Palio Stile 1.6 Sport - 700km review

Thingummy · 16th July 2007, 18:18

Funnily, one of the smaller problems i faced while taking delivery of the vehicle 2 weeks back was the missing insurance cover note. There was some misunderstanding from the dealer's end, and someone within had written "self" on the insurance column of my file - which evidently means "Buyer is going to take car of his insurance" I hadn't asked for any such thing, and we spent 30 minutes on that day calling their internal dept. and getting me insurance coverage. At the last moment (i guess just before my details were entered and the cover note was printed) i happened to ask if i had a choice of vendor. The dealer had chosen ICICI on my behalf, and thanks to this forum and the stories i'd heard about ICICI i asked them to stop all processing right then. I immediately asked them for the other options, heard TATA-AIG and Reliance, and knowing nothing bad between the two just chose Reliance (mostly a coin toss based decision)

The aftereffects are being experienced within two weeks of making that decision (i hadn't anticipated it'd be this quick, however) Today, when i dropped the car off at Manipal Motors, their insurance liason person called up the Reliance helpdesk number, gave the phone to me and asked me to register my claim. I did that using their IVR and talking to a seemingly efficient and courteous support person - got my claim number - all of which took about 3-4 minutes. In the next minute i had an SMS on my mobile, confirming that my claim was registered, providing me my claim number, the surveyor's name and his/her mobile number, and an assurance that the surveyor would complete his survey within 24 hours.

Come evening - called up the surveyor directly from the number in the SMS, spoke to him, found out that he had finished his survey 30 minutes back and everything was a go from his end. He listed out the damages - dented fuel tank (replace), damaged fuel pump (replace), minor dent on underbody (tinker) and small dent in exhaust middle section (replace) Wonderful News! (no no .. not wonderful because of the long list of items, but because the whole thing was so efficient, transparent and quickly done) I have only had experience with New India before this, and no experience with any private insurance vendor at all - Is this how quickly they all work? [Also, i haven't been a member of this forum for more than two months, and already i am getting huge returns from following the threads closely. God knows how much more miserable i would be if i hadn't changed my insurance vendor from ICICI to Reliance based on the comments i'd read on threads here. I am thoroughly indebted to the members here and the comments that make purchase and maintenance decisions so painless]

Next call to the service center - the technical chief confirmed that the surveyor has completed the process and infact the new tank was being fitted as we spoke. The pump and exhaust components were a different matter though because Manipal didn't have them in spares. They'll have an update for me by tomorrow evening on an ETA for final delivery, once they know whether the parts are available from other dealers in Bangalore or if it will need to be ordered from Pune. Should have more on this at that time.

@Bottle, That's a wonderful service being offered by TVS. Do you have a number i can call them at to check whether anything of that sort is available in Karnataka. When i bought the Palio my plans were singular - log some heavy miles on it with regular weekend trips to all parts of South India. The FIAT breakdown service yesterday has left me rattled, and i would be very hesitant about hitting the highway again with the Palio. If the TVS sort of service was available in Karnataka, some of that apprehension would be addressed.

bottle · 17th July 2007, 15:13

Thingummy, its great to hear that things are proceeding at a good pace. Keep us updated whenever you can. Regarding the myTVS service, I am not sure if its available outside of TN but you can call them and check. All details are on their webby Index

swathyd · 17th July 2007, 16:59

1800-225-552 Guys i have tried this number and came to know that is not fiat indias no: but it belongs to tata( it was before 4 months). Another thing is that it is automated, you have to leave your no: , so no interaction. And no response so really useless stuff.

superavi · 17th July 2007, 17:00

Thingummy,

At least now things are ok. Too bad about the earlier problems though. I also hope that fiat dont keep your car at Manipal for too long.

Good luck, and dont change your mind about the long drives!

Superavi

Thingummy · 17th July 2007, 17:48

Today's update - the new fuel tank has been fit, what seemed like rust around the front disks is being addressed (the service folk tell me its brake dust, but i feel its too brown to be brake dust) The fuel pump isn't available anywhere around here, and will have to be ordered from Pune. Manipal tells me that it'll take a minimum of 7 days if the pump is in stock in pune - it will definitely take longer if Fiat needs to source it from somewhere else. The problem i guess is that the fuel pump seems to have changed from the retro 1.6 sport and the stile 1.6 sport (in fact the service person told me that the entire tank design had changed!)

