One more Fiery, Emotional Drop in the LINEA(r) Ocean!!

sultanofswing · 2nd November 2009, 23:35

Hello all,

This is my story:

A few months ago, dad was contemplating on a new car since the good old Indigo GLX was 88k km old and beginning to belie its age. Reading the torrential strem of lineas and their (mostly) good reports, I suggested this to him. But a Diesel Emotion pack was going beyond our budget and not wanting to miss out on the best features we (read he) decided to chuck the idea and we were looking at the i20 instead.

Then, i moved to bangalore for higher studies which cleared the way for dad to usurp my (figuratively speaking) alto and hence give up the idea of a new car ALTOgether.

But as fate/luck would have it, somewhere in his destiny, the word fiat was etched firmly, in RED. (i should mention that he previously owned the good old primiere padmini - with license plate 1994 in the year 1994!). His office decided to become generous all of a sudden and allotted a meaty ~8L for a car of his choice. Along with his colleague they decided on a linea as fully worth that amount and gave B U Bhandari, (pune) the go ahead for a Linea Petrol Emotion. I tried to talk him into a diesel (and stretch the company's budget a bit) but the company declined.

One way or another, today, we took the delivery of the car today - no prizes for guessing the colour - FLAMENCO RED.

Did the PDI according to TBHP checklist. Most financial things didnt apply as those had been taken care of previously.

2 GLARING faults we noticed:

1. Petrol tank cover misaligned with body even after locking - Dealer refused to acknowledge it as his fault and claimed most other cars had it. Upon further argument, he agreed to fix it but asked us to bring in the car after 2 days. This being an auspicious day (karthik Poornima) dad was keen on taking delivery of the car.

2. No Ciggy lighter. On pointing out, the fellow said - it is supposed to be like that only. I laughed at his face and led him to the display linea. He conceded the error and well, took out the lighter from the display vehicle and placed it in our car!

Otherwise, the car was in good condition. One thing i was skeptical about - the odo showed 216 kms! Upon asking, he gave us some spiel about driving from ranjangaon (which is definitely lesser than 216 kms). What do others have to say about this? I was unsure about the procedure and what was within our rights to have done in this situation, since the payment/ registration was already done. (though no signatures of my dad taken).

As of now I haven't driven the car, and will post my impressions later (though I'm sure everyone has more than a fair idea of the Linea by now)

As for the T-JET, We unfortunately couldn't wait. Car was booked over a month ago.

I'd be happy to answer any other queries.

I shall post the pics soon. (I've to figure out the protocol of posting on tbhp)

Cheers!

arishi1 · 3rd November 2009, 10:28

Fist of all congratulations and welcome aboard the FIAT owners club.

For the ODO at 216. I am pretty sure if you put a mail to someone senior in FIAT they will tell you that they don't dispatch the cars to be driven from Ranjangaon to the dealers shop. If thats the case I suppose people buying a FIAT in Assam will have about 3000 or so KM on there ODO. The dealer just takes you on a ride coz we are fine with the explanation and moreover what can we do. After all it doesn't make any sense to take the dealer to a consumer court for this matter.

Anyways enjoy your ride and be safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

Otherwise, the car was in good condition. One thing i was skeptical about - the odo showed 216 kms! Upon asking, he gave us some spiel about driving from ranjangaon (which is definitely lesser than 216 kms).
Cheers!

lightinin95 · 3rd November 2009, 10:47

Congratulations on the new buy and keep updating with pics & experiences. Do inform the small significant things such as tyres, seat issues (or non issues) and comment on other regular niggles others have reported. Older users would like this to be resolved.

PS - Somewhere in the forum Pune users did inform odos of beyond 100 kms.

