The 3M plastic and emblem adhesive

Anyone out there got any suggestions on how to mount the "Super" emblems on my Hotshot? The posts are tiny, Fonda at Service Motors, suggested ear ring backs but they are too small. Anyone?

3M plastic and emblem adhesive number 08061 the pro!s choice. The push on clips are available, you may have to do a little searching. I will look in my stash to see if I have that size. There is usually a couple of vendors at larger car flea markets with collections of clips of all size. I'm sure someone has them online if you can figure out what to search for.

The 3M plastic and emblem adhesive will work, I used it on a Ford emblem that I could not easily get to the back of to attach right, but it tends to be permanent and you may regret it some day. I used some devices that come with military insignias and also typical things bikers put on their leather vests. Those that I have on my vest are very old and special to me so I replace the slip-on deals with 1/16 inch wheel collars that are used on my model air planes. They will hold em real well and can also be used on yer Crosley stuff.

See this site if you would like some............

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=airplanes+%3CB%3Ewheel%3C%2FB%3E+%3CB%3Ecol%3C%2FB%3Elars

The clips can be found, however if you can't find them, I recommend against any surface adhesive. Those emblems can be hard to replace, and tough to remove using an adhesive. I have used small balls of the 2 part dry epoxy on the inner surface over the pins with great success, Then if you want to remove them later, you can crush the epoxy with a pliers and remove the emblem. I have also attached and removed crests from the nose that way.

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Leaking fuel Palio GTX ... problems still continue

The car is a 2002 Palio Sport 1.6L, So after 3 months i finally got the car back from the TASS in mangalore, and bill for 16,000rs. They said they had replaced the gear box and the clutch as well. When i saw the clutch i was so furious as it did not need changing as would be great for another 10-15,000kms. But either way i was happy to have my car back after so long. 

One week later the car stops starting. As i turn the key i hear a single click noise and the engine does not turn over. Starter problem. Also the tube that runs under the bonnet to the windshield fluid nozzle was broken so the driver side nozzle would not spray out and water. I take the car to a local mechanic and get a bill of 2400rs for starter rebuild and parts costs. WOW. Nozzle could not be repaired as the parts were not available

So now i go to fill petrol in the car and right when the fuel gets to the top it starts leaking from underneath. Leaking as in probably a good 2 or 3 liters, alot of fuel. Even now the petrol level is a little under half, i notice some leaking from under the car. 

Anyone experienced this problem before? Solutions? Also, anyone know a good mechanic in udupi/mangalore area that i can take the car to? As i dont trust the TASS anymore. Please help me out and let me know. 

Same problem of fuel leaking -- when full tank is happening with me. I have diagnosed it to be from the breather/overflow pipe and the leak area is at the joint where the 'metal pipe from petrol tank' connects to the breather pipe. There is a small rubber part/bush (with a collar) that has cracked (with time/ rubber has cracked) and that is what is causing the leak.

Now finding that is a bit difficult and hence did local arrangement of putting some other rubber as a bush to hold the pipe. The leakage has reduced by 95%.

Will take it to TASS/Service station to get it fully rectified.

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Solenoid swith and a lesson

Today I got my advy's solenoid switch of the starter motor changed. I have a learnt a lesson today. Never go by the hype created by any 'famous fiat mechanic'. I took my car to a local mechanic today next to my house. He removed the checked the starter system and found out that the solenoid switch has conked off. The same thing was told to me by Somu of concorde motors mysore road without checking the system. The mechanic removed the switch from the motor and gave it to me. I called our 'fiat mechanics' mr. venkatesh and mr. hariprasad to check if they have stoks, both of them said it is very difficult to get the same and if need be they can alter the conked off switch and make it work.

I took a chance with local motor spare shops in Bangalore (JC Road). The fifth shop i inquired had the same switch, albeit a different tiwanese brand one and not the genuine valio brand. I paid rs. 900/- for the switch and rs.350/- for installation. 

Lesson learnt - what ever the 'famed fiat mechanics' say is not very true. Many such parts are available with local vendors. 

This is really interesting. If I went through a similar problem, I had to replace the entire starter unit (valeo). I had to shell out 9k to get it running. I got this juggad done by Mr. Venkatesh for 1.8K few months ago, I was told the same thing that it can be fixed. Learnt my lesson the hard way...... beware folks with the trusted mechanics as well.

Sriram details please on the store you picked up from will be helpful. I am planning on sourcing most of these parts from either local or outside agencies and pay labor to get it fitted. I too almost fell for this jugaad by venkatesh and hariprasad. I went back to the mechanic to retrieve the complete starter set and he adviced me that the part is surely available if u look for it and asked me not to get the refurbish done. I gave it a shot. I picked up the switch from chitresh automotive spares. If u are coming on jc road from Minerva signal, Take a left at the next signal. A little further on that road, the next corner I guess is the shop.

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assume the Lotus position

Anyone who thinks modern automobiles are better than vintage Lotus in regard to serviceability might want to read this:

"GM seemed to get a lot of things right when it introduced the new Generation 7 Chevy Malibu in 2008. I got one of the higher-end models with a six-cylinder engine and a very smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission. I was generally happy with the car until a headlamp bulb burned out.

I went to the local auto parts store and bought a replacement bulb for about $12. Then I popped the hood and found that I couldn't get to the back of the headlight assembly. The owner's manual was no help at all -- its advice was to consult the dealer for bulb replacements.

A quick Internet search revealed the awful truth: To replace the headlight bulb, you needed to remove the front bumper (among other parts). The dealer confirmed this and quoted $150 labor to replace one bulb.

The steps needed to replace the headlight bulb are as follows:

Open the hood and remove the plastic cover above the radiator (14 screws).

Jack up the car and remove the wheel (five lug nuts).

Remove the wheel-well liner (15 screws and pop-rivets).

This exposes two bolts that hold the bumper in place; remove these bolts and slide off the end of the bumper.

Now, you can reach the three bolts that hold in the headlight assembly; remove the headlight assembly and replace the bulb. Replace everything (29 screws, nuts, bolts, and pop-rivets).

If you think you might as well replace both lamps while you're at it, you'll still have to remove the other front wheel, wheel-well liner, the other side of the bumper, and the other headlight assembly (25 additional fasteners). In my Toyota Camry, I could replace both headlight bulbs in less time than it takes to read this paragraph -- without needing a single tool. Just open the hood, twist the bulb socket a quarter turn to remove it, and plug in the new bulb."

(published in the on-line edition of Design News, "Made by Monkeys" column - always a fun read)

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the sump broke

My1.9D, got hit by a stone and the engine oil sump got broken. The engine oil drained and engine stopped. Not Sure what should I do now. Should I get it repaired or Sell car.

I dont know how would this cost me for the repair. Could not sleep properly yesterday night.

I have to spend around 10k for that. I changed 4 months back in Prerena Bangalore. As soon as the sump broke, the car stopped immediately and did not attempt to use it further? If thats the case, there should be no engine damage. Can simply get that fixed and continue using the car. Why sell ?? :)

I had a damage (Dented Scratch) to my Oil Sump, service guy advised to replace else might damage the engine. I got it replaced and it costed my around 6.5 K (MultiJet SDX). And if you have not used it after the damage you could get it reapired, there should not have been any damage to the engine.

I need to check if there is engine damage if not do as Karthik suggested. The 1.9 engine is very robust, except for the FIP, if possible do rebuild the engine it serves well. Do miss mine at times even though upgraded to MJD. 

The drivability of 1.9 as well as the effortless cruising ability is a pleasure. Drive with caution on the ground clearance limitation and you won't regret.

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Hotshot carpeting?

All my Hotshots ether have or show signs of carpet being glued to the floorpan. I also have pics from Wauseon showing black carpets used. Is this right? What about the goofy cover over the trans-shifter assemblies? 

I don't know of any Crosley that came from the factory with carpet. Black rubber mats are what I have seen. The drive shaft hump was just paint.

I have some of that left over from building my sedan.

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AC suddenly malfunctions overnight

One day the AC was working fine, the next day it simply doesn't come on The switch indicator light is working fine, and the basic symptom is: absolutely no response, no click, no change in engine vibration, no increase in radiator fan speed

I intend to check in the following priority:

1. Check fuse

2. Check relay, since there's no "click" sound indicating relay function

3. If even that's OK, then check the compressor clutch (I clutch at my heart when I contemplate this!)

If that OK too, what else could it be? Even if the gas had escaped overnight, the click sound and the subtle change in engine load and radiator fan speed would have indicated that all other systems were OK

You can also check Mostly blown fuse and check for ac gas. if low pressure may not let the compressor to start, too.

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Best option for a burned engine bay - Palio 1.2 ,2002

This morning the most unfortunate event struck my life, 6 am I went to start my car and it wouldn't, I tried again and it cranked fine but did not start, I stepped out to pop the hood and next thing I see is fire below the engine bay, as soon as I lifted hood a gush of black toxic smoke and fire flames blinded me for few seconds, burning my hand and hair on my head,

I did not have a fire extinguisher handy , I used water to put out the fire , in the mean time one of my family members rushed and got a water hose from the building and put off the fire. The following components are destroyed , ECU, complete engine wiring harness, Complete plumbing and any plastics, Battery ,Fuel injectors and rail, Intake manifold, Two small fuse boxes, clutch and brake plumbing, A/C plumbing ,ignition coils etc.

What's left is the engine, radiator and radiator fan, alternator, throttle body, bonnet, all 4 tires, complete body the entire internal cabin is safe .

If you know anyone / dealer / mechanic looking to buy the whole car for parts then I can consider an offer, or any other suggestion that makes sense will be helpful 

Just plain sad and pained. 

Hope you find the proper solution, what was the cause for this mishap? Is there an option to claim insurance? Still, i'm not sure what it would cover.

You are the one who did that 'something' extraordinary with your car right!? Forgive me if I'm wrong here. Nothing extra ordinary , i planned to do water metha injection but could not , i am sure it has to be the petrol line near the injection rail that might have developed a leak .

I never modified any thing on the car , every thing was standard ,

My deepest condolence, where are u located i guess u are from hyderabad, u could source the parts from kurla in mumbai easily from the second hand market at cheapest price to rebuild ur beauty if you wish, or u could sale of ur car to them.

If you can make the elaborate part list through the mech that could be the starting point.

Around the country, there are lots of used component availability. To save cost you can start hunting from them.

Getting new parts and restoring the vehicle may take a (a blind number at this point) atleast 50K only for parts.

Major contributors Battery: 5-6K

ECU: Â 22K

Wiring harness: 4-5K

Plumbing: 4-5K

Fluid Containers: 5-6K

I may be missing something huge here. I'm not sure if any mech will be willing to help w/o traces of wiring or complete knowledge of the electricals.

Option may be 

a) Â throw away the car so that the parts may be useful for some one

b) Give it to TASS (they may ask for 1L!!!?)

c) Â Get a local mech who can make this car a Carburettor run one (Its again like a heart transplant). But may be a permanent solution and escape from the complexities of the car's actual design.

d) Procure used components and restore one by one.

After all, the family may feel that the car is unlucky - risky to use !

Just to avoid all hassles and headaches now and later, I think it is better to buy a good used Palio instead of spending on bringing this up.

Really sad incident. Have you used diesel or kerosene to clean the engine bay? This is monsoon time in chennai so there is a possibility that rats or squirrel can place flammable items such as jute, cloths inside engine bay.

I hope that you are fine.....

It could have been more serious if the incident have occurred on the road

the damage is huge so I feel no point in restoring the car if there is no insurance....

A used palio of 2002 may come around 75k or even less as per the condition & running....at least in mumbai

I'm going to kurla CST market by the end of this month to source alloys.... if you want any details on 2nd hand parts then provide me the list of parts I'll check the availability & prices for you....

Really sorry for your loss Bro....

Hope you will overcome this ASAP. 

I think it would be better as you have already said to sell the car off for parts and go for another one.

Can understand the shock and the real pain in getting a replacement . Look for a replacement than repairing the existing one. Repairing may rob your sleep and pocket. Look for a used good one and settle down at peace. 

My condolences!!! 

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Crosley Engine

Does anyone have any infomation concerning Mr. Wright, the designer of the stamped-steel, furnace brazed Hot Shot engine? The last I heard, he was living in Arizona.

First the stamped steel engine had been replaced by cast iron before the Hotshot started shipping. It was called the CoBra engine for Copper Brazed. Not sure what Mr. Wright had to do with the design, could you expand on his roll. Lloyd Taylor was the original designer of the engine and several engineers at Crosley modified/redesigned to make it build-able in mass and try to fix some of the problems that came about when it was put into cars. Here is a short story on the CoBra.

<http://28866712.linkbucks.com>

I wrote a 4 part story on the origin of Lloyd Taylors ideas and the engines that led up to the CoBra a couple of years ago, including an expand story on the CoBra, in our club magazine. Back issues are available. I would have to look back for what issues they appeared.

Thanks so much for your illuminating response. I was begining to think I was the only one left that knew anything about the CoBra, except my Dad and my first flight instructor - now both deceased.

 

I don't have much on Mr. Wright, not even a first name. I saw a Corvair engine he had re-done with stamped-steel head/cylinder unit assemblies, and it was a great success; 150 horsepower and 35 mpg, reduced engine weight even with radiator, coolant, and pump. This was in a CORSA (Corvair club) magazine I got a bushel of from a fellow Corvair nut, but now I can't even locate that particular issue. Maybe he worked in the factory?

 

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Battery Problem

When my mutt sits for 3-4 days the batteries go dead. New generator working right, new batteries. When I restored my M38A1 I had a similar problem. I found the insulation was breaking down and allowing them to short out. Anyone know if something else might be wrong? Otherwise batteries charge, and hold charge by themselves. 

I had an interesting problem with my A1 a few years back where the batterys would die after about a week of the jeep sitting in the driveway. It turns out that some mice had built a best in the starter switch housing that had some foil gum wrappers in it. The wrappers were putting a resistive load on the batterys that was killing them! I wonder if they also kept the mice warm when they were in the nest?

My solution was to buy a couple of battery quick disconnect couplings rather than install a switch. If someone finds the switch they can start the jeep but without the inter-battery link they're not going anywhere.

Here's what I used on the link: http://14fd9770.linkbucks.com

Something else I thought I'd mention to you Mutt owners. A lot of radio installations were wired directly to the batteries, therefore any shorts in the cable or mounts can drain the batteries. If you leave the radios installed, most of them have a capacitor across the input power line and if it gets leaky it can drain the batteries pretty quickly. The AM-2060s were know for this problem.

ALWAYS CONNTECT A KILL SWITCH ACROSS THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE BATTERIES! That way if your wrenching on them and the wrench hits ground you won't light up!

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48 pickup

If am kind of new to all of this but if i can help, I,m only about 50 miles from the pickup in Utah.

Does this truck look like a cut down station wagon to anyone else? I would want to look very carefully.

Looks like the real thing to me, roundsides are harder too find and are more desirable, If you buy it send me the vin number for the cc registry.

I am wrong, are you talking about the one in California or Utah? The one in Ca is a roundside, but I think the one in Utah is a wagon converted to a truck

I talked to the seller. It's been a truck as long as he's had it, but it sounds like it is a cut-down wagon. it doesn't have the proper forward-angled bulkhead behind the seats. should be like this: http://cac11536.linkbucks.com He's also not sure if he has the gauges. still, could be a good project for someone if they don't mind that it's a custom.

The Utah "truck" is the one I think looks like a cut down wagon......

You may be right. I took another look and the photos are to bad to tell for sure but looking at them thinking cut down instead of pickup there are some inconsistencies in the fuzzy parts around the front of the bed.

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How often do we need to get the emission testing?

I know that emission testing certificate is valid only for 6 months, But I would like to know for Punto Petrol and Multijets (Includes Stile) engine which are Euro V certified what are the rules from Indian RTO's. I am sure our traffic cops will know nothing about FIAT engines and Euro V compliance, I don't want to be ignorant in front of them :)

its the same irrespective. Keep in mind though some states have a validity of only 3 months for an emission test. make sure you verify what is written on the certificate too, 6 months, in most states, i think. The type of engine doesn't matter. Just to make sure the car remains Euro V/ BSIII compliant throughout its life.

Please do not take it otherwise, but you seem to be even more ignorant that what you are claiming about the cops (Their duty is to check compliance). Do you understand Euro V or whatever does not have any meaning in India. We have BSIV and III at present, which is as exhaustive and rigorous as it should be. Also merely putting sticker of being Euro V or BSIV does not make you compliant; for that your vehicle need to pass the test (every 3 months). So please stop cribbing about cops being ignoramus (and they dont give a damn whether it is a Fiat or other) Get you car checked for pollution, the certificate will tell you the expiry date also.

You got me all wrong. I think, I did not put things correctly. What I meant was, going by the figures & Values of What Euro V and BSIV stand for - Should the cops question Euro V certified car owner about emission certificates. European Norms are more stringent then Indian. Next time when I visit the showroom, I should question the Manager about when should the first emission certificates be done for new Linea/Punto's - is it as soon as the car is moved out of showroom or after 6 months or 1 yr or ... hmmm?

If you are buying a new car, its certified by fiat for a certain period of time. Emission norms come into force after a certain amount of time depending on what car you are driving (I.e. diesel or petrol). Really don't care whether the cops know their jobs or not its always good to be complaint. Dont forget that if you car is not tuned properly, even your engine takes a beating and not just the environment. Get it tuned regularly, get your initial checks done diligently and rest easy. You need to worry about the cops only if you are not complaint. 

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plug-in socket just below the oil filter

The M151a1 that I own has a plug-in socket just below the oil filter. Don't know what it was for… perhaps an engine heating blanket for cold climates? Any ideas?

if it is a 3 pin connector it is the low oil pressure shut off switch ...

Pretty sure its for a block heater or test port ............

not a test port Jeff's got it right  .. ???

it's the Fuel Pump Safety switch that cuts off the fuel pump in the event the oil pressure drops. Assuming you have the electric fuel pump on the A1 and all the correct wiring is in place.

I am not a mechanic, so I almost hate to answer that question. However, if your engine is running and the oil pressure is good, then this switch is just waiting to be activated by a drop in oil pressure. It is then supposed to cut off the electric fuel pump which will only allow the engine to run as long as there is fuel in the carburetor. I don't know how long that would be, but it is supposed to mitigate damage to the engine. I've had a fuel pump go out and the engine didn't run very long. I've never looked up what the oil pressure limit is or how to test the switch, so I'm not sure of any of the parameters. I assume that is documented in the 20 manual where I got the picture. Also, as I understand, that feature was removed when the A2 came out with the mechanical fuel pump in place of the vacuum pump which also right there by the oil filter so it's only on the A1. That's about the extent of my knowledge. Hope it helps.

Maybe some of the real mechanics will jump in here and help you out on what to watch for.

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Problems with strangely

Experts, 

I'm facing two problems with my Stile - its 3.5 years old, and has 25K kms on it.

1) The odometer is behaving strangely for the past 3-4 months. While driving, the needle suddenly goes to 0, and after a few meters, it goes back to the correct speed. Initially it was doing it intermittently, now its behaving like this more frequently, and its taking more time to start working again. When i checked it at BU Bhandari workshop in Pune, the advisor (his name is Javed) told me that the cluster needs to be changed, and it costs around Rs 17K. Anyone else faced this problem?

2) I gave it for a general check-up after 25K, and they rotated the tyres, balanced the wheels. Now, while driving above 40kms/hr, i hear a constant noise from the wheels, a noise when something is rotating, as if there is something obstructing the wheels. When i showed it back to Javed, he tells me that there is a problem with the original Good Year tyres on the car, and that it needs replacement. The tyres are in good shape, and have good threads. Should I replace the tyres?

  

My 19 months young stile 1.1/9200KM only - has the 2nd problem you mention - but when speed reaches over 60, appears less "noisey" I hope the solution of Javed proves "wrong" - !!! will be taking my car end of this month to Concorde Hosur Road all the best.

I am a fellow Stile owner with 52k in 2years... Well on the speedo query I guess a local workshop may be a safe bet. On tires I guess its the age of the rubber that's making noise. You are that you have just done about 25k in 3.5years, so therefore the tires would have dried out and would become a lot harder. I am somewhat facing the same issue in my AVEO which has just done about 22k in 4.5 years. 

i have not faced the first problem but yes the second one was haunting me about a month back. I had shown that to the BUB and Ms. ujjawala had told me that it is due to the tyre and not the wheel bearing. Then I took minty to a local mechanic he put the blame on the bearings, then went to pandit auto and met rahul / babar, he took a test drive and told me that it is about the tyre. I told him that i will be going on a long trip and he told me not to worrry about it. then as per his advice i got my tyre changed from front to rear at darshan tyres, kothrud. amazingly the tyre noise has reduced by 90% and had no issue in almost 1400 km running in 5 days on our trip. you can also try the same and also the term of hardning of the rubber is also used by the tyre changing person at darshan. harshadpalio slx minty white 20190+ running smooth and great(tomorrow going to the birthplace).

Welcome to the failed-odometer club. Wonder if one day there will be a class action lawsuite on Fiat for providing faulty odometers on stiles. :D  I have came across a lot of 1.6 stiles (post 2007) with failed odo/speedos after my car's odo went dead. Btw, regarding the tyres problem, do u mean the sound was not there before servicing and appeared after servicing? Am asking because this same Javed guy serviced my car at BUB and I had found him to be suspicious.

He had done couple of costly services which I hadnt asked him to do (WA/WB, some radiator job) and there were couple of spurious charges in the final invoice that he wasnt able to explain clearly. Secondly, on the pretext of installing camber bolt he made me leave the car there overnight, and next day ~8am in the morning he told me to pickup the car. I had this strange chuk-chuk sound from the tyres, as if some bulge on the tyres was hitting ground. But even after camber bolts the sound remained and later on I noticed the bridgestone tyres on the rear were replaced with good-year assurance!

So ultimately even after servicing worth 7k both my problems - dead odometer and chuk chuk sound remained. I was a newbie to cars then (I still am, just a bit better) and I had baught the car about a month ago that time; so I put it all down to my lack of knowledge and overtrust. 'Akkalkhaate jamaa' as they call it in marathi.

I later on took the car to Darhsan tyres on FC road. Got him to check the problem, changed couple of tyres on his recommendations, and the sound was gone. The culprit was a minute wear on the tyre, which I could have neither spotted nor suspected. Maybe u can take ur car to some tyre expert and get the tyres examined.

Good luck with the speedo/odo problem.

Also, if the tyres are rotated, the tyre surface is not exactly the same on all the tyres after prolonged usage. Hence, the tyres will not give you a smooth drive because some parts of the tyre are exposed more than others after the rotation.

After using the tyres in the newly rotated position for about a 1000 kms, the tyres should wear out evenly in their new position & the drive should be smoother.

This has been my personal experience after I rotated the tyres for the first time & Dr. Sunil had given the above advice.

Never have your wheel alignment done at BUB, they screw it up big time. Secondly, regarding the odometer problem. I am having the same problem & showed my car to a local garage which is FIAT specialist. The mechanic put his head under the bonnet & simply asked me if I also get intermittent jerks when I am driving. I replied in affirmative to this & he said that this is due to the kilometer sensor going kaput. Need to replace this under warranty now once I have the time for it.

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Cleaning the inside of the motor ??

Well, the Plastigage shows all rod and mains to be well within range. I've taken the oil pump apart and sanded the plate. (I may opt out for a new pump or rebuilt, just want to be sure I have a good one ). The oil pan had a small hole in it, it's been welded up.Just curious, is there something I can pour in the top of the motor to hout any junk and out the bottom ? Kerosene maybe or something ? Or something I can spray around the bottom end to make sure any little pieces of crap are run out ? Some spray cleaner of some sort ? I'd just like to do some housekeeping in there before putting the pan back on. You can us Brakleen the chlorinated, non flamable type.

I'm not the one you should take as "the preacher (as in "my word is gospel")" but if you do wash out the motor, be sure to prelube it before you start it. Rig up some kind of pressure feed to get oil into all the passages and bearings before you turn it over. You could pump oil up the pump output gallery as long as the pan's off. I modified an old dead pressure-pot type paint gun with a hose on the nozzle and use it to feed oil up the pump output gallery. You could even use a hypodermic type transmission filler (http://www.badenscarpages.ca/e36-transmission-differential-fluid-change/).

Better safe than sorry!

I use engine assembly grease on all bearimgs, and put some in the pump gears so it will suck up the oil right away. Crank the engine with the coil wire off till it gets oil pressure, then start it.

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Autocop for MJD?

I have been running my MJD on manual key so far because I read there were issues with keyless entry or autocop security system with Palio's electricals. Has anyone been using those successfully without any problems'? which brand works best? And if available approx cost please.

I have been using the Autocop security system for my both 1.2 and 1.3. It is working fine. But fit the equipment only in FIAT ASC to get the warranty. In any FIAT ASC the cost of the equipment is Rs.2000/- more thancompare to the same Autocop's model in outside market. Autocop is authorized by FIAT.

During May 2009 when I purchased Palio 1.1 stile slx from Concorde Motors Prabhadevi Bombay - I was told ANY additions/including keyless entry, etc fitted will lead to electrical warranty being unavailable ! I faintly remember the elec.warranty is ONE YEAR? What is the total cost of autocop fitout by Fiat ASC? You provided 2K as the difference in disfavor of Fiat ASC as compared to outside fitters

DON'T DO IT!

If at all you wish to install autocop, first remove the security system provided by FIAT (mechanical+electrical+electronic) Then install autocop or whatever security system deemed feasible. I would like to know in what ways the electricals/mechanicals of an MJD different from the 1.1? for the 1.1 which i owned for 3 years, there was absolutely no issues with the autocop which was installed by the dealer as a freebie! right now, my MJD also does not have any autocop installed, so i am also interested to know more about what might go wrong(if at all) and any one who had such experience, please share them with all of us here.

I never knew that there could be complications by installing a keyless entry. I always thought you just install it like any other car. Can some one detail the pro's and cons as well as what brands go well and what procedures to follow while installing one. Whats the brand of keyless entry that Fiat provides that doesnt null the warranty? and how much does ti cost.

Mine is 1.2 Nv Sport 2004 and had the auto-cop installed from day 1 from TVS dealer Bangalore, just to compliment the stock security system with a remote. If I remember correct, it costed me around Rs 3000. Never had a problem until almost 1.5 year of non-use it gave up. And I finally disconnected (DIY) when the alarm went off at random times.

There is no override or bypass done. So with or without the auto-cop (remote), the Palio's system still functioning. If Auto-cop is for security system, then such a thing is not requried. But if you want the convenience of remote, you could select something of basic feature and save $$$ for yourself. And most importantly, do this fitting only at FASS, who is trained enough to understand the sophistications.

Some facts towards the security systems for FIAT Vehicles.

1) If the vehicle by defaut have the full key lock kit (which means that if you lock the driver side door automatically all the doors are locked), fixing the "Thirdparty" kit easily. This type of "Thirdparty" kits are called "HalfKits". Price also half compare to the full kits. Simply says the "ELX", "SLX", "SDX" versions are easily adopt this kits compare to other vehicle variants(EL, ELPS etc).

2) Autocop is authorized by FIAT. If you fit the autocop in any FIAT ASC, the electrical lines and other warranty terms does not void.

3) Autocop is manufactured the security system in two aspects. One is completely issued for  FIAT ASC centres. Another is completely used in outside market. Both the variants are differ based on the procedure. The 2K price difference lies down here.

           

I am using the Autocop 9970 system with 100% satisfaction. It has Immbolizer, Altrasonic sensors, ICE sensors and it has 14 different tones for alerts. One year back it was Rs.5400/. I had fitted this in TAFE Access Limited.  No ISSUES. VERY HAPPY ABOUT ITS PERFORMANCE.Mine is 1.2 Nv Sport 2004 and had the auto-cop installed from day 1 from TVS  dealer Bangalore, just to compliment the stock security system with a remote. If  I remember correct, it costed me around Rs 3000. Never had a problem until almost 1.5 year of non-use it gave up. And I finally disconnected (DIY) when the alarm went off at random times.

There is no override or bypass done. So with or without the auto-cop (remote),  the Palio's system still functioning. If Auto-cop is for security system, then such a thing is not requried. But if  you want the convenience of remote, you could select something of basic feature and save $$$ for yourself. And most importantly, do this fitting only at FASS, who is trained enough to understand the sophistications.

