[d_himan]

garry brant, bro, you're the dude. I salute your never-say-die spirit! And you write rather well. May your Palio never trouble you again, ever!

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by d_himan

garry brant, bro, you're the dude. I salute your never-say-die spirit! And you write rather well. May your Palio never trouble you again, ever!

there is more to come buddy

[maddy42]

Well well this seems like a saga. Go on

[garry.brant]

The car was flying now with AC turned on and i was very happy that at last i got everything worked out for me, i was thinking this while driving and suddenly i noticed that the car was pulling to the right side, i left the steering and the car pulled to the right quiet rapidly. I thought that it would be alignment problem and took the car to ORIX and Mr.Ashok suggested that it would not be possible as their alignment machine was not working, he suggested me a shop in sec:14 Gurgaon and i went there and they did the alignment, I test drove the car and it was still pulling to the right, then they swapped the front left wheel with front right wheel , i test drove again and now, it was pulling to the left. The guy at that shop told me that it was a problem with steering joint and asked me to get that checked in ORIX and then come back for alignment. I took the car to ORIX and they told me to leave the car for one day,which i did and they diagnosed the car and next day they told me that the power steering kit would be changed, which costs arround 16000Rs , Guys remember, I loved my car , I didnot have the money and still i replied in yes and asked them to change that , Thank god they had the parts. They changed the part and i asked my GF for money and got my car back home spending around 18000Rs (parts+labour+taxes).
Everything was fine now , Mr.Ashok told me that there was a little problem in the front wheel and they have swapped that with a rear wheel, i was not surprised as the Guy at alignment shop also suggested me to get the Tyre changed. At least i was happy that after spending all that my car was good now and i was relieved that after doing all this i wont have to spend more for a long time , which wasn`t the case.

[garry.brant]

Hi guys,
i was satisfied with my spendings as the car was in good shape and everything was tip top. So here is what happened after that, my friend was getting engaged in patiala and we had to go to attend the engagement. We had two options take the Wagonar or take My love Palio 1.9d, depending on the fuel cost and my pressure to take palio we agreed and took the palio.
We started the journey 3 in the morning from delhi and we were out of delhi in 45 minutes, and were driving on the natinal highway1 now. I was driving and there was a toyota innova in front of me which i was following. Being national highway and early morning there was not much traffic, for that reason the Innova was running arround 90 km/h and so was my palio, everything was smooth and then there was a big rock on the road which was probably left by the truckers(when they repair the truck), which innova cleard becuse of high ground clearance and i could not , and at that speed i couldn`t even apply the brakes , no reaction time and ,....! , There was this BIG NOISE bang and i felt like something hit underneath the car.
i stopped the car on the side and checked under the car and i saw little drops of oil, which stopped in 5 minutes( the oil was not finished but the leakage stopped). I touched the oil , it wasn`t diesel, i thought it could be the engine oil and thought that i would get it checked in chandigarh as we were on national highway and expecting a FIAT service center nearby was being foolish. I drove to Dera bassi hoping that nothing wrong would happen with that little leakage, we reached fine but yes in between the Third Gear gave me problems(as many others have also reported), the gear would itself go into neutral when kept in third gear for a little period, so basicaly i was without the third gear. I reached chandigarh and tried to find a FIAT service center but unable to do so , the one i found they didnt have the parts, however they checked the part and told me that the GEARBOX housing was cracked and the gear oil was getting leaked. They gave the estimated expense to be arround 15,000Rs.
We attended the engagement and came back to delhi in 4 gears , without 3rd gear. I called up ORIX and as usual they didnt have the parts , so then i called THE MAN, Mr.Farahim Khan and he told me that before he changed the housing he wants to have a look at the car. He came to my house and diagnosed underneath the car and told me that it was not the entire housing but just one part of it and would cost me arround 6000Rs, i told him to change that. The very next day he came and changed that within one hour and that too in front of me , this was great because as he do things in front of me , i would ask him questions about my car and he would answer them all and would give me tips and information about my which i just loved . Now i was learning more and more about my car. I paid 6000Rs, i agreed to wait for 10 days on the payment, which also made me a fan of him , so at last i got that fixed for 6000Rs.
I dont know why FIAT did not have any protection underneath the car, no covering for the gearbox and other stuff, ridiculous.

