General How to properly drive/ care for a Punto sx 60

[Avestron]

Good evening. I recently acquired a metallic ash grey Punto sx 60 after having driven a Daewoo Lemans/ Rcr 95 virtually to the ground for the previous 13 years.

I have immediately noticed the difference and am quite happy with the change. However I am concerned that treating this Punto in the same fashion that I did the Daewoo would be a grave error.

I have already noticed that it is less tolerant of speed bumps, seems less friendly to speeds exceeding 60Km/hour, and has a tendency of losing a little power when starting from a stop - but I am quite ready to concede that this probably has more to do with me not knowing a thing about how to drive this car rather than it being any fault of the vehicle itself.

So - what tips can experienced drivers provide about the following?

Driving:
- Starting from a stop
- Optimal drive speed (presuming good town roads)

I am also looking into replacing the tyres as they are part their time. I'd optimally have gone for Toyo - but am pretty much stuck deciding between Bridgestone, Dunlop, General (Continental), Freeway (Chinese Maker), and Fulda (Dunlop/Goodyear). Any recommendations?

Lastly I note that the Punto's dashboard doesn't come with a temperature gage. Nor does it track engine revs. Presumably this car will need oil, & coolant top-ups but are there any more maintennance tips that experienced owners can provide?

Any feedback is appreciated.

PS. One slight gripe I have with this car is that I'm constantly setting off the wipers instead of the indicators. Not sure why Fiat placed the indicators on the left as its quite disconcerting to use the same hand dedicated to the gear stick. Will get used to it though

 

[dumbledore]

SX60 same as mine in my experience power loss at take up is subjective as the engine should be quite free reving and the accelerator is sensitive unlike other German designed cars. However, once in gear that free revving character disapears as the engine is slowed down by the drive resistance and shows its luck of power.
Optimal speed is 55mph or 90kmh
Not having a temeprature gauge is not good as this cars suffer from HG problems and when that happens you do not have warning system in place to see any unusual behaviour. You could look for some other dashbord that has a gauge.
I would say the indidacators are in the same position as most cars, so should not have any issues here.

 

[fingers99]

Very few (any?) European cars have the indicator stalk on the right. Many (most?) cars from the Far East do. I always got confused jumping from a FIAT or Alfa into a Subaru. You'll get used to it.

Just stick to the service schedule and don't let the car overheat and it should be fine. Aftermarket temperature guages are available and are a good idea. The rev counter you can really live without, although some of the more sporty versions have one.

The car shouldn't use any coolant. Always check when cold.

 

[Avestron]

Ok so its been 3 months that I have obtained this car and I would have to say that it has been something of a mixed experience.

Tyres

First of all it would be pertinent to state that I opted for a set of Fulda EcoControl tyres. They have performed very well in dry summer conditions with my only pet peeve being that they have a greater tendency of picking up small stones (probably due to the straight threads incorporated into their design, allowing said stones to get wedged between them)

Dashboard

In three months I would have to say that the vehicle has been mostly reliable. Probably more fuel efficient than my older Daewoo but thats hard to say due to a persistent dashboard glitch.

In fact I would say that over 50% of my misgivings regarding this vehicle would come down to this glitchy dashboard - and a faulty part is a faulty part and needs looking into/ replacing (still looking to set a date with a mechanic).

Put very simply the speedometer has a tendency of accellerating beyond the max speed for a few seconds before abruptly falling back to and sticking between 40-50km/ hour where it remains (rarely bouncing with any bumps in the road).

Not a glitch, but I must also say that the concept of replacing a temperature gauge with a temperature warning light was ill-concieved at best. I have no way to determine at what temperature level a 'red light' would in fact be indicating and hence whether I could afford to go that extra mile or two to a preferable stopping point (thanks for the advice to replacing with an after-market temperature gauge).

Rev Counter

I do think that a rev counter would be nice though. I suspect that this car's typical driving revs are circa 2,000 and when considering that my old daewoo used to idle at 1,100 revs, thats a difference. Besides sapping fuel efficiency and perhaps delivering engine power in a smoother manner, not sure what difference this makes.

Gearing

One thing that I really miss about the old car is that I could 'cruise' on low revs on 5th gear at 60+ km/h. With this Punto that speed reduces to something like 45km/h and I often catch myself looking for (a non-existent) 6th gear.

