And I got a used Fiat Palio Sport 1.6

viper_711 · 30th August 2008, 01:32

dude! Great buy! Same story about moving from
an indica. Only I used 3 Indicas before moving to the Palio 1.6. Enjoy your ride and use the forum well to enrich your experience.

PatchyBoy · 30th August 2008, 05:24

Welcome to the Team-BHP culture kaustubh!!!! Ask a question and we will bombard you with so many answers that you will be more confused than before

Jokes apart, my reasoning is:

The vehicle is May 2007 and done only 5000 kms. My guess is the first owner would not have driven hard. The car seems to have been used sparingly. (Mine is December 2007 and the Odo reads 17500). Check the service book and find out when the car was serviced last. Everyone here seems to be assuming that the first owner was a maniac and must have driven hard after taking it out the showroom and must have never done any kind of maintenance.

There are two parts to the run-in. Smoothening and bedding in the Piston, which would have been done in the factory itself. The engine is driven real hard and redlined in the Factory. The other components like your gear box also need running in. Heck, even your tyres need running in. Hence my suggestion to take it easy to 7500 kms. You can then switch to fully synthetic and enjoy your ride for a long time to come.

FIAT engines perform very well with proper running in.

My 2 cents,

Rajan

luvjascha · 30th August 2008, 05:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Everyone here seems to be assuming that the first owner was a maniac and must have driven hard after taking it out the showroom and must have never done any kind of maintenance.

Nobody here, except for the thread starter, is assuming that the vehicle was pushed to its limits, and had a maniac for a driver. This very well may have been the case too!
All we're suggesting is, just for peace of mind's sake, and more so because of his 400 km upcoming trip, the free service not be postponed until 7,500 km and done ASAP!

bonobashi · 30th August 2008, 08:43

[quote=kaustubh_vaze;958175]Hey bottle,
thanks buddy. Imagine I didn't even look at the owner's manual till date. Its just 2 days but still. I will read through it today.
I hope that the servicing will do the car a whole world of good. I am driving with a "light foot" as they say and just crossed 2K RPM at 2 or 3 occassions.
I am going to my native place (400 kms) in the first week of September, so I will report on my initial experience after I come back. Do let me know what precautions I have to take while taking this particular car on a long drive.
I have checked all the fluid levels and they seem OK. I will have them checked again tomorrow from the TASS.
I need to know any and all precautions that I need to take for a 5K run Palio 1.6.]

First of all, congratulations; I hope you have years of fun driving and happy ownership.

You haven't bought a car that's REALLY old; it's as close to new, with the depreciation price dip taken out, as one can get. So the usual advice I'd have about the electricals doesn't apply to you. The regular services should keep it in good shape.

Having said that, you need to keep an eye on the service people. My experiences with Dada Motors and the other blokes in Ludhiana were abysmal - truly. Fortunately, since my Palio was four years old, I was happily able to go off elsewhere and get things done. Till your free services are done, you do need to spend a little extra vigilance.

Mind you, the car is sturdy and forgiving. I once did Ludhiana-Delhi-Ludhiana up and down, in a kind of crisis, with the third gear not working at all. The car behaved like an angel, although in a 1.2, not having third gear on the highway is billions of blue blistering barnacles time. By the way, this is not recommended; as I said, I had a crisis, and if I had to do it today, I wouldn't, even though it would have meant losing a very large sum of money.

That leaves only the car to get used to. Were you driving the 'turbo-lag' Indica? The one that went easy until 2000 rpm and then suddenly caught up in a scramble? You may find it worthwhile to run your car on the highway in highway conditions a couple of times, reasonable distances, to get used to it: it's phenomenal road grip, the general feeling of safety and being in complete control, the very precise steering, smooth flow of torque right through (<sigh> not so in a 1.2 - lucky you).

Please be VERY careful about over-confidence. I had a problem shifting from a combined Zen petrol/ Indica diesel kind of driving ambience to a Palio. For a couple of weeks, the heady feeling in the Palio made me (unintentionally) a nuisance on the roads, specifically, when driving long-distance. Continuing in the spirit of 'Do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do', I'd rather be safe than sorry, and if a particular over-taking manoeuvre looks risky, I'd rather wait a few hundred metres, even a couple of kilometres more.

