Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

[Thetraveller]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Well i don't think so. Take your car to an open ground , wear your seatbelt and slam the brakes! But don't worry with some idiots behind the wheel in our streets you will end up in panic braking sooner!


But , drive a non ABS car now , you will surely feel the difference. The bite in the brake will be more in a non ABS car. Whenever i switch over from my Aria to Verna i always end up applying more brake and braking hard for the first few KMS.

Sounds like a test! I will try it over the weekend Thanks for suggestion.

As dhaya mentioned, take your car on a big ground, preferably with loose small gravel. Drive your car at more than 50kmph (below 40kmph, ABS does not work, this is my guess). Then apply brakes. You will find the brake pedal pushing your feet back and front. This is the indication that ABS is working. Also you might notice some sound.

And yes awaiting the party for your new Punto

Thanks Amit. Yes party is due. Will catch up next time

 

[type-r]

also if u feel a judder then your ABS system is perfect. :P

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Congrats on your new buy. Were you not aware that Fiat is going to launch the Punto EVO at the Auto Expo next month? Provided they could sell the EVO successfully, the resale value of the present model Punto would go down drastically. By the way, Hormazad has tweeted that the EVO launch has been put on hold indefinitely. Some respite for you, and more bad news for Fiat. I feel terribly bad for this company - reasonably good cars, rich heritage, good brand awareness and all this let down by rubbish management again and again and again. Try hard as I might, I just can not convince myself that Fiats would be successful in India in the next five years.

 

[Vishwas]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Congrats on your new buy. Were you not aware that Fiat is going to launch the Punto EVO at the Auto Expo next month? Provided they could sell the EVO successfully, the resale value of the present model Punto would go down drastically. By the way, Hormazad has tweeted that the EVO launch has been put on hold indefinitely. Some respite for you, and more bad news for Fiat. I feel terribly bad for this company - reasonably good cars, rich heritage, good brand awareness and all this let down by rubbish management again and again and again. Try hard as I might, I just can not convince myself that Fiats would be successful in India in the next five years.

Punto Evo has only cosmetic changes,and no major mods would be done.
Fiat is now improving than others in the competition.If Fiat plans its own dealership and services then it would rock the country.

 

[asifs454]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Punto Evo has only cosmetic changes,and no major mods would be done.
Fiat is now improving than others in the competition.If Fiat plans its own dealership and services then it would rock the country.

ya..fiat is getting its lost colours back,nowadys i could see more number of punto & lineas around trivandrum city,and all are happy with it.And swift owners were amazed by the way punto rides and handles.Also one of the maruti service centre guy said me that punto is far far better than swift in terms of ride and mechanical part.He advised me not to go with swift,as i was planning for a new car.According to him,the old DDIS machines was good,the new ones is showing problems,and he says he is also fed up with the rattling issues,right from first service.When i pointed him about the issues of spare parts with Fiat cars.The reply i got was really shocking."how many maruthi owners check whether the spares going in are maruti ceritified fresh pieces?He worked with a well known service centre of maruti,when a customer complaints about the delay the mangement instructs him to get that spare from an vehicle met with some accident,and the customer has been made to pay for the new one,and the accident vehicle gets a new one that too charged,saying that it got damaged during the accident..seriously i was shocked to hear that,and he added one more thing that "plz dont make this public,as more the car he service,more the payment he gets"

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

ya..fiat is getting its lost colours back,nowadys i could see more number of punto & lineas around trivandrum city,and all are happy with it.And swift owners were amazed by the way punto rides and handles.Also one of the maruti service centre guy said me that punto is far far better than swift in terms of ride and mechanical part.He advised me not to go with swift,as i was planning for a new car.According to him,the old DDIS machines was good,the new ones is showing problems,and he says he is also fed up with the rattling issues,right from first service.When i pointed him about the issues of spare parts with Fiat cars.The reply i got was really shocking."how many maruthi owners check whether the spares going in are maruti ceritified fresh pieces?He worked with a well known service centre of maruti,when a customer complaints about the delay the mangement instructs him to get that spare from an vehicle met with some accident,and the customer has been made to pay for the new one,and the accident vehicle gets a new one that too charged,saying that it got damaged during the accident..seriously i was shocked to hear that,and he added one more thing that "plz dont make this public,as more the car he service,more the payment he gets"

