[shuvc]

Perfect job.

Is there still a dent at the front edge of the bonnet?

Originally Posted by suman

Or should I just go for some cheap tyres in stock size since I intend to sell the car by the middle of next year?

Emphatic no. You like to drive hard and should ensure you have proper rubber as long as you have the car. Safety first.

[suman]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Perfect job.

Is there still a dent at the front edge of the bonnet?

Thanks. Sharp eyes . That's from quite a while back - driver was unmindful & tapped the car in front when it braked suddenly. The grille also bears a mark of that episode.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Emphatic no. You like to drive hard and should ensure you have proper rubber as long as you have the car. Safety first.

Yup, my thoughts exactly & more so because with those cheap imported ones, you never know when a bulge appears & then the dealer will turn a deaf ear to all that you say.

Originally Posted by Sugeeta

@suman : can you kindly share the phone number of this FNG?

Sugeeta, I presume you are referring to Mallik & his body shop (the FNG is separate), if so, his number is 9810082269. Do take proper directions in case you ever decide to land up because that Sheetla Mata Mandir road has a number of "Malik Body Shop"s.

Let me know if I've misunderstood & you wanted Rakesh Automobiles (FNG) number.

[suman]

For quite a while, there was a judder in the steering wheel on braking & I knew the Discs were playing up. I had been delaying the inevitable because I knew that Ford workshops would not "skim" the discs & would simply tell me to replace them.

Of late, the judder was increasing & since the car does a lot of expressway running, I decided to take a call. Besides, my daughter was also cribbing at every opportunity about the judder. So I called HF Okhla & asked them how much it would cost -

Sir Rs 4,500
Itna mehenga?
Woh kya hai Sir, disc ka saath pads bhi change hoga
Kyu bhaiyya? Pads toh 100,000 service mein change hoh chuka aur abhi to sirf 105,000 chala hain
Woh to theek hain Sir lekin naya discs ke saath, purana pad nahin baithega

No point arguing with Ford, it never helps - they will always do it their way. So I called up the FNG & asked him if he would machine the disks for me. I held my breath since he has always refused on the grounds that parts are not available (if pads needed to be changed) but in this case, he said "Yes". He also said that he would not change the pads unless absolutely necessary & confirmed (wonder of wonders) that Fiesta pads were available in the market.

Sent the car across on the 25th in the afternoon & the work was completed in a couple of hours - discs were sent to the lathe, skimmed & fitted back, pads were pronounced to be in order & not changed. Total cost - Rs 500 (250 Lathe charges & 250 Labour for opening & refitting). I breathed a sigh of relief - 4k saved for a couple of hours work. If only more of Fiesta parts were available in the market, the cost of ownership would be even lower!!

Thanks Rakesh, its a relief braking from high speeds now without that stupid judder

[gaurav_chopra04]

Please find my replies in bold.

Originally Posted by suman

Sir Rs 4,500
Itna mehenga?
Woh kya hai Sir, disc ka saath pads bhi change hoga
Kyu bhaiyya? Pads toh 100,000 service mein change hoh chuka aur abhi to sirf 105,000 chala hain
Woh to theek hain Sir lekin naya discs ke saath, purana pad nahin baithega

Thats exactly what Mitsubishi also suggests. But the good part is that they do skim the discs. Moreover, they skim it everytime they put a new pair of pads in order to ensure even wear of pads, which costs about 6k (including tax and labour), and to ensure longer life of pads.

In between was the judder evident even before you changed the pads. Skim at that time would have ensured longer pad and disc life.

Total cost - Rs 500 (250 Lathe charges & 250 Labour for opening & refitting).

Damn cheap, I paid expactly the same at my local garage when I got my cedia's front discs skimmed.

I breathed a sigh of relief - 4k saved for a couple of hours work.

nicely managed.


If only more of Fiesta parts were available in the market, the cost of ownership would be even lower!!

They are available in plenty in Karol bagh. I remember, the time I got aftermarket pads for cedia (Branded TRWs for about 2.2k front), someone got the front dics of fiesta for Rs.700 each.

[suman]

Hey Gaurav, nice to hear from you

Yup, the judder was there when the pads were changed, it was just that I hadn't started using the FNG at that point in time & Ford have always refused to "skim"!

I know that some stuff is available but the expensive stuff like say the AC Compressor etc are not & that's what is a pain! Good to know that Discs are available though, thanks!

[gaurav_chopra04]

Please find my replies in Bold

Originally Posted by suman

Hey Gaurav, nice to hear from you

same here, its always a pleasure to read the best long term ownership review on Team Bhp!

Was in hurry yesterday, so could only read the last few posts. Just read the complete update.

I know that some stuff is available but the expensive stuff like say the AC Compressor etc are not & that's what is a pain! Good to know that Discs are available though, thanks!

Well, I am a bit skeptical about parts not available in aftermarket. I am pretty sure they should be availabe in Karol Bagh or kashmiri gate. Guys here can get you parts for Palio, which even the company cannot manage to get. Moreover, with the number of fiestas on road, cant really say if all go to Ford to get spares.