So thats the latest - if any of you happen to be at your dealership, and can enquire about the fuel pump - that'd be helpful....

cheers!

Thingummy · 17th July 2007, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottle

Thingummy, its great to hear that things are proceeding at a good pace. Keep us updated whenever you can. Regarding the myTVS service, I am not sure if its available outside of TN but you can call them and check. All details are on their webby Index

Thanks bottle. Checked that link, and it doesn't look like they are active in Karnataka yet - only in TN and Kerala, and on the bangalore-chennai highway. Hopefully the service will be available in KA soon.

cheers!

CrAzY dRiVeR · 17th July 2007, 20:09

Oh!
Sorry to know you had to go through that, with such a brand new palio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottle

Also this might be too late for you but recently i signed up with TVS where they offer breakdown services like towing and minor help for any car for an annual subscription rate of 1200 (which i got discounted to rs700) they are trying something like AA . Maybe you can check if there is any service like that from Bangalore.

Bottle?

Aren't towing services supposed to be free? Maruti Service has never charged me for towing. Last time, got stuck in deep forest (underbody hit something hard and gearbox took the damage), and luckily had bit of range (on top of a rock) to call MASS. They came searching after 3.5 hours and took us back.

Didnt charge for anything but the price for spares.

bottle · 17th July 2007, 21:14

well this is just in case i end up like thingummy where there are no tata service centers and i have to use 3rd party help .. last time sundaram had a proper help line and things but not sure how congenial the tata helpline will be towards fiat .. ah the joy of owning a fiat

Thingummy · 18th July 2007, 15:33

In all the excitement surrounding the fuel tank incident, didn't update you folks on the latest FE number - last fill before i hit the rock on the road gave me 9.6kmpl again - this with around 250km of city driving, and around 100+ km of highway driving - looks like the highway figure isn't going to be drastically different from the city figure (or maybe i am being overcautious because of the run-in, and post first service i should get better highway FE)

The latest on the repair status is that the fuel tank has been replaced - the silencer dent is too small to cause any problem, so will get that section changed when the part is available (i've been told that i can do that later under insurance, without having to re-register a claim)

Must say that i am beginning to be impressed by the service responsiveness (at least its beating my expectations) Manipal ran a search all over Bangalore, but couldnt source the fuel pump, so they ordered one from Pune on Tuesday evening. I mailed Mr. Mangesh today morning asking them what the status was, and what would happen if my car ever broke down again in some remote place in the future. He replied back within 30-40 minutes confirming that Manipal had ordered the part, it was packed and ready to be shipped. He even cc'ed the shipping dept. asking them for confirmation that the part would be shipped via AIR COURIER by today evening. If that happens, then hopefully i will have my car back in a couple of days. Mr. Mangesh also confirmed that FIAT is working with TATA motors to ensure i never have to face what ended up happening over the past weekend i.e. All TATA motors dealerships will have to offer assistance incase of a breakdown, and i don't have to worry about towing it to a metro from some remote place. This is indeed good news, but must wait and see if the TATA motors franchisees honor this agreement.

Current status - looking hopeful, and really missing my Palio ...

bottle · 18th July 2007, 21:25

thats good news

hope fiat concentrates a bit on educating the tata dealers about our palios. also yes am getting mileage of 10-10.5kmpl regularly now for city use too

roms · 19th July 2007, 01:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottle

thats good news

hope fiat concentrates a bit on educating the tata dealers about our palios. also yes am getting mileage of 10-10.5kmpl regularly now for city use too

That is as good as it gets bottle.10.5 kmpl is very good.Keep the car in the 2000-3000 rpm range on the highways and you will see the car returning close to 17-18kmpl.
On the other bit, yes the Tata guys need to understand Fiats better. Atleast at Mumbai's Shaman dealership, the Tata guys seem pretty comfortable working on Palios. Infact, most or all of them are happier and impressed with Palios. According to them, most of the cars/SUVs/MUVs from Tata are still a big head ache and Fiats are like japs in comparison.

@Thingummy, its good to know that your car is getting the right treatment.Fiat-Tata's service has some ground to cover before it can be considered anywhere close to competent. But hope Fiat gets proactive with your case. Good luck!

