[harry10]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Amit

I always wanted to change oil at 7 - 7.5K kms but could not find a way to check oil to check if particles present. How do I do it?

I would like to know the same.
Also isn't 7k a bit long interval for the oil change, how much is Fiat recommending?

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by harry10

I would like to know the same.
Also isn't 7k a bit long interval for the oil change, how much is Fiat recommending?

Fiat recommends 15000 km interval as its synthetic oil

i thought i'll change it at every 7.5K but couldn;t find a way to gauage if metal particles are present or not. did not change it (7700 kms now)

[suhaas307]

I really hope Fiat introduce the 3 door version of the Punto. I'd queue up immediately, buy it, and then slap on set of tasty, white 17" OZ Superturinos!

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

@Amogh:

Check out this link for the various oils on offer by Selenia. FL Selenia Poland

I could be wrong, but I think BUB uses Selenia WR for the Punto and Linea MJD. From it's specs, it appears to be a fully synthetic oil conforming to SAE 5W-40, API CF.

Cheers,
Vikram

Thank you Vikram !! that was really helpful.

I don't mind paying Rs.750/lit if it is fully synthetic. I will confirm this with BUB in a couple of days.

OT : do i get to meet you at the Pune-Mumbai TBHP meet on 20th ?

[nkapoor777]

Engine oil grade recommended is Selenia WR (5W-40: Part No 59064668) for the MJD. And yes it is fully synthetic and it costs Rs. 650/- per litre here in Delhi. I have one question though: When I went for first service of my Punto, they topped up the engine oil (used about 300 ml roughly). But the TASS sold me a one litre botting saying they don't sell it loose and I will have to buy the one litre pack (They claimed it is FIAT's directive). I mean, I don't mind keeping the leftover oil with me since it will be used sooner rather than later, but isn't it strange?

@Amit: Didn't they top up the engine oil at first service for your Punto?

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Originally Posted by amit

Good to know that the part was in stock

Good News for the prospective buyers that the running spares are available as and when required, it will reduce the complaints related to the spare parts availability, hope they improve further to gain more customer confidence.

Originally Posted by amit

Expereince was good. Waited for about 10 minutes for SA to attend to me and was out in the next 5 minutes. Delivery was supposed to be at 3pm, got a SMS from TATA at 2.59pm that car is ready! Vehicle was washed very well. Good job on that front. At time of delivery, I asked for the SA at the reception and he was with me in 2 minutes. Car was parked in dealer parking which was a good 2 minute walk. SA waited with me till car was brought back and wished me off. Got chatting with him in that time and he said service guys are happy with Fiat over Tata because their cars have very few issues compared to Tata ones. Split between Fiat and Tata for service is now almost 50:50. Loads of Linea's and now Punto's are coming in for service. They have already serviced 3 Nano's .

That's great, happy to see the change in the attitude of the Service Guys, it will be beneficial for FIAT, if they continue in this fashion.

[amit]

Latest mileage:







Didn't do a manual calcuation but assuming a 5% error rate in the MID, manual figure should be about 18.20.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by amit

Latest mileage:
.....

Didn't do a manual calcuation but assuming a 5% error rate in the MID, manual figure should be about 18.20.

Wow man. that's a great mileage and such FE numbers should help FIAT in addressing their image of producing fuel guzzling cars.

PS: Do you still miss the FTD factor of the S10

[amit]

Originally Posted by amit

Just off from a phone call from A.G.Neilson

The survey was conducted by Neilson on behalf of J.D.Power Asia Pacific. It was IQS and Apeal study.

Survey was audio taped and lasted for about 30 minutes.

There is one minor issue / stuff to be noted and shared about the car.

With USB stick in it's slot, the music is playing but when I want to access folders , artists or genre's, B&M says "No Media found." I removed the USB stick, switched off the car but still no difference. So then I plug in the USB in my laptop, transfer all songs to my laptop, format the stick, reload the same songs back in the stick and try again. Music plays normally but B&M keeps saying "No Media" if I want to access folders / artists/ genre's.

So basically, I have no control over what song / music I want to listen to and am at the mercy of B&M . All other functions work normally including voice start and stop of music, loop off / on, autoplay off / on etc.

I did a google on this and it took me to some UK forum where a couple of owners are reporting on the same issue. One of them, removed some songs, reinserted the stick and it played normally. A new stick too plays normally. What is being said is that if you leave the USB stick in the slot for a long time, it tends to get corrupted. I did the same. I have also noticed that even after keys are removed the blue light in the USB stick is still on so it seems like it keeps running all the time. Software guru's please advise.

I am going to remove some songs and re-try playing the USB again today evening.

Do you still miss the FTD factor of the S10

Sometimes .

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by amit

With USB stick in it's slot, the music is playing but when I want to access folders , artists or genre's, B&M says "No Media found." I removed the USB stick, switched off the car but still no difference. So then I plug in the USB in my laptop, transfer all songs to my laptop, format the stick, reload the same songs back in the stick and try again. Music plays normally but B&M keeps saying "No Media" if I want to access folders / artists/ genre's.

I face this problem frequently & shared in my Linea thread. I then went by the manual (vaguely remember reading something like it in manual). There are 2 ways you can do it:

1. Remove the USB stick, add/delete a song & reinsert. OR
2. Remove this USB stick. Insert another USB stick & let it remain in USB port for atleast 5-7 minutes to build library list. Then Remove this 2nd USB stick. Reinsert the earlier 1st USB stick.

Its something to do with library list which seems to get corrupted over time. Once you do either of the above, the library list is generated again & the problem gets solved

Another thing - I parked my Linea with handbrakes pulled up on last Monday night & thereafter did not touch it till today morning as I was out of town. Restarted the engine today, let it run for 1 minute idle with handbrakes still pulled up, then pulled down the handbrake & engaged the 1st gear. The car moved butter smooth without any "Khut" sound or any jammed brake whatsoever.

Your mileage is extraordinary. Diesel full-tank lasting for almost 800 kms. Mind blowing. Fiat needs to build this image of Fuel efficient car for next 6-8 months more & let it get stronger & stronger till it can not be erased from customers' mind. Thats why I think, it would be a cardinal mistake for Fiat if it launches 1.6 engines in 2009. IMO, the right time would be mid-2010 with sales reaching around 1200-1300 Linea's & over-2000 Punto's

[mrohit17]

Originally Posted by nkapoor777

Engine oil grade recommended is Selenia WR (5W-40: Part No 59064668) for the MJD. And yes it is fully synthetic and it costs Rs. 650/- per litre here in Delhi.

The 5L can of Selenia WR 5W40 has an MRP of Rs.2900/- the pack says improted in India in Jan'2009. This comes to about Rs.580/Litre, right.

Now I changed engine oil in my Punto during the first service recently and the charge the dealership was quoting was Rs.464/Litre. I have asked them to recheck, but it might be something to do with them buying oil in bulk drums. I had got the oil from Ahmedabad in the 5L can duly taken out from bulk drums.

Better we cross check for the prices there seems to be lot of differences as per locations. I will keep you all posted once I pay the bill today.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Fiat needs to build this image of Fuel efficient car for next 6-8 months more & let it get stronger & stronger till it can not be erased from customers' mind. Thats why I think, it would be a cardinal mistake for Fiat if it launches 1.6 engines in 2009. IMO, the right time would be mid-2010 with sales reaching around 1200-1300 Linea's & over-2000 Punto's

It would be great to see a 1.6 litre motor powering the Punto. That incredible chassis is crying for a bigger and more powerful petrol motor. The diesel will cater to majority of the people, and the smaller petrol engine (which feels terribly underpowered) is good enough for trips to the shops. But a nicer, more powerful engine would definitely compliment the desirable appearance and the razor sharp handling.

