[Anuruddhs]

I also own a Figo aspire and I can vouch for same, Mileage is great and service costs are cheaper than WAGON-R. There is a big myth that Maruti's are cheap to maintain but not true at this point of point. This myth is coming from M800 era and still same perception for most of the people buying small cars. In my opinion if you want to keep the car for longer period figo twins are much more VFM than any other car in segment. My aspire has done almost 30K in one and half year and it has been joy to drive and own this car.

[Sunrock]

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

You can definitely add Ford vehicles to your fleet and I can vouch that you will not regret buying a Ford. Apart from the low maintenance costs, the fuel efficiency is also marvelous. If driven sedately it gives a fuel efficiency of 25-27 kmpl on highways, which very few cars can match.

BTW, which vehicles are there in your fleet and what is the running/maintenanace cost of these cars? It will be great if you can share some of the details.

For sure the next set of vehicles will be Fords, I am a total Ford guy. 2017 Ford GT over Aventador SV any day . But i was a bit skeptical about the costs after the 1lakh mark. With the incentives falling, have to make very calculated decisions. Will put up a detailed post on the expenses i have. How do you manage two shifts. Can you throw us some light on that.

[auto_enthusiast]

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

Dear auto_enthusiast

Your Marathon Mile Muncher is indeed a Rare gem
My best friend owns an Eco Sport(Golden Bronze) and my colleague new gen Figo Aspire Petrol(Grey). Whenever I'm hanging out with any of these two the topic is only about Ford cars and they endlessly rave about their stress free ownership, best mileage and low maintenance contrary to the general public opinion that only MSIL makes cars with good mileage and low maintenance.


After reading this I was wondering, this..15k..I use to pay this amount for every paid service to maintain my Fiat GP 90HP

Just being curious, didn't you have to change any of the components such as Timing chain/Clutch/Tyres in this 50000kms even once ?

Wishing you the best and stress-free ownership for the upcoming milestones

Thanks for your appreciation

Apart from the regular routine service that was carried out in the car, no other expense was incurred on repair and maintenance except for the brake pads which were changed at 50k service.

IMHO, 15k for every service of Punto is quite on a higher side even though it is expected that Fiat will be expensive to run.

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

In my experience the cheapest to maintain per lakh km is Innova followed by all Fords. Maruti's are no where cheap, only the 5000 km interval makes one think so.

You are spot on with your assessment that Innova (read Toyota) and Ford cars are the cheapest and most reliable to own. It's a myth that Maruti is the cheapest to maintain.

At times due to un-availablity of service appointment, we used to change the oil and air filter at 10K interval and directly service at 20K, even then two Ikon 1.3 rocam's did more than 2 Lakh km without a issue.

Like you I have delinked service rotation and wheel alignment.

Alignment is done only when I feel a doubt, observing tyre for un even wear is a daily practice one Innova had untouched factory alignment till little more than 60,000, and needed first set of 5 tyres at 90,000, and that too due to combination of planned back to back trips and aproaching rains.

Rahul

Originally Posted by Anuruddhs

I also own a Figo aspire and I can vouch for same, Mileage is great and service costs are cheaper than WAGON-R. There is a big myth that Maruti's are cheap to maintain but not true at this point of point. This myth is coming from M800 era and still same perception for most of the people buying small cars. In my opinion if you want to keep the car for longer period figo twins are much more VFM than any other car in segment. My aspire has done almost 30K in one and half year and it has been joy to drive and own this car.

+1
Definitely the Figo twins are the most underrated and VFM products in their respective segments.

Wish you many more happy miles with your Aspire.

Originally Posted by Sunrock

For sure the next set of vehicles will be Fords, I am a total Ford guy. 2017 Ford GT over Aventador SV any day . But i was a bit skeptical about the costs after the 1lakh mark. With the incentives falling, have to make very calculated decisions. Will put up a detailed post on the expenses i have. How do you manage two shifts. Can you throw us some light on that.

The day-shift driver does duty from 7 in the morning till 7 in the evening and the night-shift driver takes over from him when he returns. Likewise for the night-shift too.

[oblivion]

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

Overall fuel efficiency of 26+ kmpl is really commendable under mixed driving conditions. BTW what is his usage pattern? Does he drive more on highways and less in city?

Yes the fuel economy he is getting is under mixed driving conditions only. He used to travel Gurgaon daily with occasional highway trips. We all know how bad traffic conditions are there in NCR region.

[srivatsahg]

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

IMHO, 15k for every service of Punto is quite on a higher side even though it is expected that Fiat will be expensive to run.

Quite agree with you. There are many reasons for it. For example sometimes changing simple things like Brake pads and Engine oilshoots up the bill by a substantial amount.

