A Legend Comes home: FIAT Palio S10 #482

[kdar.90HP]

The love for yellow fellow was the love at first sight when I saw Palio S10 first time on internet.

The budget, The Situation and few other responsibilities were the factor which was on my priority and my decision to buy a second car (which has to be S10) was on hold.

Then comes March 2014 which is appraisal time and at the same time my used car dealer called me that he has yellow Palio for sale and I immediately asked him if it is Palio S10 and he was not sure If it is S10 or not.

He was not sure about it so instead of asking him to check if it is Palio S10 or not I took my Honda Dio out from parking reached to Dealer's place which is around 4 km from my place. Hadapsar area in Pune is one of the biggest used car market in India.

To my surprise it was S10 and number 482 S10. I checked the car and it was good condition and everything was fine to me. I asked him to wait for 2-3 days to confirm however he got a new customer (which was dealer's friend) for S10 and he paid the amount and bought the car on the same day and I was like

Then after 2 weeks dealer called me and said his friend returned the car as he is not ready to maintain such a low fuel efficient car. Dealer called me instantly and I went to dealer's place and booked the car with some advance payment. This time I don’t wanted to take chance.

On the auspicious day of Gudhi Padwa, I took delivery of the car and car is at home today.

Now Actions Required:

• Take the car to Ravi’s Garage and do thorough check up and rectify what mechanical parts need to be changed.

• Service the car with all lubricants change which is on priority.

• Take the car to Rawat Uncle or Pandit Automotive, Bavdhan (FIAT FASS & Body shop) for denting and painting work which is the last priority.

• The restoration will be in different phases and I will keep this thread updated.

FIAT Palio S10 is rare gem and I am feeling lucky that I own one. There is very limited information available over the internet and I will try to write down as much as possible information in this thread along with restoration story of my Palio S10.

The S10 was launched in 2002 & only 500 units were manufactured with special badge (people call it billa) with numbers from 1 to 500. I own Palio S10 Billa No. 482.

Engine:

1596cc DOHC 4 cylinders

16 valves engine with 32 bit ECU

100hp@5500rpm. 140nm torque @4250rpm

It is one of the many jewels in Fiat's crown. The right power at right RPMs makes it perfect balance of torque and BHP of this 1.6 Torque Engine from FIAT.

Build Quality

FIAT Palio is built like tank and typical European Car.

Palio is still heavier than most of the modern hatchbacks, sedan and weighs 1080kg. Being a heavy car Palio is well composed car which reflects in driving dynamics of the Car.

Personally I love the safe and solid feeling of the car & my car is around 10 years old and thud sound from the door is still present which makes build to last.

When it was launched back in 2002 Indian Automobile market was immature to understand the Palio as it is B+ segment car & people were comparing it with tin boxes like Zen, Santro.

Limited Edition

Canary Yellow color

Side skirts & a beautiful & sporty rear spoiler specially designed for S10

Great looking 14” alloys (remember most of the car were available with 13” steel wheel in last decade)

S10 badges all over on exteriors and interiors with India’s first signature car with little master’s signature on bonnet, quarter panels, special S10 badges on C Pillers & on boot lid.

All this special theme means the car is a limited edition car in the true sense nothing like so called limited editions from leading car companies in India. (I hate Swift RS)

Interiors

Smashing design theme is carried over to interiors as well and car’s interiors are like build to last. Silver finish on center console and side AC vents makes the interiors fresh however seat fabric and fabric on door panel makes the interiors dull however some aftermarket leather upholstery will do wonders.

The dash is tilted towards the driver - I just love that & aluminum pedals enriches the sporty theme inside.

The driving position and rear seat comfort is better than Punto and Linea in Palio and steering to food pedals position is just perfect.

Gear shifts are way smoother than Punto and Linea and it comes with gear lock for reverse gear. S10 has different gear ratios than other 1.6 Palio and 3^rd & 4^th gears are different for meaty mid-range power.

Steering is leather wrapped hydraulic power steering and it is so sharp than you will go wrong with it which makes Palio fun to drive car.

I will be taking my car to Pandit Auto, Bavdhan Pune for general check up and routine service tomorrow morning.

Thats my love..FIAT Punto 90HP and FIAT Palio S10. Both of them are just mind blowing cars to drive.

To Be Continued......

[harikrish]

Congrates and nice review

[sibasis_FIAT]

Thats really good to see another Fiat lover just madly in romance with his/her car. We have been spoiled by the Fiat experience. Fiat Palio 1.6 S10 is a hell of a car. Its for enthusiasts. Congratulations !