Agreed. But still one cant argue with the sales and customer satisfaction indices in which Maruti always beats the whole competition. The fact remains that as far as After Sales Service is concerned, Maruti is the King. Not for nothing does the Alto - which is the default car for a first time Indian car buyer- sells 20000 units per month consistently. The first time car buyer wants, among other things, peace of mind from his purchase, which a Maruti Suzuki provides.
Maruti has become what it is today only after years of working hard at establishing a great after sales service network. Fiat products are not bad per se, but performance wise, they are beaten on all parameters by products in the same category. Acceleration, fuel efficiency, roll-ons, reliability, spare parts price and availability, servicing costs, you name it and the competition simply does it better.The only redeeming factor being the ride and handling which is almost inconsequential to the average Indian car buyer who constitutes more than 90% of the annual car sales in the country. I sometimes wonder what does Fiat want to do? It's advertising its cars have been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro....a name that 99% of the car buying public has never heard.
Enthusiasts can never provide volumes, so things like passion and soul wont work in promoting a product and lets face it, Fiat cars have nothing to offer to the enthusiasts except perhaps good looks and a reasonably good engine in the Linea T-Jet. Fiat failed with the Uno, then Came back again with the Palio under a new MD Maurizio Paolo Bianchi - the Palio garnered good bookings like the Uno did but Fiat again squandered this opportunity due to the reasons we all know - niggles, fuel guzzler tag and pathetic after sales service. They came back again with a band under another new MD Rajeev Kapoor but didn't pay heed to the basics and Fiat sales collapsed again.
My heart goes out for this company. I mean - tie up with Tata? Even though I understand the costing part of business, I would love to meet the person at Fiat who gave a go ahead to this idea to tying up with Tata for after sales service. That's a bit like entrusting one's young daughter to a rapist and hoping that all would be fine.
One may argue that Tata cars (with the same Fiat engines) are selling well despite the same after sales network but the fact is that the customer for these two brands have totally different bent of mind while looking for a car. Someone who buys a Tata car would not think of buying a Fiat car and vice versa.

In the car business, especially in a country like India where A/B/C segment cars are considered a once in a lifetime buy, it's extremely difficult to salvage the reputation on a failed product howsoever good that product may be, because nobody would spend Rs.5-10 lakh on something that he knows may give him trouble right from day one.

One of my friends has registered for the test drive of the Punto SEVEN times on the Fiat website in the last month but is yet to receive a call/mail; so much to say about the attitude of the company that is offering benefits upto Rs 1.35 lakhs on the Punto ! You have a genuine buyer here who is asking for your car and you refuse to even acknowledge his existence !

There is very little hope now that Puntos and Lineas could achieve sustainable sales figures. Fiat needs to act. And Fiat needs to act fast. It NEEDS good dealerships, whether it manages to do it with or without Tata is immaterial. It needs to take some harsh decisions.
Sack the QC guys and get replacement guys from Toyota/Honda who know how to sort out the niggles at the production stage.
Replace the Customer Support team and get new, enthusiastic chaps who love the FIAT badge. Ask the senior management to leave their air conditioned offices and inspect the dealerships physically over and over and over to sort things out.
Debug your supply chain and sort out the spare parts issue. Pull up your parts vendors and ensure only good components are put on your cars. For Gods sake Fiat, I really, really want to buy a Punto. Please let me buy one with my eyes closed. Go get 'em, Tiger.

 

[Thetraveller]

Sam_Dinkar: There is no denying the fact that whatever points you have noted are the ones which we have been debating on this forum for a long long time. If you realise, forums like these are mostly frequented by people who have a little interest in automobiles not in any particular brand per se. And Fiat being a enthusiast carmaker is discussed more than often on it!

