Fiat Punto 2007/2008

[ajnluv69]

Hi everyone.. I'm planning to buy a used Fiat Punto 2007/2008 petrol tiptronic car. Despite that there is no second-hand value I just want to know the maintenance cost and any other issues.. Got to know that this is good on fuel and more comfortable than a Japanese vehicle. One person told me that there is a gearbox issue with tiptronic gearbox. Pls enlighten me with this issue. Thanx everyone.. :-)

[Crosswind]

First of all, the money spent on a car won't be an investment (SL is a strange country though ). For the highlighted reason, I advise you to go for a simple newer car. It's not impossible to own a Punto as your first car. But without money to properly maintain it, you won't be able to enjoy such a nice car.

Exactly how many Puntos have you owned?

None.

Then what makes you such a guru on Fiats?

There's nothing wrong with owning a Punto as a first car. Maintenance is not as expensive as people claim to be. Indika is a bit of a rip off. There are others who can do a good job in maintaining a Punto. Some of the expensive problems with Puntos have happened because wrong fluids have been used for the selespeed pump and using 'city' mode all the time for the EPS system. But similar problems happen with Toyotas and Hondas too (using wrong CVT fluid for Hondas and using low ampearage batteries for Toyotas with EPS).

I sold my first Grande Punto to a girl who was also a first-time car buyer. As far as I know, there has been no serious issues with that car even after like 3 years.

[SamG]

Do you own a Mazda then?

Yes machan, I own a Mazda Demio DE3FS 2007 for about 1.5 years.

[SamG]

Then what makes you such a guru on Fiats?

There's nothing wrong with owning a Punto as a first car. Maintenance is not as expensive as people claim to be. Indika is a bit of a rip off. There are others who can do a good job in maintaining a Punto. Some of the expensive problems with Puntos have happened because wrong fluids have been used for the selespeed pump and using 'city' mode all the time for the EPS system. But similar problems happen with Toyotas and Hondas too (using wrong CVT fluid for Hondas and using low ampearage batteries for Toyotas with EPS).

I sold my first Grande Punto to a girl who was also a first-time car buyer. As far as I know, there has been no serious issues with that car even after like 3 years.

Dear Crosswind,

Your reply surprised me a bit. I have a great respect to the opinions made at this forum. That's the very reason I drive a Demio instead of a Vitz at the moment. If you remember, I dropped the idea of buying an E46 because you and The Don helped me out with that.

First of all, I'm not a guru of any of the car things. I made my suggestion purely based on a mistake I have done. Let me explain.

My first car was a Toyota Corolla AE100 1992. I got the maximum possible loan from the bank to purchase it and hardly had any money with me after I bought it. I kept the car with me for 2.5 years and made it a much more desirable car from its messed up condition. It was my first car (the first car the whole family owned). So I did everything I could without thinking much. The end result was, Rs. 200,000/= on the credit card, zero savings and missed responsibilities to the family (I'm from a below average family).

I sold the AE100 and settled to a brand new Maruti 800 because I believed it to give me a decent fuel economy and less trouble for the next few years. That decision actually paid off and got me out of the financially broken state.

I know there's no one else but me to be blamed for this. But this is what happens when we have a desire for a car. My previous comment is partly based on this experience.

Now, how Fiat Punto related to this. I enjoy driving. Therefore, I like fun to drive cars. I previously considered an E46 because I always wanted to own a euro and I stumbled upon what I thought was a good car. But it didn't work out well. The next option I considered was Grande Punto thanks to this thread. I did a bit of Googling as well. That's what made me comment to this thread.

There's no doubt that you guys are experts in euros (or any car thing I would say). You guys know the tricks and tips to reduce the maintenance cost while taking a good care of the car and have contacts to do so. But it's not the same for an average guy. My comment is partly because of this.

Edited October 30, 2015 by SamG

[rayman]

Dear Crosswind,

Your reply surprised me a bit. I have a great respect to the opinions made at this forum. That's the very reason I drive a Demio instead of a Vitz at the moment. If you remember, I dropped the idea of buying an E46 because you and The Don helped me out with that.

First of all, I'm not a guru of any of the car things. I made my suggestion purely based on a mistake I have done. Let me explain.

My first car was a Toyota Corolla AE100 1992. I got the maximum possible loan from the bank to purchase it and hardly had any money with me after I bought it. I kept the car with me for 2.5 years and made it a much more desirable car from its messed up condition. It was my first car (the first car the whole family owned). So I did everything I could without thinking much. The end result was, Rs. 200,000/= on the credit card, zero savings and missed responsibilities to the family (I'm from a below average family).

I sold the AE100 and settled to a brand new Maruti 800 because I believed it to give me a decent fuel economy and less trouble for the next few years. That decision actually paid off and got me out of the financially broken state.

I know there's no one else but me to be blamed for this. But this is what happens when we have a desire for a car. My previous comment is partly based on this experience.