By the way the car looks absolutely perfect. No need of any bodywork I suppose. Also there is no chance of rust formation. Check for drive shaft, lower arms, suspension, mountings and clutch. Basic service work should be top priority as u said. Change of fluids and filters.

Try to consult some old Fiat mechanic or a reputed Fiat showroom.

For original fiat parts, log in to www.99rpm.com

You can also source palio parts for cheap price at Shetty Motors, Mumbai. But am not sure of the quality.

Great Taste and a Perfect Car !!!

[rameshbabu.n]

Good to see a Fiat fan getting what he always wanted.

By the way, in Hyderabad, similar S10s are available for about 1 lakh (well

maintainted and good running condition) to 1.5 lakh (exceptionally well maintained

with a lot of goodies, like LCD screen etc.,).

How much did you pay for this ? And, where is Sachin's signature on the bonnet ?

I did not see the same in the snaps you have attached.

Edited April 5, 2014 by rameshbabu.n

[rssh]

Thats an amazing catch you got there, limited edition are not made like this no more atleast in India, the s10 has a short ratio gearbox that the normal 1.6 sport and thus better acceleration. Looking at the pictures I will say get the headlamp replaced the chrome has worn off and the lighting won't be bright also check if the timing belt is old and the rubber is hard this is the most important issue with old Palios. Also replace the brake fluid with DOT4 (since its been more than a decade) and bleed it and see if the disc's need skimming and brake pad need replacement.

[kdar.90HP]

Thank you guys for your nice words.

This is my 3rd FIAT and before that I owned FIAT Punto 1.2 Emotion (Sold) and Now I own FIAT Punto 90HP & FIAT Palio S10.

S10 visited FIAT Exclusive Service Center in Pune, Pandit Auto Bavdhan.

I am extremely happy with the customer service for my Punto 90HP since 2011 and I am expecting fabulous service for my S10 as well.

My S10 visited Pandit Auto (FASS) after long time and I am pretty sure that she is happy with this visit. Checked the car and replacement required:

1) Left Side front Suspension with strut pads (Will prefer to change both suspension at a time) Not on priority

2) Swing Arms with ball joint.

3) Drive shaft boots (LHS, Center & RHS)

4) Headlights

5) LHS Taillight

6) Routine Major service with all belts & fluid change

7) Windshield fluid tank

8) Tyres

9) Will be removing LPG Tank dont want insult the legent here.

To be continued.....

[LeoRahi]

That's a nice write up there!

This car is really an exotic to be honest.

Great to see such a fan of FIAT, btw we have another FIAT crazy here, Sibasis_Fiat.

Thanks for sharing this fella, keep this thread updated regularly. And do post lots of pics

PS : Welcome to the forums, Enjoy your stay

Edited April 7, 2014 by LeoRahi

[PrancingHorse]

Congrats on the buy. The Palio 1.6 was the first hot hatch in India. I still remember test driving one in 2001 and you got the S10. Thats a great write up there and do post more pictures

Looking forward to more updates

[Sstar]

Congrats on buying Palio 1.6 S10, it was and is a drivers' delight.

[sibasis_FIAT]

That's a nice write up there!

This car is really an exotic to be honest.

Great to see such a fan of FIAT, btw we have another FIAT crazy here, Sibasis_Fiat.

Thanks for sharing this fella, keep this thread updated regularly. And do post lots of pics

PS : Welcome to the forums, Enjoy your stay

Thank you LeoRahi.....I really appreciate the recognition. :)

[sibasis_FIAT]

1) Left Side front Suspension with strut pads (Will prefer to change both suspension at a time) Not on priority

2) Swing Arms with ball joint.

3) Drive shaft boots (LHS, Center & RHS)

4) Headlights

5) LHS Taillight

6) Routine Major service with all belts & fluid change

7) Windshield fluid tank

8) Tyres

9) Will be removing LPG Tank dont want insult the legent here.

To be continued.....

Make sure that all parts are genuine.

For swing arms, check if only the ball joint has worn out. In that case only the ball joint will be replaced. You can save a lot of money here. Coz a single swing arm may cost you Rs 2500-3000.

If you are refilling the AC gas, then prefer PARAFLU. Its the best. It is OE gas in Linea and Punto. Your service center must be having these.

Change the wiper blades with Bosch's. They are pretty good and gentle on windshield.

For tyres, choose Michelin/Yokohama (in higher budget) or Goodyear Duraplus (in economy mode).

Put some rubber or sponge material on the parcel tray end edge. They tend to create noise. It is common in every palio.

Compare your spare costs @ www.99rpm.com

Choose the perfect tyre @ www.changemytyre.com

Remember every detailing you are doing on your babe.......coz you have to write everything down here !!! :D

[kdar.90HP]

sibasis_FIAT thank you so much for your inputs and I will consider it while working on my S10.