A Maruti is a maruti, can not be debated. I myself owned a Swift VXI for more than 4 years, before moving on to Fiat Punto. But I have done that consciously without anyone's pressure or influence. As an owner I understood where Swift lacked and what I wanted. I had a fun to drive car, but the niggling rattling issues and year-on-year increasing service cost was eating me. Also the point that Petrol has only north to climb added to my worries. I searched, TDed, read, discussed and imagined a lot of diesel options before falling for one which may not be appreciated by masses. But does it matter, nah! I am more than happy with it, so let it be

I could have waited for facelifted Punto *not strictly Evo*, but I just couldn't. The current version in whatever shape and material suited by needs and wants perfectly. I dont like beige in car interiors, so opted out of waiting as well. I met a Fiat manager at the time of delivery. He was there to take delivery of his own Punto as well, and he assured me that Fiat wont be closing shop in next 3-4 years. They have a road map for India, and they would continue on that. I don't mind owning a car which is not driven by every Tom, dick and harry, as I have already done that, and at the end of the day, your car is 'your' car!

But thanks for your interest. And the points you have raised are perfectly valid and sensible. I wish Fiat works on them and makes up it mind in terms to what it wants to be known as in India, a Failed Car brand, or one which has roots in India may be as old as Automobile history of the country!

 

[Thetraveller]

Guys any suggestion on sunfilms:
What darkness for sides and rear and windshield? and which brand?

I am not looking to shell out a lot for filming. May be somewhere around 10K.

 

[asifs454]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Agreed. But still one cant argue with the sales and customer satisfaction indices in which Maruti always beats the whole competition. The fact remains that as far as After Sales Service is concerned, Maruti is the King. Not for nothing does the Alto - which is the default car for a first time Indian car buyer- sells 20000 units per month consistently. The first time car buyer wants, among other things, peace of mind from his purchase, which a Maruti Suzuki provides.
Maruti has become what it is today only after years of working hard at establishing a great after sales service network. Fiat products are not bad per se, but performance wise, they are beaten on all parameters by products in the same category. Acceleration, fuel efficiency, roll-ons, reliability, spare parts price and availability, servicing costs, you name it and the competition simply does it better.The only redeeming factor being the ride and handling which is almost inconsequential to the average Indian car buyer who constitutes more than 90% of the annual car sales in the country. I sometimes wonder what does Fiat want to do? It's advertising its cars have been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro....a name that 99% of the car buying public has never heard.
Enthusiasts can never provide volumes, so things like passion and soul wont work in promoting a product and lets face it, Fiat cars have nothing to offer to the enthusiasts except perhaps good looks and a reasonably good engine in the Linea T-Jet. Fiat failed with the Uno, then Came back again with the Palio under a new MD Maurizio Paolo Bianchi - the Palio garnered good bookings like the Uno did but Fiat again squandered this opportunity due to the reasons we all know - niggles, fuel guzzler tag and pathetic after sales service. They came back again with a band under another new MD Rajeev Kapoor but didn't pay heed to the basics and Fiat sales collapsed again.
My heart goes out for this company. I mean - tie up with Tata? Even though I understand the costing part of business, I would love to meet the person at Fiat who gave a go ahead to this idea to tying up with Tata for after sales service. That's a bit like entrusting one's young daughter to a rapist and hoping that all would be fine.
One may argue that Tata cars (with the same Fiat engines) are selling well despite the same after sales network but the fact is that the customer for these two brands have totally different bent of mind while looking for a car. Someone who buys a Tata car would not think of buying a Fiat car and vice versa.

In the car business, especially in a country like India where A/B/C segment cars are considered a once in a lifetime buy, it's extremely difficult to salvage the reputation on a failed product howsoever good that product may be, because nobody would spend Rs.5-10 lakh on something that he knows may give him trouble right from day one.

One of my friends has registered for the test drive of the Punto SEVEN times on the Fiat website in the last month but is yet to receive a call/mail; so much to say about the attitude of the company that is offering benefits upto Rs 1.35 lakhs on the Punto ! You have a genuine buyer here who is asking for your car and you refuse to even acknowledge his existence !

