May 02, 2009 12:56 PM
37588 Views
I am an owner of Fiat Palio 1900 cc diesel. The day I saw this car, I fell in love with it – beautiful design, great finish, lovely interior and ergonomics. I looked under the bonnet and admired the way the area was packed. Everything looked solid – meant to last. Everyone advised me aginst buying this car – but I thought to myself – how will this ever go wrong? Such good design reflects a passion for car building – this car will be good. Initially, the car was a delight – averaged 17km/l in the city and 23km/l on the highway. It was whisper quiet. It hugged the road.
With its huge torque – it was delight in the mountains – there was power when u needed it and more. Well – now I am 110, 000 km down the road. The main issues were its maintenance. If anything went wrong, no one had a clue about what to do. The main garage repairs were not upto mark. Spares were not available easily. And when available, parts were very expensive. No maintenance schedule was adhered to. After 70, 000 kms, the car became a nightmare.
Between 70, 000 kms and 110, 000 kms, I have changed practically everything under the bonnet except the engine. Parts have simply collapsed – the alternator, the starter, the power steering pump, the fans, the AC condenser, and so on. Even though its parts are horribly expensive, they are clearly not built to last and do not compare at all with any Japanese car parts. And the quality of service offered by Main dealers of the Fiat/Tata group in Delhi is abysmal – to say the least. And you may not know this, few Tata dealers know how to fix this car. So should a Fiat be ever bought – the answer is a resounding NO.