[garry.brant]

hi guys,
I hope you have been following this thread. So , my car was in good shape now and i was trying to forget what happened , it was mere bad luck , that what i thoght. There was another marriage coming up that was Sunny`s sister getting married in jalandhar(the same SUNNY), another 450 kms trip, I was the driver again and , I drove the car for entire 450 kms , reached home asked my parents to get in the car so that we can attend the marriage. I was just reversing the car outside my house and there was this big pothole and the front right wheel got into it , i turned the engine of and saw that and it didnt look realy good, I called for help and around 10 people came to get the car out of that pothole. I started the engiine and started to drive with my parents , to the marriage palace.
i noticed that the breaks were realy hard and i couldnt stopped the car, and i used the handbrakes and somehow i reached the palace and asked my parents to enjoy the wedding and i checked the car and it wont even start now. I asked a Taxi driver, who had Quallis to tow my car and we reached the Tata Fiat service center (Cargo motors jal) , pathetic service and pathetic people, they were realy amazed to see a FIAT car in thier service center, they told me that its the first time any FIAT car has come to them, i was not realy happy to hear that , however i did not have many choices so i left the car there and came back to attend the marriage , which was the reason for me being to Jalandhar.
Next day i called tata motors and asked them about the car and they said that they were still diagnosing the car and told me after two days that they have given the alternator to the manufactures for checking any faults in the alternator , i told them that there is nothing wrong with the alternator and told them that what was the reason behind the damage. I requested them to check the parts under the bonet but they wont listen to me. I had to go to office so i had to come back to delhi without my car and that was 17 october i came back and my car is still with TATA FIAT and it is 19 Nov. They called me and told me that the OIL pump and the CHAMBER was damaged, and would be replaced, however they didnot have the part and they told me that it would take at least 15 days to reach Jalandhar from PUNE, I had no choice rather than waiting for the parts and after 15 days , i called them and they told me that they were still waiting for the parts to be delievered , i had no choice waited again and i called them now on 17 november and they were still waiting for the parts ,i told them not to order the parts.
So , I called THE MAN Mr. Farahim Khan and told him about the accident and he told me that he could get the parts and i requested him to accompany me to Jalandhar, on which he agreed.
So guys that is a PATHATIC experience with TATA , i dont know if they have realy collabrated with FIAT or not , or its just a Marketing trick.
Well so we are going to Jalandhar on 23 november and i hope to get the car fixed asap.
Guys wish me luck for my LOVE.

[akshay4587]

ERRR
apart from two incidences due to human error.

All the other issue's were reliability one's may be you should have checked the car thoroughly before purchasing.

Anyways is anything left now?

[finneyp]

Oops, How did I miss this thread on a Palio experience...!

I guess everyone will agree - there is always a risk in buying a second hand car, be it any brand, we really don't know how the previous owner maintained his car, did he regularly service his car? etc etc.
There is a exception, if we know the owner & car beforehand!

Also you were unlucky to face two mishaps, but this is not uncommon, we all face mishaps at some point or another!

The sore issue here is the delay in getting spares, I don't understand why Fiat ASCs don't stock enough spares? Why they place the order only when the customer ask for it? I am not sure who is at fault, Fiat India or ASC?
Either way, it is ridiculous to keep a customer waiting for 4 - 5 days just to source the spares from the company!
I hope Fiat India address this issue on a priority basis and make spares readily available across all their ASCs.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by finneyp

why Fiat ASCs don't stock enough spares? Why they place the order only when the customer ask for it?

There was a mention of this in some other thread. FIAT India does not give spares on "credit" to A.S.S Centers. And A.S.S. owners can't use their own balance sheet to stock up spares that don't move fast enough to cover finance cost.

[rudrah]

Damn Everytime I open this thread, there is a new incident on the line...whats going on?

Hope this aint any curse on ur car! (being superstitious) I supposed you get ur car diagnosed completely from a authorised service centre or the mechanic you rely on!

The previous owner hasnt maintained the car which you now have to bear the pains!

This thread doesnt makes any existing/prospective Palio owners happy though how much ever you say you love the car!

Regarding the spares unavailability and service woes, you should immediately forward a complaint to TATA-FIAT!

Things will only improve if they are being noticed~

Cheers~

[bonobashi]

Originally Posted by garry.brant

hi guys,
I hope you have been following this thread. So , my car was in good shape now and i was trying to forget what happened , it was mere bad luck , that what i thoght. There was another marriage coming up that was Sunny`s sister getting married in jalandhar(the same SUNNY), another 450 kms trip, I was the driver again and , I drove the car for entire 450 kms , reached home asked my parents to get in the car so that we can attend the marriage.