There is very little hope now that Puntos and Lineas could achieve sustainable sales figures. Fiat needs to act. And Fiat needs to act fast. It NEEDS good dealerships, whether it manages to do it with or without Tata is immaterial. It needs to take some harsh decisions.
Sack the QC guys and get replacement guys from Toyota/Honda who know how to sort out the niggles at the production stage.
Replace the Customer Support team and get new, enthusiastic chaps who love the FIAT badge. Ask the senior management to leave their air conditioned offices and inspect the dealerships physically over and over and over to sort things out.
Debug your supply chain and sort out the spare parts issue. Pull up your parts vendors and ensure only good components are put on your cars. For Gods sake Fiat, I really, really want to buy a Punto. Please let me buy one with my eyes closed. Go get 'em, Tiger.

I cant agree with the serive cost part,as my brother owns a Dzire,every 10,000km he needs to spend around 10,000 Rs for servicing his car.On the other hand my friend who owns a linea,i use to accompany him at the time of servicing.His bill be around 9000Rs,that too every 15000km.Same with the spare part cost too.The brand image among the people is creating problems for fiat,etios is not at all meeting the toyota quality,and has registerd several quality related problems,but still people think Etios is a great car,as its a toyota,thats the magic brand image can do in India.

 

[cooldhaya]

I think you have the 3M car care store in Pune right? Get 3M sunfilm from them , i have 3M in my Aria and its really good. Costed 5k for my Aria , must be little cheaper for Punto. 3M is VFM but if you are willing to spend more you can look at Vkool.

 

[Thetraveller]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

I cant agree with the serive cost part,as my brother owns a Dzire,every 10,000km he needs to spend around 10,000 Rs for servicing his car.On the other hand my friend who owns a linea,i use to accompany him at the time of servicing.His bill be around 9000Rs,that too every 15000km.Same with the spare part cost too.The brand image among the people is creating problems for fiat,etios is not at all meeting the toyota quality,and has registerd several quality related problems,but still people think Etios is a great car,as its a toyota,thats the magic brand image can do in India.

So true. Even with my Swift, service costs were increasing service by service. Even the labor costs were increasing like anything. Just that you can find Maruti service center anywhere and every other car on the road is a Maruti, it feels like a VFM car!

Even with Etios and Liva, they are okish products from a quality maker. Cost cutting is evident everywhere. Even Punto has cost cutting evident in dash and interiors, but atleast car delivers on driveability.

I think you have the 3M car care store in Pune right? Get 3M sunfilm from them , i have 3M in my Aria and its really good. Costed 5k for my Aria , must be little cheaper for Punto. 3M is VFM but if you are willing to spend more you can look at Vkool.

Yeah thinking of giving a visit to 3M. Will check out how much they cost.

 

[JazzSelect]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Guys any suggestion on sunfilms:
What darkness for sides and rear and windshield? and which brand?

I am not looking to shell out a lot for filming. May be somewhere around 10K.

My Punto hv Garware Ice cool which cost 6K (excluding front windshield) which is done at 'car world' near kasarwadi.

 

[asifs454]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

So true. Even with my Swift, service costs were increasing service by service. Even the labor costs were increasing like anything. Just that you can find Maruti service center anywhere and every other car on the road is a Maruti, it feels like a VFM car!

Even with Etios and Liva, they are okish products from a quality maker. Cost cutting is evident everywhere. Even Punto has cost cutting evident in dash and interiors, but atleast car delivers on driveability.



Yeah thinking of giving a visit to 3M. Will check out how much they cost.