1100D · 19th July 2007, 03:15

So much trouble, but thankfully things are getting back on track. But atleast for a Fiat Guy there is a Tata workshop to take the car to. For Ford owners? I am mostly sceptical about taking my car far out of town just because of this case. But the 1100d has travelled far and across india, anyone could attend to it, including my folks!

moralfibre · 19th July 2007, 08:13

Thats a nice feedback you received from Fiat. Great work. Can we have Mr. Mangesh's email address please?

Thingummy · 19th July 2007, 09:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Thats a nice feedback you received from Fiat. Great work. Can we have Mr. Mangesh's email address please?

Mr. Mangesh responds back on service@fiat.com, and has been fairly prompt so far in replying to emails (max turnaround of 4 hours for the 4 mails i've sent them so far), although he rarely ever answers all the questions i've asked in my mail (I get the feeling that he just avoids questions he doesn't have real answers to, instead of providing approx answers) Its still better than nothing i guess. After i heard from the dealer, that they themselves don't hear back fron Pune for 2-3 days for their queries, i wasn't expecting much from a single customer email - but so far the response has been good. I've been told that someone from TATA motors HQ will be getting in touch with me to talk about this incident.

bottle · 19th July 2007, 23:29

hehe if possible try to collect and pass on most of what all of us here on tbhp feel as well to TATA Hq

