Stubborn LHS noise in my Ford Fiesta - Page 2 - Team-BHP

krish3 · 18th March 2009, 13:17

Finally. after lots of calls and shouting, FORD has agreed to send a technical expert for Cochin. That person will come at a time when I go to cochin, so that a resolution can be found out.

This time I will make sure that whatever the guys says, I will get it in writing and signed by him. There should not be any back stabbing this time round.

But then the problem this time is, the govt has tarred most of the roads in cochin, so it'll be hard to find a rough patch to re-produce the noise.

HappyWheels · 18th March 2009, 13:32

^^ Great. And yes, all in writing you should not give anything in writing. Do not sign anywhere!

Quote:

Originally Posted by krish3

...But then the problem this time is, the govt has tarred most of the roads in cochin, so it'll be hard to find a rough patch to re-produce the noise.

This should the least of your concerns! Come on, we are talking about our PWD!

vfmanuel · 19th March 2009, 11:57

Hi, I am considering Fiesta D will appreciate your feedback on the car. i ahve heard a lot about the service problems and the cost. Can any one let me know the present scenario in Bangalore.

krish3 · 19th March 2009, 20:47

Manuel-: If you are asking about the car, then Its a very good car. Very comfortable and very fun to drive car. Gives outstanding mileage as well.

This was the first problem we faced in the car and the service really is very bad. And ford attitude doesnt help too. You have to really pressurize them to get them to respond.

bullboy · 19th March 2009, 21:03

OMG !! i bought my ikon Tdci few months back :(

JayD · 19th March 2009, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by krish3

But then the problem this time is, the govt has tarred most of the roads in cochin, so it'll be hard to find a rough patch to re-produce the noise.

Don't worry. Just take it to the pipeline road at palarivattom, which leads to Maria Park, and keep driving(if you can) after maria park too. it has to be one of the worst roads in the planet.

krish3 · 20th March 2009, 00:24

My home in cochin is through that road. I think my father said it has been tarred. Will have to go and see though. But I'm sure not every road would have been tarred. I will find out one.

krish3 · 15th April 2009, 00:44

APRIL 11th, came and with it came a call from Kairali Ford to my father to bring the car to the service centre.

My Father and I went to the showroom and we were greeted by the FORD people. 5 people had come in from Chennai - 2 from FORD INDIA and 3 from the company which manufactures the power steering.

5 people got into my car (inc my father and myself) and went for a test drive. There is a bad patch near my house and we took the car there. We reproduced the noise before all of them. The FORD rep from chennai, then took a drive and then confirmed the noise. We then went back to the service centre.

There again, the guys said "This is a noise typical of the power steering and all cars have it.". Then we all took a test drive on a VERNA which had run 21k kms. Again on the same road, they tried to reproduce the noise. We heard all sorts of rattling from other parts of the car, except the noise in question. But my father didnt want to quarrel and he said nothing.

Then once we were back to the service centre, we were told again that there was nothing wrong with the car and that if we reduce the noise then the steering will get tighter. We still kept silent. Then they gave us an option of replacing the steering rack as according to them "FORD IS ALWAYS FOR CUSTOMER". We gladly agreed for the replacement. The FORD rep warned us that the steering would get tighter if noise is eliminated.

The replacement took another 3 hrs. Once that was done we went for test drive. Now the results are

1) Any noise from steering rack is absent.
2) Steering is much lighter than before (this is contrary to what the FORD guys said).

We are now surprised to feel the steering effort being so easy. What we really feel is there was indeed some problem with the steering rack.

My grouse is that this could have been done earlier itself by FORD, instead of all the wasted time, effort and money gone into all the squabbling.

Another thing I would like from any manufacturer is HONESTY. There is nothing to be lost from accepting one's mistakes. All of us are just humans. Remedial action at the earliest goes a long way in making a customer happy.

Another mention about a customer care guy named ARIF in FORD chennai. People like him should be put into a dept named CUSTOMER HARM. He doesnt know how to respect a customer or listen to anything he/she has to say.