• Brake pads : I sometimes feel that the brake pads of Punto are made out of wax. They worn out almost every 15K kms which is ridiculous. And costs ~2500 INR to replace it.

• Engine Oil (I do change every 8000 kms) : ~3000 INR

[shipnil]

My experience with 1st gen Figo is quite similar to you. My service bills always were around 3500 for routine service and if I changed fuel filter or brake oil etc, it was around 6000. I am not including accidental repairs here. I have done 80k in the car. Still runs on stock clutch and the brake pads were changed at 70k odo for about 2000.

I think this is quite cheap compared to Maruti. Was talking to a guy who owns a Wagon R and his expenses for each of service were around 5k to 6k.

[fiat_tarun]

Nice to see a thread by a bhp-ian running a Taxi and good to see the Aspire giving you a completely hassle free ownership experience.

I totally echo the low ownership costs with a Ford. My 2013 Figo diesel service costs have been as below;
10K - Rs. 1,743/-
20k - Rs. 4,066/-
30k - Rs. 5,004/-
40k - Rs. 4,517/-
50k - Rs. 4,115/-

Our Ertiga diesel on the other hand always ends up with a bill of 6-7k minimum for the basic service.

[oblivion]

Originally Posted by shipnil

I think this is quite cheap compared to Maruti. Was talking to a guy who owns a Wagon R and his expenses for each of service were around 5k to 6k.

Strange is this true. 5k-6k for Wagon R is too much. I checked on mobile app the approximate price for Endeavour service is 7-8k. If this is true than why people are getting fooled by Maruti.

[auto_enthusiast]

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

Quite agree with you. There are many reasons for it. For example sometimes changing simple things like Brake pads and Engine oilshoots up the bill by a substantial amount.

• Brake pads : I sometimes feel that the brake pads of Punto are made out of wax. They worn out almost every 15K kms which is ridiculous. And costs ~2500 INR to replace it.

• Engine Oil (I do change every 8000 kms) : ~3000 INR

Brake pads lasting for just 15k kms is just ridiculous

I can imagine the pinch that you must be feeling every time you have to get them replaced.

Originally Posted by shipnil

My experience with 1st gen Figo is quite similar to you. My service bills always were around 3500 for routine service and if I changed fuel filter or brake oil etc, it was around 6000. I am not including accidental repairs here.

Even I have not included accidental repairs in the total expenses because it is something which can happen with any car anytime.

Yesterday I've given the car at FASS for paint touch up. The car had nicks and dents on various panels. Will be getting all of them painted at once, even if it means paying out of my pocket for the panels which are not covered under insurance. Interior detailing will also be done along with it. Should be getting the car back by monday.

I have done 80k in the car. Still runs on stock clutch and the brake pads were changed at 70k odo for about 2000.

I think this is quite cheap compared to Maruti. Was talking to a guy who owns a Wagon R and his expenses for each of service were around 5k to 6k.

80k on stock clutch and still going strong and 70k kms on stock brake pads means that the car is holding up well. Definitely cheaper that most of the cars out there. Wishing you many more happy miles with your car.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Nice to see a thread by a bhp-ian running a Taxi and good to see the Aspire giving you a completely hassle free ownership experience.

I totally echo the low ownership costs with a Ford. My 2013 Figo diesel service costs have been as below;
10K - Rs. 1,743/-
20k - Rs. 4,066/-
30k - Rs. 5,004/-
40k - Rs. 4,517/-
50k - Rs. 4,115/-

Our Ertiga diesel on the other hand always ends up with a bill of 6-7k minimum for the basic service.

+1 to the ownership cost of the previous-gen Figo. Even my Figo had more or less the same running cost as yours, except for a couple of instances where I had to get the link rods replaced in quick succession. Although after paying for the link rods, when I raised a query with Ford India about the quality of the link rods and why they have to be replaced within 7-8k kms every time, Ford India was very prompt to address it and even though the car was out of standard warranty, the link rods were replaced under goodwill warranty. Had to only pay for the labour. And I was immediately given a credit voucher of the amount paid.

[fiat_tarun]

What do your drivers have to say about the car? Would be interesting to hear their perspective and comparison with the others cars they drive.


OT, but important since we are discussing Ford's maintenance cost.

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

...


+1 to the ownership cost of the previous-gen Figo. Even my Figo had more or less the same running cost as yours, except for a couple of instances where I had to get the link rods replaced in quick succession. Although after paying for the link rods, when I raised a query with Ford India about the quality of the link rods and why they have to be replaced within 7-8k kms every time, Ford India was very prompt to address it and even though the car was out of standard warranty, the link rods were replaced under goodwill warranty. Had to only pay for the labour. And I was immediately given a credit voucher of the amount paid.