Cheers, Sam

StreetAddict · 3rd November 2009, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

I shall post the pics soon. (I've to figure out the protocol of posting on tbhp)

Here You go : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/announ...-team-bhp.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

No Ciggy lighter. On pointing out, the fellow said - it is supposed to be like that only. I laughed at his face and led him to the display linea. He conceded the error and well, took out the lighter from the display vehicle and placed it in our car!

sultanofswing · 3rd November 2009, 23:15

Thank you very much

other than the aforementioned niggles, nothing as yet. If someone with prior experience of contacting FIAT could help me out with appropriate e-mail IDs, i would be very grateful. I was quite surprised to see 200+ kms.

Also I remember (some time ago) coming across a thread where all linea owners made a collection of niggles and how they got fixed (with more issues cropping up on diesel variants, of course, my memory could fail me). I am somehow unable to locate that thread despite searching. If some one could post a link, it would be very helpful.

Also there was a "did you know this about your car" type thread for the linea. Not able to come across it in my search.

That's all for now,
more updates to follow.

PS: Blue & Me ROCKS!

recshenoy · 4th November 2009, 09:49

@sultanofswing

here you go.

check out the link below

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ow-series.html

SkyWalker · 4th November 2009, 10:21

congrats on your car. Hope you are enjoying Dire straits in your car now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

Otherwise, the car was in good condition. One thing i was skeptical about - the odo showed 216 kms! Upon asking, he gave us some spiel about driving from ranjangaon (which is definitely lesser than 216 kms). What do others have to say about this? I was unsure about the procedure and what was within our rights to have done in this situation, since the payment/ registration was already done. (though no signatures of my dad taken).

the dealer is talking nonsense. I would strongly advise everyone not to take a car above 100 Kms in the odo as there's a chance that it was used for TDs. Anyway since you have already taken possession, just forget about it and get it out of your mind.

sultanofswing · 6th November 2009, 08:16

Update:

got sun control films installed from Bafna Cars, (ghole rd, Pune)

Llumar Steel 20 (i think) for the sides and rear: 5.5k (which i thought was a little on the higher side)

3M CR 70 for the front windshield: 6k

Installation was very well done. Now the Linea's look has improved and we just can't stop looking at her! (not that the case was much different earlier)

Problem is, I don't seem to find decent seat covers. I visited 3-4 places but all their Art leather range feels very cheap and the stitch is visibly lacking in quality. I know (after seeing pics here) that Art leather CAN look very good, provided good ones are installed. Do any Pune members know of a place which offers a good range of seat covers and are reliable fitters? Any help would be appreciated. Budget: 6-8k. Willing to stretch absolute max to 9/10 k.

Also, Bafna is coating 3k for Teflon coating with one additional coat after 6 months. Is it advisable? From what I gather, the opinions are mixed about the pros/cons of Teflon coating.

That's it for now,
more to follow.

Ferrari1976 · 6th November 2009, 08:47

Try Poona Motors on East Stree for Seat COvers. One of the Punto owners got it done very neatly from Poona motors for @6K.

Teflon is not really suggested on TBHP. A normal DIY Waxing job is sufficient!

aks_karthik · 6th November 2009, 14:12

Congrats sultanofswing,

Welcome to Linea Club.
Definitley you will enjoy each and every day with your Linea.
Enjoy and Drive Safe

vijaythacker · 6th November 2009, 14:53

sultanofswing,congratulations on your italian beauty.Above 200 kms on your new car was a bit questionable.Post some pictures of your car and enjoy your ride.

NutsNBolts · 6th November 2009, 15:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

Update:

got sun control films installed from Bafna Cars, (ghole rd, Pune)

Llumar Steel 20 (i think) for the sides and rear: 5.5k (which i thought was a little on the higher side)

3M CR 70 for the front windshield: 6k

Installation was very well done. Now the Linea's look has improved and we just can't stop looking at her! (not that the case was much different earlier)

Problem is, I don't seem to find decent seat covers. I visited 3-4 places but all their Art leather range feels very cheap and the stitch is visibly lacking in quality. I know (after seeing pics here) that Art leather CAN look very good, provided good ones are installed. Do any Pune members know of a place which offers a good range of seat covers and are reliable fitters? Any help would be appreciated. Budget: 6-8k. Willing to stretch absolute max to 9/10 k.