We are to go get some stuff for lancer next month, will confirm about parts of fiesta.

Originally Posted by suman

Likely diagnosis was the Compressor & the estimated cost kinda knocked me over - around 12k including Gas. I was ready to sell the car.

a friend of mine sold his Ikon Diesel in 2007 because he was handed an estimate of 40k for a new compressor, core assmbly and AC service.

The cost of compressor must be higher, in your case only the evaporator assemblies are changed, thats basically a small radiator kinda thing (heat exchanger to be precise) inside the dash.

The following components were replaced -

• Tube Assembly
• Evaporator Core Assembly
• Evaporator Valve Assembly

I am sure, the AC is ready again to fight Delhi's heat for next couple of years.

Originally Posted by suman

I called back the FNG & asked him to suggest a local denting shop. He gave me the name & directions to one which was supposedly one of the best in Gurgaon (by the name of Mallik). Off I went the next morning & found the place & held my breath as Mallik examined the damage & pronounced - Koi ni, theek kar doonga, kisi ko dekh ke pata bhi nahi chalega. So I gingerly asked him how much it would cost & he said the bumper would be dismantled & fixed by a bumper repair shop (there was one next to him), said that would cost around Rs 300 (that guy wanted 350 but we settled for 300) and then he would take out the fender, beat it into shape & thereafter paint the fender & the damaged portion of the bumper for Rs 1,500. So, a total of Rs 1,800 which I thought was bloody good under the circumstances! He promised that the body work would be completed, fender & bumper put back & patti (primer) applied by 4pm. Car would thereafter be released & I would send it back sometime the week after for another 4-5 hours for painting & polishing. Sounded like a good deal to me.

The price charged for the Job is pretty reasonable and the job done is excellent.

I called them the day after the accident & they quoted Rs 4,000 for the fender & (sit down & brace yourselves) Rs 4,500 for the painting of the fender!!!

VW and Honda charges 5k plus tax per piece, Mitsubishi about 4500 including tax. Maruti 4k inclusing tax (swift and sx4).

So, Rs 8,500 without any of the bumper work! Now you will understand why Mallik was such a Godsend for me! I called up my FNG & thanked him profusely for having guided me to Mallik's workshop. And I now rest easy that I have discovered a good Body shop in Gurgaon. And a Bumper repair shop as well.

I too believe that in case of small accidents, it is good to take help of local garage. Car should go to Authorised workshops only in case of major work.

[suman]

Thanks Gaurav, I'm definitely going to reach out to you on the Karol Bagh scenario in future

Some quick updates in chronological order -

Interior cleaning: The leather upholstery had become really dirty & I was looking around for options by way of reliable interior detailing shops. Couldn't really come up with any apart from my accessories guy (Batra, Sector 14). Spoke to HF Okhla & they had a package costing around Rs 1,100 which included the seats, dashboard, door panels, roof, floor, dicky felt & floor. Total time estimate - 4 hours. I thought the price was reasonable (more so because Batra didn't have a regular crew for this, he was doing it as a need based thingy). Decided to send the vehicle across on the 5th & true to their word, the car was released by 1 pm. They did an excellent job & the interiors underwent a sea change. Got an sms from my wife saying - "seats look CLEAN & a shade lighter!!" I was pretty impressed when I came home & saw the results !!

Wheel Bearing change: For a while, we'd been hearing a droning from around the wheels & I'd put it down to the tyres which were going to be replaced anyway. That noise had really increased over the past three weeks or so & I mentioned this to Prajesh the other day when I was getting his opinion on which tyres to buy. Prajesh asked me if I was sure it wasn't the wheel bearing making the racket rather than the tyres as such. That's when it hit me (rather late in the day, dunno what the heck I was thinking ) that it WAS a kinda wheel bearing noise! Damn! Anyway, checked with HF Okhla the next day & they said the total cost of each bearing (including Labour etc) would cost around Rs 3,500! Called up my FNG, all the while prepared to hear "Sir, Fiesta ka bearing market mein nahi milti". Surprise, surprise - Ho jayega Sir lekin Monday subeh gaddi bhejna. Sent it across on Monday morning, turned out to be the rear right bearing. Was changed, total cost Rs 650 (550 for the bearing & 100 for labour) - another Rs 2,850 saved!

New Footwear: Since the wheel bearing work was completed by 11 am, I decided to send the car to my friend Deepak Kataria (Star Wheels) to have a look at the tyres. The car had 106,735 kms on the odo & the Michelin Energy XM1+s had been doing duty since 51,303 kms - 55 k kms plus! Deepak called back suggesting that I get them changed without further delay. Choices were (was planning on 195x60x14) - Yokohama A drives & Bridgestone Turanzas. The A drive prices were at par with Apollo Aceleres (as confirmed earlier by Prajesh) & I'm a little partial towards Yokos since they've been doing an excellent job on my Safari for over a year & a half & close to 40k kms now. So A Drive it was & since Deepak's work bay was empty, I told him to go ahead then & there. So here we are guys - Yokohama A Drive 195x60x14 -



Took a ride in the Silver streak yesterday & man, what a relief it was with the wheel bearing noise having gone & with the new tyres - car was back to its earlier levels of silence! Haven't driven her yet - will do that over the next couple of days & keep you updated once I've had a chance to throw her around a few corners! My wife's first reaction on hearing that I was going to "take her for a spin" was - You are NOT going to leave rubber all over the road this time around!

