My Italian Horse in Bossa Nova White - Fiat Punto 90HP
- Thread Starter raj_5004
- Start date
Wow.
Pintu Romance ??
I had many chance to see puntos parked facing each other but never got such an excellent camera angel.
Pintu Romance ??
I had many chance to see puntos parked facing each other but never got such an excellent camera angel.
Thread Starter
#243
Today, an ex-TAI'n & a good friend of mine drove my Pintu. This is the first time he took my car out on the highway. He loved it, infact loved it so much that he kept asking me that he wanted to drive the car! Infact, now he says he want to buy a Punto, even if its the 75 hp version!
He was a big fan of the i20 CRDi citing the good A.S.S. & superior performance as reasons but after driving my Pintu, he has changed his opinion! Now he says, to heck with poor A.S.S., this car is a joy. After driving, he stepped out & was checking Pintu from all corners. I could see disbelief & happiness in his eyes! Maybe he dint expect this from a Punto... This is what I call the "FIAT" effect!
Yes, it was the base model - Active.
Actually, he parked after me.![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")
Yes, even I thought so.
What an imagination! LOLZ...
Pintu romance...!![[thumbsup]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Thumbs%20Up.png "Thumbs Up [thumbsup]")
He was a big fan of the i20 CRDi citing the good A.S.S. & superior performance as reasons but after driving my Pintu, he has changed his opinion! Now he says, to heck with poor A.S.S., this car is a joy. After driving, he stepped out & was checking Pintu from all corners. I could see disbelief & happiness in his eyes! Maybe he dint expect this from a Punto... This is what I call the "FIAT" effect!
Yes, it was the base model - Active.
Actually, he parked after me.
Yes, even I thought so.
The picture depicts as if Pintu is not letting the other car away.
It's saying please leave me, I will never park myself here.
But Pintu being notorious is not giving way, until the other car gives apologies.![[;)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Wink.gif "Wink [;)]")
It's saying please leave me, I will never park myself here.
But Pintu being notorious is not giving way, until the other car gives apologies.
Pintu romance...!
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This is happening with my friends too.
But alas, if the showrooms and marketing were good enough for tata-fiat it would have done wonders.
But alas, if the showrooms and marketing were good enough for tata-fiat it would have done wonders.
Thread Starter
#245
As far as quality control is concerned, FIAT still has a long way to go.
1) The hose/pipe connecting the rear washer spray from the water container (in the bonnet) came off from its joint, which meant the rear washer dint work. I was okay with that since its not raining these days & I thought I will buy a clip & secure it firmly. Now the same happens with the front windshield washer too. I opened the bonnet to see water dripping from some engine parts, which confirmed that water was leaking.
To see where the water is leaking from, I put my head inside the engine bay & pulled the lever for windshield washer. Before I could react, a jet of water directly sprayed on my face (from the disconnected hose) leaving my shirt drenched!!! To make matters worse, this was in my office complex & two girls standing nearby were watching this all the while & giggling!
2) If you have a Punto, make sure you open all the doors atleast once a week. If you dont, the door becomes difficult to open as the beadings stick together. I am not kidding!
3) Initially, the bonnet used to act weird. If you open it & then try to close it, it would not close & used to pop out even if u tried to close it forcibly. Something was wrong in the latch (a spring mechanism inside the latch dint function properly) & one knock with a screwdriver or something on the latch would be enough to rectify this.
I had gone to Hotel Leela (its a 5 star hotel near Mumbai airport) with a friend. The security asked me to open the bonnet for checking. I did & then it would not close. When I saw him banging the bonnet desperately to close it, I had to ask him to leave it like that. I had to get down (to give a knock to the latch!) & close the bonnet. But it was pitch dark & it took me some time & guess what... it was raining! I was almost fully drenched again!
Why am i writing all this? To vent my frustration? to dissuade you people from buying a punto? NO WAYS!!!
