[amit]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Amit
Yes it does because the height adjusting lever is so long that it touches thighs while entering or exiting the car, design defect you may call

I doubt that could be the reason. Is the pressure on the lever so much when the driver is getting in and out that it presses the seat down?

Why don't you do a experiment for the next few days. Be extra careful not to touch the lever while getting in and out and then see if the seat still goes down automatically?

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by amit

Is the pressure on the lever so much when the driver is getting in and out that it presses the seat down?

Why don't you do a experiment for the next few days. Be extra careful not to touch the lever while getting in and out and then see if the seat still goes down automatically?

That lever is just feather touch when pushing the seat down
I have tried doing this multiple times but i forget that i have to keep away from the lever and as soon as i exit the click sound comes and voila seat comes down. Am sure its because of that extra long lever

I just forget that i have to enter and exit by being away from seat lever , its as difficult as to keeping a black color car clean while driving though a desert.

[neotraveller]

I have put the seat-height adjuster under observation for 3 days now.
Hasn't gone down .. actually it has gone down one step, when getting out of my car my thigh touched. Really difficult to avoid hitting it!
I am positive that this is the reason.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by neotraveller

I have put the seat-height adjuster under observation for 3 days now.
Hasn't gone down .. actually it has gone down one step, when getting out of my car my thigh touched. Really difficult to avoid hitting it!
I am positive that this is the reason.

I've checked this thoroughly earlier. Thigh touching it is not a reason.

What I observed that sometimes it does not come down for 2-3 days & sometime it comes down in 1 hour midway thro' the journey itself after you pulled it up to the uppermost position. In my case, no part of my body even accidentally touches the lever. When I sit, my leg/ thigh remains clear 3-5 inches away from it (yes, I'm thin). But still it comes down for sure.

What may be the reason - my guestimate is - 1) sometime we sit suddenly & because of that sudden impact/ load the seat goes down slightly & 2) when you hit pothoiles hard, your weight again comes down hard on the seat pushing it down & you never realise.

In either case, we can say seat does not hold the position & may be mechanical lever or the mechanism is not strong enough. Wonder how Fiat will rectify it for it seems they'll have to change the mechanical assembly.

[geeash]

Are you guys sure that this doesnt happen in any other sedans like sx4 or anhc?. Thay have the same mechanism too. I guess it happens in them too. May be we linea owners scrutinise everything to the deep. So may be it is showing up. May be other people just take it as a simple thing and raise the seats and drive

Me and vahan are so obsessed with our beautiful sedans that the icon grows green in team-bhp post even at 2:40am to indicate that we are online . Team-bhp as made me so addicted that i stay online even when i am running fever right now.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by geeash

Are you guys sure that this doesnt happen in any other sedans like sx4 or anhc?. Thay have the same mechanism too. I guess it happens in them too. May be we linea owners scrutinise everything to the deep. So may be it is showing up. May be other people just take it as a simple thing and raise the seats and drive

Me and vahan are so obsessed with our beautiful sedans that the icon grows green in team-bhp post even at 2:40am to indicate that we are online . Team-bhp as made me so addicted that i stay online even when i am running fever right now.

Yes, it has made me also addictive to t-bhp

[neotraveller]

Tell me about it. I keep checking TBHP for new posts every hour.
Wifey's mad at me because of this new addiction :(

I joke with her saying, hey its no like I am addicted to smoking!

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Yes, it has made me also addictive to t-bhp

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

What may be the reason - my guestimate is - 1) sometime we sit suddenly & because of that sudden impact/ load the seat goes down slightly.
Wonder how Fiat will rectify it for it seems they'll have to change the mechanical assembly.

If thigh problem isnt there then am sure its above guestimate which is correct of sitting suddenly. Have observed that but you know what, while exiting the car max times i hear click sound of seat coming down because i either touch the lever or seat comes down on its own to help me in easy exit Intelligent seats..

Just took the car out yesterday night to have ice cream at Nirulas and a man in NHC came rushing to me and started asking how is the car etc. Said he is bowled over by the looks but Fiat brand name is holding him. Took my number and said he will talk to me as he plans to buy a Linea selling off his NHC (not ANHC) He told all + points of Linea atleast 5 times to me, this man just loved the car. Told him to have a TD and gave him my salesman's no.
Admiration Guaranteed.

[FastLove]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Yes, it has made me also addictive to t-bhp

ditto mate!

[VahanPujari]

Did 1st service of my Linea today & also met Fiat officials regarding issues I raised. 1st regarding the Plastic issues.

I escalated the matter again Friday that service station got no intimation that someone is coming from Fiat & got response from ceodesk with name of the person coming. Well, he came today surely all the way from Pune to Mumbai & is from Fiat Corporate Quality Team. Am really happy to see Fiat's response driven straight from CEO Desk for a seemingly small issue.

I discussed with him about plastic quality, shown him the missing plastic cap, shown him all the levers & discussed many things.

Plastic cap - He came with 3-4 pieces of this plastic caps & alongwith placing driver side cap, he replaced the passenger side cap also as they've added 1 clip inside in this part so it holds tighter.

Chrome beadings - He asked me about Chrome beadings. I said I've already fixed it with Fevi Bond, a rubber adhesive. He said I seem to know quite a few technicalities as that is one of the right adhesives. Both side front driver side Chrome strips were very slightly displaced. He fixed those as well with Fevi Bond. Unfortunately, when we asked service station executive to bring in the adhesive, he brought Fevi Quik . Oh, I was so right earlier fixing the strip myself with Fevi Bond as I was not sure which glue they'll use. The right adhesive for these Chrome Beadings is Hit Lock (may be Pidilite-made) which comes in small round Blue colour bottle. Both of us tried to find it in the market but could not hence purchased Fevi Bond. Those Linea-owners who face this issue should try to get Hit Lock first & if not available then Fevi Bond does the trick.

Driver Seat Height Adjustment - We tested this on a bumpy ride for sometime but the seat didn't come down. We discussed it comes down sometime after 2-3 days & sometime even after 1 hour. He asked me to observe & if the problem persisted, he'll get the mechanical assembly changed.

Overall I'm quite happy & appreciated that Fiat took the initiative to address the issues. It seems Various Plastic Levers though they look fragile are hard to change & won't be changed. But Fiat is backing the customers in every such issue faced & rectifying them or replacing them. In any case Levers in my car are intact without any issues till now.

CarPG - If your issues are still not solved, pls PM me. I've discussed your case with him.

OK, now about the 1st service. There was very little to do as it was kind of routine check up. Have not changed gear oil & went with Fiat-recommended schedule. Got the Wheel Alignment done (Advisor was hesitant & asked why I want to do it as I got it done last time 1.5 months back). Saw the air filter getting cleaned. The car seems to have become smoother now. I also complained about AC beling less cooler. After service, I found the Cooling has substantially increased. Don't know what they did.

A small incident - midway during service I went to ask him to speed up & I saw them do the Glass itching which I did not ask for. When I saw the regn no., I found he itched someone else's car's regn no. on windshield & front driver glass of my Car

As I mentioned in earlier posts, a few service items you had specified would get forgotten, thats what I observed during my few service station visits. It also is not reliable. I mean My Ford service expeirience was impeccable - If I mention an item to be taken care of in service, I could close my eyes & rely on them that it'll be done perfectly. With Tata's I think I'll have to use "Dadima ke nuskhe" like Fevi Bond more.

Addendum - The Plastic cap I found on car Floor between 2 front seats & could not find location where it came of, I had shown it to the Service advisor before Fiat Manager came. Service Advisor has found the location - A-pillar on the outside. But the same cap was present both sides in my car. Whose car's part was it? Oh !!

[VahanPujari]

Total Service Bill - Rs. 75/- for some consumables, nothing else was charged

FastLove - Get the Wheel Alignment money back from the dealer & raise it to Fiat. Its an integrity issue & the dealer has to mend his ways else tomorrow he can do it with costlier parts

[RedOne]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

A small incident - midway during service I went to ask him to speed up & I saw them do the Glass itching which I did not ask for. When I saw the regn no., I found he itched someone else's car's regn no. on windshield & front driver glass of my Car

Yikes! So did they replace the glass or are you going to drive around with someone else's numbers etched on your car? Isn't that a potential safety issue? Of someone accusing you of driving a stolen / illegal car with tampered plates?

Gears,
Red-One.

[lamborghini]

@VahanPujari,

That is one beautiful review. The Linea is one car I admire, and your updates are really helpful. I just finished rwading all 17 pages of it, and I loved it.
Since we have a Palio, I was looking forward to upgrading to a GP when the time comes, and since both the cars share so much in common, I am just reading up on it.
One thing that scares me though, as my daily drive is a fiesta and the palio is only used on the weekends when there is considerably less traffic, one thing I have noticed is that the fiesta is very easy to maneuver in comparison to the Palio, which needs space, and I am extra careful when driving the Palio. How is the case with the Linea? When I sat in it at the showroom, I found it to be really bulky.
Thing is, while I would love the GP/Linea, my daily drive requires an easy to drive car, and would the Linea fit in that? We had an Ikon 1.6, and it was amazing, and the fiesta is a step above given its a diesel with minimal turbo lag, and I feel it has better visibility.

On the other hand, it is good to see Fiat being so proactive about the niggling issues. I wish them the best.

Some points i came across:
- You pointed out the car was unstable at high speeds. There are a lot of factors which affect the high speed stability of the car. I have driven a decent amount at 140kmph in our car out here and some of the points I have noticed is that the road conditions, wind, windows being open/close, etc. can really affect the stability of the car.
- Waxing isn't recommended that often. Since you want the car to look good and shiny (our Galant is a similar shade of red), what I would suggest is that you can use Turtle Was Express Shine, which gives a nice wet look and is a lot faster and easier than waxing.

Keep the review coming.

@Mods: Don't you think it is time this is shifted to the long term ownership threads given how it is being constantly updated.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by RedOne

Yikes! So did they replace the glass or are you going to drive around with someone else's numbers etched on your car? Isn't that a potential safety issue? Of someone accusing you of driving a stolen / illegal car with tampered plates?

