, this is our first vehicle that's getting services done on km basis rather than time. But I did confirm with the manual and stuck with it. Some Fiat owners did recommend that it was not necessary and could have been done later.

Originally Posted by pdma

All fluids change is after every 30,000km or 2 years as per manual. This is standards across all FIAT models.

I am beginning to feel that the 1yr/ 15k km interval maybe a bit too long. Too early to comment on this, but I have a feeling that sticking to a 10k km interval (harsh conditions as per manual) would be better in the future. As the car mostly does highway trips, I stuck to the usual routine this time around.

[pdma]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I am beginning to feel that the 1yr/ 15k km interval maybe a bit too long. Too early to comment on this, but I have a feeling that sticking to a 10k km interval (harsh conditions as per manual) would be better in the future. As the car mostly does highway trips, I stuck to the usual routine this time around.

Incase you are thinking in this direction, I would recommend you getting the service done every 7500KM / 6 months, by this split you would be able to meet the 15000KM /1 year prescribed schedule as well and the warranty would stay intact.
Post warranty period you can switch to 10k km schedule.

Cheers,
Pradeep.