At this moment I wont be spending on tyres and sourcing used tyres from one of the tyre dealer. Previous owner was really pathetic and he put different profile tyres all over.

I need to check how much damage LPG did to the car and I think it has affected one of the injector. How can in this world people drive powerful cars on LPG.

[rssh]

LPG is a lost cause anyways nowadays ;may be you could add CNG with existing hardware of LPG? Is it open loop/ closed loop /sequential system in the car. Check valve springs for rust as they are the first sign of damage in bad kits due to inherent dryness of gas combustion.

[kdar.90HP]

Thanks rssh for your inputs.

I will not prefer any alternative fuel for my S10 and it will run only Petrol in future.

[kdar.90HP]

Mods requesting you to delete above post as tables are inserted in the post.

[LeoRahi]

Hi kdar.90HP, Hope you are enjoying your stay here

Please add some more pics of the exterior Along with the interiors.

Thanks

[LeoRahi]

***Multiple posts***

Edited April 10, 2014 by LeoRahi

[kdar.90HP]

Sure I will upload pictures soon.

Update:

Removed unwanted waste from the car to make it to my taste.

Removed:

1) Cheap Ferrari Stickers from

2) Fake Air vent stickers from rear door

3) Another cheapest aftermarket sticker from boot lid.

4) A political party’s logo (Tiger) from rear windshield.

5) Most important LPG kit. I am pretty sure that it affected S10 very badly. LPG pipes need to be removed as they are placed under carpet

Now I will keep the car in my parking for long time and will start working on it by Month end with first priority to Ignition coil and major servicing of the car with all fluids change.

To be continued...

[kdar.90HP]

Update:

Ravi(My mechanic), Pragal (my friend who owns Palio and knows in & out about the Palio) & myself had a detailed discussion about the restoration project and we decided that instead of spending money to repair/service the existing engine we will order a brand new engine which will cost around Rs. 55,000.

We worked on estimated expenses to service existing engine of my S10 (92,000 on odo) and it is around Rs. 30,000.

So it is wise decision to get the brand new engine and not to worry for next 5-10 years.

Now the Project is on hold and will start saving for new engine and few other things of the car.

[rssh]

Firstly were are you sourcing the engine from and are you prepared for the hassles in changing the engine number on RTO card. Also if the engine cost 55k then removing the old and fitting in the new will add to more cost (i would say 20k).

Also is this engine taken out from another car ? If so then you will need a certificate from the owner of that car while registering at RTO.

Why spend so much money if the car is running properly? Try a rebuild and see if it warrants a new one.

[kdar.90HP]

rssh engine will be brand new engine and will be direct fit. Laour charges will not be 20k that I am pretty sure about it.

Changing engine number is not a big deal and can be done from RTO Agent.

[sibasis_FIAT]

While sourcing used tires be careful about the manufacturing dates printed on the sidewall. If a tire is too old but it has a nice grip, there might be chances, upon use it may bend and the steel belts inside the tire tend to break. So dont by too old used tires. Tires are major safety components which we generally ignore. A good set of tires will give you peace of mind and driving pleasure.

Better look for Chinese make tires like Kenda, Nankang or Nexen. Better not to compromise on tires.

[kdar.90HP]

Plan to change tyres is on hold.

Checked the engine transplant details.

Rs. 55k for new engine and Rs. 5k as labour charges.

Rs. 60k Engine Transplant

Rs. 20k suspension change

Rs. 10k for Automech Free Flow Exhaust

Rs. 6k for new Clutch

After Spending Rs. 1 lakh approx my S10 will be almost brand new car. Saving already started for the same :-)

[rssh]

Will this amount of spending be done in a single go or step by step process?

IMO first do the engine and clutch, then drive for some time (or save more) and put new tyres and suspension. Also I have heard good things about automech FFE but don't go overboard with the noise since it gets irritating after sometime. Especially during the late night entering your house.

[kdar.90HP]

I am looking forward to do all the steps together however I don’t have vitamin M to make all the things together, so I would prefer to complete the restoration in steps:

Step No.

Step Details

Estimated Price (Rs)

1

Swap the engine

55000

2

Swap engine labor charges

5000

3

Change Clutch, Upgrade front brakes to Palio Adventure, Change/Check rear brakes

15000

4

Swing Arms

10000

5

Suspension setup front

15000

6

Tyres

17000

7

Automech Exhaust

10000

8

Minor bits

5000

9

Complete Repaint

30000

10

Total

162000

It may take complete one year to restore the car but after this complete restoration I am pretty sure that my S10 will be headturner on Pune's roads.