Furthermore, after 80 to a 100, BE VERY CAREFUL TO ALLOW SPACE TO BRAKE. The brakes on a 1.6 are it's weakest feature, and PLEASE don't do its top speeds except on dual-carriageway roads when you can see quite a bit in front - and not even then, if you can help it.

All these remarks are very specific to what I imagine you'll face shifting from a diesel Indica to a Palio 1.6. I hope you find them useful and relevant.

Happy driving. And, of course, pictures are always welcome.

ravikn · 30th August 2008, 19:50

Hearty Congratulations Kaustubh,

welcome to the FIAT club

kaustubh_vaze · 1st September 2008, 19:07

Thanks a lot all of you guys for all your wishesh!! I will certainly remember the braking aspect of the 1.6. Having driven an Indica, I feel Palio's brakes are heavenly. I will post the initial driving experience and pictures after my road trip on 6th September. That trip will give me a good insight on how the car has been maintained.
A small bit of detail - Today I got the service booklets for the car. The car has been serviced when it was run 4818 Kms. At present the ODO reads 5500 Kms. So its just 750 odd Kms after the service out of which 250 Kms I have driven.
This free service was done on 28th Mar 08.
I think there's no need to service right now. I will get it serviced after the long trip. I have yet to get the car checked at the service station where it was being maintained since its way too far from where I live. I will be going there tomorrow and will post the details after the check is done.
Once again, thank you guys for all your suggestions and answers.

Regards,
Kaustubh

jazzy_2cool · 2nd September 2008, 00:50

ALL I can Say Is : Damm Luckycheers:

Rangarajan · 6th October 2011, 19:35

Hi kaustubh_vaze

What's your experience on the Palio. Now its been 4 years and I am curious because I am planning to get a 2005 palio myself. Let me know your experience in these years. Will be helpful in my decision making. Thanks in advance.

30th August 2008, 01:32	#31
viper_711 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 366 Thanked: 93 Times View My Garage	dude! Great buy! Same story about moving from an indica. Only I used 3 Indicas before moving to the Palio 1.6. Enjoy your ride and use the forum well to enrich your experience.
	() Thanks

30th August 2008, 05:24	#32
PatchyBoy BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Goa Posts: 923 Thanked: 2,161 Times View My Garage	Welcome to the Team-BHP culture kaustubh!!!! Ask a question and we will bombard you with so many answers that you will be more confused than before Jokes apart, my reasoning is: The vehicle is May 2007 and done only 5000 kms. My guess is the first owner would not have driven hard. The car seems to have been used sparingly. (Mine is December 2007 and the Odo reads 17500). Check the service book and find out when the car was serviced last. Everyone here seems to be assuming that the first owner was a maniac and must have driven hard after taking it out the showroom and must have never done any kind of maintenance. There are two parts to the run-in. Smoothening and bedding in the Piston, which would have been done in the factory itself. The engine is driven real hard and redlined in the Factory. The other components like your gear box also need running in. Heck, even your tyres need running in. Hence my suggestion to take it easy to 7500 kms. You can then switch to fully synthetic and enjoy your ride for a long time to come. FIAT engines perform very well with proper running in. My 2 cents, Rajan
	() Thanks