Infact, I love my car. Apart from the above small niggles, it has not given me any other major issue. Mechanically, it is running absolutely fine. Of course, it just 8500 kms old! Its a joy to drive, looks like a million bucks & has a "soul" which comes standard with the car. I want FIAT to improve the quality so that more people are happy with their cars & these cars sell in more numbers, as I believe, they deserve to.
There maybe other cars which offer better performance, better features, better A.S.S. or more value for money...
But those are just good machines... My "Pintu" is my companion... for life.
1) The hose/pipe connecting the rear washer spray from the water container (in the bonnet) came off from its joint, which meant the rear washer dint work. I was okay with that since its not raining these days & I thought I will buy a clip & secure it firmly. Now the same happens with the front windshield washer too. I opened the bonnet to see water dripping from some engine parts, which confirmed that water was leaking.
To see where the water is leaking from, I put my head inside the engine bay & pulled the lever for windshield washer. Before I could react, a jet of water directly sprayed on my face (from the disconnected hose) leaving my shirt drenched!!! To make matters worse, this was in my office complex & two girls standing nearby were watching this all the while & giggling!
2) If you have a Punto, make sure you open all the doors atleast once a week. If you dont, the door becomes difficult to open as the beadings stick together. I am not kidding!
3) Initially, the bonnet used to act weird. If you open it & then try to close it, it would not close & used to pop out even if u tried to close it forcibly. Something was wrong in the latch (a spring mechanism inside the latch dint function properly) & one knock with a screwdriver or something on the latch would be enough to rectify this.
I had gone to Hotel Leela (its a 5 star hotel near Mumbai airport) with a friend. The security asked me to open the bonnet for checking. I did & then it would not close. When I saw him banging the bonnet desperately to close it, I had to ask him to leave it like that. I had to get down (to give a knock to the latch!) & close the bonnet. But it was pitch dark & it took me some time & guess what... it was raining! I was almost fully drenched again!
Why am i writing all this? To vent my frustration? to dissuade you people from buying a punto? NO WAYS!!!
Infact, I love my car. Apart from the above small niggles, it has not given me any other major issue. Mechanically, it is running absolutely fine. Of course, it just 8500 kms old! Its a joy to drive, looks like a million bucks & has a "soul" which comes standard with the car. I want FIAT to improve the quality so that more people are happy with their cars & these cars sell in more numbers, as I believe, they deserve to.
There maybe other cars which offer better performance, better features, better A.S.S. or more value for money...
But those are just good machines... My "Pintu" is my companion... for life.
Thread Starter
#247
As far as quality control is concerned, FIAT still has a long way to go.
1) The hose/pipe connecting the rear washer spray from the water container (in the bonnet) came off from its joint, which meant the rear washer dint work. I was okay with that since its not raining these days & I thought I will buy a clip & secure it firmly. Now the same happens with the front windshield washer too. I opened the bonnet to see water dripping from some engine parts, which confirmed that water was leaking.
To see where the water is leaking from, I put my head inside the engine bay & pulled the lever for windshield washer. Before I could react, a jet of water directly sprayed on my face (from the disconnected hose) leaving my shirt drenched!!! To make matters worse, this was in my office complex & two girls standing nearby were watching this all the while & giggling!
2) If you have a Punto, make sure you open all the doors atleast once a week. If you dont, the door becomes difficult to open as the beadings stick together. I am not kidding!
3) Initially, the bonnet used to act weird. If you open it & then try to close it, it would not close & used to pop out even if u tried to close it forcibly. Something was wrong in the latch (a spring mechanism inside the latch dint function properly) & one knock with a screwdriver or something on the latch would be enough to rectify this.
I had gone to Hotel Leela (its a 5 star hotel near Mumbai airport) with a friend. The security asked me to open the bonnet for checking. I did & then it would not close. When I saw him banging the bonnet desperately to close it, I had to ask him to leave it like that. I had to get down (to give a knock to the latch!) & close the bonnet. But it was pitch dark & it took me some time & guess what... it was raining! I was almost fully drenched again!
