New Haynes Manual for the Fiat Punto

The Fiat Punto is high on style and low on price, so it will come as no surprise that over 6 million derivatives have been sold worldwide since its introduction. The Punto is descended (via the Uno) from the Fiat 127, which was often considered to be the first ‘Supermini’. The heavily revised Punto Mk II range was introduced to the UK in October 1999. The facelifted version of the Mk II launched in August 2003 has had UK sales of over 100,000 vehicles, the majority of which are the 1.2 litre petrol editions.

The Punto is very well-equipped for a small car, and for the home mechanic it is a straightforward vehicle to maintain, with most of the items requiring frequent attention easily accessible. With the aid of a Haynes Fiat Punto manual, owners can get the best value from their vehicle. The manual will help you decide what work must be done (should you choose to use a garage), provide information on routine maintenance and servicing (to arm you with knowledge), and give a logical course of action and diagnosis when random faults occur. And however simple or complex the job, it will teach you how to do-it-yourself, which could be quicker than booking the car into a garage, not to mention a good deal cheaper, by avoiding the costs that garages must charge to cover labour and overheads.

Rightly, Haynes manuals have an enviable reputation worldwide for precise, extensively illustrated instructions. Each manual has drawings and descriptions to show the function of the various components, so that their layout can be understood. The tasks are described and photographed in a clear step-by-step sequence. There are sections on daily, weekly and routine maintenance plus instructions for straightforward jobs for beginners such as wiper blade and bulb replacements. Also included is advice on preparing for the MOT test, fault-finding charts and useful guidance for driving economically.

The new Fiat Punto manual was written and illustrated following the complete stripdown and re-assembly of a car. The engines covered in this manual are the popular 1.2 litre SOHC (1242cc, (8-valve) and DOHC (16-valve) petrol units including CVT/automatic models and special/limited editions. There are sections on:

Maintenance – simple weekly checks to keep you on the road
Servicing – complete, fully illustrated step-by-step guides
Overhaul – everything from fitting a new oil seal to rebuilding the engine
Fault-finding – information helping you to pinpoint specific problems easily
Brakes – safety checks and repairs for the home mechanic
Haynes Tips – valuable short cuts to make many tasks easier.
Difficulty ratings – every task is graded from ‘beginner’ to ‘expert’
Details of tools required

Haynes Manuals retail at £19.99 (hardback) and are available from haynes.co.uk or from all good automotive accessory retailers and bookshops including Halfords and Motor World.