30th August 2008, 08:43	#34
bonobashi BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dera Bassi, Hyd Posts: 65 Thanked: 4 Times	[quote=kaustubh_vaze;958175]Hey bottle, thanks buddy. Imagine I didn't even look at the owner's manual till date. Its just 2 days but still. I will read through it today. I hope that the servicing will do the car a whole world of good. I am driving with a "light foot" as they say and just crossed 2K RPM at 2 or 3 occassions. I am going to my native place (400 kms) in the first week of September, so I will report on my initial experience after I come back. Do let me know what precautions I have to take while taking this particular car on a long drive. I have checked all the fluid levels and they seem OK. I will have them checked again tomorrow from the TASS. I need to know any and all precautions that I need to take for a 5K run Palio 1.6.] First of all, congratulations; I hope you have years of fun driving and happy ownership. You haven't bought a car that's REALLY old; it's as close to new, with the depreciation price dip taken out, as one can get. So the usual advice I'd have about the electricals doesn't apply to you. The regular services should keep it in good shape. Having said that, you need to keep an eye on the service people. My experiences with Dada Motors and the other blokes in Ludhiana were abysmal - truly. Fortunately, since my Palio was four years old, I was happily able to go off elsewhere and get things done. Till your free services are done, you do need to spend a little extra vigilance. Mind you, the car is sturdy and forgiving. I once did Ludhiana-Delhi-Ludhiana up and down, in a kind of crisis, with the third gear not working at all. The car behaved like an angel, although in a 1.2, not having third gear on the highway is billions of blue blistering barnacles time. By the way, this is not recommended; as I said, I had a crisis, and if I had to do it today, I wouldn't, even though it would have meant losing a very large sum of money. That leaves only the car to get used to. Were you driving the 'turbo-lag' Indica? The one that went easy until 2000 rpm and then suddenly caught up in a scramble? You may find it worthwhile to run your car on the highway in highway conditions a couple of times, reasonable distances, to get used to it: it's phenomenal road grip, the general feeling of safety and being in complete control, the very precise steering, smooth flow of torque right through (<sigh> not so in a 1.2 - lucky you). Please be VERY careful about over-confidence. I had a problem shifting from a combined Zen petrol/ Indica diesel kind of driving ambience to a Palio. For a couple of weeks, the heady feeling in the Palio made me (unintentionally) a nuisance on the roads, specifically, when driving long-distance. Continuing in the spirit of 'Do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do', I'd rather be safe than sorry, and if a particular over-taking manoeuvre looks risky, I'd rather wait a few hundred metres, even a couple of kilometres more. Furthermore, after 80 to a 100, BE VERY CAREFUL TO ALLOW SPACE TO BRAKE. The brakes on a 1.6 are it's weakest feature, and PLEASE don't do its top speeds except on dual-carriageway roads when you can see quite a bit in front - and not even then, if you can help it. All these remarks are very specific to what I imagine you'll face shifting from a diesel Indica to a Palio 1.6. I hope you find them useful and relevant. Happy driving. And, of course, pictures are always welcome.
	() Thanks

30th August 2008, 19:50	#35
ravikn BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 345 Thanked: 25 Times	Hearty Congratulations Kaustubh, welcome to the FIAT club
	() Thanks

1st September 2008, 19:07	#36
kaustubh_vaze BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: 53 Times View My Garage	Thanks a lot all of you guys for all your wishesh!! I will certainly remember the braking aspect of the 1.6. Having driven an Indica, I feel Palio's brakes are heavenly. I will post the initial driving experience and pictures after my road trip on 6th September. That trip will give me a good insight on how the car has been maintained. A small bit of detail - Today I got the service booklets for the car. The car has been serviced when it was run 4818 Kms. At present the ODO reads 5500 Kms. So its just 750 odd Kms after the service out of which 250 Kms I have driven. This free service was done on 28th Mar 08. I think there's no need to service right now. I will get it serviced after the long trip. I have yet to get the car checked at the service station where it was being maintained since its way too far from where I live. I will be going there tomorrow and will post the details after the check is done. Once again, thank you guys for all your suggestions and answers. Regards, Kaustubh
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 00:50	#37
jazzy_2cool BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 277 Thanked: 0 Times	ALL I can Say Is : Damm Luckycheers:
	() Thanks

6th October 2011, 19:35	#38
Rangarajan Newbie Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Times	Re: And I got a used Fiat Palio Sport 1.6 Hi kaustubh_vaze What's your experience on the Palio. Now its been 4 years and I am curious because I am planning to get a 2005 palio myself. Let me know your experience in these years. Will be helpful in my decision making. Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks