I decided to take my car to another FNG this time. They mainly have Fiat cars, but I could also see vehicles from other brands like Skoda, Toyota, BMW, etc.
BHPian Rahulkool recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I haven’t updated this thread in a long time. Cars are very rarely used these days. Given the traffic conditions that have deteriorated significantly post-Covid, I prefer two-wheelers most of the time.
The Exide battery died in February, lasted almost 3 years. This time I switched to Amaron and paid Rs 5500 for a DIN50 battery.
One of the brake lights wasn’t working. When I opened it up, I noticed that the socket was also a bit loose. I had to weld a bit of plastic. I replaced both brake light bulbs.
The car has covered 50,000 km, time for cleaning and detailing
The steering wheel is not only for steering, but also for holding on!
Gave the car for 50k for servicing. Spoke to a few Abarth owners and the only Fiat service center in Chennai, VTK, is jam packed with cars. It now offers Fiat, Jeep and also Citroen, even general service takes 4-5 days. One of my friends got his car serviced at Expert Spanners and recommended it positively so I thought I’d give it to them. They are an authorized service center for Fiat. A bit far from my home though, almost 35 kms. Things one does for servicing such cars.
Called and confirmed they had all general service consumables except Abarth engine oil. Motul engine oil I bought from Amazon, this is one of the engine oils that meets Fiat requirements. Also wanted to change spark plugs, they confirmed on the phone they were in stock but eventually told me they were unavailable.
There were a few issues with the car, the passenger window was making noise, the motor was replaced because of that. The left horn pad on the steering wheel doesn’t work. They said the horn pads needed to be cleaned. They charged for it but it was still pending. I told them I would have it done on the next visit when I came back for spark plug replacement.
The rest was part of the regular service:
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Air filter
- Cabin filter
- Coolant change
- Gearbox oil change
- Changing the front wiper blade
They charged for washing and cleaning, but the car was sparkling clean when I dropped it off.
The service center is a decent size, about 12 service bays. They specialize mainly in Fiat, but I could also see some other brands like Skoda, Toyota, BMW, etc.
The total bill was 15,288/-
A few more pictures of the car.
For more insights and information, see BHPians’ comments.