People who want a good diesel wouldn't think about putting their money down on the petrol car. People who do low mileage can opt for the smaller petrol mill and people who want a good looking, fast and powerful hot hatch would close their eyes and opt for the bigger petrol engine variant. I think it makes sense. Having a more expensive Punto with a bigger petrol engine wouldn't result in a drop in the sales charts.

[neotraveller]

Don't they already have this option? The 1.4L 90bhp for the Punto is powerful enough.
It works adequate enough in the more heavier Linea.

IMO hatchbacks in India will at best have 90-100bhp nothing more. Anything fancy will drive prices up and will go into sedan territory and companies willl lose sales..

Originally Posted by suhaas307

People who do low mileage can opt for the smaller petrol mill and people who want a good looking, fast and powerful hot hatch would close their eyes and opt for the bigger petrol engine variant. I think it makes sense. Having a more expensive Punto with a bigger petrol engine wouldn't result in a drop in the sales charts.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by neotraveller

Don't they already have this option? The 1.4L 90bhp for the Punto is powerful enough.
It works adequate enough in the more heavier Linea.

IMO hatchbacks in India will at best have 90-100bhp nothing more. Anything fancy will drive prices up and will go into sedan territory and companies willl lose sales..

The 1.4, 90bhp mill, seems adequate, but the car struggles to put the power down. It just doesn't feel spunky enough. It feels terribly underpowered and I don't know why! You should drive it and get a feel of it! I was shocked, honestly! I expected the petrol mill to catapult me but it did quite the opposite. I'd go in for a diesel. But I'd still like a more powerful petrol motor. Or at least a good tweaking job that helps put the power down properly.

The more powerful petrol motor would cater to a niche market. And it would do wonders to bring back smiles on enthusiasts as well as trust among the general public (who still seem pretty skeptical about the brand).

[amit]

Fiat needs to build this image of Fuel efficient car for next 6-8 months more & let it get stronger & stronger till it can not be erased from customers' mind. Thats why I think, it would be a cardinal mistake for Fiat if it launches 1.6 engines in 2009.

On the contrary, I feel a bigger diesel motor may actually be as or even more fuel efficient. With the current FGT, we tend to floor the throttle specially in first and second gear to get going and on the highway's too for overtaking, we tend to step on the gas to get ahead fast. A bigger diesel will help us to just tap the pedal and get the momentum going giving us the oppurtunity to keep the engine spinning at a lower rpm. Ditto for the T-Jet. I am not saying that the 1.3 FGT is bad, it's bloody good for most purposes and drives. Heck if Europeans driving on the autostrada's and autobahn's are okay with it then it's surely more then adequate in India but the heavier weight of the Punto does make the engine work a little hard.

As for the bigger engines, I like what Fiat is doing. They should be testing the engines now. I feel they are keeping a hawk's eye on sales. If the Linea starts to slip (due to product fatigue) they will be ready to slip in a bigger engine with minor modifications right away. It's a far cry from the Fiat of 2002, that took ages to respond with the Palio NV.

I feel the September 2009 launch of the Linea 1.6 MJD isn't going to happen. Jan 2010 - 12 months after the Linea launch seems like the best time to get a bigger motor. That will also help them call it a 2010 model. Unless Fiat has plans to celebrate a cracker jack Diwali 2009 .

The 1.4, 90bhp mill, seems adequate, but the car struggles to put the power down. It just doesn't feel spunky enough. It feels terribly underpowered and I don't know why!

I think it's because of a combination of heavier weight and gearing tilting towards fuel efficiency. In fact, the Fabia TDi is a good 130Kgs lighter then the Punto MJD! (1060 kgs against 1190Kgs)

Last night I had to fill up about 13 ltrs of premium diesel because the IOC bunk at Chembur didn't have regular one. It was 11 pm and I had to drive to Kharghar so I had no choice . However, the car actually feels slightly better. Idling is smoother and pick up also feels more agile. However, I am sticking to regular unleaded, got to empty the tank fast which only means more time driving the Punto! (I am out of smiley limits here)