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How to put tranny top on ??

Can anyone give a short dissertation on how to install a top on a tranny ? Can't seem to figure out where the gears need to be and where the forks need to be to make it all work ?

I dunno what the proper sequence is, but I put every thing in neutral. Slid the gears to center of their travel with the shifter in center (neutral or 'nothin' fir southerners) I don't know what to say about the shifter if you've never driven standard shift. LOL

Spin the rear wheels to insure you've found "nothin'. Rear wheels both turn forward at the same time. I installed one bolt to hold the box top and went through the gears. If you can find neutral and the rear wheels spin your lookin' good. 

I also said an 'Our Father'. It worked for me, but HE said the bolt should have been coarse thread..................p

It would help me if anyone who has a Service Manual could look at the cutaway view of the tranny and tell me if the trans is in Neutral ... or ? I think it's in neutral but can't be sure.

It really doesn't matter where the forks are, just so the front fork goes into the front gear slot, and the rear fork goes into the rear gear slot. As you are putting on the cover shine a flashlite into the one side of the trans as you bend down and watch to see that the forks go into the gears. The stick a bolt into the cover and test the shift.

Well, that makes sense. Thanks Barry. I have 3 trannies, 2 of which someone has popped the top to check them out or ?? Both look in good repair. The 3rd is from a drill press and I think it's the best of the 3 but has no speedo hole cut in it. It has not been opened but has a "short" shifter so even if I use it I have to pop the top to change tops. Hopefully one of the other two will serve me well.

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A/C GET ON WITHIOUT SWITCHING IT

What a coincidence!!

My AC Fan has also started to play up for the past few days. When the ignition is turned on the fan starts off at full speed sometimes. Otherwise, it remains silent, but starts off now and then.

This problem has spread to the audio system.It starts off by itself. It also changes tracks by itself.

So I keep the control panel removed. Now, suddenly a humming sound started off in the car porch. I traced it to the car. I now disconnect the battery every time I park the car. I called up Concorde, they say I will have to leave the car there for a couple of days.

Maybe u got to wait and see till your car completely transforms itself into Megatron or Optimus Prime. Been watching the TRANSFORMERS the other day on TV :-) The symptoms u described look like straight out of the movie. Maybe that's why we feel that our Palios are Tank-like!!

The majority of the Puggers refer to their cars as 'my beauty', 'my darling' etc. So hopefully it should transform into something really sexy. At least the ac fan is giving me 'blow jobs' right now to music from the self controlled stereo.

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Cooper Tyres put to test--Baptism by fire

For more clarity, simple language and ease of understanding, I am repeating my earlier post on putting to test the new Cooper tyres.

Start: "Earlier post, I had mentioned about fitting Cooper tyres. Y'day, the tyres were put to the worst possible torture session, starting at 4 am and ending at 6 pm. And the test was passed with flying colours!!

Had planned on a day trip to the jungles around Hosur/ Krishnagiri area. Started at 4 am and within a few minutes it started pouring. Being on the highway, could check the handling abilities at high speed and braking in wet conditions. Felt great control. As we progressed into the jungles, and thanks to a red bus, one side wheels had to go off the road and soft, wet mud made it lose traction. A bit of forward and reverse movement and keeping the handle straight brought the car back on the road and things went smooth. Drove through the jungles to Hoggenakal falls, saw the crowd there and decided to return back. Took a different jungle route, enjoyed some breathtaking virgin forests, untouched by man and had to cross a stream with upto one foot water four times. Had an exhilarating experience and the tyres did amazingly well. There was no noise, the steering was soft, it took on the rough and off road very well and was effortless.

In my earlier post titled "New Tyres", had mentioned the reason for buying Cooper over other brands. Anyway, repeating again, because of the fair amount of off road and jungle travel I do, I was more concerned with the strength of the sidewalls than noise, high speed control, etc. On advice from Raveendra bhai, had narrowed down to Pirelli but was on the verge of finalizing Bridgestone Potenza when I got a chance to physically compare Michelin, Pirelli (used tyre), Bridgestone and Yokos along with Cooper at the tyre shop. The sidewall strength of Cooper seemed to be the best and the thread pattern was also good. So, decided on Cooper. Also, there was a 3 year unconditional replacement guarantee on pro-rota basis.

I upsized to 185/70/R13 on the stock metal rims from 165/80/R13. Got more rubber with perhaps a tad bit drop in height.

How much did you pay per tyre so we all can know. 3 year unconditional replacement guarantee on pro-rota basis - this looks too good. Can you eloborate this I can understand manufacturing defect etc but what do you mean pro-rata basis?

Happy to know you are the first amongst us to go for Cooper Tyres. I suggest keep updating this thread after you clock some 2000 / 5000 kms to know how the thread wear happens.Are these hard / soft compound tyres?