ya one could find authorized maruthi service centre at every turn,but the biggest comedy is that they are not allowed to attend any car under warranty period.Its a strict instruction from maruthi that only the main dealers are allowed to attend any issues related to cars under warrranty,2 weeks back ma cousins new ritz got some issues with the brakes and luckily we didnt get into an accident and more lucky was the person crossing the road.God really saved us,brakes started to behave as spongy all of a sudden,and sometimes it behaves normally that too in highway.We took it to a reputed authorized service centre nearby,and the response we got was "that take the car to the nearest main dealer,as the car was under warranty,they cant do anything,as it may be a mechanical issue. it may be a violation of warranty terms".We had to drive almost 10 kms to get it to the main dealer,that too with the crazy brakes.And when we got there,they said they need to examine the car for 1 day,and there we could find more 2 ritz, with the same problem.It was due to the brake booster and the service advisor saying its now becoming a common problem with maruti cars.So whats the use for having these much service centres,for periodic service?and maruthi says yes,and also for maintanence of your vehicle after warranty period.After warranty period there are so many good local workshops,with half of the labour cost,we dont need these service centres which are now becoming training institutions for unexperienced persons.If in an emergency they are helpless,then wht for they are called authorized service centres

 

[mumbaikar]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

Priyank bahi many congratulations. Best color on Punto along with red, white, silver, grey, blue, black.. She looks pretty in all the colors
Wish you many happy miles in it.. I can see elevated ownership and shrinking fuel bills
Enjoy. Drive safe.

 

[Thetraveller]

Re: Introducing ‘Rogue’ in TW with a MJD heart (Punto 1.3 Emo)

My Punto hv Garware Ice cool which cost 6K (excluding front windshield) which is done at 'car world' near kasarwadi.

Finally got the filming done. Costs below. Thanks for suggestion

ya one could find authorized maruthi service centre at every turn,but the biggest comedy is that they are not allowed to attend any car under warranty period.Its a strict instruction from maruthi that only the main dealers are allowed to attend any issues related to cars under warrranty,2 weeks back ma cousins new ritz got some issues with the brakes and luckily we didnt get into an accident and more lucky was the person crossing the road.God really saved us,brakes started to behave as spongy all of a sudden,and sometimes it behaves normally that too in highway.We took it to a reputed authorized service centre nearby,and the response we got was "that take the car to the nearest main dealer,as the car was under warranty,they cant do anything,as it may be a mechanical issue. it may be a violation of warranty terms".We had to drive almost 10 kms to get it to the main dealer,that too with the crazy brakes.And when we got there,they said they need to examine the car for 1 day,and there we could find more 2 ritz, with the same problem.It was due to the brake booster and the service advisor saying its now becoming a common problem with maruti cars.So whats the use for having these much service centres,for periodic service?and maruthi says yes,and also for maintanence of your vehicle after warranty period.After warranty period there are so many good local workshops,with half of the labour cost,we dont need these service centres which are now becoming training institutions for unexperienced persons.If in an emergency they are helpless,then wht for they are called authorized service centres

+1 to that. Maruti has this thing that they have given affiliation to service centers which have come at every nook and corner, but ask the owners to go to dealers for servicing. I just found that some of these authorized centers are not even connected to DMS (Dealer Management System from Maruti). They do not have and can not access records from other centers about a vehicle.
Incident: I sold my swift which did not have a spare key. We went to 3 different authorized center and got 3 different views. It seems swifts before 2007 did not have iCats introduced so the keys do not have any chip. But every of these centers misguided us and asked for a exorbitant amount. 2400 to be exact. Eventually got all the locks changed just for 1800 bucks.

Priyank bahi many congratulations. Best color on Punto along with red, white, silver, grey, blue, black.. She looks pretty in all the colors
Wish you many happy miles in it.. I can see elevated ownership and shrinking fuel bills
Enjoy. Drive safe.

Thank you! She really looks great in every color. Yes fuel bill is something which is going to bring smile everytime I visit a bunk.


650 Kms update
Engine has smoothened out a lot. The initial grunt has reduced considerably although still there. I guess it will be much refined by the time I complete around 4K-5K kms. Car's initial pulling has also improved a lot. Still not there where I want it to be. It feels a lot lighter now.

Got filming done.
Sides and rear - Garware Ice cool - 6500
Front - V Kool CH70 - 4800
Leather steering cover - 700
Got a My Shaldan perfume for 200

Still to complete:-
1. art leather seat covers
2. ICE

Question regarding art leather - is it same as high grade rexine? or some other material? What should be the best color to go for considering greyish interiors?

Pics after accessories to come soon