Also, Bafna is coating 3k for Teflon coating with one additional coat after 6 months. Is it advisable? From what I gather, the opinions are mixed about the pros/cons of Teflon coating.

That's it for now,
more to follow.

Congrats dude! Get behind the steering wheel and feel the emotion. My personal view is that Linea OEM seat cover is much better than art leather. If you can do it, keep the originals rather than going for a badly fit or even sagging seat cover. It can be such a turn off.

As pointed out, teflon coat is a bluff. Look out for paint protection instead. If not possible, stick to wax once a month and shampooing every week.

Enjoy the ride.

sharanramesh · 6th November 2009, 15:08

great buy sultansofswing. have fun with it, and yes i agree that blue and me really does rock.

driving_smartly · 6th November 2009, 15:31

A wonderful buy sultansofswing i hope that 200km + on odo, your car was not used as a TD vehicle. As i also know that Ranjangaon plant is not that far from pune. Post your pics and experience

Drive Safe

djay99 · 6th November 2009, 15:40

Congrats sultan. Thats a wonderful car you have bought. Enjoy the drive and drive safe.

2nd November 2009, 23:35	#1
sultanofswing BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pune\|Vijayawada Posts: 58 Thanked: 23 Times	One more Fiery, Emotional Drop in the LINEA(r) Ocean!! Hello all, This is my story: A few months ago, dad was contemplating on a new car since the good old Indigo GLX was 88k km old and beginning to belie its age. Reading the torrential strem of lineas and their (mostly) good reports, I suggested this to him. But a Diesel Emotion pack was going beyond our budget and not wanting to miss out on the best features we (read he) decided to chuck the idea and we were looking at the i20 instead. Then, i moved to bangalore for higher studies which cleared the way for dad to usurp my (figuratively speaking) alto and hence give up the idea of a new car ALTOgether. But as fate/luck would have it, somewhere in his destiny, the word fiat was etched firmly, in RED. (i should mention that he previously owned the good old primiere padmini - with license plate 1994 in the year 1994!). His office decided to become generous all of a sudden and allotted a meaty ~8L for a car of his choice. Along with his colleague they decided on a linea as fully worth that amount and gave B U Bhandari, (pune) the go ahead for a Linea Petrol Emotion. I tried to talk him into a diesel (and stretch the company's budget a bit) but the company declined. One way or another, today, we took the delivery of the car today - no prizes for guessing the colour - FLAMENCO RED. Did the PDI according to TBHP checklist. Most financial things didnt apply as those had been taken care of previously. 2 GLARING faults we noticed: 1. Petrol tank cover misaligned with body even after locking - Dealer refused to acknowledge it as his fault and claimed most other cars had it. Upon further argument, he agreed to fix it but asked us to bring in the car after 2 days. This being an auspicious day (karthik Poornima) dad was keen on taking delivery of the car. 2. No Ciggy lighter. On pointing out, the fellow said - it is supposed to be like that only. I laughed at his face and led him to the display linea. He conceded the error and well, took out the lighter from the display vehicle and placed it in our car! Otherwise, the car was in good condition. One thing i was skeptical about - the odo showed 216 kms! Upon asking, he gave us some spiel about driving from ranjangaon (which is definitely lesser than 216 kms). What do others have to say about this? I was unsure about the procedure and what was within our rights to have done in this situation, since the payment/ registration was already done. (though no signatures of my dad taken). As of now I haven't driven the car, and will post my impressions later (though I'm sure everyone has more than a fair idea of the Linea by now) As for the T-JET, We unfortunately couldn't wait. Car was booked over a month ago. I'd be happy to answer any other queries. I shall post the pics soon. (I've to figure out the protocol of posting on tbhp) Cheers!
	() Thanks