Mr Arif, this is for you. You dont have to test drive 1000's of miles to know a problem from a normal behaviour. You only need an open mind. Accpet that issues can happen in a FORD CAR as well. Its not a perfect machine. No one can force you to see something if you dont want to see it.

unni.ak · 15th April 2009, 01:04

I'm glad to know that the issue has been sorted out at last. All's well that ends well.

I've been following this thread, albeit silent. Kairali Ford, Cochin is where I get my Fiesta serviced too and am yet to go thru any bad experience (touch wood). In fact the last time I went for service, about a week back, I had an experience close to delight. Next time you go there, try to get Manuel as your Service Advisor. I've found that he is patient and is not in a hurry to get the speaking and listening over with.

Happy Driving.

d3mon · 15th April 2009, 02:14

Krish3, I think ford resolved this in an amicable manner in the end. Some amount of dilly dallying could have been avoided on their part, but ultimately, as unni said, all's well that ends well !

@bullboy you can rest easy now

krish3 · 15th April 2009, 10:52

Unni-: We now have a good relation will the service advisors there, since my father has been going there for a long time for this problem. They have even come to our home many times.

There is another sound coming from the car (even before replacement of steering rack); this time somewhere from left rear; present when the FORD engineers came to cochin. The Kairali guys were ready to check it then and there, but we had already spent the whole day at FORD and wanted to go back home. They promised to come and take the car whenever my Father is free.

So I think they are now quite ready to actively work on all issues.

benbsb29 · 15th April 2009, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by krish3

There is another sound coming from the car (even before replacement of steering rack); this time somewhere from left rear; present when the FORD engineers came to cochin.

Check the suspension, which could be the reason for the noise.
Do you speed over bad roads?

krish3 · 15th April 2009, 13:28

Yeah, thats where my doubt first went to. Will be getting it checked.

We never speed over bad roads, maybe because we have a ZEN as well and that doesnt handle bad roads that well. My father ,in particular, is a very careful driver, never speeds even on smooth empty roads beyond 80 kmph.

bullboy · 18th April 2009, 17:23

my ikon's steering feels tighter now :-)

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 18th April 2009, 21:49

zahir and krish3, both of you should go through the "what to do when stuck with a lemon" thread on this forum. Search, and ye shall find.

18th April 2009, 21:49	#30 (permalink)
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 1,489	zahir and krish3, both of you should go through the "what to do when stuck with a lemon" thread on this forum. Search, and ye shall find. __________________ ɹǝʌıɹpʇɐǝsʞɔɐq

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18th March 2009, 13:17	#16 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	Finally. after lots of calls and shouting, FORD has agreed to send a technical expert for Cochin. That person will come at a time when I go to cochin, so that a resolution can be found out. This time I will make sure that whatever the guys says, I will get it in writing and signed by him. There should not be any back stabbing this time round. But then the problem this time is, the govt has tarred most of the roads in cochin, so it'll be hard to find a rough patch to re-produce the noise.

19th March 2009, 11:57	#18 (permalink)
vfmanuel Newbie Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 16	Hi, I am considering Fiesta D will appreciate your feedback on the car. i ahve heard a lot about the service problems and the cost. Can any one let me know the present scenario in Bangalore.

19th March 2009, 20:47	#19 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	Manuel-: If you are asking about the car, then Its a very good car. Very comfortable and very fun to drive car. Gives outstanding mileage as well. This was the first problem we faced in the car and the service really is very bad. And ford attitude doesnt help too. You have to really pressurize them to get them to respond.

19th March 2009, 21:03	#20 (permalink)
bullboy BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trivandrum Posts: 207	OMG !! i bought my ikon Tdci few months back :(

20th March 2009, 00:24	#22 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	My home in cochin is through that road. I think my father said it has been tarred. Will have to go and see though. But I'm sure not every road would have been tarred. I will find out one.