Since you mentioned goodwill warranty, I had a case of unusual rusting on the doors of my Figo. My car was out of warranty but I reached out to Ford and they replaced all doors under goodwill warranty!!

More details here

[auto_enthusiast]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

What do your drivers have to say about the car? Would be interesting to hear their perspective and comparison with the others cars they drive.

I generally don't ask them much, except for any problem or unusual noises from the car. But during a casual chat they were all praises for the car. They find the car to be much better than the other cars, be it the pickup, the fuel efficiency and the durability of the spares.

OT, but important since we are discussing Ford's maintenance cost.



Since you mentioned goodwill warranty, I had a case of unusual rusting on the doors of my Figo. My car was out of warranty but I reached out to Ford and they replaced all doors under goodwill warranty!!

More details here

A big thumbs up to Ford for honouring goodwill warranty even when the car is out of the standard warranty

I find this to very pleasing that you don't have to fight tooth & nail when claiming warranty from Ford. If they find a manufacturing defect, they straight away replace the part even though the car may be out of warranty

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

Just being curious, didn't you have to change any of the components such as Timing chain/Clutch/Tyres in this 50000kms even once ?

Which company needs timing belt / chain replacement so early. As far as I remember only Maruti petrol range and Indica has a 1 Lakh recommendation. VW has 2.1 Lakh, Ford with timing chains doesn't need a change unless chain stretches beyond 5mm at 2 Lakh km stretch is usually below 2 mm. For Toyota it is 1.5 Lakh but I feel that it is with a huge factor of safety.

In my experience if you have good drivers a clutch will last between 1.5 to 2.0 Lakh km. Good driving can lead to good brake pad life. I regularly check brake lining by vernier, my last personal drive the Polo had about 8mm remaining of original 14mm at 75K checkup. I usually replace with about 5-6 mm remaining.

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

You are spot on with your assessment that Innova (read Toyota) and Ford cars are the cheapest and most reliable to own. It's a myth that Maruti is the cheapest to maintain.

It is not all Toyotas, many heavy users who shifted from older innova to Crysta say Crysta is almost twice as costly to maintain, and not niggle free like the older one. Fortuner and Camry are also known for presenting big bills.

Rahul

[auto_enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

It is not all Toyotas, many heavy users who shifted from older innova to Crysta say Crysta is almost twice as costly to maintain, and not niggle free like the older one. Fortuner and Camry are also known for presenting big bills.

Rahul

Agreed that not all Toyota's are cheap to maintain, and definitely not the crysta. Fortuner, Camry, etc are in the higher price band and are bound to be expensive. What I was referring was the old Innova, Etios twins, Corolla, etc and going by the ownership reviews on the forum, these cars are quite cheap to maintain.

[srivatsahg]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Which company needs timing belt / chain replacement so early.
Rahul

Fiat Grande Punto MJD esp. 90HP recommends the timing chain replacement in before 65K kms. So the FASS push you to get it done.

[scwagh]

Hi Auto_enthusiat,

Thanks for the detailed review with breakup of each service intervals. It is really helpful for people like me who would be nearing these service intervals. I also own a new Figo TDCi and can vouch for the car and the gem of an engine. Happy to see that so many Aspire's are now working in Uber/ Ola fleet. For a rider the backseats are one of the best in the segment and the engine will keep the drivers happy.

Originally Posted by auto_enthusiast

Problems/Issues faced:
After completing 1,000 kms, whenever I used to accelerate the car in 5th gear, there was vibration and humming noise felt around 80-85 kmph and after crossing 95 kmph the vibration reduced and the car behaved normally. This happened when I drove spiritedly or even if there was moderate acceleration. Only when I used to accelerate very slowly, I didn't feel the vibration or the humming.

I have also faced exactly the same issue in my car. If I build the speed gradually there are no vibrations but on sudden acceleration (from around 40-50 kmph) the vibrations crop up. I had bought this to the service adviser's notice when I had given my car for the first service/ check up at 2,500 kms mark. They checked it and I was told that this is normal for new Figo, though he also acknowledged that they were able to reach the 80 kmph mark only once on their test drive given the traffic condition near the service center and that Ford does not allow them to take any vehicle above 80 kmph mark during the road test. I will be giving my car for service (10,000 Kms) in the first week of July and would again request them for checking the issue.

I had not seen any other member complaint about the vibration issue yet. I asked a couple of my friends to drive my car and check if they also felt the vibrations in the cabin but they didn't feel a thing and said that the car was stable all the way upto 120 kmph. Later I was thinking of requesting a TBHP member who owns the Figo/Aspire in Pune to have a round in my car to verify if there is any vibration or if it is a figment of my imagination

Planning to go on a 2 day trip this weekend where I will get an opportunity to drive on highway. I will update if the issue crops up again.