Why am i writing all this? To vent my frustration? to dissuade you people from buying a punto? NO WAYS!!!
Infact, I love my car. Apart from the above small niggles, it has not given me any other major issue. Mechanically, it is running absolutely fine. Of course, it just 8500 kms old! Its a joy to drive, looks like a million bucks & has a "soul" which comes standard with the car. I forget all this when I get one looooong drive in my car... its an awesome feeling - a punto on an open road! the steering response, the steering feel, the brake bite, the handling, the ride, I can go on & on! Suddenly, after all this, you tend to think that all electronic gizmos in the car like ACC, Blue&Me, etc are just secondary. The most basic & important thing is how the car is engineered. And that is where the FIAT PUNTO excels.
If I still want to crib, I would say that wish FIAT has given better gearing for the Punto. Inspite of being powerful, I think the gearbox is not allowing us to exploit the full potential of the car. The chassis says "go go go you fool, press the throttle harder" & I reply "shut up you idiot, ask the gearbox to behave". Also, I want FIAT to improve the quality so that more people are happy with their cars & these cars sell in more numbers, as I believe, they deserve to.
All said & done, Punto is not a "Fill it-Forget it" type of a car. To be fair, the car has not given me any "issues" as such. Such minor complaints are expected in any car, even if its a TO-YO-TA! But its only aggravated or hyped when FIAT is involved.
There maybe other cars which offer better performance, better features, better A.S.S. or more value for money...
But those are just good "machines"... My Pintu is my companion... for life.
1) The hose/pipe connecting the rear washer spray from the water container (in the bonnet) came off from its joint, which meant the rear washer dint work. I was okay with that since its not raining these days & I thought I will buy a clip & secure it firmly. Now the same happens with the front windshield washer too. I opened the bonnet to see water dripping from some engine parts, which confirmed that water was leaking.
To see where the water is leaking from, I put my head inside the engine bay & pulled the lever for windshield washer. Before I could react, a jet of water directly sprayed on my face (from the disconnected hose) leaving my shirt drenched!!! To make matters worse, this was in my office complex & two girls standing nearby were watching this all the while & giggling!
2) If you have a Punto, make sure you open all the doors atleast once a week. If you dont, the door becomes difficult to open as the beadings stick together. I am not kidding!
3) Initially, the bonnet used to act weird. If you open it & then try to close it, it would not close & used to pop out even if u tried to close it forcibly. Something was wrong in the latch (a spring mechanism inside the latch dint function properly) & one knock with a screwdriver or something on the latch would be enough to rectify this.
I had gone to Hotel Leela (its a 5 star hotel near Mumbai airport) with a friend. The security asked me to open the bonnet for checking. I did & then it would not close. When I saw him banging the bonnet desperately to close it, I had to ask him to leave it like that. I had to get down (to give a knock to the latch!) & close the bonnet. But it was pitch dark & it took me some time & guess what... it was raining! I was almost fully drenched again!
Why am i writing all this? To vent my frustration? to dissuade you people from buying a punto? NO WAYS!!!
Infact, I love my car. Apart from the above small niggles, it has not given me any other major issue. Mechanically, it is running absolutely fine. Of course, it just 8500 kms old! Its a joy to drive, looks like a million bucks & has a "soul" which comes standard with the car. I forget all this when I get one looooong drive in my car... its an awesome feeling - a punto on an open road! the steering response, the steering feel, the brake bite, the handling, the ride, I can go on & on! Suddenly, after all this, you tend to think that all electronic gizmos in the car like ACC, Blue&Me, etc are just secondary. The most basic & important thing is how the car is engineered. And that is where the FIAT PUNTO excels.
