[DueLLeR]

::U P D A T E::

It's almost time for the first service. My MJD has clocked about 1300kms. The car has certainly become smoother as far as the engine and gear shifts are concerned. FE during last fill was 19.25 with 50% AC usage and lot of idling!

Issues So Far

• Steering makes a clicking noise when turning at low speeds as if it is getting caught somewhere. This has happened twice in these 1300kms.
• There is some rattling noise from boot while going over bad roads. Have tried combinations of removing the toolkit, warning triangle, parcel tray and still can't trace the source of the noise. Will have to make someone drive the car, while I can happily sit in the back seat and trace the source of the noise!
• After a long run, when the car has heated up and the fan is on, the sound is quiet loud. Also, the sound is not a continuous whine but in very short beats.
• While taking off from the first gear, when I can't let go off the clutch as fast (tight spaces or reversing) as I would normally do, the power delivery is rough and vibrations are felt throughout the car.

Last Sunday, gave her a nice wash and a coat of polish thereafter. Vaccuumed the interiors too. Wow! That's my idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon, though mom & GF strongly disagree!

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[roms]

Originally Posted by DueLLeR

::U P D A T E::

It's almost time for the first service. My MJD has clocked about 1300kms. The car has certainly become smoother as far as the engine and gear shifts are concerned. FE during last fill was 19.25 with 50% AC usage and lot of idling!

Issues So Far

• Steering makes a clicking noise when turning at low speeds as if it is getting caught somewhere. This has happened twice in these 1300kms.
• There is some rattling noise from boot while going over bad roads. Have tried combinations of removing the toolkit, warning triangle, parcel tray and still can't trace the source of the noise. Will have to make someone drive the car, while I can happily sit in the back seat and trace the source of the noise!
• After a long run, when the car has heated up and the fan is on, the sound is quiet loud. Also, the sound is not a continuous whine but in very short beats.
• While taking off from the first gear, when I can't let go off the clutch as fast (tight spaces or reversing) as I would normally do, the power delivery is rough and vibrations are felt throughout the car.

Last Sunday, gave her a nice wash and a coat of polish thereafter. Vaccuumed the interiors too. Wow! That's my idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon, though mom & GF strongly disagree!

Cheers!
DueLLeR

We could try and see what the problems are this friday, on the way to the service station, especially points 1 & 3. Have p.m'ed you and rudrah the details regarding the service appointment.

[DueLLeR]

After contacting roms and Rudrah, decided to take the MJD to Shaman for the first service - as Rudrah strongly recommended them. Unfortunately, Shaman pulled out of FIAT and would not complete the first "free" service. Called up my trusted mech at Chetan Motors, Vashi who are authorized for TATA and Maruti. Much to my dismay, my mech said he is not authorized to service FIAT cars and if done from him, my warranty would be voided. Finally, called up Wasan and managed to squeeze in two "first service" appointments for Rudrah and myself. My MJD had done 1463kms.

Friday, 24th October - 10 am
Reached Wasan's service station in Deonar with Rudrah in his Formula Red 1.6 sport and me in my Magnesium Grey MJD. The security guards there stopped us at the entry point and made the necessary documentation. They also asked us to take out all valuables from the car. Next, the mechs came and took control of ours cars and parked them in the "service" line like they were gonna race them. Ouch! However, they are pretty sensitive to keeping the car tidy. The first thing they did was put a huge plastic sheet over the driver seat to avoid dirtying it.

Friday, 24th October - 11 am
Went inside the reception area and met my advisor, Mr. Vinod. He tore away the service coupon and made the job card. He also enquired about any specific problems I was facing with the car. In addition, I asked him for a "before schedule" oil change. Initially, he tried to convince me to not change the oil. However, with some insistence, he made a note on the job card that read "Oil change on customer request" and agreed to it. He also recommended Bardahl's oil additive priced at approx 450, which I prompty agreed. Next, he took the car out for a test drive with me on the passenger seat. He asked for specific problems, which my car had.