My daughter's also been itching to "try" out the tyres so we have a busy rest of the week coming up! See you around folks!

[vnabhi]

Wow, that is some FNG you have in your neighbourhood ! I wish I had one like that---gotta keep my eyes open as my warranty will get over in a few months.

I wanted to know from you on how the Yokos compare to the Michelins. I am planning to change the stock MRFs after a year or so, when I cross 30 K.

Did the profile change on the tyres affect handling, FE, etc? The stock size is 175/65 R 14.

[suman]

Yup, I think its essential for us Fiesta owners to find FNG options when the cars are out of warranty

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I wanted to know from you on how the Yokos compare to the Michelins. I am planning to change the stock MRFs after a year or so, when I cross 30 K.

Did the profile change on the tyres affect handling, FE, etc? The stock size is 175/65 R 14.

The stock size is 175x60x14 IIRC. The Michelins were 185x65x14 & these ones are 195x60x14.

Will let you know about the FE after observing for a few weeks, the handling will definitely be better with the wider rubber - that's what I'll check over the next couple of days

[kpzen]

Congrats.

So, it was the wheel bearing itself.

Originally Posted by suman

The stock size is 175x60x14 IIRC. The Michelins were 185x65x14 & these ones are 195x60x14.

Stock is 175/65-14.

I thought the Michelins were 195/60-14

Originally Posted by suman

Will let you know about the FE after observing for a few weeks, the handling will definitely be better with the wider rubber - that's what I'll check over the next couple of days

How's the steering ? Lighter or harder?

[suman]

Thanks & thanks for calling that out!

Originally Posted by kpzen

Stock is 175/65-14.

Ahh, my mistake, sorry. Been a while since I saw the stock ones

Originally Posted by kpzen

I thought the Michelins were 195/60-14

Nope, I'd got 185x65x14s the last time around

Originally Posted by kpzen

How's the steering ? Lighter or harder?

Dunno man, I haven't driven her yet!

[unni.ak]

Originally Posted by suman

New Footwear:

Good to see an update. You are saving up quite a bit by doing some of the work outside of the service center. A tire change is coming up for me as well shortly. Not decided on one yet though.

Have fun burning some new rubber. It is said that tires need to be run-in for about 300kms. You sure can shorten the run-in by burning some off . Oh all this is for safety!!

[kpzen]

Suman da.

Just noticed, you got 51k kms out of the Michelins. Incredible achievement

Originally Posted by unni.ak

. It is said that tires need to be run-in for about 300kms.

Thats just a matter of 3 days for him.

[suman]

Originally Posted by unni.ak

It is said that tires need to be run-in for about 300kms. You sure can shorten the run-in by burning some off . Oh all this is for safety!!

Heh heh, thanks Unni, LOL

Originally Posted by kpzen

Just noticed, you got 51k kms out of the Michelins. Incredible achievement

Prajesh, 55k kms, not 51 - changed at 51,303 & now at 106,735. Squeezed every bit of life outta them

PS: Had a short drive last evening, to the local Puja pandal & back. Steering does feel lighter, that's OK, right?

[suman]

Been a while since the last update so I thought I'd fill you in on what's been happening -

• As winter started setting in around end November, the starter was sounding sluggish during the morning starts. Sent it to the FNG to have it serviced, a pinion also needed to be changed. Total cost Rs 1,200
• Brake discs were machined a second time at 109k kms, cost Rs 300
• 110k kms service was delayed a bit, was in two minds but finally decided to send it to HF Okhla. Was done at 111,961 kms, apart from the routine Oil & Oil Filter change, the Air Cleaner Filter was also changed as was the Camshaft Gasket Cover (it was leaking). The following items were also recommended for replacement but I declined on hearing the cost -
  • Thermostat Housing
  • Gear Box Mounting
  • Front Brake Discs
• Another 2k kms later, the judder on braking surfaced again so I decided to ask FNG if they could do the job. They could, so at 113,730 kms, got both the discs changed. Total cost was Rs 2,200. At HF, this would have cost me close to 3.5k for the Discs & labour, not to mention that they would have changed the Pads as well (which I didn't want to, considering that it had been done at 100k already)

Apart from that, not much has been happening - the Yokos have settled in well, ride is very comfortable. She goes about her business without kicking up a fuss. Time to get a set of floor mats as the current ones are really looking old. The odo reads 115k kms, time really flies, doesn't it!