Now, how Fiat Punto related to this. I enjoy driving. Therefore, I like fun to drive cars. I previously considered an E46 because I always wanted to own a euro and I stumbled upon what I thought was a good car. But it didn't work out well. The next option I considered was Grande Punto thanks to this thread. I did a bit of Googling as well. That's what made me comment to this thread.

There's no doubt that you guys are experts in euros (or any car thing I would say). You guys know the tricks and tips to reduce the maintenance cost while taking a good care of the car and have contacts to do so. But it's not the same for an average guy. My comment is partly because of this.

You do have a point. I have a Euro, which has no official support in Sri Lanka apart from a few independent specialists. They are not cheap. But I manage to maintain my car because I am very active on the forums abroad, built up contacts here and abroad to send me spare parts, buy parts online etc. So an average guy usually ends up spending through the nose and eventually ends up hating the car. I know I spent a lot initially. So for the average guy on a shoestring budget, an Euro may not be the wisest choice.

[dmsupun]

The fiat GP i had gave me enough trouble. I got for a bargain price but it was poorly or cheaply maitained. Replaced the selespeed system for 1lak except the clutch, tie rods, rack ends, alternator. But it was really a good ride. Found the spares very easily and found that some parts are interchangeble with cheap cars with italian systems. So gt them for a far lesser price as i didnt mention the Fiat name. Finally i sold it with only 20k loss even that should go for time i used it.

After looking for months for a new car i decided to go for punto again. But this time for a diesel, which is a less troublesome car from what i've heard.

[Harry (aq)]

Hi All,

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. I've checked a few and settled with one punto which is a 2007 one. Mileage is around 80k and last price is 18.5m. This is my first car and after the investment I have hardly any money if I had to do a major repair. Went on a trial and the drive was okay. But I am a bit scared to buy it because I hardly know about Italians.

Checked with Indika and he said the maintenance cost is high compared to other cars. Checked the service records and as per the owner the last few services were done by a mechanic they know and that guy came to their place to do the services.

Need expert opinion for me to make a decision. My max investment is around 2m. This is my first car and that why I am so concerned

Thanks

Indika is big rip off. He will keep your car in the garage for multiple days for a 5 minute repair claiming it is a complex issue. Be careful with him.

The "Mechanic" you refer to is the best guy for Puntos in Sri Lanka (I believe he is the same guy I use). I would buy any Punto which is maintained by him any day. It is the same guy who maintains my Puntos for the last 2.5 years and throughout the history of my 2 Puntos.

Mind you these are 8-9 year old cars which are bound to give you running repairs.

[fiatLife]

Indika @ ITMC is more of a business person, so always be aware. I actually got to know a director of ITMC from the Italian car club.. But there are many other good fiat specialist shops around, even i found many from AL.

[matrix1978]

Hi Guys, I have a problem with rear door locks, when you locked it from outside front doors can open but cant open the rear doors, i have to release the lock from inside. Noel tried to fix this several time without success. anyone else having this issue and any solution.

[Crosswind]

Hi Guys, I have a problem with rear door locks, when you locked it from outside front doors can open but cant open the rear doors, i have to release the lock from inside. Noel tried to fix this several time without success. anyone else having this issue and any solution.

known issue. take it to (former) agent - euro motors/wheels lanka

[ajnluv69]

Yep it's a common problem with all the cars in sri lanka. Better take it to the agent wheels lanka in peliyagoda. It's the best way to fix it

[Harry (aq)]

Those rear locks are plastic and get worn off with time, its better to get them replaced. Even I am thinking of doing the same.

But again, there is a way to live with the problem too.

Press the door in between the C piller and the middle of the back door window (marked with a yellow arrow in the picture attached) with the palm and pull the door handle with the other hand while pushing.

You should be able to open the door from outside with ease with method.

[NeroX]

Bought a GP after a back crunching, mind boggling vehicle hunt. My GP is a little shaky on its 1st two gears. Once when breaking hard the gear disengaged & gave the check transmission error. Any idea how to get it fixed. Will replacing the gear fork solve the issue?

[Harry (aq)]

On 7/3/2016 at 7:29 AM, NeroX said:

Bought a GP after a back crunching, mind boggling vehicle hunt. My GP is a little shaky on its 1st two gears. Once when breaking hard the gear disengaged & gave the check transmission error. Any idea how to get it fixed. Will replacing the gear fork solve the issue?

This could be a clutch plate issue or the hydraulic pump. We have discussed on hydrolic pumps in this thread earlier. 

[Crosswind]

On 7/3/2016 at 7:29 AM, NeroX said:

Bought a GP after a back crunching, mind boggling vehicle hunt. My GP is a little shaky on its 1st two gears. Once when breaking hard the gear disengaged & gave the check transmission error. Any idea how to get it fixed. Will replacing the gear fork solve the issue?