• Rattling noise from the boot - traced to loose latch on the hatch.
• Loose mudflap - fixed

Friday, 24th October - 11.30 am
Soon after parking the car back at the service station, the mechanics drove it away to the first floor. My attempt to see it being serviced was met with the security guard shooing us away in the most insulting manner! We were told to come back at 4pm. Meanwhile, luckily for Rudrah, his car was being serviced on the ground floor itself in a corner away from the security guard's eyes.

Friday, 24th October - 2 pm
After spending our time loitering around Akbarally's, Next and Wasan Motors (showroom) in Chembur, we had lunch and returned to the service station. The cars were washed in front of us and quiet well, if I may add. Although they missed cleaning bird **** on Rudrah's car bumper. Interiors were cleaned well and air freshener was sprayed. The cleaner was constantly wiping the car until I drove it away from the service station!

My bill including fluid top ups, oil change, oil filter, Bardahl's additive plus taxes came to 1356. As promised, the car was delivered before 4pm. Mr. Vinod, the service advisor, also took a test drive again to ensure that all issues were sorted out.

Friday, 24th October - 4.30 pm
After taking delivery, I could sense that the engine has become a lot smoother. Although, the pickup and turbo kick seemed a tad lesser. I guess that's got to do with the new engine oil, which will take some time to "set in." Rudrah and I returned to Vashi. He had to top up his tank soon as he had put System G in his tank. Went to IOC Kopar Khairane and he tanked up the 1.6 sport. Next, we came to Palm Beach and decided to try out our cars. First, it was my turn to drive the 1.6 sport. Compared to the MJD, the car feels lighter and the gear shift is FAR superior. Having gotten used to the heavy foot and torque of the MJD, I ended up launching the 1.6 at 2000 rpm. Loved the sporty pedals. Next, Rudrah drove the MJD. I'd rather have him describe his experience of driving the MJD.

Conclusion
Overall, a good service day for the two FIATs. Being a Maruti customer for almost 4 years and having heard bad stories about Tata, the service at Wasan was quiet a plesant experience. There is a bit of chaos in the service area with cars being driven around like a pit lane and a very cranky security guard, but the over all experience is quiet good. They do take care of smaller issues like ensuring that the interiors are not dirtied while servicing and the car remains shiny until the customer takes delivery. FE of the MJD after service has increased to 20.34 in 60:40 city:highway runs with 50% AC.

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[krish3]

Happy to hear a good service experience. I too hope to get the same when I buy mine next month end.

Getting 20kmpl is way too much even for a diesel, isn't it? You might be a good driver for that. I saw even Jazzy_cool too get this mileage and that too in Bangalore. These are giving me high hopes from my Palio MJD as well.

Waiting for a feedback about the MJD from Rudrah, and 1.6 owner. Will give a good idea of where the diesel stands

[DueLLeR]

I had an incident (not accident) on my MJD. I was driving late night on unfamiliar roads and saw a speed braker relatively late. Instictively, I applied the brakes a little harder than usual to avoid jumping over the speed braker. The wheels locked up and the MJD skidded a good 2 to 3ft!

The MJD's brakes have too much bite and get applied even with slight pressure on the pedal. In such a situation, with stock tyres, there is no way to stop a wheel lock up. This makes the MJD the most ideal candidate for ABS! I know retrofitting ABS won't be easy. Would a tyre upgrade, to say Michelin XM1+, help have safer braking?

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[phamilyman]

Would stainless steel braided disc plates help in progressive braking, besides better shoes? Swift also has too much bite. Have had same experience almost.

PS: That would kill the warranty no? :(

[Bubby]

You have been owning MJD from past few months now and I have been following your posts since the very begining. I will be recieving my MJD SDX in a day or two. Just wanted to know a thing from you, will it be ok to install the rear speakers on the rear tray? Should it be with MDF planks or without? Also do you use mormal diesel or premium one? Does the use of the premium one makes the engine more smoother?

[DueLLeR]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Would stainless steel braided disc plates help in progressive braking, besides better shoes? Swift also has too much bite. Have had same experience almost.

PS: That would kill the warranty no? :(

Yepp, that most certainly would kill the warranty, as would an after-market ABS kit. A DIY thingie I can think of is run the tyres 1-2 psi lower than recommended. That would ensure a marginally wider contact patch and a damper ride leading to delay in the wheels locking up, albeit at a loss of FE.