Has anybody else encountered this issue or have advice as how I might amend it in future (gearbox modification/ replacement?) as I do feel that I am losing a fair bit of performance to this.

Overheating

In fact overheating has plagued this vehicle for a while - not sure if its part of the dashboard glitch - coolant looks to be fine in level (although the vehicle seems to have no indication of an 'optimal' level (slightly topped up)). Have yet to locate the oil so this may be the issue... (looked multiple times but didn't locate it (must admit that I never went beyond oil/ coolant for maintenance on the old vehicle either)).

I currently find that cautious driving on 'idle' alleviates the issue but you would understand that I quickly need to sort this (would help to know where I check/ replace oil on a standard sx60 engine.

Suspension

The vehicle has a greater tendency than the old one of 'bottoming-out' on ramps and sudden inclines. The solution is to slow down to a crawl - although I suspect the suspension springs may require replacing.

Rear Door (ouch)

The original shocks of the rear door of the vehicle have given out on more than one occasion, nailing me painfully (nearly knocked me out once). These I am replacing with new shocks. The bonnet release mechanism handleseems flimsy - perhaps red plastic was not the best choice in material.

Seats

The passenger side front seat cannot go as far back as the driver-side front seat. I have yet to determine whether this is a common feature in Puntos or due to a change in car seats in the past.

Flaps (?)

It grates upon me that the overhead flaps seem to have only three valid positions (too high, too low, or closed) making morning and evening trips less pleasant if the sun is between the first two positions.

Indicator

I still believe that the indicator stalk being on the left-hand side of the steering wheel is counter-intuitive and less efficient than being on the right (who wants to steer and operate their screen wipers at the same time? (you are right though - I did mostly get used to it )

/\/\/\/\/\

In spite of all of this I have yet to regret the investment. Its a solid-running car and thats precisely what I was looking for.

Next planned is taking the vehicle in for a service, having the new shocks n wipers installed, and the dashboard and suspension improved or at least repaired. Maybe look into the gearbox.

Well I thought this would be a good continuation in thread. I genuinely like this Punto - but it doesn't exactly put my mind to rest. I believe that with some care and attention it can become the car I want it to be (though a little advice from more experienced users (such as yourselves) would help)

 

[tinytim]

It is easy to change the dashboard binnacle; replace it with one from the "upmarket" Mk1 puntos that have a temperature gauge & rev counter but no clock; you will need minor wiring in the engine compartment for the rev counter to work (there is a post on this somewhere) but I think the original temp sensor will work. I did this on my 60s because I had the same fault as you with the speedometer.

 

[tinytim]

This will sort out the dashboard:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...punto+mk1&_nkw=speedometer+punto+mk1&_sacat=0

https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-guides/77439-how-wire-up-rev-counter-mk1-punto-s.html

Small Fiats have free revving engines and the revs need to be used to get the best performance so your 5th gear is fine.
Should get 45+mpg if not do full service (plugs/filters/oil) and replace the fuel filter situated just in front of the rear wheel on the driver's side (RHD) aslo check brakes aren't binding.

Overheating is a worry on the MK1 as often due to head gasket failure but not a difficult job to replace; check coolant level and ensure all air is bled from system (see posts re this as quite important)

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi, to check and top-up your engines oil ,

look at this links photo's, https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-gui...sporting-cambelt-timing-belt-replacement.html


the BLUE thing shaped like a babies dummy/soother/pacifier, is the handle of the oil dipstick, lift it UP and there will be a long metal strip with notches at the bottom - this indicates the required levels,

the OIL Filler on the top of the engine, will be just in front of this Blue disptick,

it will be a BLACK Rubber bung, = you just put your fingers under the REAR edge and pull upwards= removing the bung in 1 rolling motion.

the area exposed should be a little dark / oily,
it it looks white / creamy = like Mayonnaise , this is a bad sign indicative of possible Headgasket problems,

Charlie

 

[blu73]

it it looks white / creamy = like Mayonnaise , this is a bad sign indicative of possible Headgasket problems,

or just too many short journeys when the car doesn't get upto full operating temperature will cause 'mayo'. But yeah if you have mayo best do a compression test to be sure.