If I still want to crib, I would say that wish FIAT has given better gearing for the Punto. Inspite of being powerful, I think the gearbox is not allowing us to exploit the full potential of the car. The chassis says "go go go you fool, press the throttle harder" & I reply "shut up you idiot, ask the gearbox to behave". Also, I want FIAT to improve the quality so that more people are happy with their cars & these cars sell in more numbers, as I believe, they deserve to.
All said & done, Punto is not a "Fill it-Forget it" type of a car. To be fair, the car has not given me any "issues" as such. Such minor complaints are expected in any car, even if its a TO-YO-TA! But its only aggravated or hyped when FIAT is involved.
There maybe other cars which offer better performance, better features, better A.S.S. or more value for money...
But those are just good "machines"... My Pintu is my companion... for life.
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Thread Starter
#248
A SMALL UPDATE:
I am not happy with FIAT as far as fit & finish is concerned. I had thought, being a tough & heavy car (like my scorpio), the Punto will be free from rattles & squeaks. I am proved wrong.
I drive my car very gingerly. Once in a while, it has gone over a unnoticed pothole or scraped its bottom, but no rough treatment to it till now.
Yet, in just 9000 kms, the car is squeaking & rattling from 4 different places - rear parcel tray panel, dashboard left side, left front door, inside dash near steering column. To be fair, the noises are really low & we wont be able to hear them even with low volume music but it really bothers me. I like a tightly screwed car devoid of any noises, except mechanical. Did not expect this from you FIAT. Hyundai i20s are built much better.
Meanwhile, a rick scrapped my car yesterday leaving a small scratch on it's bumper. I love my car a lot & cant see scars on it. I took it to the FIAT A.S.S yesterday & they quoted 3k for the small scratch. More than money, the issue is, when I gave my car to them for painting earlier, paint spots were visible on my windscreen, side windows & even my alloys. It was a very shoddy work. So this time I have given it to a local garage. They did a pretty good job on my innova. My car has never been to a local garage before. I will get the car today evening. Please pray they do a good job!
I am not happy with FIAT as far as fit & finish is concerned. I had thought, being a tough & heavy car (like my scorpio), the Punto will be free from rattles & squeaks. I am proved wrong.
I drive my car very gingerly. Once in a while, it has gone over a unnoticed pothole or scraped its bottom, but no rough treatment to it till now.
Yet, in just 9000 kms, the car is squeaking & rattling from 4 different places - rear parcel tray panel, dashboard left side, left front door, inside dash near steering column. To be fair, the noises are really low & we wont be able to hear them even with low volume music but it really bothers me. I like a tightly screwed car devoid of any noises, except mechanical. Did not expect this from you FIAT. Hyundai i20s are built much better.
Meanwhile, a rick scrapped my car yesterday leaving a small scratch on it's bumper. I love my car a lot & cant see scars on it. I took it to the FIAT A.S.S yesterday & they quoted 3k for the small scratch. More than money, the issue is, when I gave my car to them for painting earlier, paint spots were visible on my windscreen, side windows & even my alloys. It was a very shoddy work. So this time I have given it to a local garage. They did a pretty good job on my innova. My car has never been to a local garage before. I will get the car today evening. Please pray they do a good job!
Sad to hear about those issues. Repaint job issue is just unthinkable! How careless can they be![[frustration]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Frustration.gif "Frustration [frustration]")
Thread Starter
#250
Got my car repainted by the local garage. Job finishing looks great. Paint matching is excellent. Was surprised to hear that they do computerized paint matching!
About paint quality, I will get to know after maybe 6 months or so.
Bill: Rs. 1600/- (Rs. 3000 asked by A.S.S. without taxes & VAT)
Tip: Rs. 100/-
Time: 7 hours
About paint quality, I will get to know after maybe 6 months or so.
Bill: Rs. 1600/- (Rs. 3000 asked by A.S.S. without taxes & VAT)
Tip: Rs. 100/-
Time: 7 hours
Thread Starter
#252
only the front bumper.
Thread Starter
#253
Black roof done!
Attachments
it looks glossy, but awesome!