Also the side walls of the stock tyres on the Palio are unusually large. Would lower profile tyres help?

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[DueLLeR]

Originally Posted by Bubby

You have been owning MJD from past few months now and I have been following your posts since the very begining. I will be recieving my MJD SDX in a day or two. Just wanted to know a thing from you, will it be ok to install the rear speakers on the rear tray? Should it be with MDF planks or without? Also do you use mormal diesel or premium one? Does the use of the premium one makes the engine more smoother?

Hey Bubby, firstly congrats on your purchase! About the speakers, I personally don't prefer cutting a hole in the tray to fix the speakers. What I did was, leave the tray intact and use a boom box for the ovals and the woofer. That way nothing OE is damaged. Although, if boot space is a requirement for you, this approach may not work.

I use normal Diesel. Tried XtraMile once, but didn't find any difference in smoothness. In fact, I found the car slightly sluggish with XtraMile. With petrol, however, I find that XtraPremium actually makes the car peppier and smoother to drive.

Once again, congrats for your new MJD SDX. Awaiting your delivery report and pictures!

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[AadiAtPlay]

I have heard two seperate incidents about XM1 locking up sliding and causing accidents on the MJD on team-bhp.

There the gurus seem to think that the stock tires are not all that bad or inadequate.

I second you Dueller MJD sorely misses ABS.

[DueLLeR]

Originally Posted by DueLLeR

With petrol, however, I find that XtraPremium actually makes the car peppier and smoother to drive.

Before anyone gets any ideas of using XtraPremium in their MJD, let me clarify, I was talking about a petrol Zen!

Originally Posted by AadiAtPlay

I have heard two seperate incidents about XM1 locking up sliding and causing accidents on the MJD on team-bhp.

There the gurus seem to think that the stock tires are not all that bad or inadequate.

Thanks for letting me know, AadiAtPlay! I was just thinking of going to the tyre dealer this evening. If the stock tyres are not that bad and XM1+ won't give me much gain in braking, I just saved a couple of thousands!

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by AadiAtPlay

I have heard two seperate incidents about XM1 locking up sliding and causing accidents on the MJD on team-bhp.

This is news to me! Can you please post the link?

In my case, post upgrade to XM1+, braking has improved significantly!

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by DueLLeR

Also the side walls of the stock tyres on the Palio are unusually large. Would lower profile tyres help?

That sidewall contributes in part to Palio's good ride. A lower profile will definitely improve the already good handling, but I doubt it would prevent a lock up under emergency braking. The lockup would have been aided by some sand etc where you braked.

[DueLLeR]

Originally Posted by trrk

Hi,
The lockup would have been aided by some sand etc where you braked.

Thanks, trrk. There was no sand or any other anti-traction material on the road. The wheels locked up and produced the screeching noise. If it was because of sand, I wouldn't bother so much about the wheel locking issue.

Cheers!
DueLLeR

[Bubby]

Originally Posted by DueLLeR

Hey Bubby, firstly congrats on your purchase! About the speakers, I personally don't prefer cutting a hole in the tray to fix the speakers. What I did was, leave the tray intact and use a boom box for the ovals and the woofer. That way nothing OE is damaged. Although, if boot space is a requirement for you, this approach may not work.

I use normal Diesel. Tried XtraMile once, but didn't find any difference in smoothness. In fact, I found the car slightly sluggish with XtraMile. With petrol, however, I find that XtraPremium actually makes the car peppier and smoother to drive.

Once again, congrats for your new MJD SDX. Awaiting your delivery report and pictures!

Cheers!
DueLLeR

DueLLeR... Thanks for the inputs... but with the boom box in the boot, doesnt the tray rattles at a high volume of music... I had the same set up of boom box earlier in my WagonR but the tray above always produced a nagging rattling nosie.
Regarding the stock tyres... are they not good enough to support the brakes... if thats the case then i will make my visit to tyre dealer the same day after the delivery of my car and get the tyres replaced to wider ones.