16th July 2007, 18:18	#31
Thingummy BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 103 Thanked: 0 Times	Funnily, one of the smaller problems i faced while taking delivery of the vehicle 2 weeks back was the missing insurance cover note. There was some misunderstanding from the dealer's end, and someone within had written "self" on the insurance column of my file - which evidently means "Buyer is going to take car of his insurance" I hadn't asked for any such thing, and we spent 30 minutes on that day calling their internal dept. and getting me insurance coverage. At the last moment (i guess just before my details were entered and the cover note was printed) i happened to ask if i had a choice of vendor. The dealer had chosen ICICI on my behalf, and thanks to this forum and the stories i'd heard about ICICI i asked them to stop all processing right then. I immediately asked them for the other options, heard TATA-AIG and Reliance, and knowing nothing bad between the two just chose Reliance (mostly a coin toss based decision) The aftereffects are being experienced within two weeks of making that decision (i hadn't anticipated it'd be this quick, however) Today, when i dropped the car off at Manipal Motors, their insurance liason person called up the Reliance helpdesk number, gave the phone to me and asked me to register my claim. I did that using their IVR and talking to a seemingly efficient and courteous support person - got my claim number - all of which took about 3-4 minutes. In the next minute i had an SMS on my mobile, confirming that my claim was registered, providing me my claim number, the surveyor's name and his/her mobile number, and an assurance that the surveyor would complete his survey within 24 hours. Come evening - called up the surveyor directly from the number in the SMS, spoke to him, found out that he had finished his survey 30 minutes back and everything was a go from his end. He listed out the damages - dented fuel tank (replace), damaged fuel pump (replace), minor dent on underbody (tinker) and small dent in exhaust middle section (replace) Wonderful News! (no no .. not wonderful because of the long list of items, but because the whole thing was so efficient, transparent and quickly done) I have only had experience with New India before this, and no experience with any private insurance vendor at all - Is this how quickly they all work? [Also, i haven't been a member of this forum for more than two months, and already i am getting huge returns from following the threads closely. God knows how much more miserable i would be if i hadn't changed my insurance vendor from ICICI to Reliance based on the comments i'd read on threads here. I am thoroughly indebted to the members here and the comments that make purchase and maintenance decisions so painless] Next call to the service center - the technical chief confirmed that the surveyor has completed the process and infact the new tank was being fitted as we spoke. The pump and exhaust components were a different matter though because Manipal didn't have them in spares. They'll have an update for me by tomorrow evening on an ETA for final delivery, once they know whether the parts are available from other dealers in Bangalore or if it will need to be ordered from Pune. Should have more on this at that time. @Bottle, That's a wonderful service being offered by TVS. Do you have a number i can call them at to check whether anything of that sort is available in Karnataka. When i bought the Palio my plans were singular - log some heavy miles on it with regular weekend trips to all parts of South India. The FIAT breakdown service yesterday has left me rattled, and i would be very hesitant about hitting the highway again with the Palio. If the TVS sort of service was available in Karnataka, some of that apprehension would be addressed.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 15:13	#32
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 274 Times View My Garage	Thingummy, its great to hear that things are proceeding at a good pace. Keep us updated whenever you can. Regarding the myTVS service, I am not sure if its available outside of TN but you can call them and check. All details are on their webby Index
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 16:59	#33
swathyd BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: thiruvananthapuram Posts: 774 Thanked: 25 Times	1800-225-552 Guys i have tried this number and came to know that is not fiat indias no: but it belongs to tata( it was before 4 months). Another thing is that it is automated, you have to leave your no: , so no interaction. And no response so really useless stuff.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 17:00	#34
superavi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London Posts: 286 Thanked: 29 Times	Thingummy, At least now things are ok. Too bad about the earlier problems though. I also hope that fiat dont keep your car at Manipal for too long. Good luck, and dont change your mind about the long drives! Superavi
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 17:48	#35
Thingummy BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 103 Thanked: 0 Times	Today's update - the new fuel tank has been fit, what seemed like rust around the front disks is being addressed (the service folk tell me its brake dust, but i feel its too brown to be brake dust) The fuel pump isn't available anywhere around here, and will have to be ordered from Pune. Manipal tells me that it'll take a minimum of 7 days if the pump is in stock in pune - it will definitely take longer if Fiat needs to source it from somewhere else. The problem i guess is that the fuel pump seems to have changed from the retro 1.6 sport and the stile 1.6 sport (in fact the service person told me that the entire tank design had changed!) So thats the latest - if any of you happen to be at your dealership, and can enquire about the fuel pump - that'd be helpful.... cheers!
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 21:14	#38
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 274 Times View My Garage	well this is just in case i end up like thingummy where there are no tata service centers and i have to use 3rd party help .. last time sundaram had a proper help line and things but not sure how congenial the tata helpline will be towards fiat .. ah the joy of owning a fiat
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 15:33	#39
Thingummy BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 103 Thanked: 0 Times	1100km and the accident update In all the excitement surrounding the fuel tank incident, didn't update you folks on the latest FE number - last fill before i hit the rock on the road gave me 9.6kmpl again - this with around 250km of city driving, and around 100+ km of highway driving - looks like the highway figure isn't going to be drastically different from the city figure (or maybe i am being overcautious because of the run-in, and post first service i should get better highway FE) The latest on the repair status is that the fuel tank has been replaced - the silencer dent is too small to cause any problem, so will get that section changed when the part is available (i've been told that i can do that later under insurance, without having to re-register a claim) Must say that i am beginning to be impressed by the service responsiveness (at least its beating my expectations) Manipal ran a search all over Bangalore, but couldnt source the fuel pump, so they ordered one from Pune on Tuesday evening. I mailed Mr. Mangesh today morning asking them what the status was, and what would happen if my car ever broke down again in some remote place in the future. He replied back within 30-40 minutes confirming that Manipal had ordered the part, it was packed and ready to be shipped. He even cc'ed the shipping dept. asking them for confirmation that the part would be shipped via AIR COURIER by today evening. If that happens, then hopefully i will have my car back in a couple of days. Mr. Mangesh also confirmed that FIAT is working with TATA motors to ensure i never have to face what ended up happening over the past weekend i.e. All TATA motors dealerships will have to offer assistance incase of a breakdown, and i don't have to worry about towing it to a metro from some remote place. This is indeed good news, but must wait and see if the TATA motors franchisees honor this agreement. Current status - looking hopeful, and really missing my Palio ...
	() Thanks

18th July 2007, 21:25	#40
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 274 Times View My Garage	thats good news hope fiat concentrates a bit on educating the tata dealers about our palios. also yes am getting mileage of 10-10.5kmpl regularly now for city use too
	() Thanks

19th July 2007, 03:15	#42
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,096 Times View My Garage	So much trouble, but thankfully things are getting back on track. But atleast for a Fiat Guy there is a Tata workshop to take the car to. For Ford owners? I am mostly sceptical about taking my car far out of town just because of this case. But the 1100d has travelled far and across india, anyone could attend to it, including my folks!
	() Thanks

19th July 2007, 08:13	#43
moralfibre Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MH-12 Posts: 8,451 Thanked: 13,973 Times	Thats a nice feedback you received from Fiat. Great work. Can we have Mr. Mangesh's email address please?
	() Thanks

19th July 2007, 23:29	#45
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,634 Thanked: 274 Times View My Garage	hehe if possible try to collect and pass on most of what all of us here on tbhp feel as well to TATA Hq
	() Thanks