15th April 2009, 00:44	#23 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	APRIL 11th, came and with it came a call from Kairali Ford to my father to bring the car to the service centre. My Father and I went to the showroom and we were greeted by the FORD people. 5 people had come in from Chennai - 2 from FORD INDIA and 3 from the company which manufactures the power steering. 5 people got into my car (inc my father and myself) and went for a test drive. There is a bad patch near my house and we took the car there. We reproduced the noise before all of them. The FORD rep from chennai, then took a drive and then confirmed the noise. We then went back to the service centre. There again, the guys said "This is a noise typical of the power steering and all cars have it.". Then we all took a test drive on a VERNA which had run 21k kms. Again on the same road, they tried to reproduce the noise. We heard all sorts of rattling from other parts of the car, except the noise in question. But my father didnt want to quarrel and he said nothing. Then once we were back to the service centre, we were told again that there was nothing wrong with the car and that if we reduce the noise then the steering will get tighter. We still kept silent. Then they gave us an option of replacing the steering rack as according to them "FORD IS ALWAYS FOR CUSTOMER". We gladly agreed for the replacement. The FORD rep warned us that the steering would get tighter if noise is eliminated. The replacement took another 3 hrs. Once that was done we went for test drive. Now the results are 1) Any noise from steering rack is absent. 2) Steering is much lighter than before (this is contrary to what the FORD guys said). We are now surprised to feel the steering effort being so easy. What we really feel is there was indeed some problem with the steering rack. My grouse is that this could have been done earlier itself by FORD, instead of all the wasted time, effort and money gone into all the squabbling. Another thing I would like from any manufacturer is HONESTY. There is nothing to be lost from accepting one's mistakes. All of us are just humans. Remedial action at the earliest goes a long way in making a customer happy. Another mention about a customer care guy named ARIF in FORD chennai. People like him should be put into a dept named CUSTOMER HARM. He doesnt know how to respect a customer or listen to anything he/she has to say. Mr Arif, this is for you. You dont have to test drive 1000's of miles to know a problem from a normal behaviour. You only need an open mind. Accpet that issues can happen in a FORD CAR as well. Its not a perfect machine. No one can force you to see something if you dont want to see it.

15th April 2009, 01:04	#24 (permalink)
unni.ak BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 410 View My Garage	I'm glad to know that the issue has been sorted out at last. All's well that ends well. I've been following this thread, albeit silent. Kairali Ford, Cochin is where I get my Fiesta serviced too and am yet to go thru any bad experience (touch wood). In fact the last time I went for service, about a week back, I had an experience close to delight. Next time you go there, try to get Manuel as your Service Advisor. I've found that he is patient and is not in a hurry to get the speaking and listening over with. Happy Driving.

15th April 2009, 02:14	#25 (permalink)
d3mon BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 176	Krish3, I think ford resolved this in an amicable manner in the end. Some amount of dilly dallying could have been avoided on their part, but ultimately, as unni said, all's well that ends well ! @bullboy you can rest easy now

15th April 2009, 10:52	#26 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	Unni-: We now have a good relation will the service advisors there, since my father has been going there for a long time for this problem. They have even come to our home many times. There is another sound coming from the car (even before replacement of steering rack); this time somewhere from left rear; present when the FORD engineers came to cochin. The Kairali guys were ready to check it then and there, but we had already spent the whole day at FORD and wanted to go back home. They promised to come and take the car whenever my Father is free. So I think they are now quite ready to actively work on all issues.

15th April 2009, 13:28	#28 (permalink)
krish3 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cochin/Bangalore Posts: 265	Yeah, thats where my doubt first went to. Will be getting it checked. We never speed over bad roads, maybe because we have a ZEN as well and that doesnt handle bad roads that well. My father ,in particular, is a very careful driver, never speeds even on smooth empty roads beyond 80 kmph.

18th April 2009, 17:23	#29 (permalink)
bullboy BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trivandrum Posts: 207	my ikon's steering feels tighter now :-)