Gears,
Red-One.

Since I reached there imdtly when the guy was itching it, it was only on 2 glasses. Fortunately Only 2 digits were different than my car regn no. I imdtly rubbed the digits with my finger hard & it got very very faint. On that he then has overwritten those digits with correct digits to complete my car regn no.
Actually, would not have liked glass-iching at all (do not like the way it shines on the glass) but then ended up having to go thro' all these - stupid guy he was

[manish7]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Did 1st service of my Linea today & also met Fiat officials regarding issues I raised. 1st regarding the Plastic issues.

I escalated the matter again Friday that service station got no intimation that someone is coming from Fiat & got response from ceodesk with name of the person coming. Well, he came today surely all the way from Pune to Mumbai & is from Fiat Corporate Quality Team. Am really happy to see Fiat's response driven straight from CEO Desk for a seemingly small issue.

I discussed with him about plastic quality, shown him the missing plastic cap, shown him all the levers & discussed many things.

Plastic cap - He came with 3-4 pieces of this plastic caps & alongwith placing driver side cap, he replaced the passenger side cap also as they've added 1 clip inside in this part so it holds tighter.

Chrome beadings - He asked me about Chrome beadings. I said I've already fixed it with Fevi Bond, a rubber adhesive. He said I seem to know quite a few technicalities as that is one of the right adhesives. Both side front driver side Chrome strips were very slightly displaced. He fixed those as well with Fevi Bond. Unfortunately, when we asked service station executive to bring in the adhesive, he brought Fevi Quik . Oh, I was so right earlier fixing the strip myself with Fevi Bond as I was not sure which glue they'll use. The right adhesive for these Chrome Beadings is Hit Lock (may be Pidilite-made) which comes in small round Blue colour bottle. Both of us tried to find it in the market but could not hence purchased Fevi Bond. Those Linea-owners who face this issue should try to get Hit Lock first & if not available then Fevi Bond does the trick.

Driver Seat Height Adjustment - We tested this on a bumpy ride for sometime but the seat didn't come down. We discussed it comes down sometime after 2-3 days & sometime even after 1 hour. He asked me to observe & if the problem persisted, he'll get the mechanical assembly changed.

Overall I'm quite happy & appreciated that Fiat took the initiative to address the issues. It seems Various Plastic Levers though they look fragile are hard to change & won't be changed. But Fiat is backing the customers in every such issue faced & rectifying them or replacing them. In any case Levers in my car are intact without any issues till now.

CarPG - If your issues are still not solved, pls PM me. I've discussed your case with him.

OK, now about the 1st service. There was very little to do as it was kind of routine check up. Have not changed gear oil & went with Fiat-recommended schedule. Got the Wheel Alignment done (Advisor was hesitant & asked why I want to do it as I got it done last time 1.5 months back). Saw the air filter getting cleaned. The car seems to have become smoother now. I also complained about AC beling less cooler. After service, I found the Cooling has substantially increased. Don't know what they did.

A small incident - midway during service I went to ask him to speed up & I saw them do the Glass itching which I did not ask for. When I saw the regn no., I found he itched someone else's car's regn no. on windshield & front driver glass of my Car

As I mentioned in earlier posts, a few service items you had specified would get forgotten, thats what I observed during my few service station visits. It also is not reliable. I mean My Ford service expeirience was impeccable - If I mention an item to be taken care of in service, I could close my eyes & rely on them that it'll be done perfectly. With Tata's I think I'll have to use "Dadima ke nuskhe" like Fevi Bond more.

Addendum - The Plastic cap I found on car Floor between 2 front seats & could not find location where it came of, I had shown it to the Service advisor before Fiat Manager came. Service Advisor has found the location - A-pillar on the outside. But the same cap was present both sides in my car. Whose car's part was it? Oh !!

@VahanPujari

Had to quote the entire stuff because your inputs are extremely useful and insightful. And though you are passionate about your car, I find your inputs very balanced and impartial. Great approach man, I really love the way you update every small thing.

It's really heartening to see someone from Pune visiting Mumbai for you issues, that shows that Fiat really cares. But I wonder why they don't give same service/treatment to Pune customers, maybe typical "puneite" way of dealing with customer, they are just neglected. I was quite furious to read about CarPG aka Peeyush's issues. My cousin owns Palio SDX and has suffered similar anoying ssues from the dealership.

It's annoyng to see that they have put someone else's number on your glasses, if you want - you can demand them to chnage those glasses. When it comes to leagal stuff, this could be a great potential problem. Also, attitude of service people (forgetting/ignoring some stuff during service) seems irritating to me. Maybe TATA service people are used to service mediocre cars and now facing premium customers all the sudden and especially Fiat customers are rather technical, so they better change for better. Actually it would have been much better if Fiat had launched few exlusive Fiat service centers and dealers at the time of Linea launch, just like Bajaj has probiking centers.

But I hope Fiat will do better, at least their attitude is showing a welcome change.