<snip>

So , I called THE MAN Mr. Farahim Khan and told him about the accident and he told me that he could get the parts and i requested him to accompany me to Jalandhar, on which he agreed.
So guys that is a PATHATIC experience with TATA , i dont know if they have realy collabrated with FIAT or not , or its just a Marketing trick.
Well so we are going to Jalandhar on 23 november and i hope to get the car fixed asap.
Guys wish me luck for my LOVE.

Garry, all the very best. However, I have solved your problem.

Your problem is not the car. Your problem is Sunny. Whenever he comes on the scene, it seems like all hell breaks loose. I am sure that if you think carefully about each and every mishap, and not just with the Palio, you will be able to trace a link to Sunny somewhere.

At this stage, a tantrik who specialises in human sacrifice is what you should be looking for, not a car mechanic.

If, however, you choose to ignore this elegant and cheap solution, as I am afraid my more conservative recipients of free advice show a distressing tendency to do, I have to propose that you ask Farahim (is that his name? Not Fahim? Not F. A. Rahim?) Khan for a long diagnostic session. The following may help.

1. FIAT has traditionally had a very weak approach to electrical engineeering. Look out for all the electricals.
2. All mechanical movements need to be checked carefully one time. This includes door closure, locks (my locking was screwed up, exactly as you describe, and I had to fix it), controls on the dashboard, including the trip meter, seat adjustment levers, both up and down rotating and forward and backward, bonnet closure, and so on.
3. Engine work is tough to spot but my recommendation (remember, you read it here first) is to avoid tailgating cars with a higher ground clearance. This is the same bent of mind that cautions you not to follow somebody else in an overtaking manoeuvre, without being absolutely sure that you can see the traffic coming at you, otherwise you face the situation that the leading driver easily melts back into the lane, and you are left facing a stream of cars coming right into you and no space on your left to get back in line.
   Also wherever possible avoid driving THROUGH concrete slabs (my Sunny), rocks and potholes. Driving over them is better, avoiding them altogether is best.
4. Please check parts that a seller might be tempted to replace with cheaper parts, such as tyres and battery.

There's more but this is a mouthful anyway, and should keep you busy and your bank account empty for some time.

Seriously, good luck and hang in there!

[esteem_lover]

I feel for you dude. I know these experiences will help you take more mature decisions in future.

[hrag]

Originally Posted by bonobashi

Your problem is not the car. Your problem is Sunny.

That was hilarious. Hope he doesn't have a friend called Bobby.

Garry, sorry to hear about your experiences. But why does your writing style remind me of (d)a dude on fire?

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by hrag

That was hilarious. Hope he doesn't have a friend called Bobby.

Garry, sorry to hear about your experiences. But why does your writing style remind me of (d)a dude on fire?

It does..? anyways i am on firre buddy

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by bonobashi

Garry, all the very best. However, I have solved your problem.

Your problem is not the car. Your problem is Sunny. Whenever he comes on the scene, it seems like all hell breaks loose. I am sure that if you think carefully about each and every mishap, and not just with the Palio, you will be able to trace a link to Sunny somewhere.

At this stage, a tantrik who specialises in human sacrifice is what you should be looking for, not a car mechanic.

If, however, you choose to ignore this elegant and cheap solution, as I am afraid my more conservative recipients of free advice show a distressing tendency to do, I have to propose that you ask Farahim (is that his name? Not Fahim? Not F. A. Rahim?) Khan for a long diagnostic session. The following may help.

1. FIAT has traditionally had a very weak approach to electrical engineeering. Look out for all the electricals.
2. All mechanical movements need to be checked carefully one time. This includes door closure, locks (my locking was screwed up, exactly as you describe, and I had to fix it), controls on the dashboard, including the trip meter, seat adjustment levers, both up and down rotating and forward and backward, bonnet closure, and so on.
3. Engine work is tough to spot but my recommendation (remember, you read it here first) is to avoid tailgating cars with a higher ground clearance. This is the same bent of mind that cautions you not to follow somebody else in an overtaking manoeuvre, without being absolutely sure that you can see the traffic coming at you, otherwise you face the situation that the leading driver easily melts back into the lane, and you are left facing a stream of cars coming right into you and no space on your left to get back in line.
   Also wherever possible avoid driving THROUGH concrete slabs (my Sunny), rocks and potholes. Driving over them is better, avoiding them altogether is best.
4. Please check parts that a seller might be tempted to replace with cheaper parts, such as tyres and battery.

There's more but this is a mouthful anyway, and should keep you busy and your bank account empty for some time.

Seriously, good luck and hang in there!

hi banobashi , forgot to add that my bonet lock was also replaced