2001 Fiat Punto ELX review from Malaysia
"A great car, but lacking in good service"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The first problem came about three or four months after getting the car from Fiat Malaysia. I noticed that the car wasn't driving very smoothly and starting the car was a problem one day. On the same day, the car just refused to start and it ended up being towed to the workshop. I was told some filter wasn't working properly, something which happens to some of the new cars. A few months later, the battery went dead. The workshop person replaced the maintenance free battery with a water-based battery which did not fit the casing and required filling up every 2 weeks! Fiat Malaysia refused to replace it with another maintenance free battery. The last problem encountered was the airbag. The indicator for the airbag was switched on and so off to the workshop again. The workshop personnel said something with the wiring.
General comments?
The car performs great and I guess it is not without its imperfections. It's a great car to drive and comfortable. However, it's sad to say that Fiat Malaysia does not offer very satisfactory service. They really need to improve on their customer service overall, especially at the workshop.
Recommended Reviews:
  | A disgrace. NEVER BUY A FIAT! |
| A big disappointment |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Most recent distance | 15700 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 11th February, 2003 |