3rd November 2009, 10:47	#3
lightinin95 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vadodara Posts: 137 Thanked: 7 Times	Congratulations on the new buy and keep updating with pics & experiences. Do inform the small significant things such as tyres, seat issues (or non issues) and comment on other regular niggles others have reported. Older users would like this to be resolved. PS - Somewhere in the forum Pune users did inform odos of beyond 100 kms. Cheers, Sam
	() Thanks

3rd November 2009, 23:15	#5
sultanofswing BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pune\|Vijayawada Posts: 58 Thanked: 23 Times	Thank you very much other than the aforementioned niggles, nothing as yet. If someone with prior experience of contacting FIAT could help me out with appropriate e-mail IDs, i would be very grateful. I was quite surprised to see 200+ kms. Also I remember (some time ago) coming across a thread where all linea owners made a collection of niggles and how they got fixed (with more issues cropping up on diesel variants, of course, my memory could fail me). I am somehow unable to locate that thread despite searching. If some one could post a link, it would be very helpful. Also there was a "did you know this about your car" type thread for the linea. Not able to come across it in my search. That's all for now, more updates to follow. PS: Blue & Me ROCKS!
	() Thanks

4th November 2009, 09:49	#6
recshenoy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mangalore / Bangalore Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 254 Times	Linea did you know series @sultanofswing here you go. check out the link below http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ow-series.html
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 08:16	#8
sultanofswing BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Pune\|Vijayawada Posts: 58 Thanked: 23 Times	Update: got sun control films installed from Bafna Cars, (ghole rd, Pune) Llumar Steel 20 (i think) for the sides and rear: 5.5k (which i thought was a little on the higher side) 3M CR 70 for the front windshield: 6k Installation was very well done. Now the Linea's look has improved and we just can't stop looking at her! (not that the case was much different earlier) Problem is, I don't seem to find decent seat covers. I visited 3-4 places but all their Art leather range feels very cheap and the stitch is visibly lacking in quality. I know (after seeing pics here) that Art leather CAN look very good, provided good ones are installed. Do any Pune members know of a place which offers a good range of seat covers and are reliable fitters? Any help would be appreciated. Budget: 6-8k. Willing to stretch absolute max to 9/10 k. Also, Bafna is coating 3k for Teflon coating with one additional coat after 6 months. Is it advisable? From what I gather, the opinions are mixed about the pros/cons of Teflon coating. That's it for now, more to follow. Last edited by sultanofswing : 6th November 2009 at 08:18. Reason: mention one more point.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 08:47	#9
Ferrari1976 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 213 Thanked: 68 Times	Try Poona Motors on East Stree for Seat COvers. One of the Punto owners got it done very neatly from Poona motors for @6K. Teflon is not really suggested on TBHP. A normal DIY Waxing job is sufficient!
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 14:12	#10
aks_karthik Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,947 Thanked: 341 Times View My Garage	Congrats sultanofswing, Welcome to Linea Club. Definitley you will enjoy each and every day with your Linea. Enjoy and Drive Safe
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 14:53	#11
vijaythacker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 1,498 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	sultanofswing,congratulations on your italian beauty.Above 200 kms on your new car was a bit questionable.Post some pictures of your car and enjoy your ride.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 15:08	#13
sharanramesh BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 170 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	great buy sultansofswing. have fun with it, and yes i agree that blue and me really does rock.
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 15:31	#14
driving_smartly BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: MH43 & MH14 Posts: 518 Thanked: 305 Times View My Garage	A wonderful buy sultansofswing i hope that 200km + on odo, your car was not used as a TD vehicle. As i also know that Ranjangaon plant is not that far from pune. Post your pics and experience Drive Safe
	() Thanks

6th November 2009, 15:40	#15
djay99 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 544 Times View My Garage	Congrats sultan. Thats a wonderful car you have bought. Enjoy the drive and drive safe.
	() Thanks