When was the last time transmission fluid was changed? This is a classic symptom of bad transmission oil. Pls check this thread from the beginning to identify the correct oils (or talk to Harry/Ajnluv who knows about Puntos)

[NeroX]

Transmission fluid was all good. Its been replaced at the right time at the agents. I've actually replaced the fork by now as upon inspection the fork was found to be damaged. Everything was smooth afterwards with no judder but yesterday the gearbox suddenly refused to engage on a cold start. Without the engine the gear changes are shown on the dash, but with engine ON the the dash shows N & gears jump around with the vehicle shuddering. Nws after switching off the car for 15-20 mins it was all good to go. On my way back when accelerating at a traffic light again the issue resurfaced with the gears refusing to engage. Again after switching off for sometime everything was good. I've noticed recently that when putting the gear to N after reversing, the gears jump between R & N for no reason. This morning again the car is driving quite normally. 

My mechanic is quite adamant that my pump is of good condition too. Its not running continuously so guess the accumulator is of good condition too. Area of doubt is the control unit & the actuator. Does anyone have experience troubleshooting these parts? Quite lost on how to recover this otherwise beauty of a car.

 

[fiatLife]

6 hours ago, NeroX said:

My mechanic is quite adamant that my pump is of good condition too.

just for the info, who is the mechanic?

[NeroX]

Hes supposed to be the best around for all fiats 

[ajnluv69]

On 04/12/2014 at 11:47 AM, Crosswind said:

That sounds a bit familiar... is your car a red one with K* - 266* number?

Hi Crosswind..

I put my car for a full paint and there was this K*-266* car.. same car as mine.. with leather interior and with panaromic roof.. but it was in a bad shape though

[Crosswind]

3 hours ago, ajnluv69 said:

Hi Crosswind..

I put my car for a full paint and there was this K*-266* car.. same car as mine.. with leather interior and with panaromic roof.. but it was in a bad shape though

One of my friends owned it in the past. That car was systematically abused since the day it landed in SL. It definitely didn't deserve that treatment cos It's one of the rare petrol puntos with the panoramic roof et. al.

I owned KI-21** and KN-95**. The KN- one is the only manual GP in the country. When I discovered it, it was rotting away in a leasing company's yard, thanks to the first owner pulling a smart one on the leasing company. Restored it, used it for about 6 months and sold it.

Would like to own it again someday (present finances don't allow me to do it though). The good news is the KN-95** car has a 1.2ltr engine which also came in Unos. Very easy to find drivetrain bits for that car.

[ajnluv69]

The manual punto KN-95** was there for repair. Not in a good shape though. There are some dents on the fender and the front bumper. 

[gunemalli]

On 7/3/2016 at 11:59 AM, NeroX said:

Bought a GP after a back crunching, mind boggling vehicle hunt. My GP is a little shaky on its 1st two gears. Once when breaking hard the gear disengaged & gave the check transmission error. Any idea how to get it fixed. Will replacing the gear fork solve the issue?

Hi Folks,

Got a GP 2006 two weeks ago (Not my first foray into EURO vehicles, in fact majority are EURO's). My Dad went and bought this for my mom. He didn't look at it properly and have a few issues.

I Just handed it over to LOLC Motors to do an inspection so that I get a report. If you guys can let me know what are good and reasonable places where I can get spare parts and get the repairs done.

My initial diagnosis is that engine and gearbox mounts needs to be replaced. there's a big noise and jolt coming when the car shifts between the 1st two gears. 3-5th are relatively fine however can feel the car swayback and forth during the shift. There also seems to be a noise coming from bushings on the front that needs to be replaced.

I already downloaded the parts catalog and the repair manual so have a good head start in this side.

Regards

Asanka

 

[ajnluv69]

LOLC did the Indian Punto. You can take it to Wheels Lanka in Peliyagoda (former Euro Motors for Italian Fiat Punto) they will look in to that.. 

[ajnluv69]

BTW Asanka, The parts and repair manual will be really useful in future 

[gunemalli]

10 minutes ago, ajnluv69 said:

BTW Asanka, The parts and repair manual will be really useful in future 

Yep, That I have known from experience. My previous Euros were

• Peugeot 306 (2001)
• Range Rover P38 (1998) L322 Converted (Only one SL)
• Volvo S60 (2001)

I had repair manuals, EPC and diagnostic kits for all for these when I had them. Served me well and helped in a lot of situations. Hoping to get the diagnostic kit down for the FIAT as well.

And thanks for the mention about wheels lanka. Will go to them next time

Regards,
Asanka

Edited May 15, 2017 by gunemalli

[gunemalli]

20 hours ago, ajnluv69 said:

LOLC did the Indian Punto. You can take it to Wheels Lanka in Peliyagoda (former Euro Motors for Italian Fiat Punto) they will look in to that.. 

Hey,

I called the buggers today and they said they're not taking in any vehicles at teh moment due to some constructions/stock issues. Do you know a place where I can get parts for engine/gearbox mounts as it's pretty bad to derive at the moment and needs to be replaced ASAP.

Regards