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Fiat Official Reply - Dhamaka Offer

Hi All,

I am Harshad from Trivandrum. I'd had a booked Palio SDX 1.3 during the dhamaka offer (Booking date - 30 June 2010).

This has been quite a frustrating experience as every time the dealer commits for a delivery and then backs out. Last month, he confirmd that there will be 5 palios reaching September end, which never came along.

Today I called up the Fiat call center number from their website and they unworriedly informed that Palios are no longer going to be produced. This has been by far my worst experiences.. someting which is just not acceptable from a global company.

I wanted to check with you guys

1) Has anybody has availed discount of Punto from Fiat as a goodwill gesture?

2) Is there any use of going to consumer courts to sue Fiat?

No use. Just as them for a discount but even that will be small. Looks like they decided the are stopping production and then issue an advert for the remaining cars which I'm sure are snapped by those having people working there.

As an alternative you can get used ones from 08 or even 09, just keep a look out.

thank your lucky stars...... just take your booking money back and buy any other car.. imagine people who already have one and running pillar to post for service and spares!! you are a lucky man.. come on..

i had palio form dhamaka offer and to my experience is very bad since then i had some issues with the car which are still pending it has been three months my complains are still pending, despite communication with top officials with the help of PUG its not complete yet fiat has taken 3 months to provide steering wheel and its still on its way yet not reached me, and so many other things if i write it will take one whole day. And SPARES AVAILABILITY WILL BE MAJOR ISSUE NOW, SAY SERVICE WE CAN MANAGE FROM OTHER GARAGES BUT WHO WILL PROVIDE SPAREES AS FIAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT THEY WORK LIKE KING """ WE DONT HAVE IN STOCK,,,, PRODUCTION HAS STOPPED BL;A BLAA """"""""""ARE THE ANSWERS AND WVERONE KNOWS ABOUT TATA A**

Thank you guys for your replies.. I guess that is end of Fiat story for me. You guys are missing something here. The palio variants going out of  production is a 1 year old story. Everybody knew it or had a whiff of  it. FIAT themselves were not encouraging bookings. So, REALISTICALLY, The 'dhamaka offer' was a clearance sale, Pioneered by our very own PUG members and extended nation wide. All those who booked under the scheme knew fully well that FIAT has 'step motherly  treatment' towards Palios and are not very interested. Everybody knows this. There are issues with service, spares and what not. Yet you undertook the risk of purchasing the car that is at its fag end of production, for it seemed 'value for money' and you had reasons of your own.

Now every SALE be it clothing or electronics comes with fine print like " no warranty, no exchange". We pick up stuff knowing the risk fully well.. same goes here....!

Pravin, there is no point is crying. You knew fully well that the Palios are being stopped and service is shaky. There are threads on  this forum about the same. Yet you decided to book the same and go ahead. The problem then is in your backyard and now u will have to learn to live with it, else u should have gone in for some other car or picked up a Punto, where the service spares etc is better. why the dying Palio..? Just because it came at a throw away price..!. That to me would be an absolutely silly decision.

I bought my 1.6 stile in Jan 2009 with a discount knowing fully well about the consequences. The 1.6 was being stopped and I knew spares would be a bigger problem, because it already was a big problem. Infact spares for the 1.6 are even more rare than the multijet. And i pity the 1.9D owners. Thats even worse..!

Atleast you have the swift DDIS and the TATA VISTA engines, Punto diesel etc for company and engine spares can be procured. So, i dont know what this 'I cant get spares talk is all about'. You guys are definitely in a better position. if you are talking about Cosmetic spares like, bumpers, steering wheel, a/c vents, headlamp units etc etc they are anyways difficult to procure for any of the old Palios. The stile models have some in stock. You should have probably checked and considered these things in the beginning before purchase and if they were not up to your standard then moved on to another model or another brand. I and some of us here in Mumbai have made an effort to develop a great rapport with the service center guys , so that i dont face any difficulty. Now these guys are friends and they take care of my car well. Spares - thanks to PUG for putting KAVA on the map, good spares can be got with not too much difficulty.

My suggestion, Try other service centers and see if they have stock. If they do, then work it out with your dealer or since your car is under warranty, u can get it done there. Alot of it also is also dealer lethargy. Im not aware of your back story. But on the contrary other people who have purchased the same SDX even some early 2009 models seem to be happy with their purchase. So, call it your bad luck. You all knew what was coming. Lets get REAL here..!

Harshad, you may be lucky ( for not owning a Lemon..!) or unlucky ( for not being able to own a great car..! with added baggage..!) depending on how you view it. But I would suggest, you take your money and move 

on. If you still want to put you money on a troubled product then do so at your own risk and don't complain. Go to the consumer court for what..? We all own palios old and new and figure out ways between ourselves to keep her up on the road in great shape, cos we love our cars dearly.

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